Going with the Flow

Since she had decided to take Hoshiryu Uchiha with her, Mito Uzumaki did not hesitate.

However, so as not to alert the enemy, Mito Uzumaki did not make a grand visit to the Hokage Tower.

Instead, she planned to visit privately and secretly instruct the Hokage to investigate the matter.

When Hoshiryu Uchiha heard Mito Uzumaki's idea, he could only marvel inwardly.

You're asking someone to investigate himself. It'll be a miracle if that turns up anything.

However, he did not try to persuade Mito Uzumaki to change her approach.

Because everything Hoshiryu Uchiha had said about this matter so far was merely speculation.

Yakushi Nonō had not spoken, and there was no other evidence for the time being.

Besides, meeting the Hokage was enough. Once they met him, they could define the nature of the matter.

They would label the culprit as a rogue ninja who had harmed children.

Leaving this matter to Hiruzen Sarutobi might indeed produce no results, or someone might take the fall in the culprit's place.

But that did not mean Hiruzen Sarutobi was the only one who could investigate the mastermind.

With Mito Uzumaki's experience, she would certainly sense that something was wrong after meeting the Hokage.

Then Hoshiryu Uchiha would persuade her to ask the Uchiha Military Police Force to investigate the matter.

Mito Uzumaki adopting Hoshiryu was a sign of goodwill toward the Uchiha Clan.

The Military Police Force also had duties in this regard, so the Uchiha Clan would certainly not refuse.

And while the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and Danzo was not yet as irreconcilable as it would become in later years, it certainly could not be called good.

The Uchiha Clan was capable, and with his secret reminders, they could quickly lock onto the target.

Even if Danzo had truly covered every possible trace.

Hoshiryu Uchiha was still confident that he could make Nonō reveal the truth.

Besides, with Danzo's personality and abilities, he could not pull that off.

So exposing Danzo was only a matter of time.

When the time came, even if Hiruzen Sarutobi tried to shield Danzo and smooth things over, turning a major matter into a minor one, it would be impossible.

Because the matter would already have been defined, and everyone in Konoha would know about it.

Even if Danzo did not die, he would lose a layer of skin.

Hoshiryu Uchiha did not need to do much throughout this entire affair.

He only needed to go with the flow and wait for a while to drive Danzo into a dead end.

The Hokage Tower was as peaceful as ever.

This was Hoshiryu Uchiha's second time here.

The last time, ANBU had brought him here. This time, Mito Uzumaki had brought him.

The difference between the two could not be compared.

The moment Mito Uzumaki arrived, the guarding ninja learned why she was there.

Without even announcing her arrival, he walked ahead to lead Mito Uzumaki inside.

Along the way, everyone who saw Mito Uzumaki greeted her.

Some female ninja even looked at her as though they had seen their idol.

Just like that, they arrived at the Hokage's office without obstruction.

The ease of it was no different from returning home.

Such an exaggerated display left Hoshiryu Uchiha clicking his tongue inwardly.

No wonder the Senju Clan and the Uzumaki Clan had both disappeared later, and even Nawaki Senju had died.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was not strong enough to suppress subordinates with such immense prestige.

If he did not find a way to deal with it, Nawaki Senju might really don the yellow robe and ascend the throne one day.

Mito Uzumaki paid no attention to Hoshiryu Uchiha's thoughts at the moment, as they had already met Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Hoshiryu Uchiha, then approached her with a broad smile.

"Lady Mito, what brings you here today?"

Feeling the increasingly distinct malice emanating from Hiruzen Sarutobi, Mito Uzumaki's already sour mood over the children worsened further.

She knew where Hiruzen Sarutobi's malice came from. It was because of Hoshiryu Uchiha.

Hoshiryu had already become Konoha's rising star, a bridge between the village and the Uchiha Clan.

He was a renowned child prodigy and a future pillar of Konoha.

There had even been voices in Konoha calling for Hoshiryu Uchiha to become the Fourth Hokage.

But in the end, the matter had faded away because Hoshiryu Uchiha was simply too young.

Yet to Hiruzen Sarutobi, this was utterly unacceptable.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was still in the ascending phase of his strength as a ninja. He had no intention of retiring.

Now that he saw Mito Uzumaki had brought Hoshiryu Uchiha with her, he naturally felt displeased.

Feeling that malice, Mito Uzumaki smiled helplessly.

She watched Hiruzen Sarutobi for a while before speaking.

"Hiruzen, I have indeed come to trouble you with something important this time."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi set aside his petty thoughts.

Given Mito Uzumaki's personality, anything she called important was unlikely to be trivial.

The war had not yet ended. It would be troublesome if something had gone wrong on the Senju Clan's front.

So he hurriedly asked,

"What happened that made Lady Mito come to me?"

Mito Uzumaki glanced at Hoshiryu Uchiha, signaling for him to step forward and explain.

After all, Hoshiryu Uchiha had discovered the matter, so it was more appropriate for him to speak.

Hoshiryu Uchiha was not intimidated. After receiving the signal, he stepped forward and came before Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Lord Hokage, someone has crossed the village's taboo and laid hands on the children of the village."

When Hiruzen Sarutobi heard that there was no problem at the front, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But when he heard that someone had harmed children, the first person who came to mind was his old friend.

Then he thought of the authorization order he had given him.

In an instant, his back was drenched in sweat.

But as an old fox, Hiruzen Sarutobi still put on an angry expression and began asking about the information.

"Is the information accurate? Do you know who did it?"

"Damn it! To dare commit such a heinous act, they clearly have no regard for me, the Hokage!"

Hoshiryu Uchiha considered the questions before answering Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"The information is accurate. There is already a witness."

"But we have not yet determined who the culprit is, so we came to ask Lord Hokage to dispatch ANBU to investigate."

When Hiruzen Sarutobi heard there was a witness, his heart sank.

Then, when he heard they did not know who the mastermind was, joy rose in his heart.

Finally, upon learning that Mito Uzumaki had come to him so he could find the culprit, he relaxed completely.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi could not yet be certain that Danzo was responsible, given his understanding of Danzo, it was almost certainly him.

So when he heard that they wanted him to investigate, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt rather fortunate.

This gave him room to maneuver. At worst, he could find someone to take the blame.

However, he then remembered that there was a witness, and the heart he had just settled lifted slightly again.

"No problem. I will order ANBU to investigate with all their strength."

As he spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi put on a concerned expression and slowly said,

"Is the witness still safe? Why not let me protect them?"

Hoshiryu Uchiha nearly snorted with laughter at those words.

Leave them with you? Send a sheep into the tiger's den?

However, his acting was not bad either. Faced with Hiruzen Sarutobi's seemingly casual question,

Hoshiryu Uchiha said with a smile,

"No need. Grandmother has already placed that person under her protection, so there is no need to trouble Lord Hokage."

Meanwhile, as Mito Uzumaki listened to their exchange and sensed the fluctuating malice from Hiruzen Sarutobi, she realized that something was wrong.