The Enemy Is in the Hokage Building

The Enemy Is in the Hokage Building

After school, Naruto came to the Uchiha Clan Compound at Sasuke's invitation.

The Uchiha Clan Compound, also known as the Uchiha Special District, held a status in Konoha Village akin to a village within a village. It had originally merely been located away from the central area, but after Nine-Tails Night, the Uchiha Clan Compound had been relocated to a corner of the village.

Although its area had grown considerably, it was far from the bustling districts, which led most Uchiha to complain about it.

After passing through the gate that separated the village from the clan, Naruto officially entered the Uchiha Clan Compound. As Sasuke enthusiastically introduced the place, Naruto curiously surveyed everything within.

"Naruto, that's Uncle Inaho's house. He has a terrible temper, but he's very gentle with children."

"That's Sister Izumi's house. She's always with Brother Itachi, so Brother Itachi never has time to spend with me."

"That used to be a small shop. They say an old grandmother ran it, but her grandson died in the last war. Not long after that, she died alone at home. Father and the others were the ones who collected her body."

"And over there, that's Brother Shisui's house. Brother Itachi treats him like an older brother, but he's very mysterious."

As he listened to Sasuke's introduction, one figure after another flashed through Naruto's mind. He also gained a clearer understanding of the Uchiha Clan. That was why he had accepted Sasuke's invitation.

Only by personally investigating the Uchiha Clan Compound could he formulate his next plan.

Soon, Naruto's gaze settled on the tall building across from the Uchiha Clan Compound. He asked Sasuke curiously, "Sasuke, what kind of building is that? Is it some Uchiha landmark?"

Sasuke followed Naruto's pointing finger and shook his head. "I don't know, but it's been there ever since I was born."

Naruto gave an "oh" and shifted his attention to the other buildings. If even Sasuke did not know its purpose, then it was probably where the Anbu monitored the Uchiha Clan Compound.

The Uchiha, who were plotting a coup, had actually been living under Anbu surveillance all along. Moreover, the clan's two strongest experts stood with the Hokage Building.

Under such circumstances, the Uchiha were, in a sense, something of a cruel joke.

While recording the terrain of the Uchiha Clan Compound, Naruto followed Sasuke toward the Clan Head's Residence. He was somewhat looking forward to meeting Sasuke's family.

In the Anbu room monitoring the Uchiha Clan Compound.

The one in charge of monitoring the Uchiha Clan Compound was none other than Itachi Uchiha.

After spotting his younger brother Sasuke and Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, on the surveillance feed, Itachi frowned. His expression shifted uncertainly.

Naruto had actually accepted Sasuke's invitation. Had Shisui not told the Third Hokage about this?

Although Itachi and Shisui had both joined the Anbu, becoming the only two Uchiha to do so, Itachi was loyal to Danzo, while Shisui was loyal to the Third Hokage.

Just as Itachi was about to do something, the Root Ninja beside him, who was responsible for monitoring Itachi, noticed the image on the feed as well.

The Root Ninja said coldly, "Itachi, are you trying to delete that footage? The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has actually appeared in the Uchiha Clan Compound. What exactly are you Uchiha trying to do? Rebel?"

Hearing this, Itachi turned and shot back, "Whether the Uchiha are rebelling is for Third Lord to decide. Root has no authority to make that judgment. Let's keep watching the surveillance feed."

The Root Ninja did not dare say anything too outrageous. He could only snort and say, "I'll report all of this to the leader. He'll make the correct judgment. You'd better be telling the truth. Don't make any rash moves."

Inside the Hokage's Office.

The Third Hokage sat in his office chair, listening to Shisui's report on the Uchiha Clan.

When he heard that the Police Force's attitude toward the village was growing increasingly radical, the Third Hokage sighed softly. He no longer knew how to deal with the increasingly uncontrollable Military Police Force.

If he cut their funding, he feared the Military Police Force would go on strike, causing public security costs to rise.

If he sent the Anbu to take charge, he worried it would provoke the Uchiha's opposition and trigger an even greater conflict.

Originally, he had possessed enough prestige to lead the other large and small clans in jointly restricting the Uchiha. But since the Cloud Village Envoy incident ended, the Hyuga Clan had remained completely neutral, refusing to involve itself in any village affairs other than paid work.

The other small clans were also watching from the sidelines, their attitudes exceedingly subtle.

Fortunately, the Uchiha Clan had sensible ninjas like Itachi and Shisui, who had voluntarily become double agents and provided intelligence to the Hokage faction. This prevented the conflict between the Uchiha and the village from escalating completely.

"Third Lord, that is the situation within our Uchiha Clan. The clansmen wish to fight for more rights."

Having finished his report and seeing that the Third Hokage had no intention of moving against the Uchiha, Shisui inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He continued, "There is one more matter I would like to explain to Third Lord."

"What matter?" The Third Hokage looked puzzled.

At that moment, the Anbu responsible for monitoring Naruto pushed open the door and said to the Third Hokage, "Third Lord, the Jinchuriki entered the Uchiha Clan Compound without authorization. This subordinate does not know how to handle it and came specifically to seek instructions."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Anbu noticed Shisui standing nearby. The expression beneath his mask became somewhat awkward.

The Third Hokage frowned and looked toward Shisui. "Shisui, don't overthink it. What did you just want to say? You may continue now."

Shisui said awkwardly, "Third Lord, that was what I wanted to say."

The Third Hokage was stunned as well, though he remained vigilant. He trusted Shisui, Kagami's descendant, and believed Shisui possessed the Will of Fire.

But even his own disciple had betrayed him. How could he trust Shisui completely?

After choosing his words, Shisui said, "Yesterday, Sasuke mentioned at home that he wanted to invite Naruto over as a guest. I didn't expect Naruto to accept Sasuke's invitation so quickly. This is only a matter between two children and has nothing to do with the clan."

The Third Hokage dispelled much of his suspicion and understood that the likelihood of the Uchiha making a move against Naruto was very low.

But one could never be too careful.

With that thought, the Third Hokage looked at the Anbu beside him and gave the order, "Have the Anbu and the Shadow Guard assemble. We're heading to the Uchiha Clan Compound."

"Third Lord..." Shisui hesitated, somewhat regretting that he had reported it too late.

At that moment, the Third Hokage patted Shisui on the shoulder and said, "I trust you, and I trust the Uchiha Clan. But Naruto was previously targeted by an assassination attempt in the village. I'm worried something similar may happen again."

"If you're worried, you can come with me. Consider it a visit from me as well."

Shisui had no response. He could only silently follow behind the Third Hokage. He did not want a true conflict to erupt between the clan and the village, so he had to go along.