Shattering the Heavens

The night was deep.

In the northwest direction of the Uchiha compound, a series of dark shadows darted rapidly between rooftops and alleyways.

Leading them was Uchiha Inabi.

Behind him followed two squads of Police Force members.

No one spoke aloud, communicating only through hand signals.

The Uchiha Police Force was capable of maintaining order in Konoha; they were certainly not mere ornaments for the villagers to despise.

In terms of combat experience, tracking methods, and interrogation skills, the Uchiha Police Force was second to none.

What they had always lacked was not ability.

It was the boundaries of their authority.

In the past, there were many things they could not investigate—not because they couldn't find the truth, but because they weren't allowed to.

Whenever an investigation pointed toward the village leadership, it was inevitably suppressed with a single phrase: "The big picture comes first."

But this time was different.

First, Shin-getsu was attacked.

Then, just as the Hokage Building agreed to an investigation, someone snuck into Shin-getsu's residence that very night to test the waters.

This was no longer a simple provocation.

This was treating the Uchiha like fools.

Inabi crouched on the edge of a rooftop, his fingers lightly brushing through the gaps between the tiles.

On his fingertip, he found a trace of nearly invisible, pale gray powder.

He brought it to his nose and took a light sniff.

His eyes narrowed.

"The tracking powder is still here."

"The target passed through here."

A Uchiha behind him whispered, "Still heading northwest?"

Inabi nodded.

"Continue."

The group quickly followed.

The tracking powder was a special substance commonly used within the Police Force.

Its scent was faint, almost imperceptible to ordinary people.

But trained Police Force ninjas could track a target over a distance based on the slightest residue.

By sprinkling this powder onto the intruder, Shin-getsu had effectively branded him.

Of course, the target was a professional ninja and would certainly try to clear it off.

That was why they had to be fast.

Soon, Inabi led the team to an abandoned alleyway at the edge of the clan compound.

This area was near the outer wall of the Uchiha territory.

Few people ever passed through here.

Weeds grew in the corners, and there was a long-disused drainage ditch nearby.

Inabi crouched down to inspect the ground.

There were very shallow footprints in the dirt.

Had they not known someone had passed through here beforehand, an ordinary person would never have noticed them.

"The target stopped here."

A Police Force member whispered, "Did he leave from here?"

Inabi did not answer immediately.

He reached out to brush aside the weeds and soon discovered an inconspicuous gap at the base of the wall.

The gap was covered by dirt and dead leaves.

It looked like natural wear and tear.

But when Inabi reached out and tapped the wall, his expression shifted instantly.

"It's hollow."

The eyes of the Uchiha members behind him turned cold.

Inabi drew a kunai and gently pried along the gap.

Click.

A piece of camouflaged stone slab was pried open.

Behind the slab, a narrow passage was revealed.

The passage was small, only large enough for one person to pass through while hunched over.

It was pitch black inside, with a faint, damp, and rotting stench wafting out.

A young Uchiha gritted his teeth and said, "There's actually a secret passage on the outskirts of the clan grounds?"

The other man's expression was grim.

"This couldn't have been dug recently."

Inabi's eyes were cold.

It certainly wasn't dug recently.

This secret passage had clearly existed for a long time.

It was even possible that it had been prepared in advance, right after the Uchiha were relocated to the edge of the village.

In other words, from the moment the Uchiha moved here, someone had left behind a passage for secret entry and exit on the perimeter of their territory.

What did this mean?

It meant surveillance.

It meant infiltration.

It meant that the "trust" spoken of by the Konoha high-ups had been a joke from the very beginning.

Inabi suppressed his rising fury and said in a low voice, "Do not enter rashly."

"Record everything first."

"Check for sealing traps."

An Uchiha skilled in the basics of sealing jutsu stepped forward to inspect the area.

A moment later, his expression turned even uglier.

"There are signs of cleanup."

"The perpetrator destroyed some of the sealing nodes while retreating just now."

"However, the style of the remaining jutsu... it doesn't look like that of an ordinary ninja."

Inabi asked, "Can you determine the source?"

The man hesitated for a moment.

"It looks very much like standard-issue Anbu seals."

Everyone's breathing hitched.

Standard-issue Anbu.

Anbu again.

Or rather, Root.

Because Root was born from the Anbu system, many of their sealing jutsu and equipment styles were extremely similar.

Fury surged in Inabi's eyes.

He immediately ordered, "Record everything."

"Do not disturb the scene."

"Notify Uchiha Tekka and the Clan Head."

"Also, send men to guard this place."

"If anyone approaches, take them down first!"

"Yes!"

Several Uchiha quickly dispersed.

Inabi stood before the entrance to the secret passage, his face terrifyingly dark.

Tonight's incident was no longer just a matter of Shin-getsu's personal safety.

It was a matter of the safety of the entire Uchiha clan grounds.

They had thought they were merely being ostracized by the village.

Only now did they realize that others had already driven a blade right to their doorstep.

At Shin-getsu's new residence.

Uchiha Tekka was still standing in the backyard.

He clutched the shattered Eavesdropping Talisman in his hand, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Nearby, several members of the Police Force were inspecting the surrounding traps and traces.

The more they investigated, the more alarmed they became.

It was not because the intruder's methods were particularly sophisticated.

It was because the counter-measures set up by Shin-getsu, a nine-year-old child, were far too comprehensive.

Steel wires by the well.

Kunai launchers under the eaves.

Wooden frames rigged to create noise.

Medicinal powder for marking.

Even the locations of the Eavesdropping Talismans had been identified by Shin-getsu immediately.

An Uchiha Police Force member could not help but whisper, "Is this really the kid's first time setting up a defense?"

Tekka did not answer.

Because he wanted to ask the same thing.

Yet he knew that now was not the time to pry into Shin-getsu's secrets.

The more capable Shin-getsu was, the more he proved himself worth protecting.

At least, that was the case within the Uchiha clan.

After a while, a Police Force ninja appeared via Body Flicker.

"Senior Tekka!"

"There has been a discovery on Senior Inabi's side."

Tekka immediately looked up.

"Speak."

"A disguised secret passage was discovered at the base of the northwest wall of the clan grounds."

"There are traces of seals in the passage, suspected to be of Anbu standard."

"Senior Inabi has already sent men to seal off the scene; he requests that you and the clan head go there immediately."

Killing intent surged in Tekka's eyes.

"A secret passage?"

"On the perimeter of our Uchiha clan grounds?"

The ninja gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Yes."

Tekka slammed a fist into a nearby wooden post.

Crack!

The post split apart instantly.

"Good."

"This is truly, very good!"

He turned to look at Shin-getsu.

Shin-getsu stood under the eaves, his face still pale.

Forcing himself to use the Great Fireball Technique had placed a significant burden on his current body.

But his gaze remained calm.

As if he had long anticipated this outcome.

Tekka said in a deep voice, "Shin-getsu, stay here for now."

"I am going to see the clan head."

Shin-getsu asked, "Was the secret passage secured?"

Tekka nodded.

"Inabi has already sealed the scene."

Shin-getsu warned, "Be careful of someone destroying the evidence."

Tekka sneered.

"If they dare to come, they won't be leaving."

With that, he led his men away in a hurry.

The backyard returned to silence.

Only two Police Force members remained to guard Shin-getsu.

Shin-getsu stood where he was and slowly let out a breath.