Who Is the Mole

Who was the mole?

Sarutobi stared at Nara Shikaku's handwritten letter, frowning in deep thought.

For the enemy to know Konoha ninja movements so thoroughly, someone had to be leaking information.

There was more than one informant. Every camp, even the village itself, had them. The mastermind behind it all was one of the village's higher-ups.

Countless names flashed through Sarutobi's mind, only for him to reject them one by one. It was hard for him to believe that these people could betray the village.

But the facts lay before him. Konoha's successive defeats were all because of this. If this person was not rooted out, Konoha would be like meat on the chopping block, at the mercy of others.

"Hokage! This came from the front lines."

A ninja knocked and entered, delivering another urgent letter.

It said that Inuzuka Ago had encountered a Stone Ninja ambush while transporting supplies. Fortunately, Minato and Kakashi had arrived in time.

However, while Minato had left the wounded soldiers' camp to support Inuzuka Ago, the camp itself had come under attack.

This news further confirmed the authenticity of Nara Shikaku's secret letter.

At such a difficult time for the village, someone had actually switched sides in the midst of battle. It filled Sarutobi with immense fury.

Mitokado Homura pushed open the door and entered. Seeing Sarutobi's bloodshot eyes, he frowned. "Hiruzen, you need to rest."

Sarutobi said hoarsely, "How could I possibly sleep now?"

He lowered his head to look at Nara Shikaku's letter. He had already read it countless times.

"Homura, don't you find this strange?"

"You mean what happened on the front lines?" Mitokado Homura said. "I was just about to speak to you about it."

Sarutobi raised his head and looked at Mitokado Homura.

"The mole," Mitokado Homura said expressionlessly.

"The Stone Ninja couldn't possibly know our movements so thoroughly every time. A mole must be at work."

Sarutobi slowly closed his eyes and let out a heavy breath through his nose.

"Who do you think it is?"

"Anyone could be the culprit. Hiruzen, you are the Hokage. You cannot afford even a shred of softness now."

"If the mole is not eliminated, Konoha will head straight toward destruction."

Hizashi had been injured and sent back from the front lines.

It was said that he had encountered the main Stone Ninja force and been wounded while protecting Hiashi.

Zhen simply bought a few things and went to the hospital to visit him. He found Ayari and Ayano in the ward, along with a white-haired old man.

Hizashi lay on the hospital bed, bandages beneath his clothes wrapped all the way to his neck. His injuries looked severe.

He was not wearing his forehead protector, leaving the green cursed seal on his forehead exposed without concern.

"Zhen, you're here." Seeing Zhen standing at the door, Ayari walked over and took the things he had bought.

"I came to visit Lord Hizashi," Zhen said, then bowed to the other two people in the room.

"Lord Taikei, Lady Ayano."

Many gifts had already been piled up in the corner of the room. Zhen was not the first person to visit.

The atmosphere in the room was somewhat strange. Even when Zhen had reached the door, he had not heard anyone in the ward speaking.

"That was thoughtful of you." Taikei watched Zhen and spoke calmly.

"I won't disturb you any longer..." After setting down the things, Zhen intended to take his leave.

"It's fine." Taikei stopped him. "We are all of the same clan. There is no need to be so reserved and distant."

Ayari brought Zhen a chair and had him sit down.

Zhen had no choice but to stay. He then realized that he seemed to have suddenly become the center of attention. After a brief thought, he asked with a worried expression, "How is Lord Hizashi doing?"

Hizashi replied calmly, "Don't worry. I won't die."

Taikei shot him a glance. "If you're so eager to die, why did you come back?"

Hizashi sneered. "Are you disappointed that I didn't die?"

Taikei heavily struck the floor with his cane, blowing his beard and glaring. "If you died, you'd save me the trouble."

Seeing this, Ayano hurriedly smiled and tried to smooth things over.

The relationship between father and son seemed rather delicate, not harmonious in the slightest. No wonder Zhen had felt that something was off about the atmosphere in the room.

Zhen was helpless. Is it really appropriate for you two to argue in front of an outsider like me?

Ayari sat at the edge of the bed, peeling an apple. Zhen had thought she was peeling it for Hizashi, but she simply began eating it herself.

Noticing Zhen looking at her, Ayari cut the apple in half with her knife and offered him one half.

Zhen "..."

He felt a little awkward, unsure whether to take it or not. He discreetly gave Ayari a look, only to see her watching him with a mischievous expression before putting that half of the apple into her mouth and taking a bite.

Sure enough, as long as you weren't embarrassed, it was everyone else who became embarrassed.

"Why doesn't Ayari peel one for Hizashi?" Ayano asked then.

"He doesn't like apples," Ayari said.

Hizashi opened his mouth, then said helplessly, "I... really don't like apples."

Having grown up together since childhood, they all knew one another's temperaments well.

"Has Zhen been enjoying reading lately?" Taikei suddenly asked Zhen.

Zhen was not surprised to hear this. He answered respectfully, "I've encountered quite a few things I don't understand during training, so I wanted to seek answers from books."

Taikei nodded. "It is rare to find a young person as diligent as you."

Zhen said, "Iroha, Tokuma, and Tetsu are all working very hard. Kamado is also fighting for the village on the front lines. I'm the only one idling around in the village with nothing to do."

Taikei said instead, "No need to be so modest. I know the dispositions of those children well enough."

Zhen turned to Hizashi and asked, "Lord Hizashi, how is Kamado doing on the front lines?"

Hizashi thought for a moment before saying, "That kid is following Lord Hiashi. His performance has been fairly good."

Zhen sighed in relief. "As long as he's alright."

Taikei's gaze shifted slightly. "You're very worried about him."

Zhen smiled honestly. "We're friends, so I care about how he's doing."

Taikei saw that the expression on the boy's face did not seem feigned and felt somewhat reassured. It was a good thing to have bonds within the clan. Those with bonds were the easiest to control.

Sitting nearby, Ayari tilted her head in confusion upon hearing this. Had this boy become so close with Kamado now?

Come to think of it, his relationship with Iroha and the others had been fairly ordinary before, yet they spent time together often now.

Sure enough, children's friendships always formed for inexplicable reasons.

Taikei spoke again. "If Zhen truly enjoys reading, you can come to my place. I have quite a few books in my collection."

Ayano seemed somewhat surprised to hear this, but she said nothing.

Hizashi cast a calm glance over, then withdrew his gaze.

Zhen immediately looked excited. "May I, Lord Taikei?"

Taikei smiled faintly. "Aren't books meant to be read? If you don't come, they will only sit there gathering dust."

"Thank you, Lord Taikei!"

After leaving the hospital, Zhen did not return home immediately. He wandered around the village for a while and bought some things. He could already clearly sense that the villagers' spirits were low. Even the shopkeeper had absentmindedly miscalculated the price while weighing his ingredients. Everyone was worried about the situation on the front lines.

The unceasing bad news coming back from the front lines made even Zhen feel that Orochimaru had gone a little too far.

Konoha's higher-ups were probably already suspecting the existence of a mole. If this matter was not brought to an end, then even if Orochimaru got his wish, became Konoha's savior, and won the war, he, as the final victor, would surely be suspected by the Third Hokage.

Once such actions were exposed, all of Konoha would no longer permit him to remain alive in this world.