Hokage World, Konoha, Hokage Building.
Night had long since faded. Sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the Hokage Office, yet it could not dispel the oppressive atmosphere within.
Thin wisps of smoke continuously rose from the pipe in the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth, filling the entire room with haze.
Several newly delivered scrolls lay spread across the desk before him.
Their contents were identical.
No trace of any Uchiha had been found anywhere in Konoha!
No trace of any Uchiha had been found in the southern region of the Land of Fire!
No trace of any Uchiha had been found in the northern region of the Land of Fire!
No trace of any Uchiha had been found in the eastern region of the Land of Fire!
Since the night before last, the thousand-plus members of the Uchiha compound had vanished from Konoha as if into thin air.
The Uchiha Clan had defected!
Upon receiving the news, the Third Hokage had immediately mobilized all of Konoha's forces to search the entire Land of Fire.
Yet even now, there was still no news.
The Third Hokage was not alone in the office.
Shimura Danzō stood by the window, leaning on his cane. With his back to the sunlight, shadows covered most of his face, making his exposed eye appear even more sinister.
Neither man spoke. One stood while the other sat.
The silence was suffocating.
Click.
The office door was gently pushed open. An Anbu wearing an animal mask dropped to one knee and reported in a low, clear voice:
"Hokage-sama, latest intelligence: the search area has expanded to the entire Land of Fire, including all border outposts, hidden valleys, and underground black markets...
Still, no traces of Uchiha Clan activity have been discovered.
Over a thousand members of the Uchiha Clan, along with most of their crucial supplies, seem to have... seem to have completely vanished from the face of the earth."
After finishing his report, the Anbu lowered his head even further, preparing for his superior's fury.
Yet the expected rebuke never came.
The Third Hokage merely waved a weary hand. As though granted a pardon, the Anbu silently withdrew and gently closed the door behind him.
The room fell into dead silence once more, broken only by the faint crackling of tobacco burning in the Third Hokage's pipe.
"Completely... vanished."
The Third Hokage finally spoke, his voice hoarse with disbelief.
He set down his pipe and rubbed his tightly furrowed brow.
"More than a thousand people—not one or two, but an entire clan! They disappeared overnight from the heavily guarded core of Konoha's ninja village without a trace.
There were no signs of a large-scale battle. They did not even leave behind a single worthwhile clue. How is that possible?"
Danzo slowly turned around, his one eye gleaming coldly.
"Hiruzen, what are you still doubting at this point?"
His voice grated like a dull blade. "This was no coincidence. It was a long-planned mass defection!
As the Third Hokage, the ruler of Konoha, you did not discover that the enormous Uchiha compound was empty until dawn!
What an utter failure of duty! What a bitter irony!"
The Third Hokage remained silent, unable to refute him.
The Uchiha Clan was Konoha's greatest noble clan, and its Sharingan was a strategic-level force.
For such an important clan to vanish wholesale without the village noticing was not only an enormous loss for the village—it was indeed the greatest mockery of Konoha's security.
"It was Uchiha Yoru."
Danzo's tone was decisive, laced with suppressed fury.
"That brat... all of us underestimated him. Half a year ago, he seized the position of clan head by force. We all thought he was merely a radical blinded by power.
But now, it seems he may have been plotting all of this from that very moment!
The Mangekyō Sharingan he awakened—its power may far surpass our imagination."
"The abilities of the Mangekyō are strange and unpredictable. The abilities recorded throughout history have all been different."
The Third Hokage spoke gravely. "But to move over a thousand people away without alerting the Barrier Corps or the Anbu...
Even if Yoru awakened a Space-Time ability, it still sounds like a fantasy!"
"Hmph!" Danzo snorted. "No matter what kind of power he possesses, betraying the village is a capital crime!"
"The Uchiha Clan truly has rebellious blood flowing in its bones! This is a declaration of war against all of Konoha!"
"It is still too early to draw conclusions, Danzo."
The Third Hokage tried to remain calm. "They have merely disappeared; they have not defected to another village. Besides, they caused no destruction before leaving."
"That is precisely what makes it even more terrifying, Hiruzen!"
Danzo slammed his cane against the floor, producing a dull thud.
"They took away all their strength, all their potential!
Uchiha Yoru and Itachi both possess the power of the Mangekyō. Add to that hundreds of Uchiha with awakened Sharingan, lurking in the shadows.
Their threat to Konoha is far greater than an open rebellion!
They are like a venomous snake hidden in the darkness. No one knows when they will bare their fangs and bite Konoha viciously!"
At the mention of Uchiha Itachi, the Third Hokage's expression darkened.
That young man, whom he had held in such high regard and believed to understand the greater good, was now missing as well.
Had he willingly left with his clan, or had something happened to him?
Neither answer was one he wished to see.
"Uchiha Itachi's mission..." The Third Hokage's voice carried a trace of difficulty.
"Do you still harbor fantasies about that evil little brat? From the moment he lost contact, we should have realized that something had gone wrong with the plan!"
Danzo said mercilessly.
"Now it seems highly likely that Itachi deceived us all along. That brat had always stood with the Uchiha.
On the surface, he fed us false intelligence about the Uchiha. In reality, he was covering for his Big Brother as he secretly arranged for the clan's defection.
The night we withdrew all forces monitoring the Uchiha was something they had planned long ago. Our withdrawal gave them the very opportunity to defect.
Those brothers are in this together!"
The office fell silent again, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.
"Find them!"
After a long while, Danzo squeezed out a single word through clenched teeth.
"Mobilize every force Konoha has. Contact every spy stationed outside. Put bounties in the black markets.
Even if we have to turn the Ninja World upside down, we must find their whereabouts!
Bring them back alive, or bring back their corpses! Especially Uchiha Yoru's Mangekyō Sharingan!"
The Third Hokage neither agreed nor objected at once.
He rose to his feet and walked to the window, looking down at peaceful Konoha bathed in sunlight.
The Uchiha problem had plagued Konoha for far too long. Had it finally come to an end now?
Though the outcome was slightly different, had they not planned from the beginning to abandon the entire Uchiha Clan?
No matter what, their goal had now been achieved.
"Seal off the news for now. Announce to the public that the Uchiha Clan has undertaken a long-term confidential mission."
The Third Hokage finally made his decision, his voice returning to its usual steadiness.
"Why not issue a wanted order? They cannot have escaped far. We need to seize the time, hunt them down, and arrest them as soon as possible!"
Now that the entire Uchiha Clan had defected from Konoha, why was weak-willed Hiruzen still hesitating?
When dealing with traitors, they had to be crushed at any cost!
But the Third Hokage was completely unmoved. He turned around and gathered all the scrolls on the desk into a drawer, his mind made up.
"Danzo!"
"I am the Hokage!"
"This matter ends here. Recall all forces searching for the Uchiha immediately!"
Seeing the Third Hokage's resolute attitude, Danzo trembled with rage.
"Hiruzen, you will regret this!"
Before you continue