I Choose Orochimaru as Hokage, Ten Years to Ascend to the Moon Chapter 25

The voice did not hold back.

"?"

Fugaku froze for a moment; clearly, he knew this was unlikely.

As the clan head, he knew much, and for so many years, the Uchiha Clan had only produced one anomaly: Uchiha Madara.

However, seeing the look Uchiha Gin gave him, he immediately stopped questioning.

Between Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Gin, he naturally chose to believe Uchiha Gin's words.

"Immediately seal off Konoha, forbid anyone from leaving, and capture Uchiha Shisui!"

Thus, he issued the order directly and arranged for his clansmen to begin the operation.

The Anbu were also bewildered, unsure whether they should act alongside the Military Police Force, but someone quickly rushed to inform Sarutobi Hiruzen of the news.

The members of the Military Police Force were furious, unable to understand why Uchiha Shisui would do such a thing; clearly, awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan should have been a good thing, yet instead of working for the clan, he had attacked his own kin.

All of Konoha fell into a state of restlessness and unease.

"You're saying Uchiha Shisui ambushed Uchiha Gin, but failed, and is now being hunted by the Military Police Force?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen listened to the report from the Anbu, his eyes widening.

I only told you to act as a spy, to be responsible for gathering intelligence on the Uchiha, and to keep an eye on Uchiha Gin while you were at it.

Why are you out there risking your life right off the bat!

And you actually awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan without telling me—are you plotting something?

Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind was in turmoil; he did not understand why there were so many headaches lately.

"Hokage, should we assist the Military Police Force in capturing Uchiha Shisui?"

The Anbu member asked Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent.

At this moment, he began to doubt Uchiha Shisui's credibility. Was the boy truly the easily deceived youth he had imagined?

Could this situation be a play performed for his benefit?

"Monitor from the sidelines, confirm what the Uchiha are doing, and investigate whether this matter is true or false, and what the reason is."

"If Uchiha Shisui escapes the Military Police Force's pursuit, then find a way to make contact with him."

Sarutobi Hiruzen finally decided.

Now, his trust in Uchiha Shisui had hit zero. The fact that he hadn't even told him about awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan clearly suggested to him that Uchiha Shisui had his own agenda.

Furthermore, Kotoamatsukami had taken effect. If it were before, he would have certainly thought about helping Uchiha Shisui escape and then finding a way to control him to gain more benefits, but now he felt he could not spend too much energy on the Uchiha.

Although the Uchiha were troublesome, that Uchiha Madara hidden in the shadows was even more dangerous.

"Yes!"

After receiving Sarutobi Hiruzen's arrangements, the Anbu member immediately went to prepare.

Meanwhile, Konoha had fallen into semi-chaos, and Sarutobi Hiruzen still had to arrange for ninjas to maintain order.

After all, the Nine-Tails Incident was still fresh in their minds; these people were like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow, unable to forget it in such a short time.

"Shisui is over here!"

"I found him here!"

"Over here!"

All night long, people were shouting Uchiha Shisui's name everywhere.

However, these people would immediately collapse, easily struck down by Uchiha Shisui using genjutsu.

Uchiha Shisui did not hold back, because he knew that if his escape failed, this plan would be a complete failure and would likely cause even greater trouble, so he dared not be careless.

However, those who fell under the genjutsu were all Uchiha, who possessed high mental resistance, so they merely fainted with minimal mental damage, which would recover with rest.

Moreover, Uchiha Gin provided cover, creating opportunities for Uchiha Shisui by specifically using large-scale ninjutsu to obscure everyone's line of sight.

Finally, Uchiha Shisui rushed to the Konoha gate, instantly teleported past the two clansmen on guard, used the skeletal arm of his Susanoo to smash the gate with a single punch, and teleported away.

"Go to hell!"

Uchiha Gin entered his half-body Susanoo form and threw a long-range attack with three Magatama.

By predicting the future, he controlled the power just enough so it wouldn't reach Uchiha Shisui, instantly detonating a massive mushroom cloud to destroy Uchiha Shisui's tracks and interfere with the other pursuers.

