Nearly Exposed

The Uchiha Clan Grounds.

Inside the hospital room.

Shin-getsu leaned against the headboard, holding a Fire Style basics scroll.

Fugaku had sent someone to deliver it last night.

Although it contained only basic Fire Style theory, it was very useful to Shin-getsu right now.

His predecessor had a decent foundation in ninjutsu, but he was young, after all, and had only been exposed to so much.

If he wanted to become truly strong, he had to shore up the fundamentals: Chakra Nature Transformation, hand-seal speed, and control over his chakra pathways.

The system's traits could improve his talent and abilities.

But without knowledge and training, he couldn't fully bring out their effects.

Shin-getsu was reading intently.

Just then, the door swung open.

Uchiha Tekka walked in.

He looked unhappy, but when he saw Shin-getsu, he still managed a faint smile.

"Awake, huh?"

Shin-getsu set down the scroll.

"Senior Tekka."

Tekka waved a hand.

"No need to be so formal."

"We went to the Hokage Building today."

Shin-getsu's eyes flickered.

"How did it go?"

Tekka sneered.

"The Hokage agreed to form an investigative team and let the Police Force take part."

"But he refused to inform the other clans."

Shin-getsu wasn't surprised.

"What's the deadline?"

Tekka paused.

"How did you know there'd be a deadline?"

Shin-getsu calmly replied, "Without one, the so-called investigation could drag on indefinitely."

Tekka looked at Shin-getsu with even greater admiration.

"Seven days."

"The clan head forced the Hokage to agree to provide preliminary findings within seven days."

Shin-getsu nodded.

"That's not bad."

Tekka sat down nearby and lowered his voice. "Still, I think they'll definitely try to fob us off."

"Most likely, they'll say it was enemy-village spies."

Shin-getsu glanced at him.

"The Cloud Village."

Tekka stiffened.

"How did you know?"

Shin-getsu said evenly, "If they need a scapegoat, the Cloud Village is the best choice."

"They've coveted Konoha's kekkei genkai more than once."

"The clan should know about what happened with the Hyuga."

Tekka's expression tightened.

Of course he knew.

The Cloud Village had once tried to kidnap Hyuga Hinata. The matter had only been settled after Hizashi Hyuga was forced to sacrifice himself.

It was no secret among Konoha's ninja clans.

If they blamed the Cloud Village this time, it would certainly be easy to convince some people.

Tekka gritted his teeth.

"What do we do, then?"

"Just let them bury the whole thing?"

Shin-getsu didn't answer immediately.

His fingers tapped lightly against the scroll.

Danzo would pin the blame on the Cloud Village. It was practically an open secret.

The Hokage Building had reason to accept that outcome, too.

That way, they could give the Uchiha a "culprit" while keeping Root's involvement under wraps.

But the question was, would the Uchiha believe it?

No.

But disbelief alone wouldn't be enough.

They had to make the scapegoat story fall apart.

Shin-getsu asked, "Are the two bodies still with the clan?"

Tekka nodded.

"They are."

"The clan head had them secured."

Shin-getsu continued, "Did you find any unusual marks on the bodies? For example, signs of Root training, a Curse Seal on the tongue, or traces of some kind of Sealing Technique?"

Tekka's expression changed.

"A Curse Seal on the tongue?"

Shin-getsu's heart sank.

Damn.

He'd said too much.

Most members of Root were marked with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal to prevent them from revealing Danzo's secrets.

But Shin-getsu shouldn't have known about that yet.

Tekka stared at him.

"How did you know they might have a Curse Seal on their tongues?"

The air in the hospital room suddenly fell silent.

Shin-getsu didn't panic.

At a moment like this, the less he explained, the better.

The more he explained, the more holes he'd leave.

He looked up at Tekka and said calmly, "When I fought the second one last night, he tried to bite through his tongue."

Tekka frowned.

"Bite his tongue?"

Shin-getsu nodded.

"At the time, I thought he was trying to kill himself."

"But thinking about it afterward, he didn't seem like he was trying to die."

"It looked more like he was trying to confirm something."

"If they really were Death Warriors trained by some organization, it wouldn't be strange for them to have a seal on their tongues to prevent them from leaking secrets."

His explanation was half true and half false.

But it made sense.

Tekka pondered this.

"Now that you mention it, that's possible."

"I'll have someone examine the bodies."

Shin-getsu cautioned him, "Be careful when you do."

"If there really is a seal, examining it might trigger it."

