Missing Clan Members

Night

Uchiha Clan Affairs Hall

Meeting room

Uchiha Nara sat at the head of the room. A dozen or so people sat cross-legged inside, all elite members of the various departments of the Uchiha Clan Affairs Hall.

Uchiha Yashiro, Uchiha Ken, Uchiha Rettou, and other leading staff members from the Administration Institute were present. Everyone from the Advisory Institute was there too, except for the Great Elder, who was busy with clan affairs.

The non-ninja departments, such as the nursing home and orphanage, had not been summoned. Most of those attending were ninjas from the Administration Institute, Advisory Institute, Guard Institute, and Ninjutsu Academy, along with Uchiha clan elders.

"Clan Head, quite a few of our Chunin and Genin who recently left the village on missions have gone missing for unknown reasons. There are fifteen of them now. Our Guard Corps investigated the sites, but found no traces or clues! Clan Head, I suspect the Anbu are behind this!"

Uchiha Yashiro spoke slowly, his expression grave as he held a stack of case files.

"Were there no clues at their mission destinations or along their routes?"

Uchiha Nara asked quietly, brows drawn together.

"Not a single clue! That's precisely why I suspect the Anbu. Only the Anbu, who answer directly to the Hokage, would know what missions our clan members were carrying out and which routes they were taking!" Uchiha Yashiro replied sternly, his face expressionless.

Nara took a deep breath, then said slowly, "Have the Guard Corps investigate again. I'll have the Jonin from the Police Force join the search as well. Whatever happens, we need to find them alive or bring back their bodies!"

As he spoke the final words, a breeze stirred inside the sealed room.

Nara's chakra stirred faintly, and his eyes turned scarlet. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan rotated slowly. Clearly, he was not as calm about the clan members' disappearances as he appeared.

"It has to be the Anbu! Nara! Let's go to the Hokage Building! Make Sarutobi Hiruzen give us an explanation!"

Nara was not the only one who was troubled. The Second Elder, Uchiha Kyo, shot to his feet with a bang. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan glared red, his eyes bloodshot and his face twisted into a furious snarl as he shouted, showing no regard for propriety.

One of the missing clan ninjas was his favorite grandson. Since learning of the boy's disappearance, he had spent the past few days investigating and searching, but had found no clues. Even the usually refined Second Elder could no longer sit calmly among his clan.

Nara also found the elders of the Advisory Institute a headache. They generally addressed him by name, without any titles or honorifics.

Fortunately, the Great Elder, Uchiha Okura, rarely attended Clan Affairs Hall meetings. Otherwise, Nara would have found it even harder to keep his composure.

"Everyone is heartbroken over the missing clan members, but we have no evidence. Accusing the Hokage without cause will only make him crack down on us harder. And you should trust Nara. He'll handle this properly."

Uchiha Zen, seated nearby, tried to console him in a quiet voice.

Uchiha Zen was in his forties, one of the Advisory Institute's advisers. He was gentle and quiet, loved reading, and was exceptionally shrewd.

"You coward! Genjutsu: Sharingan!"

"Ah!"

Uchiha Kyo roared. As Uchiha Zen tried to stop him, their eyes met. Uchiha Zen let out a scream, toppled backward, and passed out.

"Second Elder, please calm down!"

"Please, sir, calm down!"

"Elder, please keep your cool!"

Everyone in the room tried to restrain him.

Uchiha Kyo took a deep breath, then glared at Nara with his Sharingan and asked expressionlessly, "Nara, the Hokage's faction has been bullying us like this. How are you going to strike back?"

The Second Elder's face was flushed with rage, his eyes bloodshot, the veins in his forehead and cheeks throbbing. He looked terrifying.

"Strike back? Second Elder, the ninjas fighting abroad only returned to the village a month ago. We can't afford to retaliate. Besides, there's no proof the Hokage is responsible. We can't challenge him based on suspicions and conjecture. And we're not the only ones with missing ninjas. Many other clans' ninjas and civilians have disappeared too."

Nara replied without expression, as if he had not even noticed the Second Elder's vicious attack.

Uchiha Kyo narrowed his eyes, his breathing growing heavier.

"Still, I'll ask the Hokage about it. Second Elder, as clan head, I'm even more heartbroken over our people's disappearance. Rest assured, I swear I'll get to the bottom of this."

"If the Hokage really is responsible, I'll make him pay!"

Nara closed his eyes, tipped his head back, and took a deep breath before answering slowly.

"Good. I'll be waiting for your good news."

Hearing Nara's words, Uchiha Kyo actually smiled. His eyes were wide, and the veins on his twisted face bulged as he answered with a vicious grin.

The Second Elder is close to losing control. Could he awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan like this...?

The thought flashed through Nara's mind.

The Clan Affairs Hall meeting had ended. Nara sat quietly on his own, his left arm folded across his chest and his right elbow resting on it, his hand rubbing his chin as he pondered.

"Shimura Danzō's ninja forces only returned to Konoha a month ago, and now Uchiha clan members have started disappearing one after another. Apart from Shimura Danzō, I can't think of anyone else—or any other faction—that would stoop so low."

Uchiha Nara had a clear idea of who the suspects were, and Shimura Danzō was the first person he suspected. It was no wonder Uchiha Yashiro, the Second Elder, and the others suspected the Anbu.

When people disappeared without cause and no clues were left behind, it was highly likely the Anbu had carried out a surprise attack.

The clan members had been caught off guard and captured—or worse. That would explain why there were virtually no clues or traces to follow.

Nara had already instructed Uchiha Yashiro to issue a notice telling Uchiha ninjas not to accept missions outside the village for the time being.

The Jonin of the Police Force's Criminal Investigation Division had also been sent out to investigate and look for clues.

Those missing Chunin and Genin included quite a few talented young ninjas. They were the future of the Uchiha, yet they had vanished without a trace.

The Second Elder, Uchiha Kyo, and Uchiha Zen were both shrewd and politically astute. Although they sometimes disagreed, they shared a deep mutual respect.

Clearly, the Second Elder was on the verge of losing control because of his grandson's disappearance. If Nara could not solve the case—or if it became a cold case—he would have no way to answer for it.

"Being clan head isn't easy." Nara let out a heavy sigh.

Nara stopped pondering, stood up, and prepared to go to the Hokage Building to report the situation and ask questions.

"Akahi Squad, come with me to the Hokage Building."

"Yes, sir!"

The room, which had been empty, filled with smoke. Four young ninjas appeared in its midst.

Uchiha Akabi led Nara's four-person Guard Corps team and was responsible for his safety.

Akabi had previously followed Nara into battle. The other three were outstanding young ninjas trained by the clan.

Hokage Building

Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, a stack of case files in hand, his brow furrowed into a deep crease.

Quite a few ninjas had gone missing in Konoha recently, leaving Sarutobi Hiruzen deeply puzzled. The Anbu's investigation had turned up nothing. The culprits had worked cleanly, leaving no trace at the scenes.

When the first few ninjas failed to report back from their missions on time, Sarutobi Hiruzen thought there might have been some delay for other reasons. He had never imagined something like this.

But as time passed, more than twenty ninjas had failed to report back on time, and all contact with them had been lost.

Most concerning of all, the missing ninjas were Chunin and Genin, and most of them belonged to the Uchiha Clan. Sarutobi Hiruzen sensed something unusual.

Sarutobi Hiruzen blew a smoke ring and spoke to the empty office. "Ghost Fox, pass on my order. Go get Shimura Danzō."

"Yes, sir!"

No one appeared in the corner of the office, but a voice answered.