The Uchiha Were a Cause for Concern

The world of Naruto.

The "Night of the Uchiha Massacre" had passed, but nothing had happened at all.

Since Itachi Uchiha was dead, the Uchiha Clan had not been wiped out.

And Itachi Uchiha seemed to have vanished completely.

The next day, in the Hokage's office.

Only Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo were in the office.

The atmosphere was extremely tense.

Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag on his pipe, his brows knitted tightly.

Shimura Danzō stood by the window, leaning on his cane. He seemed to be looking toward the Uchiha Compound.

"Itachi Uchiha has vanished, as if he evaporated into thin air," Danzo said, speaking first. "The only thing we can confirm is that there are signs of a fierce battle at the training grounds near the Naka River. The residual chakra fluctuations are astonishing, and the fighters were almost certainly members of the Uchiha Clan."

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Itachi Uchiha chose to stand with the village in front of both the village and his clan. He was an exceptional Anbu Ninja, and the fact that he personally told us the Uchiha Clan was about to rebel is the best proof of that."

Danzo, however, was focused on something else. "Monkey, I already ordered Itachi Uchiha to wipe out his entire clan. Now he's vanished. Do you know what that means?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and immediately rebuked him. "Danzo, you've gone too far. I'm the Hokage. Who gave you permission to do this? We still have a chance to reach an agreement with the Uchiha Clan."

Shimura Danzō calmly replied, "There's no chance. The Uchiha Clan's plan to rebel is all but certain. The village will only have peace once every last rebel is dead."

"Everything I've done has been for the village."

"You know what I'm getting at. Itachi Uchiha was strong. There's no way an ordinary Uchiha jōnin, or even an elite jōnin, could make him vanish without a trace before he could even send a warning."

As one of Konoha's most powerful leaders, Shimura Danzō had considerable influence over the Anbu. Of course he knew how strong Itachi Uchiha was.

If even someone like Itachi Uchiha could disappear without a trace, then the danger the Uchiha Clan posed in his eyes had increased considerably.

"Are there hidden experts among the Uchiha Clan that we don't know about?" The Third Hokage took another puff of his pipe. "Or has Fugaku been hiding his strength more than we thought? Did he discover Itachi's betrayal and strike first, killing his own son with his own hands?"

As Konoha's Third Hokage, he also knew that Fugaku had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and was incredibly powerful.

"It doesn't have to be Fugaku," Danzo said slowly. "The Uchiha are a thousand-year-old clan. Who's to say there aren't a few old monsters who abandoned their narrow-minded attachment to the clan compound and are hiding among ordinary clan members—or training in seclusion somewhere outside the village?"

"Don't forget Uchiha Madara. He was someone only the First, the God of Shinobi Hashirama Senju, could defeat."

The name seemed to lower the temperature in the office by several degrees. Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a long time.

Shimura Danzō had ordered Itachi Uchiha to wipe out his own clan, and Hiruzen hadn't known a thing about it.

But given the current situation, the Uchiha Clan had become even more dangerous. He could no longer afford to do anything to Danzo.

"The Uchiha are plotting a rebellion. Their coup is imminent, and they'll probably carry it out soon. The whole village could be destroyed," Danzo said, his tone turning cold. "Itachi was the cleanest, most decisive blade for dealing with this. Now that the blade is broken, are we just going to stand by and do nothing?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff of his pipe and answered gravely, "It's not that we'll do nothing. We just don't need to resort to such extreme measures. Besides, we don't know how Itachi Uchiha disappeared."

"Even among the Anbu, there are only a few who could defeat Itachi Uchiha. And someone in the Uchiha Clan managed to make him vanish without a sound. If we don't prepare, things could get even worse for Konoha."

He stood and walked to the window before the Kage Rock statues, looking down over Konoha as it basked in the morning light.

"The Uchiha Clan is probably not as simple as we thought. This should be a warning."

Danzo said, displeased, "Hiruzen, your indecision will cost us our chance. The Uchiha problem has to be dealt with. We should find a way to annihilate them now."

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around, his gaze firm. "We will deal with it, but not necessarily through bloodshed. At least, not now."

"Order the Anbu to increase the level of 'protection' around the Uchiha Compound, but limit their actions to monitoring the outermost perimeter. Without my direct orders, no one is to provoke the Uchiha or venture inside."

He paused, then added, "Also, in my name, invite Uchiha Fugaku to the Hokage Building tomorrow at noon to discuss the Military Police Force's recent work and coordination on village defenses.

"Keep the wording formal, but the tone gentle. I want to see this Uchiha Clan Head's reaction for myself."

Danzo's expression darkened. He knew this meant Hiruzen Sarutobi had chosen to wait and see, putting the plan for a military purge on hold indefinitely.

That wasn't like him, but Itachi's bizarre disappearance hung over them like the sword of Damocles, making even Danzo feel deeply wary.

"I hope your judgment is right, Hiruzen." Danzo gave a final cold snort and turned to leave the office.

After the door closed, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood alone by the window, smoke drifting around him. No one seemed to know what he was thinking.

Konoha's streets basked in the sunlight. People came and went, shopkeepers called out their wares, and children played.

Yet against this peaceful backdrop, a figure wearing an orange-red spiral mask and an Akatsuki cloak drifted silently through secluded alleys and the shadows between buildings.

The figure was Obito Uchiha. According to their arrangement, he was supposed to attack the Konoha Military Police Force last night, while recovering some valuable Sharingan.

But something unexpected had happened.

Just as he arrived at the Konoha Military Police Force headquarters and prepared to strike, he suddenly felt a powerful eye technique lock onto him.

He turned around and saw a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan with a different pattern.

There was no talk. The battle erupted in an instant.

But his techniques had no effect on his opponent at all.

His opponent could unleash a brilliant white light, and that light could hurt him, ignoring his intangibility and forcing him to abandon his attack and keep dodging.

Unable to gain any advantage, Obito chose to retreat without hesitation.

The vortex of Kamui twisted space, and before his opponent's next attack could land, he vanished from the spot.

His last glimpse before leaving was of his opponent standing motionless, Mangekyō coldly watching the direction he had vanished in. The look seemed to say, "I know what you are, and I know what you want to do. Get lost."

Obito Uchiha felt a sense of bewilderment, as if the other person had seen right through him.

But the plan he'd originally envisioned had completely changed.

It seemed he would have to stay in Konoha a while longer.