A faint creak sounded as the newcomer slowly walked up to the door and gently pulled it open.
With a serious expression on his face, he wasn't surprised to see the three of us embracing. "Master, I'm back. I managed to mislead the Fourth Hokage. I absolutely won't let him find out about your existence."
Hearing this, I didn't stop what I was doing. I continued to hold Izumi in my arms and said, somewhat displeased, "Did you come here just to interrupt me with this?"
At my irritated tone, Fugaku grew even more deferential. He hurriedly lowered his head and apologized. "I'm sorry, Master. I interrupted you and ruined the mood. It was all my fault. But on my way back, I discovered a very important piece of information!"
Hearing that there was important information, my expression softened a little. I let go of Izumi, straightened my clothes, and looked at Fugaku. "What information?"
Uchiha Fugaku took a deep breath before speaking. "I was just reporting to the Fourth Hokage at the Hokage Building when he told me that Root had taken your files. I was worried Danzo might act against you, so I took the liberty of coming to warn you."
Fugaku's report rekindled the anger I'd momentarily forgotten while sharing an intimate moment with the two of them. That damned old dog Danzo. I'd guessed he was the one pulling strings behind the scenes.
With that, I spoke with obvious displeasure. "The information you have is already outdated!
"I was attacked today. Izumi was injured by them, and I even died once after falling into the enemy's trap!
"Tell me where Root's base is, now! I'm going to find that damned old dog today, no matter what, and rip off his head to use as a chamber pot!"
At my words, the other three were instantly furious. They all shouted that Danzo had to die.
Izumi said she would report this to the Hokage, while Mikoto said she would come with me to storm the enemy's stronghold. Fugaku even declared that he would rally the entire clan and avenge me.
Seeing how worked up they were, I hurriedly raised a hand to stop them. It took some effort, but I finally managed to calm them down.
Once the three had gradually settled under my reassurance, I could only sigh in exasperation. "Izumi, what good would telling the Hokage do?
"He's nothing but a puppet now, a commander in name only! He didn't even learn that someone had taken our files until after I was attacked."
As Izumi stared at me, dumbfounded, I turned to Mikoto, my eyes full of warmth and concern. Then I spoke softly to her. "Darling, if you come with me and get hurt, I'll be heartbroken."
My sincere words brought tears of emotion to Mikoto's eyes. She gazed at me silently, as if time itself had frozen.
Then I turned to Fugaku and said sternly, "Leaving aside whether you can rally the whole clan over this, what would we look like to everyone else if you did?
"We'd be seen as traitors and rebels!
"After all, we have no conclusive proof that Danzo was behind the attack. I may be fairly strong now, but I'm nowhere near powerful enough to lead the entire clan in a fight against a ninja village by myself.
"The likely outcome would be that both sides suffered heavy losses, or even that the whole clan was forced to flee into exile. Perhaps because Kotoamatsukami had worked too well, whenever something involving me came up, Fugaku's mind heated up and he lost all reason."
Watching the three gradually sink into thought at my words, I decided not to hesitate any longer and asked Fugaku outright, "Didn't I just ask where Root's base is? Do you know or not?"
At my question, Fugaku grew serious. "Root has only two bases within Konoha, but we don't know their specific functions or who is inside.
"Those places are forbidden. If someone caught us and reported to the Hokage that the Uchiha Clan had stolen Root's secrets, the clan's situation would become even more difficult.
"So our investigation went no further."
Looking at Fugaku, who seemed somewhat ashamed, I remained perfectly calm and replied slowly, "Don't push yourself. I only need to know where they are."
After that, I got all the details I needed about the two locations and stood up.
I walked over to Izumi and gently kissed her on the cheek, then shared a passionate kiss with Mikoto.
A moment later, I let go of Mikoto and spoke softly. "Mikoto, arrange a room for Izumi later. She'll be staying here from today on.
"As for Itachi, come up with a suitable excuse to put him off for now. Once I've successfully taken control of the village's leadership, he'll be my next target.
"As for you, Fugaku, just carry on as usual. We'll deal with everything else after I've gained complete control of Konoha."
The air rippled and warped. As the three watched, my figure blurred and wavered, like a painting being washed away by water.
Gradually, my body lost all shape and vanished completely, leaving the three behind, their faces full of worry.
After I disappeared, the three who had witnessed everything exchanged glances. None of them spoke. They simply turned and left.
Meanwhile, in a remote corner of the village, inside one of Root's secret bases, a hurried figure sped through an underground passage.
As he entered a storeroom piled high with experimental records, my figure appeared silently behind him like a ghost.
I crept up carefully and, before he had time to react, quickly reached out and seized him. Then I activated my jutsu and took him into the Kamui Dimension.
Since I couldn't yet be sure whether Danzo was in this base, I had no choice but to grab someone at random and ask.
However, the moment I reappeared in the dimension after capturing him, I saw the man I'd brought there spitting a blazing fireball in my direction.
I casually waved the flames away, then met his gaze. His eyes were filled with shock and fear. He was clearly astonished that I'd dispelled his attack so easily. But to me, it was child's play.
I turned the Sharingan in my eyes slightly, and my opponent was instantly immobilized.
During the genjutsu interrogation that followed, I gradually learned some information about the base.