When the Intelligence Squad ninja received the encrypted scroll Shinji tossed to him, he froze. He hadn't expected Shinji not only to dispel the genjutsu at a glance, but also to extract the information the caster had planted in the Kumogakure ninja's mind.
The others in the ward were equally astonished.
Especially those who had tried to break the genjutsu earlier. They knew how troublesome it was, so the result surprised them all the more.
"The scroll's encrypted. It needs to be decoded."
After a brief explanation, Shinji nodded to Tsunade, then left the ward with Nameless.
By rights, even if he had completed his mission, Shinji shouldn't have left without permission from Tsunade, the Hokage. But his departure didn't bother anyone. They seemed to take it for granted.
This showed, without anyone saying so, that they had gradually begun to regard Shinji as a high-ranking figure in the village, on the level of a council elder.
Once Shinji was gone, Tsunade took the encrypted scroll from the Intelligence Squad ninja.
Jiraiya and Kakashi gathered around her.
After examining it, Tsunade said to them, "I've confirmed it. The encryption on the scroll is a method used by ANBU!"
Jiraiya and Kakashi nodded, confirming that Itachi was the one who had cast the genjutsu on the Kumogakure ninja.
Sasuke could hardly believe it. His disbelief soon turned to anger. "How could someone like him send intelligence to the village? This has to be fake. It's a trap set by the Akatsuki Organization!"
Kakashi tried to calm Sasuke. "We can't rule out that possibility."
"Right. Even if it is intelligence, we still need to examine it carefully."
Tsunade wasn't about to argue with Sasuke over something like this. Besides, what he said wasn't entirely impossible.
Back then, the Third had indeed made