Konoha High Command Led Astray

After finishing, the old woman silently left the scene.

Seeing this, the other victims tacitly accepted the old woman's decision and turned to leave woodenly.

Watching these clan members depart, Uchiha Itachi clenched his fists tightly. Bloody tears streamed from his eyes as he could only kneel on the ground and see off those he had harmed.

Never had Uchiha Itachi felt such torment in his heart. He had originally believed that he could peacefully atone with his life during this trial, and that escape would not be a bad kind of release.

But to his surprise, the clan members he had once considered unreasonable all stepped forward to plead for him. Even his usually stern father bowed his head to others and begged for his sake. In the end, the clan members he had harmed even forgave him.

Whenever he thought of the dim, vacant looks in their eyes as they left, and his father's humble demeanor, it felt like his heart was being cut by knives.

However, the grave mistake had already been made. There was no medicine for regret in this world. Those who survived would be tormented by their hearts at every moment, whether it was Uchiha Itachi or the families of the victims.

Although the victimized clan members had chosen to forgive Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Fugaku, as the Clan Head, could not simply let the matter pass. He still had to give everyone an explanation.

"As I said before, the compensation will be borne entirely by me and my family. In addition, although Uchiha Itachi has been forgiven, his actions must still be punished. Therefore, I have decided to assign him a very important long-term mission."

"This mission is to find the Masked Man who framed us. It can now be confirmed that the Masked Man possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan and is very likely a missing member of our Uchiha Clan. Seven years ago, he controlled the Nine-Tails, causing the Fourth Hokage and his wife to die in battle and the village to suffer tremendous losses. He is the one who framed us to this extent, and he also played an important role in the village high command's operation to exterminate the Uchiha Clan."

"So, Uchiha Itachi, I am now giving you a chance to redeem yourself through merit. Capture or kill the Masked Man. Can you complete this mission?"

This was also Uchiha Fugaku's helpless compromise. After all, Itachi was his son. The punishment could not be too severe, yet he had to give the clan members an explanation. He also had to consider the feelings of those clan members his son had harmed. Thus, this capture mission, which required more care than danger, kept him away from the clan, and offered him a chance to earn merit, became the best choice.

Uchiha Itachi desperately wanted to escape this place as well. At the same time, he wanted something to numb himself with. This mission happened to meet those conditions while allowing him to contribute to the clan, so he accepted it without hesitation.

"Yes, Clan Head. Even if it costs me my life, I will complete this mission."

What happened at the Uchiha Naka Shrine was still unknown to the Konoha High Command in the Hokage Building. Otherwise, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others would likely have laughed aloud in delight.

With three pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan gathered together and advancing or retreating as one, even after recalling Tsunade and Jiraiya, Sarutobi Hiruzen had not been confident he could take down the Uchiha Clan.

But now, they had split apart on their own. Uchiha Itachi was even alone. Such a perfect opportunity to assassinate and eliminate one of them had been wasted amid their arguments.

Time returned to when the major clans had left the Root Base. Only Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other high-ranking officials remained at the scene. After hurriedly arranging matters concerning Root, the three returned to the Hokage Building under the escort of several Anbu.

As soon as they returned to the Hokage Building, the three entered the office. Looking at the empty chair, they could not help feeling sorrowful. After so many years together, the bond among the four of them had long surpassed ordinary friendship.

The three quickly recovered from the heavy atmosphere. Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura directly questioned Sarutobi Hiruzen about Minagawa Uchiha, but Sarutobi Hiruzen did not know much either. Before awakening his memories, Minagawa Uchiha had merely been a somewhat gifted Ninja Academy student.

Compared with Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi, there was simply no comparison to be made. Naturally, he had not entered Sarutobi Hiruzen's list of people requiring special attention. If he had not been an Uchiha, Sarutobi Hiruzen might not even have remembered what grade he was in.

After awakening his memories, Minagawa Uchiha had been even more low-key. He had focused wholeheartedly on awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, afraid that anything unusual about him would be discovered and attract the attention of the Konoha High Command. Thus, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew very little about him.

For now, he could only order Minagawa Uchiha's records to be urgently retrieved while telling the two Advisors everything he knew.

"This is all the information I know. From his unusual age, I guessed that he was very likely the person who attacked the Root Base and the Hokage Building, so I tested him with a few words."

"From the expressions of the other Uchiha clan members, and from the fact that he did not deny it, I confirmed that he possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan."

"At first, I judged him to be a naive youth like Uchiha Shisui, someone afraid of trouble. Though clearly powerful, he had never displayed his strength. Even when he became aware of the clan extermination crisis, he had merely infiltrated the Root Base and the Hokage Building to divert attention."

"However, from the way he responded to my strategy of arranging for the Uchiha Clan to return to the village center, it was clear that despite his young appearance, he was quick-witted and not someone willing to devote himself to the village."

From Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu could both hear his wariness toward the youth. Yet Mitokado Homura sensed something else in them and successfully led the other two astray.

"From his behavior, he truly does not wish to involve himself in the struggle between the village and the clan. But since he was able to foresee the village's actions and resolve your strategy, he is clearly a very intelligent person skilled at preserving himself."

"Perhaps we can find a way to deal with Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi first. Once he sees that the Uchiha Clan has no chance of victory whatsoever, he will certainly leave on his own. Moreover, given his personality, he will not return for revenge without confidence in his chances."

Just as Mitokado Homura finished speaking, the Anbu sent to retrieve the records returned with Minagawa Uchiha's file.

Looking at Minagawa Uchiha's utterly ordinary records, then thinking of the Masked Man who could freely enter and leave the Root Base and the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the two Advisors fell silent.

Such a powerful Uchiha had been overlooked under layers upon layers of surveillance. What exactly had the Anbu who collected this intelligence been doing? Had they simply assumed he was an ordinary genius because, as an eleven-year-old Uchiha, he was still only a Ninja Academy student?

Sarutobi Hiruzen was furious. He had guarded against the Uchiha Clan with such intensity, yet the Anbu beneath him had dared to fool him with such a report. He even felt like immediately finding the Anbu who had gathered this intelligence and executing them on the spot.

However, though burning with rage, neither Sarutobi Hiruzen nor the two Advisors had the mood or time to dwell on such a trivial matter in the current situation.

"Judging from the records, we can at least determine that he truly is someone who prioritizes self-preservation. Homura's plan may really be feasible." Utatane Koharu was the first to break the awkward silence in the office.