Time was money. In the race to the Hokage Building, Yuhuo took first place.
Yuhuo knocked on the Hokage Office door and shouted, "Hokage, we have important intelligence to report. This matter could very well determine whether the village lives or dies."
The Third Hokage had just put down his documents, hoping to steal a moment's rest. When he heard Yuhuo's voice, his heart gave a lurch.
The morning hadn't even been over when he'd assigned that kid Yuhuo to work in Anbu. It hadn't even been half a day, and now he was standing in front of him again. The old man felt like his bones were about to be rattled apart.
"Come in."
The Third Hokage set down his pipe, looking thoroughly reluctant.
Once Yuhuo and the other two entered the office, the Third Hokage lectured him in the tone of an elder. "Yuhuo, the village has always been rife with undercurrents in the darkness you can't see. Don't make a fuss over every little thing."
"Even if the sky falls, I'm here to hold it up. What are you panicking about?"
Yuhuo seemed to have learned his lesson. He nodded in agreement. "Then finding the mastermind behind Nine-Tails Night must be a small matter too. I'll head back and get some rest, then come see you tomorrow, Hokage."
"Good, as long as you understand..."
The Third Hokage was about to nod, but then he realized what Yuhuo had said. He frowned. "Wait... You said you found the culprit behind Nine-Tails Night? Where did you see this?"
For most of Konoha's Ninja, the Nine-Tails' Rampage had always been nothing more than a natural disaster, an accident.
The Nine-Tails had somehow broken through the Jinchuriki's seal and rampaged inside the village, causing a catastrophe. Only the Fourth Hokage had been able to end it, at the cost of his life.
But to the Third Hokage, the Nine-Tails' Rampage had undoubtedly been a man-made disaster—a carefully planned conspiracy.
The perpetrators might have been an outside Ninja village like Cloud Hidden or Iwagakure. Or it might have been the Uchiha Clan from within the village. After all, they were the only ones with any reason to cause the Nine-Tails' Rampage.
"Hokage, take a look at this first."
Yuhuo took out a Video Tape. The Third Hokage accepted it and used the Crystal Ball to view its contents.
When he saw the Masked Man pass through the Konoha Barrier without any resistance, the Third Hokage furrowed his brow. When he saw the blood-red Sharingan, he fell silent.
After a while, the Third Hokage looked at Yuhuo and asked,
"Yuhuo, why do you think the Masked Man is the Killer of the Nine-Tails Night? He looks like one of your Uchiha. Do you think your Uchiha Clan was behind this?"
Kakashi's expression shifted at those words.
Itachi thought, This is bad. The very situation he'd feared was unfolding. After seeing the Masked Man, the Third Hokage had begun to suspect the Uchiha.
Yuhuo thought it over, then gave his reasons.
"Hokage, I've heard my clan members talk about how Uchiha Madara controlled the Nine-Tails. So, as long as someone has strong enough Chakra, there must be an Uchiha capable of controlling the Nine-Tails. And if the Masked Man can pass through the village barrier now, he must have been able to do it back then too."
"As for whether one of our clan members did it, I can say for certain it wasn't any Uchiha living in the village."
"Why not?" the Third Hokage asked.
"If those old guys in the clan had that kind of strength, they wouldn't spend every clan meeting arguing about nothing. They're just old. They couldn't match even one of your fingers, Hokage."
"You have a point, but don't slander your elders."
"They've contributed to the village too."
The Third Hokage smiled. Yuhuo made a lot of sense. Those Uchiha living in the village weren't particularly strong. Back then, Uchiha Setsuna, who'd been loudly calling for a coup, had been captured outright by people Teacher Tobirama sent.
Perhaps he'd been too sensitive about the Uchiha. In truth, they were still as weak as ever.
Was he really willing to slander his own clan just to curry favor with the Third Hokage?
Kakashi had gained a new impression of his subordinate. At least he wouldn't disparage his clan in front of outsiders. His other subordinate, Uchiha Itachi, wouldn't either.
The Third Hokage changed the subject and turned to Kakashi. "Kakashi, how do you think the village should deal with the Masked Man? His Space-Time Ninjutsu is extremely troublesome."
"..."
"I don't have a solution for now..."
Kakashi considered it, then finally shook his head.
The Third Hokage looked at Uchiha Itachi. He, too, remained silent, apparently without any ideas.
This left the Third Hokage in a difficult position. He knew a formidable enemy was lurking near the village, but with the opponent's Space-Time Ninjutsu, Konoha had no way to deal with this threat right at its doorstep.
In the end, the Third Hokage could only turn to Yuhuo. "Yuhuo, you were the first to discover the Masked Man. Do you have any ideas for dealing with him?"
"Hokage, the last time the Masked Man came to Konoha, it was to cause the Nine-Tails' Rampage..."
"That's right." The Third Hokage nodded.
"So he must have a special purpose for coming this time too..."
Yuhuo thought for a moment, then offered a possibility. "The thing that's been causing a huge stir in the village these past few days is the rumor linking you and Fugaku Clan Head. Could the Masked Man have come to steal the bride?"
"Stop fooling around..."
The Third Hokage's expression darkened. "Yuhuo, do you still want to work in Anbu?"
"I was just trying to lighten the mood."
Yuhuo flashed a sly smile, then worked backward from the outcome to infer the cause.
"I've thought about it for a long time. The Masked Man appeared near the Uchiha District this time because he might be trying to incite a Clan Coup and make the village suffer another Uchiha's Rampage."
"After all, the last Nine-Tails' Rampage caused the village enormous losses."
"If we want to take out the Masked Man, we have to send a trustworthy Uchiha to contact him. Once they start talking, we can seize the opportunity to attack."
"That's a good plan."
After hearing this, the Third Hokage's eyes lit up. He felt the plan had real potential.
He'd thought that Itachi was the only member of the Uchiha Clan with a Hokage Mindset. He hadn't expected Yuhuo to be another shrewd one. And Yuhuo's strength was nothing extraordinary—only at the Chunin level—so he'd be easy to handle.
Compared with Uchiha Itachi, who'd caught Danzo's attention, using Yuhuo would be safer.
The only problem was, which Uchiha should they send to contact the Masked Man? They needed someone loyal enough to the village and strong enough to hold out against the Masked Man for a while.
The Third Hokage hesitated.
At that moment, Yuhuo deliberately redirected the danger toward Itachi.
"Itachi, would you be willing to make a sacrifice for the village and be the Uchiha who contacts the Masked Man?"
"Right now, the Hokage and I can only trust you..."
Aren't you an Uchiha too?
Itachi looked stunned. He hadn't expected Yuhuo's plan to be put into action by him. He hadn't even said a word—how had it suddenly become his job?
Why couldn't you do it yourself? What about Brother Shisui?
But when he saw Kakashi and the Third Hokage both watching him, Itachi could only brace himself and nod.
"If the village needs me, I'm willing to contact the Masked Man."
Before you continue