Framed

"Reiatsu?" Kakashi repeated the unfamiliar term, his eyes filled with scrutiny and doubt.

"A form of internal power distinct from Chakra." Uchiha Ryūha extended a finger, pointing it toward the center of Kakashi's brow.

"Sense it, just as you would sense Chakra flowing through your meridians, but more ethereal—closer to the tremors of the spirit and soul."

A faint blue light shimmered at his fingertip, and an intangible yet palpable pressure enveloped Kakashi.

Kakashi's body tensed instantly, his instincts screaming at him to resist.

Yet he found that even breathing had become difficult—there was no killing intent, but it was as suffocating as the deep sea.

A moment later.

After imparting the full method of Reiatsu cultivation to Kakashi, he immediately sank into deep meditation.

Seeing this, the corner of Ryūha's mouth quirked.

"I hope this little white mouse can carve out a path."

Early spring, the 43rd year of Konoha.

The war on the front lines had reached a stalemate.

Kumogakure's "AB Duo" had repeatedly torn through Konoha's defensive lines at the border of the Land of Hot Water.

Konoha, meanwhile, was barely maintaining the front, relying on the elusive Flying Thunder God of Namikaze Minato and the blood-stained White Fang wielded by Hatake Sakumo.

For every day the gears of war turned, more blood seeped into the soil.

Konoha forward command post, late at night.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at the battle reports on his desk, the embers in his pipe flickering, illuminating the deep wrinkles on his face.

He was alone in the tent, but the oppressive atmosphere was colder than the autumn rain outside.

The curtain was flung open violently.

"Hokage-sama!"

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura rushed in almost simultaneously, their faces etched with rare shock and fury.

Following closely behind was Shimura Danzō, his gait steady as he leaned on his cane.

"Something has happened." Mitokado Homura slammed a blood-stained intelligence scroll onto the table, his voice trembling.

"Two hours ago, the third strategic supply transport team, led by Jonin Uchiha Yashiro, was ambushed by Kumogakure in Wind Howl Canyon."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's pupils contracted: "What is the status of the battle?"

"Total annihilation." Utatane Koharu closed her eyes, her voice strained.

"Forty-seven members of the transport team, including Uchiha Yashiro and three Uchiha Jonin, eight Chunin, and thirty-five guard ninja... none survived.

Twenty carts of Military Ration Pill, Explosive Tag, medical supplies, and the latest military equipment were all destroyed or seized."

"Bang!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed his fist onto the desk, causing the solid wood surface to crack in a spiderweb pattern. He stared fixedly at the scroll, bloodshot veins spreading in his eyes.

Uchiha Yashiro was a backbone of the Uchiha clan's middle generation, his strength firmly among the top Jonin.

He excelled in Fire Release and shurikenjutsu, serving as Fugaku's right-hand man.

More importantly, that shipment contained half a month's supplies for the three front-line camps, and the military equipment was a secret weapon specifically designed to counter Kumogakure's Lightning Release troops.

"How is this possible..." Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was hoarse. "The transport route was top secret.

Only the command post, the transport team captain, and the Fourth Special Operations Squad responsible for patrolling the route knew of it.

How could Kumogakure have precisely ambushed them in Wind Howl Canyon—that was the most concealed of the three backup routes!"

"That is precisely the problem."

Shimura Danzō spoke slowly.

He walked to the table, his single eye sweeping over the group before landing on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face, his voice terrifyingly calm:

"The transport route was leaked."

A deathly silence filled the tent.

"What do you mean?" Utatane Koharu snapped. "Are you saying there is a traitor among us?"

"Not necessarily 'us'."

Shimura Danzō took another scroll from his robe and unfolded it. "The route was finalized twelve hours before the transport team departed.

There were five people in the know: you, Hiruzen; myself; the front-line logistics chief Akimichi Dodo; the transport captain Uchiha Yashiro; and..."

He paused, enunciating each word:

"The captain of the Fourth Special Operations Squad responsible for the patrol segment from Wind Howl Canyon to Eagle Sorrow Ravine—Uchiha Ryūha."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up sharply: "You suspect Ryūha?"

"It is not suspicion." Shimura Danzō pushed the scroll toward him. "It is evidence."

On the scroll lay the investigation report from Root.

It detailed the time and location of the transport team's ambush, an analysis of the combat traces, and—

A "survivor" found in a hidden cave three kilometers from the ambush site.

It was a frame-up that could be called perfect.

"Uchiha Inabi, a member of the transport team and a Chunin of the Uchiha clan, managed to escape the ambush but suffered severe injuries and remains unconscious."

Shimura Danzō's voice hissed like a viper, "When my subordinates found him, he had only one breath left.

After emergency medical ninjutsu, he briefly regained consciousness."

"What did he say?" Mitokado Homura asked urgently.

Shimura Danzō looked toward Sarutobi Hiruzen, a cold light flickering in his single eye:

"He said that six hours before the transport team departed, Uchiha Ryūha had secretly met with Uchiha Yashiro.

Using the excuse that 'the latest reconnaissance intelligence shows Kumogakure activity on the original route,' he suggested changing the path to go through Wind Howl Canyon."

"Yashiro believed him?" Utatane Koharu found it hard to believe.

"Uchiha Ryūha is the most dazzling genius the Uchiha have produced in recent years, promoted to Special Jonin at eleven.

He escaped the AB Duo unscathed, and his reputation within the clan is at its peak. Furthermore," Shimura Danzō added.

"He guaranteed the safety of Wind Howl Canyon, using the sensory abilities of his Eye of the Heart bloodline as collateral."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's hands were trembling.

"But this is only one side of the story!" Mitokado Homura retorted.

"Uchiha Inabi is a member of the Uchiha clan; if he could lie to protect his kin, then it is also possible that..."

"Or, he is telling the truth."

Shimura Danzō interrupted him, then pulled an object wrapped in oilcloth from his robes and placed it on the table.