The Understanding Between Old Friends

Uchiha Arashi decided to move as soon as possible while inside Shadow Space.

At the same time, at Root headquarters.

"A fight broke out in the Uchiha Compound?"

When Danzo heard the news, his eyes immediately narrowed as his mind began racing.

"Yes. We've collected all the traces."

The ninja in charge of the team said, kneeling on one knee.

"You didn't see who was fighting?"

Danzo asked.

"No. By the time we arrived, no one was there."

"How long did it last?"

"Less than three seconds."

"Less than three seconds..."

Danzo stroked his chin. The more he thought about it, the more he suspected that one of the fighters was the person he was looking for.

"Keep investigating the leads. Also, seal off the entire Uchiha Compound. Don't let a single fly leave!"

"Yes!"

The subordinate ninja left.

Danzo stood in his office, thinking for a long time. At last, he made up his mind, rose, and headed for the Hokage Building.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was handling official business. As Hokage, he had far too much work to do every day, and often stayed up late working overtime.

He never would have expected his old friend to come see him at a time like this. After all, the two of them had only just come through an unpleasant negotiation.

"Hiruzen, I want you to lock down all of Konoha!"

Danzo made his demand as soon as he came in.

Hiruzen's hand paused as he reached for his pipe. Then he picked it up anyway and took a gentle puff.

"Danzo, you know I can't lock down Konoha just because you say so."

"I have a reason! My men found traces of a fight in the Uchiha Compound. They weren't old traces—they were left recently. They even heard the sound of Lightning Release. The person closest to the battlefield was less than a hundred meters away, but by the time he arrived, both sides had vanished. I have reason to suspect an outsider is hiding in the village and carrying out some secret plan."

Danzo braced both hands on the Hokage's desk and shouted, spittle flying from his mouth.

Hiruzen saw droplets land on the documents, and his brow twitched.

"First question: why were your men in the Uchiha Compound?"

"I was investigating the Uchiha who are still alive!"

"The Uchiha who are still alive?"

Hiruzen finally sat up straighter. "What exactly is going on? What did you find?"

"My men investigated and found that the number of Uchiha bodies doesn't match the number of clan members. A few are missing."

Danzo spoke in a low voice.

"A few bodies are missing?"

Hiruzen frowned. "Could they have been taken away? You know there were others involved this time..."

There were many things he couldn't say outright, but the fact was that both Hiruzen and Danzo knew there had been a third party involved in the operation.

It was a matter within the village, yet outsiders had interfered. That would be embarrassing if it got out, and could easily cause trouble, so Hiruzen had simply suppressed the news.

Now that Danzo was bringing it up himself, Hiruzen was somewhat displeased.

"It's not that simple. The traces at the scene indicate that those people vanished into thin air. And every one of them was a child. If that person only wanted the Sharingan, why take those children? To raise them to hate him?

"And there's something I didn't tell you before. That very night, I was attacked. The attacker had a Ninjutsu similar to Space-Time Ninjutsu!"

Danzo finally told him the truth.

"Wait, what did you say? Space-Time Ninjutsu?"

Hiruzen shot to his feet, staring hard at Danzo.

"Yes. I can confirm that all attacks aimed at him were ineffective. Kunai and Ninjutsu passed right through his body. He could also enter a vortex in the air to teleport. I can't think of any other explanation besides Space-Time Ninjutsu."

Can you determine his age?

"No, but I can say for certain that he's at least twenty."

"Twenty..."

Hiruzen's frown deepened, and his expression grew darker.

"What are you thinking?"

Danzo suddenly grew curious.

"Space-Time Ninjutsu, twenty years old... Danzo, if you take his age back seven years..."

"Seven years ago? What does that—"

Danzo started to object, but the words caught in his throat.

Wasn't that when the Nine-Tails attacked?

If he was in his twenties now, then seven years ago he would have been in his teens. A particularly talented young ninja could already have been very powerful at that age.

Kakashi, for example, had become a Jonin at thirteen.

"Hiruzen, are you saying..."

That he was the one who killed Minato?

Danzo didn't say the rest aloud, but in that moment, the understanding between the two old friends was unmistakable.

"We can't be sure, but it's worth suspecting. Don't forget what Ninjutsu Minato specialized in. The only person who could fight him evenly would be someone using the same kind."

The Flying Thunder God was already difficult to counter. An opponent who could keep it in check could only be using the same kind of Space-Time Ninjutsu.

Thinking back to his brief encounter with the man, Hiruzen recalled his near-invincible movements, flashing by in an instant. Even if he hadn't been so formidable seven years ago, he would still have been a formidable opponent.

"We absolutely can't let him go!"

Danzo said, his face dark.

This was no longer just about him. It was for the late Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki as well.

Although Minato becoming the Fourth Hokage had deeply displeased Danzo, he loved Konoha at heart. He could never accept an outsider killing Konoha's Hokage. If he got the chance, he would absolutely take revenge.

"Right, I know. Don't worry, I'll order the Anbu to seal off the village, but we can't do it openly... Don't say anything; I know what you mean. The Uchiha incident only just happened. A full lockdown of Konoha now would only panic the public, and we'd have a hard time explaining it to the Daimyo."

Hiruzen said pointedly.

Only then did Danzo understand.

It was that time of year again—the Daimyo's annual vacation.

"Fine. I'll send all of Root out to assist the Anbu."

"Good."

In just a few words, the two of them settled on a plan, and a vast net began to spread silently.

Meanwhile, on a small hill somewhere outside Konoha.

"A new Mangekyō Sharingan. That girl's ocular technique must combine genjutsu and space. As for that kid... Could it be Shisui's Kotoamatsukami? But Danzo should have stolen Kotoamatsukami. Why is it in his hands? Good thing I came prepared, or today would've been dangerous."

Obito took off his mask and looked toward Konoha.

"Konoha's already reacting. I have to speed things up. Those three Mangekyō Sharingan must never fall into Konoha's hands."