Shisui Uchiha received a piece of intelligence.
He had secretly obtained it while carrying out a support mission.
The intelligence from the spy ninja shocked him.
Chuanhe, a war orphan from the Thunder-Fire Battlefield.
Born during the Second Shinobi World War. He was born in Konoha Year 30...
The self-made ninja tool he used bore a striking resemblance to Kumogakure's secret weapon—the unknown chakra-powered cannon.
He was suspected of being a hidden agent of Kumogakure.
The spy ninja died not long after telling him all this.
Before he died, he urged Shisui to make sure the intelligence reached Konoha. This had nothing to do with the Uchiha Clan's internal affairs.
The matter was of great importance, and other ninja had passed along the same intelligence.
This was the greatest crisis Konoha had ever faced.
Shisui Uchiha's mind was in turmoil. He had lost his usual composure.
Even though he had serious doubts about the intelligence's authenticity, he had to return to Konoha and uncover the truth.
"If he really is a spy..." Shisui murmured under his breath.
He subconsciously touched his eyes.
Even in the worst-case scenario, he still had a way to solve the problem.
He had to return to the village and confirm whether the intelligence was true.
Body Flicker Shisui showed why he had earned that title.
No wind, no dust.
Only a faint black line, fading as it stretched toward Konoha.
All he wanted now was to determine whether the intelligence was true before the Konoha High Command received it from another team of spy ninja.
Chuanhe's current rank as a ninja was Chunin.
As a Jonin, Shisui Uchiha easily accessed every available record on Chuanhe.
His identity and background, ninjutsu records, mission files, and more.
Even as the sun began to set, Shisui Uchiha's eyes were sore, but he still couldn't believe it.
The intelligence the spy ninja had obtained at the cost of his life was true.
Every detail was accurate.
In fact, now that Shisui had looked into it, Chuanhe's records raised even more questions.
Everyone who had known Chuanhe during his life was dead.
And after he joined the Uchiha Clan, his behavior had changed drastically.
As for the Flame Explosion Technique, Shisui didn't believe Kumogakure could have developed it.
But that seemed more plausible than Chuanhe developing it on his own.
How could anyone spend their whole life undercover in Konoha? What kind of vicious Cursed Seal had those people from Kumogakure placed on him?
Even now, Shisui Uchiha couldn't believe Chuanhe was a spy. He still clung to one last hope: those bastards from Kumogakure had forced him into it. He came to the Hokage Building to find the answer.
As a ninja of Konoha, he had to put his mission first.
Besides, even if he didn't pass on the intelligence, things would only get worse if another spy ninja delivered it.
So that night, Shisui Uchiha knocked on the door of the Hokage Office.
Shisui saw Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi inside the office.
Shisui knelt on one knee and reported to the two men before him.
"Third Hokage, Lord Danzo. I have important intelligence to report."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped arguing with Danzo, who stood beside him.
He dipped his head slightly toward Shisui Uchiha with a "smile."
"Shisui, you were on a support mission. Is the ninja you were supposed to meet still alive? Did he have any important intelligence to pass on?"
Danzo seemed furious, standing beside Hiruzen Sarutobi with anger written all over his face.
"Third Hokage, I'm sorry. I couldn't save him. But I obtained important intelligence. It indicates that Chuanhe is a spy from the Land of Lightning."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression changed dramatically.
"Impossible! I've watched that child grow up. He couldn't possibly be a spy from the Land of Lightning."
Beside him, Danzo fell silent, his expression strange.
"Third Hokage, I couldn't believe it either. But based on what I know so far, and the intelligence I received, there's a high probability that Chuanhe is a spy from the Land of Lightning."
"Shisui, you're a kindhearted young man. I don't know where Chuanhe stood within your Uchiha Clan, but I trust you. You wouldn't falsely accuse a fellow villager."
"Though it's hard to believe, do you have any other evidence?"