Chapter 36: Shisui was commanded by Danzo!

The commotion lasted the entire night before it finally ended.

On the Uchiha side, Uchiha Gin led the pursuit team until they were about two hundred kilometers away from Konoha before stopping; running too far would exceed the jurisdiction of the Military Police Force, and he might get lectured by Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Captain Gin, are we not going to pursue any further?"

Seeing Uchiha Gin stop, a member of the Military Police Force beside him asked in confusion.

"We can't catch him. Even though he's injured, his speed is too great; it's nearly impossible for us to track him down."

"Besides, this incident happened so suddenly that it's unwise to continue the pursuit and risk further accidents within the village."

Uchiha Gin offered these perfunctory remarks before leading his men back to Konoha.

Furthermore, his familiar Blue Star had already detected Anbu operatives nearby, so Uchiha Gin had no intention of interfering any further.

He planned to have Blue Star continue observing from high above while leaving a Shadow Clone behind to provide support and confirm the subsequent situation.

At this moment, Uchiha Shisui had several wounds on his body, though none were fatal; after all, there were bound to be blind spots while breaking through a containment circle.

If his Body Flicker Technique hadn't been fast enough, escaping would have been truly difficult.

Once I leave the village, there will be no one I can trust!

I must fulfill my responsibility of monitoring Konoha from the outside, while simultaneously becoming the hidden guardian of Konoha!

Uchiha Shisui looked back in the direction of Konoha, his gaze resolute.

Upon returning to Konoha, Uchiha Gin was ordered by the Anbu to head to the Hokage Building to see Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Fugaku, who had been waiting at the main gate, accompanied him.

The village gate had been shattered, and the Military Police Force had dispatched a squad to stand guard there. Fugaku was also present to coordinate the actions of his subordinates, as the Military Police Force was responsible for the safety of the entire village.

At a time like this, they had to avoid being harassed or sabotaged by spies from other villages, which was why only Uchiha Gin's squad had been sent to pursue Uchiha Shisui.

Seeing that Uchiha Shisui was not among those who returned, Fugaku realized that this sudden incident was likely orchestrated by Uchiha Gin.

He had seen Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Gin growing close on several occasions, and he did not believe Uchiha Shisui would turn on Uchiha Gin for the sake of the Eternal Mangekyo.

However, since the two were heading to the Hokage Building together, Fugaku found it difficult to ask any questions.

The two entered Sarutobi Hiruzen's office directly. Aside from Sarutobi Hiruzen, the two Hokage Assistants, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, were also present.

"Can you provide a detailed explanation regarding the situation with Uchiha Shisui?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone was grave.

The other two Hokage Assistants also watched the pair with scrutinizing gazes.

This sudden turn of events made them suspicious of whether this was a performance staged by the Uchiha.

"Last night, the Uchiha held our routine monthly meeting to resolve some trivial matters within the clan."

"After it concluded, Uchiha Shisui said he had something important to discuss with me and led me to a location near the forest within the Uchiha compound."

"Then, he suddenly started talking to me about Uchiha Madara. My attention was immediately captured; after all, because of Uchiha Madara, the Uchiha Clan has suffered from baseless accusations, leading the villagers to suspect that the Nine-Tails Incident was the work of the Uchiha Clan. When he mentioned that Uchiha Madara might be in the Akatsuki organization and that he had once tried to contact him, he used a genjutsu to ambush me!"

Uchiha Gin spoke with a straight face.

Standing to the side, Fugaku would have truly believed him had he not sensed something beforehand.

When the three of them—Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu—heard about Uchiha Shisui contacting Uchiha Madara, their pupils constricted in utter shock.

However, Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly dismissed this possibility. He believed it was far more likely that Uchiha Shisui would attack Uchiha Gin for the sake of Konoha than that he would contact Uchiha Madara.

After all, Uchiha Shisui was a descendant of Kagami Uchiha!

He had personally recognized the Will of Fire in this child, though he also acknowledged that Uchiha Shisui held a high status within the Uchiha Clan and was a genius ninja.

"And then?"

Utatane Koharu asked.

