"If this is for the sake of the village, then you needn't say anything. The Uchiha Clan are fellow villagers, too." Sarutobi Hiruzen knew Itachi was surely hiding nearby, so he deliberately emphasized the point. Then he said impatiently, "Enough. I'll issue the order tomorrow. From now on, stay home and reflect on your mistakes."
With that, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned and left.
His grandson, Sarutobi Konohamaru, was not yet four. If he found out that his parents were dead, Hiruzen had no idea how hard it would hit him.
He had to go back and comfort him properly.
But first, he needed to see someone: Uchiha Itachi. He had to confirm with him whether Chiya was really dead.
Besides, the Analysis Squad was using the Mind Reading Technique to enter Shinnosuke's mind and examine his memories.
He had to find out who the killer was.
"Danzo, I saw what you did, and I'll keep watching you from now on. If you lay a hand on Sasuke, I'll leak all of the village's intelligence to our enemy nations."
As soon as Sarutobi Hiruzen left, Uchiha Itachi, just as in the original story, used the Crow Clone Technique to create a clone and warn Danzo.
Then, under Danzo's furious glare, the clone turned into crows and vanished from the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Meanwhile, Chiya had already arrived at Yuhi Kurenai's home.
As usual, after parting ways with Might Guy, Shiranui Genma, and the others, Yuhi Kurenai returned home and began her usual evening drink.
Her favorite side dish was Wasabi Octopus.
Suddenly, drowsiness swept over her. The wineglass slipped from her hand and fell into Chiya's grasp.
Yuhi Kurenai herself had already slumped onto the sofa, half-asleep.
"You really are a handful."
Chiya set down the wineglass and sighed helplessly. Just as he had back when he was a Genin, he tidied things up for her.
Then he carried her to bed, tucked her in, took out the Pure Gold ring he had prepared beforehand, threaded it onto a thin cord, hung it around her neck, and tucked it beneath her collar.
Finally, he used the Sharingan to plant a strong suggestion in her mind.
This ring was very important to her. She must never take it off, not even for a moment, and she mustn't let anyone else know about it.
Only then did he leave with peace of mind.
He didn't tell Yuhi Kurenai the truth.
Even if he told her, it would do her no good and might even put her in danger.
To him, the so-called fake death was nothing more than a smokescreen for the Konoha High Command.
If the Konoha High Command had even a little sense, they could figure out from the corpses of the dead Sarutobi Clan members that he was responsible.
At the very least, the killer had been wearing his Anbu uniform and mask, and had carried his Ninja Blade.
And yet his own corpse had appeared in full view of everyone, only to vanish into thin air.
That left them with no leads to follow.
It was more than enough to throw them off. By the time the Third and the others realized what had happened, it would be too late. He would already be long gone.
That would save him a lot of trouble, too.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi had followed Sarutobi Hiruzen to a huge building in a remote part of Konoha.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Behind him, Uchiha Itachi knelt on one knee, dressed as an Anbu Ninja.
"You came here for a reason. I've sent everyone else away." Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke in a low voice, his back to Uchiha Itachi.
Itachi bowed his head in gratitude. "I appreciate your trouble, Lord Hokage."
"First, I want to thank you. Thanks to you, Konoha avoided a civil war and preserved peace in the village. But I've always regretted that I never found another way..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen started by showering Uchiha Itachi with praise.
Under ordinary circumstances, Uchiha Itachi would have been deeply moved.
Unfortunately, after the massacre, seeing Danzo's ugly true colors, and learning that the Third had tacitly approved of the outcome, he was no longer so naive.
At that moment, his only concern was Sasuke.
Of course, the Third didn't know any of this.
Once he felt he'd set the mood just right, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally got to the point. "What do you plan to do now?"
"For this massacre, I relied on the power of someone who claims to be a member of the Akatsuki organization. I've decided to stay by his side to stop him from breaking his promise and attacking Konoha," Uchiha Itachi answered respectfully, making sure to show Sarutobi Hiruzen his value right away.
"So you intend to join the Akatsuki organization." A cold glint flashed briefly in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes. He was certain that the Akatsuki had something to do with his eldest son's death.
"Yes. For that reason, I'd like you to give me your word." Uchiha Itachi stated the purpose of his visit.
"You needn't worry about your younger brother. I'll keep my promise. Sasuke will remain as he is now, go to school like the other children, and eventually grow up to become a shinobi of Konoha." Sarutobi Hiruzen turned and fixed his gaze on Uchiha Itachi. "But before that, I have a few questions for you."
"I'll tell you everything I know." Uchiha Itachi nodded.
"You must know that the bodies of Fujiwara Chiya, Fugaku, and several other Uchiha vanished into thin air. Do you know who did it? And is Fujiwara Chiya really dead?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked.
Uchiha Itachi thought for a moment before answering. "The only person who could have made seven bodies disappear in full view of everyone is the one who helped me wipe out the Uchiha Clan. He controls an extremely strange Space-Time Ninjutsu that allows him to teleport freely and absorb things. There's no way to track him."
"As for Chiya, he really is dead. He died under the Mangekyō Sharingan's Tsukuyomi. I also struck him again to make sure he was dead on the spot."
Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt slightly reassured and continued, "Does that mean my son also died at his hands?"
"If Lord Shinnosuke encountered that Masked Man, then it's certainly possible," Uchiha Itachi replied respectfully.
"I see..." Sarutobi Hiruzen clenched his fists, forcing down his anger. He turned his back to Uchiha Itachi and said, "From now on, Konoha will classify you as an S-rank missing-nin and hunt you down, dead or alive."
"I'll leave the Akatsuki to you. If you get the chance, I want you to eliminate that Masked Man, who may pose a threat to the village. Consider it the last mission I'm giving you."
"Yes." Uchiha Itachi answered respectfully. Then, leaving those words behind, he disappeared from the top floor of the Hokage Office Building.
As soon as Uchiha Itachi was gone, Sarutobi Hiruzen punched the wall beside him. His face twisted, the veins on his forehead bulging as he cursed under his breath, "Damn Danzo! Damn Masked Man!"
How could Sarutobi Hiruzen not know that Danzo and the Masked Man had been colluding in secret?
But with the Uchiha coup imminent, he had no choice but to turn a blind eye.
Now the threat posed by the Uchiha had been eliminated.
But his eldest son and daughter-in-law were dead, and that was something he could not tolerate.
Yet he was helpless against the Masked Man, and he couldn't really do anything to Danzo, either.
With no other choice, he had to swallow his anger.
PS: First update. Please vote for the novel and cast your monthly tickets! I have plans tonight, so I'm posting early.
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