Exposure

As Sarutobi Hiruzen fainted, the Anbu surrounding him, led by Kakashi, immediately rushed over and escorted him to the Medical Department.

Before long, thanks to the medical ninjas' all-out efforts, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally came around, and his complexion gradually returned to normal.

"How is Lord Hokage?" Kakashi asked the medical ninja.

"Lord Hokage is out of danger. He only fainted from a sudden fit of anger. He'll be fine after some time to recuperate," the medical ninja said with a sigh.

Hearing this, everyone in the infirmary, including Kakashi, breathed a sigh of relief.

Konoha had just suffered a massive upheaval. The Uchiha Clan, Sarutobi Clan, and Shimura Clan had all been wiped out in succession. If the Third Hokage fell now, it would be disastrous.

Just then, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly opened his eyes. "Kakashi..."

"Lord Hokage, are you all right?" Kakashi hurriedly helped Sarutobi Hiruzen sit up, and someone placed a quilt behind him.

"I'm all right." Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a long breath, but his spirits remained low. In a grave voice, he asked, "What's the situation?"

Looking at the Hokage's increasingly aged and feeble face, Kakashi felt a pang of sorrow. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Apart from Asuma and Konohamaru, no one in the entire clan survived."

Sarutobi Hiruzen continued, "Do we have any leads on the culprit?"

Kakashi organized his thoughts before replying, "The Analysis Squad is still searching, but judging by the method, the culprit seems to be the same person who killed Lord Shinnosuke."

"Besides that, we found a barrier around the Sarutobi Clan Compound that could block sound, smell, and even chakra detection."

"On top of that, the culprit seems to have known in advance when the Uchiha Clan would be wiped out. They chose to strike at this particular time, while we were focused on the Uchiha Clan Compound."

"As a result, the Anbu had no way of detecting what was happening inside the Sarutobi Clan Compound."

"If Asuma hadn't run out of the barrier, we might still not have discovered what happened inside."

There was one more thing Kakashi didn't say.

As the Third Hokage's clan, the Sarutobi Clan might not have been as prominent as the Uchiha or Hyuga, but they were undeniably a force above the ordinary.

Even if someone noticed something amiss inside, no one would have dared to go in and investigate.

That was the real reason no one had discovered the Sarutobi Clan's destruction for several hours.

"Damn it!" For the first time, Sarutobi Hiruzen lost his temper in front of his subordinates. He cursed, then barked, "Do everything you can to wake Konohamaru and Asuma. Also, select two corpses of Chunin or below from every courtyard in the Sarutobi Clan Compound and send them to the Analysis Department. The culprit committed such a heinous crime—we absolutely cannot let them get away with it!"

"Yes, Lord Hokage." Everyone answered respectfully before scattering.

After Kakashi left, Shimura Danzo came in, leaning on his cane. "Hiruzen."

"What, are you here to laugh at me?" Sarutobi Hiruzen glared at Danzo and snapped.

"No. I came to share your hatred for the culprit." Danzo's face was dark.

Just moments ago, he had also learned that his clan had been wiped out.

The entire clan had been slaughtered. Not a single person had survived.

"What do you mean?" A trace of surprise flashed through Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes.

"Your clan wasn't the only one. Mine was wiped out too. Eighty-seven members of my clan, not one survivor." As he spoke, there was a sharp crack, and the cane in Danzo's hand was crushed to pieces.

He had always been fond of saying that "a ninja must be willing to sacrifice himself."

But when it was his own turn, he couldn't do it.

With his entire clan wiped out, the Shimura Clan had become extinct. He had failed his ancestors.

Just then, the Konoha Analysis Department finally sent word. "Lord Hokage, we've recovered Lord Shinnosuke's memories from before his death. The department head, Yamanaka Inoichi, has finished reading them."

Before long, Yamanaka Inoichi, head of the Konoha Analysis Department, personally brought the results to Konoha Hospital.

"Lord Hokage, Lord Danzo. I know this is hard to believe, but because Lord Shinnosuke's mind contained a large number of seals, it took quite some time. Following Lord Hokage's orders, I only read the memories from the last five minutes of Lord Shinnosuke's life. Please take a look."

As Yamanaka Inoichi finished speaking, the curtains in the infirmary were drawn shut, plunging the room into darkness. A projection suddenly appeared.

In the projection, Shinnosuke and the other four had been lying in wait at the entrance to the Uchiha Clan Compound.

The first four minutes passed without anything unusual, until the four-minute, fifteen-second mark, when Shinnosuke's wife was ordered to leave her position.

At four minutes and twenty seconds, an unidentified object resembling a human head suddenly fell, drawing the attention of the four remaining Anbu.

At four minutes and twenty-five seconds, one of the Anbu was pierced through the chest by a blade.

At four minutes and thirty-five seconds, the culprit finally revealed himself. He was a young man dressed in Anbu attire and wearing a smiling mask.

"Fujiwara Chiya!" Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo cried out at the same time.

Yamanaka Inoichi paused the projection and handed them Chiya's file. "Lord Hokage, Lord Danzo, I agree it's hard to believe. But according to information from Anbu Captain Kakashi, Fujiwara Chiya should already be dead. His mask and sword have both disappeared, and now even his body has been stolen."

"Furthermore, this mysterious man is far stronger than we remember Chiya being, so we can't accurately identify him."

"Keep playing it," Sarutobi Hiruzen said gravely.

At four minutes and forty seconds, the mysterious man cut off the heads of two Anbu.

At four minutes and forty-five seconds, the mysterious man caught Sarutobi Shinnosuke's wind blade with a single finger.

At four minutes and fifty seconds, Sarutobi Shinnosuke was slashed across the chest.

Ten seconds later, he lost consciousness completely, and the projection ended.

Seeing the speed Chiya had displayed, Danzo could no longer control himself. He shouted, "It's him! Hiruzen, that's the man who cut off my left arm!"

"Can you be sure?" Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brows. The situation seemed to be spiraling further and further out of control. After all, that mysterious man had stolen Shisui's right eye, the one with Kotoamatsukami.

"It's definitely him. His swordsmanship and Body Flicker Technique—no one else in the entire Shinobi World could pull them off." Danzo spoke with absolute certainty.

"But Chiya was only eleven at the time. He hadn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy, had barely learned any ninjutsu, and hadn't received any proper instruction. How could he have become so strong?" Sarutobi Hiruzen's brows furrowed even more. He turned to Yamanaka Inoichi. "Inoichi, you haven't shown this footage to anyone else, have you?"

"No, Lord Hokage. As you ordered, no one but me knows about it." Yamanaka Inoichi answered solemnly.

"Have you investigated the other members of the Sarutobi and Shimura Clans?" Sarutobi Hiruzen continued.