It's time to show off real skills

Konoha, Hokage Office.

Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi had a livid expression on his face; on his desk lay a scroll that had been delivered only moments ago.

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado wore equally grim expressions, at a loss for words.

Danzo sat on the sofa opposite the Third, his single eye closed, remaining silent.

"Danzo, how do you explain this?!"

"Explain? Explain what?" Danzo's single eye remained shut. "A spy was active in the village, colluding with Murakami Ame to frame Sakumo, which led to Sakumo's suicide. Isn't that already clear? Murakami Ame has also been arrested. This is a failure of the Anbu and the Military Police Force; it has nothing to do with our Root!"

"Do you dare say the one who contacted Murakami Ame wasn't your man?!" Hiruzen slammed his hand onto the desk, instantly reducing the recently replaced furniture to sawdust.

"It wasn't me!" Danzo finally opened his eyes, denying it flatly.

There was no evidence anyway. The man had indeed been sent by him, but Murakami Ame didn't know that. Since Murakami Ame didn't know, even if they dug through every one of his memories, they couldn't pin it on him.

Suspicion—could suspicion put food on the table?

"Alright, Hiruzen. This matter hasn't been fully investigated yet; we can't prove Danzo did it. There is something fishy here. Why would that genius from the Uchiha clan go to find Murakami Ame at such a time, and even claim the Military Police Force was catching a spy? This doesn't look like a coincidence. Could the Uchiha clan be pulling the strings, trying to sow discord among us?!"

"Indeed, perhaps this was the work of the Uchiha clan. Sakumo's existence was a massive threat to them as well!" Danzo chimed in at the perfect moment, pinning the blame squarely on the Uchiha clan.

"Hmph!" Hiruzen let out a cold snort, glancing at the two who were singing from the same hymn sheet. Do they take me for a fool? If the Uchiha clan really did this, would they have needed to add such a superfluous touch at the end? Sakumo's death had already provided the perfect footnote for this plan.

Information from the Anbu indicated that these two brats were primarily dissatisfied with Murakami Ame due to the death of White Fang, and had gone to vent their anger. Why were they dissatisfied? Because they were friends of Kakashi.

At least, that was how it appeared on the surface.

As for what Suifeng said at the end, it sounded more like a child making up an excuse to avoid punishment for doing something wrong.

He just hadn't expected that this excuse would actually land Murakami Ame in the Anbu, and that the Anbu would discover there really was something fishy about the death of White Fang. Now, the Anbu was in an uproar.

A conspiracy!

Was Sakumo actually killed by a conspiracy?

Their Anbu commander, the White Fang of Konoha, had truly died due to an enemy's plot!

How could they endure this?

The Anbu were currently filled with righteous indignation. If they didn't lack a clear target, they would likely have already started drawing blades to kill.

Murakami Ame wasn't dead yet, but he was suffering far more than if he were.

Heaven knows how those guys in the Anbu would deal with him.

Fortunately, nothing had been exposed; otherwise, it would be another great upheaval for Konoha.

"Hiruzen, what are you still hesitating for? As long as we find evidence of the Uchiha clan's involvement, we can...!"

"Get out!" Hiruzen interrupted Danzo with a sharp shout, pointing toward the door.

"You...!" Danzo stood up abruptly, his single eye glaring fiercely at Hiruzen. The atmosphere in the office instantly froze. After a long moment, he let out a cold snort and swept out of the room.

"Hiruzen, you will definitely regret this!"

"Suifeng, you were far too impulsive!!"

In the Uchiha compound, at the Great Elder's residence, Uchiha Haruki rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance, not knowing what to say.

If it weren't for Suifeng, he would have long since invoked clan rules or even locked the boy away. But who told this troublemaker to be Suifeng? Who told him to be a genius? Who told him to be so young?

"What's the big deal? That guy was clearly a bastard! Lord White Fang saved him, yet he turned around and badmouthed Lord White Fang, leading to his suicide. Doesn't a guy like that deserve to die?!"