Tekka nodded solemnly.

"Understood."

Shin-getsu continued, "One more thing."

Tekka asked, "What?"

Shin-getsu said, "If the Hokage Building announces within seven days that Cloud Village spies were responsible, the clan shouldn't refute it right away."

Tekka frowned.

"Why not?"

Shin-getsu said slowly, "Look at the evidence first."

"If they want people to believe them, they'll definitely prepare evidence."

"The more evidence they prepare, the more likely it is to contain flaws."

Tekka's eyes lit up.

"You mean we should investigate the evidence they provide?"

Shin-getsu nodded.

"If they produce the bodies of Cloud Village shinobi, investigate where the bodies came from."

"If they produce Cloud Village ninja tools, investigate how they were circulated."

"If they produce intelligence scrolls, examine the handwriting, paper, and Sealing Technique."

"The truth might be hidden."

"But a fabricated truth will always have seams."

Tekka was deeply impressed.

Was this kid really only nine?

Why did it feel like he wasn't talking to a boy who'd just awakened his Sharingan, but to an experienced Anbu Captain discussing a case?

But beneath his amazement, Tekka felt even more excitement.

The Uchiha were sorely lacking people like him.

The clan had no shortage of fighters.

What it lacked were people who could see through the higher-ups' underhanded tactics.

Tekka stood up.

"Good."

"I'll go examine the bodies right away."

He reached the door, then suddenly turned back.

"Shin-getsu, once you're healed, come to the Police Force's Training Ground."

"I'll personally teach you Shuriken and close-combat Taijutsu."

Shin-getsu's heart stirred.

"Thank you, Senior Tekka."

Tekka grinned.

"Don't thank me."

"You've got brains, kid, and you're ruthless enough."

"It'd be a waste if you didn't get stronger."

With that, he turned and left.

After the door closed, Shin-getsu leaned back against the headboard.

The system prompt soon sounded.

[The host has shifted the Uchiha Police Force's investigative direction.]

[The fabricated evidence trail prepared by Root has been disrupted ahead of schedule.]

[Causality Points gained: 600.]

[Current Causality Points: 2300.]

A flicker of delight crossed Shin-getsu's eyes.

Two thousand three hundred.

He was still seven hundred short of the Two-Tomoe.

He only needed to trigger one more major change.

He lowered his eyes to the Fire Style scroll in his hands.

Strength.

He needed strength badly right now.

He could make plans with his brains.

But in this world, it was ultimately power that determined life and death.

A clever person without power was just a piece on the board that was slightly harder to capture.

Only a planner with power could be the one moving the pieces.

Shin-getsu slowly closed his eyes and followed the scroll's instructions, guiding his chakra.

Fire-nature chakra flowed through his chakra pathways.

His chest grew slightly warm.

He could feel that his affinity for Fire Style wasn't low.

The Uchiha were naturally a clan skilled in Fire Style.

And with the [Chakra Control] trait, he should be able to learn basic ninjutsu very quickly.

A moment later, he opened his eyes again.

He had heard faint footsteps outside the door.

They weren't Tekka's.

They weren't Fugaku's.

The steps were light, their rhythm steady.

They carried the practiced habit of keeping one's presence to a minimum.

Anbu?

Shin-getsu's gaze turned cold.

There was no knock at the door.

But outside the window, a figure soundlessly landed on a distant rooftop.

The other person didn't come closer.

They were only watching.

Shin-getsu didn't activate his Sharingan.

Nor did he show any sign that something was amiss.

He continued looking down at the scroll, as if he hadn't noticed a thing.

But he had already reached a conclusion.

Someone from the Third Hokage's faction.

Not Root.

Root's presence was colder, more like a tool.

This observer kept his distance and showed no killing intent. He seemed to be merely keeping watch.

"The Hokage's Anbu are here, too."

Shin-getsu sneered inwardly.

"How lively."

Danzo was watching him.

The Third Hokage was watching him, too.

The Uchiha saw him as a newly emerged genius.

The younger generation in the Police Force had begun to gravitate toward him.

He had planted seeds of doubt in Shisui and Itachi.

Events were moving in the direction he wanted.

But the more things went his way, the less he could afford to let his guard down.

The Konoha High Command weren't fools.

And Danzo was far from dead.

They would definitely make a move within seven days.

Shin-getsu turned to the first page of the Fire Style Scroll, his expression calm.

"Then come on."

"Let's see who slips up first."