Shisui fell silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and continued.
"I'm sorry, Third Hokage. I couldn't believe the intelligence when I received it, either. So I first looked up Chuanhe's records in Konoha."
"I found many suspicious details when I compared them with the intelligence..."
Shisui gave Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo a detailed account of everything he had discovered that day.
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent.
Danzo was the first to speak. "Hiruzen, I told you long ago that Chuanhe had betrayed the village. Everything I've done has been for Konoha."
Hearing Danzo's words, Shisui was filled with guilt, even though none of this had anything to do with him.
Elder Danzo had indeed "devoted himself wholeheartedly" to Konoha.
Even in the face of criticism, he had put killing the traitor first.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took out his pipe once more. He drew a deep breath, then exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
"This Fire Release: Flame Explosion Technique doesn't look like something those brutes from Kumogakure could have developed."
"You're right, Shisui. I'm more inclined to believe Kumogakure developed it than that Chuanhe came up with it on his own."
"So how much does your Uchiha Clan know about this technique?"
The moment of truth had come. Hiruzen Sarutobi asked what he wanted to know.
Shisui fell silent again. He gritted his teeth and made his second decision.
"There are several versions of the Flame Explosion Technique. The one Clan Head Fugaku gave the village is the S-rank version."
Shisui's voice faltered, as if he were making another difficult decision.
"Most members of the Uchiha Clan currently learn the A-rank version."
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression barely changed.
"But the original version of this technique is only D-rank! It uses just six hand seals! And it can be used together with the Transformation Technique! When used by the original body, it's even more powerful!"
Shisui Uchiha spoke with difficulty, as if forcing the words out through clenched teeth.
"What?!!!!!*2"
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo's voices rang through the entire office.
If not for the soundproofing barrier, they might have been heard throughout the Hokage Building.
Hiruzen Sarutobi reined in his shock and told Danzo beside him to stay quiet for now.
Even he, the one who had set these events in motion, was starting to question things.
"Chuanhe... No, impossible. There's no way Chuanhe developed this technique."
"Shisui, do you know the original version of this technique? The A-rank version must have a serious flaw."
"If Chuanhe really is a spy, then one day, every member of the Uchiha Clan who knows this technique could become a human bomb."
"Based on what I know about this technique, and the current number of Uchiha members known to the village, all of Konoha could be razed to the ground!"
"Chuanhe even gave the A-rank version of this technique to Naruto!"
Shisui Uchiha was still young after all. He had easily confessed everything.
Hiruzen Sarutobi kept turning over every step involved in the different versions of the Flame Explosion Technique. He couldn't understand how the technique could produce such a terrifying effect.
As a professor of ninjutsu, Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed that the A-rank and S-rank versions both seemed to include a component resembling Lightning Release Ninjutsu.
If he hadn't obtained the original version to compare with them, he might still have been kept in the dark.
There had to be something he didn't know. Perhaps this component was the hidden measure Kumogakure had left behind.
This made Hiruzen Sarutobi even more certain of his earlier guess. Once again, he had stumbled upon the "truth."
The guilt lingering in Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart vanished without a trace.
Perhaps it also had something to do with Shisui's confused state of mind.
Now, Shisui made his third difficult decision.
Shisui Uchiha clenched his teeth and fists, his toes digging into the ground with effort.
He opened his Sharingan. Three Tomoe slowly joined together, forming a pattern shaped like a curved Shuriken.
"Third Hokage, Lord Danzo. Whether Chuanhe is a spy or not, I'll use these eyes to set everything right. This technique is called Kotoamatsukami..."
Dark clouds gathered outside the Hokage Building. The wind grew stronger, tossing the branches and making the streetlights flicker.
The air was damp and oppressive, carrying the earthy smell of rain. A storm was about to break.
Thunder rumbled in the distance. Now and then, lightning flashed before fading again.
The whole world was restless, waiting for the rain to come crashing down.
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