"Some things that refuse to make progress, wallowing in pleasure, ultimately have no need to exist..."
"Remember, don't reveal what happened today."
"Rest assured, Ancestor. I, Uchiha Genya, can keep my mouth shut!"
Several more hours passed.
The eastern sky began to pale.
Obito did not appear again.
He could not afford to waste too much time on Genya.
Despite staying up all night, Genya did not feel particularly tired. With the wind at his feet, he raced toward the Uchiha district.
Genya had already guessed what Obito's final words meant. This matter might concern the survival of the Uchiha!
He had to report to Fugaku immediately!
Like a wild horse breaking free of its reins, Genya rushed to Fugaku's residence. He came before Fugaku, who was eating breakfast, grabbed the freshly poured milk beside him, drained it in one gulp, and hurriedly spoke.
"Uncle Fugaku, I encountered a mysterious person who claimed to be Uchiha Madara!"
"Uchiha Madara?" A trace of shock flashed through Fugaku's eyes upon hearing that name.
Hadn't that ancestor died at the hands of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju?
How could he still be alive?
Fugaku had Genya recount everything that had happened.
After hearing him out, Fugaku pondered for a moment before speaking with a grave expression.
"Whether that person is truly Uchiha Madara remains uncertain, but one thing is certain: he is from the Uchiha clan, and he seems to be plotting something in secret."
Genya did not expose Obito's identity.
He said, "Uncle Fugaku, that mysterious person is very powerful. From what he said, I suspect he may hate our Uchiha..."
"The Cloud Village Delegation is preparing to leave. If he uses the Sharingan to kill them, the blame may fall on our Uchiha. We need to report this to the Hokage!"
Fugaku's heart suddenly shuddered.
Only then did he realize that his thinking had been far less thorough than Genya's.
If the Cloud Village Delegation were truly killed,
it would be no different from declaring war on Cloud Village.
It might even trigger the Fourth Shinobi World War!
Then the Uchiha would become the "main culprit" behind this incident!
"Genya, come report this to the Hokage with me!"
Arrogance and Prejudice (Please Keep Reading!)
Hokage Office Building.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's office.
Besides the Third Hokage,
the three advisers—Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura—were all present.
Small matters called for big meetings.
Big matters called for small meetings.
The four of them gathering together was anything but ordinary.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow was slightly furrowed.
"Someone broke into Konoha's Forbidden Jutsu Chamber yesterday. What do you all think?"
Konoha was currently the strongest village.
Yet someone had dared to break into the Forbidden Jutsu Chamber and steal Ninjutsu.
It was simply outrageous!
"The Anbu and Root jointly guard the area outside the Forbidden Jutsu Chamber. According to the Anbu members at the scene, that mysterious person appeared out of thin air. They should have used some kind of space-time Ninjutsu." Danzo frowned as he recounted the intelligence they had gathered.
"Could it be the Flying Thunder God?" Mitokado Homura asked in shock.
"Impossible!" Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head.
Only the Second Hokage and the Fourth Hokage could use the Flying Thunder God.
Moreover, the Flying Thunder God's secret technique had never been lost.
There was no way anyone else could have learned it.
Sarutobi Hiruzen guessed
that the other party might have used another space-time secret technique.
Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, "Have you determined which Ninjutsu was stolen?"
"The Rasengan! Fortunately, the Anbu and Root discovered it early, or the losses might have been even greater," Danzo replied.
"That's good." Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a slight sigh of relief. In his eyes, the Rasengan was not all that valuable.
He immediately ordered,
"Have the Anbu and Root strengthen their patrols to prevent this from happening again!"
"Understood." Danzo nodded.
As soon as his words fell,
there was a knock at the door.
An Anbu member entered to report.
"Lord Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku has an urgent matter to report."
"Uchiha Fugaku? Let him in." Sarutobi Hiruzen was slightly puzzled.
After entering the meeting room,
Fugaku saw that Konoha's three high-ranking advisers were all present and could not help but snort.
