Ten-Tails Fragment

"We must retrieve the village's treasure!"

The Third Hoshikage commanded his Anbu subordinates.

He knew the meteorite had been stolen by Natsuhiboshi and Hotarubi, and he understood their good intentions, so he had pursued them personally, intending to have a proper talk with them.

"Lord Third, we have discovered their tracks!"

An Anbu pointed toward the figures flashing by in the distance.

"Pursue them!"

The Third Hoshikage said in a deep voice. At this moment, he felt conflicted; on one hand, he hoped the two would succeed in stealing the object, but on the other, he did not want to lose this treasure.

As the first Hoshinobi to master the Mysterious Peacock Method, the Third Hoshikage was well aware of the meteorite's dangers, and he agreed that this evil object should be sealed away.

However, Hoshigakure was extremely weak, and to survive surrounded by powerful nations, they had to possess strength.

This meteorite was their only reliance.

He intended to seal the object away first, then wait until future generations found a solution before unsealing it.

After the figures departed.

The figure of Red-Eyed Ranmaru appeared from behind a tree.

"Lord Mangetsu, they have gone far away."

He said excitedly.

The figure of Hōzuki Mangetsu also appeared from behind the tree shadows; lying before him were the very people who had stolen the item, Natsuhiboshi and Hotarubi.

By catching them off guard, he had captured the couple and obtained the fragment.

At the same time, he had used the Mirage genjutsu to lure away the Third Hoshikage and his Anbu who had come to intercept them.

The current Hōzuki Mangetsu did not want to incite a war.

"Is this the meteorite of Hoshigakure? It's so beautiful!"

Ranmaru looked at the box in Hōzuki Mangetsu's hand, a look of joy appearing on his face.

The corners of Hōzuki Mangetsu's mouth also curled into a smile.

He could already feel the immense power contained within the Ten-Tails fragment; this power was incredibly wild and brutal.

It was a waste to leave such strong power in Hoshigakure.

Perhaps only someone with a Sage Body could withstand such power.

Thinking of this, the thought of obtaining the cells of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, rose in Hōzuki Mangetsu's mind once again.

With Hashirama's cells and the fusion of Shisui's Sharingan, he would become the fourth Sage of Six Paths.

That was the ultimate existence in the Naruto World.

"Seal!"

Hōzuki Mangetsu formed several hand seals, sealing the Ten-Tails fragment away; he had obtained this sealing technique from Natsuhiboshi herself.

Since the couple had decided to seal the Ten-Tails fragment, they had naturally made some preparations.

"Let's go back!"

Hōzuki Mangetsu said to Ranmaru.

"But!"

Ranmaru looked at Natsuhiboshi and Hotarubi lying on the ground and said, "What about these two?"

Hōzuki Mangetsu looked at the pair with regret. These two were not weak, both being Jonin of Hoshigakure; if he could take them as subordinates, they would certainly add decent combat power to his ranks.

However...

A wry smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

The two would never betray their village, and the current Hōzuki Mangetsu could not use Shisui's eyes, so without effective means to subdue them, he could only strategically abandon them.

However, by taking the village's meteorite, he had technically done them a favor; at the very least, without the influence of the meteorite, Natsuhiboshi would not die a miserable death in front of her son.

To help the couple find release, Hōzuki Mangetsu deliberately transformed into the image of a Konoha Anbu and appeared in the village a few times. After drawing the attention of Hoshigakure, he used the Giant Clam's reverse space-time summoning to leave Hoshigakure without a sound.

"Konoha ninjas have invaded and stolen our Star!"

Soon, this news spread throughout all of Hoshigakure.

A high-level meeting was being held in the Hokage's office in Konoha!

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, puffed on his pipe, staring coldly at Shimura Danzo sitting opposite him, with the high advisors Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura seated on either side.

Additionally, standing behind the Hokage's throne were the Jonin Nara Shikaku, who participated in confidential matters, and the captain of the Anbu directly under the Hokage.

Originally, the captain of the Konoha Military Police Force, Uchiha Fugaku, would have been qualified to attend this meeting, but the higher-ups had not invited him.

Since the Nine-Tails incident six years ago, the village had grown suspicious of the Uchiha Clan, and over the years, they had gradually marginalized them.

This also incited the dissatisfaction of the Uchiha Clan.

"Danzo, explain exactly what is going on."

Sarutobi Hiruzen tossed a scroll onto the table in front of him.

Shisui's squad had been wiped out on the border between Konoha and the Land of Water, and Shisui himself was missing.

A squad directly under the Hokage had witnessed Shisui being swallowed by a giant snake while returning from a mission, and they had personally heard him state that it was Root and Orochimaru who had attacked him.

When the Anbu reported this to Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage was furious and immediately convened a high-level meeting.

Due to the fallout from the Nine-Tails incident six years ago, the village and the Uchiha Clan had long since lost all trust in one another; with the assassination of Shisui occurring at such a critical juncture, the Third Hokage had to remain vigilant to handle any sudden emergencies.

"Oh, that!"

Danzo kept one dead, fish-like eye half-closed and said nonchalantly, "I believe it was a rumor spread by the enemy or an illusion they employed. Their goal is to incite internal strife within the village so they can fish in troubled waters."

In truth, it really wasn't him; he had indeed wanted to seize Shisui's eyes, but Shisui was simply too strong, and his Root operatives were no match for him.

"Is that so?"

The Third Hokage sneered and said, "Bring them in!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Four Anbu appeared in the Hokage's meeting room; they were the very four ninjas who had been at the scene that day.

One of them said in a low voice, "Lord Third, while returning from our mission, we discovered the site of Shisui's battle and saw with our own eyes his figure being swallowed by a giant snake..."

"Silence!"

Danzo barked, "Are you certain you heard Shisui mention Root and Orochimaru? Are you certain it wasn't an illusion used by the enemy? Are you certain of the authenticity of this matter? Do you know the consequences of speaking falsely?"

Hearing Danzo's reprimand, the others frowned but remained silent.

Because this matter was far too critical.

If it were true, it would mean that Root was moving against the Uchiha, and once word got out, it would inevitably trigger an all-out confrontation between the Uchiha and the village.

The Anbu member removed his mask, revealing a young face.

Sharingan Kakashi!

The people present were slightly moved.

At this time, Kakashi was a captain in the Hokage's Anbu assassination squad.

"Lord Danzo, I am certain it was not an illusion, because my eye can discern Shisui's chakra. Furthermore, there was a member of the Hyuga Clan with us, and he can also testify that what we saw was indeed Shisui!"

Kakashi spoke neither servilely nor overbearingly.

Another Anbu member also removed his mask, revealing the Byakugan unique to the Hyuga Clan, and said, "I have already confirmed it with my Byakugan; it was indeed Shisui's chakra!"