Let Me See Where the Limit Lies

Inside a training ground in the Uchiha clan's rear mountains.

Uchiha Itachi was training here with a heavy heart.

The task Shisui had entrusted to him weighed heavily on him. Although the clan seemed to have grown somewhat quieter after Shisui's death,

he could clearly feel the turbulent undercurrents beneath that silence.

Once the flames were ignited again, disaster was sure to follow!

"What exactly should I do? The village, the clan..."

Uchiha Itachi fiercely threw the kunai in his hand. The kunai collided with one another in midair before striking every target from bizarre angles.

But he did not stop. Instead, he began another round of training.

"Looks like this kid has grown quite well."

In the shadows among the trees, Uchiha Obito stood with his arms crossed, silently watching him.

"Although I still can't determine whether he possesses the Mangekyo, the Uchiha situation is even worse than I imagined."

Obito already had information on the state of the Uchiha clan.

But after investigating it in person, he understood even more clearly that this clan had reached the most dangerous point!

That amused him somewhat. He had no feelings for this clan whatsoever.

With the destruction of the Uchiha, he might even be able to obtain quite a few Sharingan!

"I just wonder, Uchiha Itachi, whether you'll end up working for me..."

Uchiha Itachi, who was training, paused for a moment. That feeling of being watched had appeared again!

But he did not raise the alarm. He continued training and, as always, had no intention of telling anyone.

He did not know who this person was, but to be able to appear here without making a sound...

"Then, if things really reach the worst possible stage, perhaps he can still lend me a hand..."

"Makoto, Kakashi, are you certain that what you said is true?"

Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was somewhat grave.

He had originally been handling paperwork while also thinking about a whole mess of things.

The Shinobi World was too turbulent these days. First there was Orochimaru, and then an even more mysterious figure had appeared.

On top of that, the major ninja villages kept making covert moves, while the Uchiha problem was becoming increasingly troublesome.

He truly felt that he might be getting old...

But just then, Hyuga Makoto and Kakashi had hit him with another bombshell!

"Hokage-sama, I'm certain I didn't see wrong. That person was together with Uchiha Itachi."

Hyuga Makoto seemed especially "honest," and he also took out a scroll.

"Kakashi and I pretended to be strolling around casually. We observed them several more times before leaving. This is the profile I drew. Please take a look."

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands trembled slightly. He truly wished Hyuga Makoto had not brought up Uchiha Itachi.

Still, he steadied his hand as best he could and took it, then opened it.

It showed Uchiha Itachi training, while behind him stood a masked figure with his arms crossed, watching him!

Although the drawing was somewhat rough, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression still became rather pained.

"Sigh, take a look at this."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and casually took out another scroll, spreading it across the desk.

"This is..."

Hyuga Makoto and Kakashi were both curious, but when they looked over, both of them were "astonished"!

This scroll also contained a profile, and it was drawn extremely precisely.

More importantly, although the clothing in the two profiles differed, and the one from Hyuga Makoto contained an extra Sharingan,

the masks were exactly the same!

"Danzo gave this to me."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. He had said that this person wore a mask.

But he had never mentioned the mask's style or the positions of its openings!

The fact that Hyuga Makoto had reconstructed all of this so clearly was enough to reveal a great many things.

"We can now confirm that what Danzo said was true, and that you two were also right. It's just that this matter has become troublesome."

"Hokage-sama, should we summon Uchiha Itachi and question him?"

Hyuga Makoto blinked and deliberately asked.

"Besides, my Byakugan may have overlooked some trees, so..."

"There's no need to question him. If this is a misunderstanding, it will only increase suspicion. But if it's true..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew about some of the Byakugan's shortcomings, but he had other concerns weighing on his mind.

After all, Danzo had made a move against Shisui. Even if Shisui had committed suicide, what had he done before taking his own life?

What if he had met Uchiha Itachi and said something to him? Or what if the Mysterious Person had told him something?

Given his relationship with Shisui, how would he view Konoha?

Besides, Shisui's body had never been found. Could there be an issue there as well?

This whole series of questions left Hiruzen Sarutobi walking on thin ice!

For a moment, he genuinely wanted to strangle Danzo and be done with it...

"Only the three of us know about this. Don't tell anyone else."

Although his blood pressure kept rising, Hiruzen Sarutobi still took a deep breath before speaking.

"At the same time, the two of you will form a special operations team. You will investigate Itachi and the Mysterious Person. Can you accept this?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Kakashi immediately accepted the order, and Hyuga Makoto nodded along with him.

"No problem. However, I suspect this person may not be from the village. At least, he no longer counts as one now."

"An Uchiha from outside?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, and Kakashi seemed to think of something.

"Makoto, I remember you said that last time. It seems this really is a possible lead."

"And the fact that he can enter the village at will is rather interesting."

Hyuga Makoto continued to add, anyway making reasonable deductions based on "factual evidence"!

"Either he has the ability to pass through the barrier, or..."

"Someone leaked the barrier's techniques?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi lifted the stem of his pipe to his mouth. He remembered the Sensory Team's previous report.

He had not taken it seriously before, and it had been brought up again when Danzo was attacked last time. Now, it seemed the problem was indeed serious!

Knock, knock, knock—

Just then, someone knocked on the door of the Hokage's office, which made Hiruzen Sarutobi somewhat irritated.

Still, he quickly adjusted his mindset and let them in. The person who entered was the Sensory Team captain!

"Hokage-sama, important intelligence."

The Sensory Team captain spoke in a low voice, but his gaze swept over Hyuga Makoto and Kakashi.

"Just say it. They're both people I trust."

After putting away the profile scroll, Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, making the Sensory Team captain visibly relieved.

"Someone was detected crossing the barrier again last night. Hokage-sama, this is a map compiled from the previous results."

"Mm..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted the map and glanced at it before sighing and handing it to Kakashi and Hyuga Makoto.

"You should take a look as well."

"These places..."

Kakashi raised his eyebrows as he examined the map, while Hyuga Makoto rubbed his chin.

"Isn't this the area near the Uchiha?"

"That's right, which is why I need you two even more."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded seriously, his gaze settling on Hyuga Makoto.

"Especially you, Makoto. Your Byakugan can play an even greater role at a time like this!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was completely sincere. He understood the value of the Byakugan, which had already been demonstrated on the battlefield.

Unfortunately, the Hyuga had been too "united" in the past, and not a single member had been able to enter the Anbu!

But Hyuga Makoto's joining had changed many things. The value he had demonstrated even left Hiruzen Sarutobi deeply moved.

Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not help saying,

"After this mission is over, I hope you can recommend someone you approve of to join the Anbu. Is that all right?"

"..."

Hyuga Makoto blinked. He knew Hiruzen Sarutobi was offering him a benefit, and of course he would agree to something like this!

"Of course, no problem. But Hokage-sama, I have another idea..."

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew about Hyuga Makoto's little quirk. Without changing expression, he said in a low voice,

"Your special operations team has dedicated funding..."

"That's not what I mean, Hokage-sama."

"?"

"I was wondering whether I could apply to visit the secret vault and learn some more useful techniques."

"What? But you're a Hyuga..."

"There must be something I can use, Hokage-sama. Surely you don't want me, a weak member of the Branch Family, to be incapable of protecting myself, do you?"

"..."

Kakashi covered his face. He really did not want to watch this. This guy was weak?

The corner of Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth twitched, but in the end, he still nodded.

Hyuga Makoto was genuinely delighted this time. After all, he had always wanted to see where the limits of his bloodline lay...