He did not have the slightest bit of goodwill toward those three old fools who never handled proper business.
Especially Shimura Danzō!
"Lord Hokage, a youth from my clan, Uchiha Genya, encountered a mysterious person last night who claimed to be Uchiha Madara. That person appears to intend to provoke a war between us and Cloud Village!"
"Uchiha Madara!?" Sarutobi Hiruzen was initially shocked. Then he repeatedly considered the name before finally shaking his head slightly.
Uchiha Madara had died at the hands of the First Hokage.
Sarutobi Hiruzen suspected that someone was using Madara's identity.
Furthermore, that mysterious person might be the same person who had stolen the Rasengan!
Of course,
Sarutobi Hiruzen would not reveal that the Rasengan had been stolen.
It was simply too embarrassing.
Sarutobi Hiruzen turned his gaze toward Genya and asked, "Do you know why that mysterious person sought you out?"
Genya hesitated for a moment before replying uncertainly.
"Could it be because I'm handsome?"
Everyone fell silent.
Fugaku in particular felt both amused and exasperated.
Still... well done.
Seeing that no one paid attention to him, Genya gave an awkward laugh.
"The mysterious person said that I was extraordinarily talented, a one-in-ten-thousand genius in the Shinobi World, and wanted to recruit me under him. But I righteously refused him on the spot!"
"I, Uchiha Genya, have devoted myself to protecting the Shinobi World and Konoha. How could I ever do anything that would harm the village?"
Everyone knew
that Genya's talent was terrifying.
Although his words were exaggerated, it was indeed possible.
Then,
Genya slowly spoke. Apart from not mentioning Obito giving him the Rasengan, he told them everything else that would not be affected.
Genya's intentions were very simple.
First, the mysterious person was from the Uchiha clan, but his identity was unknown, and he wanted Genya to follow him.
Second, the mysterious person might be trying to provoke a war between Konoha and Cloud Village.
Third, the Uchiha had reported this in advance. Whatever the mysterious person did had nothing to do with the Uchiha.
After hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen relaxed.
So it was all merely speculation, without any substantial evidence.
He had thought the Uchiha had obtained some accurate intelligence.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a sip of tea and said calmly,
"Among the five great hidden villages, Konoha and Cloud Village are currently the strongest. If someone attacked the Cloud Village Delegation and exposed their identity, they might incur the wrath of both sides. I don't think anyone in the entire Shinobi World would dare do such a thing!"
"You are worrying too much."
In short,
Sarutobi Hiruzen did not believe the two of them.
He thought their deduction was unreliable.
Fugaku reasoned with him.
"Lord Hokage, if the Cloud Village Delegation truly encounters trouble within Konoha's sphere of influence, Cloud Village can place the blame on Konoha. Then they will have a reason to launch a war against Konoha. Lord Hokage, please reconsider."
Utatane Koharu sneered from the side and said,
"Uchiha Fugaku, stop making alarmist claims. No one in this world dares to challenge the authority of both Konoha and Cloud Village at the same time."
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep puff from his pipe and said,
"Clan Head Fugaku, I will have two Anbu Jonin secretly escort the Cloud Village Delegation out of the village. What do you think?"
"Fine." Fugaku knew this was the greatest concession they would make and could only sigh softly.
Without accurate intelligence,
Konoha's higher-ups could not possibly deploy a large force to protect the Cloud Village Delegation.
After all, that would damage Konoha's reputation and invite Cloud Village's ridicule.
Most importantly,
this was merely the deduction of a child under nine years old.
Sarutobi Hiruzen confidently waved his hand, signaling Fugaku not to worry. He believed this would not happen, and Fugaku should trust his judgment.
"Captain Fugaku, please leave first. I have something to discuss with Uchiha Genya!"
Fugaku was "invited" out of the meeting room.
Then,
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Genya, and a gentle smile appeared on his aged face.
Before you continue