"In any case, don't get involved in such matters again!" Uchiha Haruki said with a hint of exhaustion. Suifeng was still too young. Although he was a genius, he wouldn't understand the complex relationship between the village and the Uchiha clan. Even if he explained it now, it wouldn't be clear, and might even have the opposite effect. Finally, he waved his hand helplessly. "Go back. From now on, you are grounded for a month. You are not allowed to leave!"

"Yes!" Suifeng retreated with a listless, aggrieved expression.

He was almost sickened by his own performance. He returned home at top speed, closed the door, and only then did he reveal a smile.

In this way, I should be able to monitor Obito at all times without anyone suspecting me!!

Yes, his target had always been Obito. As for Murakami Ame or whoever, what did that have to do with him? How Sakumo died, what did that have to do with him?

He had been building a persona all along: first the genius persona, then the persona of being friends with Obito and Kakashi.

What, you say Suifeng and Kakashi are enemies? Haven't you heard the saying that friendship is forged through conflict?

Both were geniuses; don't geniuses cherish one another?

If you aren't a genius, you aren't even qualified to be friends with one.

What was his relationship with Kakashi?

It was a friendship forged through conflict!

Just like the Prince and the Second Pillar!

I can hit him, I can scold him, I can bully him, but you lot? Absolutely not!!

That is the bond!!

Exactly, that is the persona I need—the legendary bond. Only by establishing this persona will my future actions not arouse suspicion.

Murakami Ame was just a tool, a poor sap. If he died, he died.

"White Fang is already dead, and the Third Great Ninja War is imminent. If I don't plan now, it will be too late!"

The Third Great Ninja War was about to break out. He was already a Genin and would inevitably participate in the Chunin Exams a few months later. Since Kakashi could pass this exam, it would be effortless for him.

For him, the most important thing regarding the Third Great Ninja War was Obito's eyes. He had to ensure Obito's eyes were preserved and prevent him from giving them to Kakashi. If Kakashi didn't lose his own eye, even if Obito were on the verge of death, he couldn't force him to gouge out his original eye to replace it with his own, right? After all, the two of them weren't actually in a relationship.

Therefore, the key was to protect Kakashi's left eye. As for how to protect it, he naturally had to be by their side at the critical moment.

Given the Third Hokage's typical behavior, seeing how harmonious his relationship was with Obito and Kakashi, he would inevitably think of using this so-called bond to win him over. During the Third Great Ninja War, he would surely be assigned to the same group as them, or at the very least, be part of the same massive ninja army.

On this point, Suifeng was even more confident than the Third Hokage.

To obtain Obito's eyes, one needed strength. Without strength, how could he seize them?

Taking stock of his current strength, it seemed somewhat insufficient!

His Taijutsu was decent, but far from masterful—it was only at the level of a Chunin. Fortunately, his Iron Body had achieved some success; while not invincible, when combined with his Two-Tomoe Sharingan, it was barely enough to save his life.

Saving his life was not his goal.

In terms of Genjutsu, whether it was the Mist Servant Technique or the Temple of Nirvana Technique, they could only deal with rookies; he would have to kneel if he encountered a powerhouse.

As for Ninjutsu, his Lava Release bloodline limit was a major trump card. Once exposed, it would certainly shock everyone, but that was about it. The Ninjutsu consumed too much chakra, so it could only be used to barely save his life.

What about his Zanpakuto?

He knew the name of his Zanpakuto, and according to the rules of the Bleach world, he should be able to achieve Shikai. However, he had never succeeded. The reason was simple: it seemed his chakra reserves were insufficient. The Zanpakuto, having been assimilated by the rules of the ninja world, was even more chakra-intensive than his Lava Release. What was the point of having a Zanpakuto if he couldn't use Shikai? Just to hack people? His swordsmanship wasn't refined; using a Zanpakuto like a common katana to hack people was a waste.

Strength Enhancement Technique? Heh, thanks to the records in his clan, he had mastered some techniques for explosive chakra release, but they could only serve as a final trump card—he could only manage one or two strikes. What use was that?

The most troublesome part was that his sensory perception wasn't strong, which was a fatal weakness on the battlefield!

Now, it was time to show his true skills!