Naturally, she would not fully believe Uchiha Gin's words alone, but understanding a portion of the story from him would help her analyze the full picture.

"While Uchiha Shisui was controlling me with genjutsu, he used both hands to try and gouge out my eyes."

"However, I usually maintain a degree of vigilance and had made some preparations. I woke up from the genjutsu before his hands could touch me—perhaps because my mental strength is greater as a wielder of the Mangekyō Sharingan."

"Then we began to fight. Afterward, Uchiha Shisui started spouting nonsense, claiming he was the true genius of the Uchiha Clan and that handing over my eyes to him was the only way to save the Uchiha Clan. Naturally, I refused, because the Will of Fire flows through my blood."

Uchiha Gin told these lies without changing his expression.

Fugaku felt his toes curling slightly in his boots; even a ninja's patience had its limits.

The three of them—Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu—couldn't help but want to strike him. He was shouting about the Will of Fire even more than they were; could he not understand his own position?

"So, Uchiha Shisui wanted to seize your eyes to become as powerful as Uchiha Madara, is that it?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen summarized.

He had actually learned of this news last night, though he hadn't been certain. But with Uchiha Gin saying these things today, it seemed highly likely to be true.

"That should be the case," Uchiha Gin replied.

"However, according to the Second Hokage's research, eye transplantation should only be possible between biological siblings. Uchiha Shisui seizing your eyes shouldn't have worked, right?"

Mitokado Homura asked with a frown.

He suspected there was a trap and asked directly.

"Perhaps Uchiha Madara has found a new solution. After all, the Uchiha Clan shares the same ancestry, and the relationship between Uchiha Shisui and me is quite close—we are cousins, after all."

"Furthermore, I suspect this matter is related to Shimura Danzō. Uchiha Shisui has always had deep ties with a certain high-ranking official in the Hokage's office—it might very well be Shimura Danzō—and Uchiha Madara likely guided Shisui to commit such acts!"

Uchiha Gin had naturally prepared these responses well in advance; shifting the blame to Uchiha Madara was easy, and adding Shimura Danzō as a suspect was just a convenient bonus.

Moreover, leaving a bit of suspense would keep them guessing, ensuring they remained suspicious and afraid to act rashly.

"I request that the Third Hokage designate Uchiha Shisui as an S-rank missing-nin. Possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan while remaining beyond our control poses a significant threat."

Seeing that the point had been made, Fugaku stepped forward and spoke up.

Although he didn't fully understand why they were doing this, following the established procedure was the right move.

While Uchiha Shisui hadn't caused any actual destruction to the village, his danger level was sufficient to warrant an S-rank missing-nin classification. Besides, Uchiha Gin had told him many times to act according to regulations; if anyone gave them trouble, they should simply tell them this was the policy set by the Hokage.

When in doubt, push the trouble onto the Hokage; the Uchiha Clan were just employees, and they knew nothing.

"Are you certain?"

After hearing Uchiha Gin's words, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but wonder if Uchiha Shisui had been bought off by Shimura Danzō and was merely a pawn hidden by his side.

He also hadn't expected the Uchiha Clan to be so decisive, issuing a warrant for Uchiha Shisui directly. It seemed this matter really did involve Shimura Danzō!

"Yes."

"Alternatively, you could assign an S-rank mission, and the Uchiha Clan will personally send people to hunt down Uchiha Shisui."

Fugaku said decisively.

Uchiha members rarely went on missions; usually, only those with the strength of a Genin or Chunin had the opportunity. For those at the Three Tomoe Jonin level, it was generally only appropriate for the Uchiha Clan to handle such tasks if they were to be assigned at all.

This was a policy established by the Second Hokage, who knew that if a Three Tomoe user were subjected to enough trauma, they might awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. To minimize this probability, he had restricted ninjas with the Three Tomoe from leaving the village.

"I understand."

"However, let's leave this matter to the Anbu. There have been many incidents in the village lately, and other ninja villages are eyeing us like tigers. The Uchiha Clan still needs to focus on rooting out the spies hidden in the shadows."

Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed to the issuance of the warrant.