Killing with Praise

Noon.

Hokage Building.

After the Third Hokage finished reading the investigation report handed over by the Anbu captain, his expression turned so dark it was as if water could drip from his face.

Inside the office, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu also remained silent.

Every entry on the scroll felt like a slap to the face of the Hokage Building.

Especially that one line:

> During the investigation, the hidden compartment was automatically destroyed by a sealing formula, suspected to have been triggered remotely to clear evidence.

This sentence was fatal.

It proved that the secret passage was not some abandoned facility with no owner.

Someone had been maintaining it all along.

And someone had attempted to destroy the evidence the moment things were exposed.

The Third Hokage slowly set the scroll down.

"Where is Danzo?"

The Anbu captain spoke in a low voice, "Lord Danzo did not come to the Hokage Building today."

The Third Hokage let out a cold laugh.

"Of course he wouldn't come."

Mitokado Homura frowned. "Hiruzen, the priority right now is not to hold Danzo accountable."

The Third Hokage snapped his gaze toward him.

"If we don't hold Danzo accountable, then who do we hold accountable?"

"Do we hold the Uchiha accountable for discovering the secret passage?"

"Or do we hold that child accountable for not letting himself be captured quietly?"

Mitokado Homura's expression stiffened.

Utatane Koharu sighed.

"Hiruzen, that is not what we meant."

"But if we take action against Danzo right now, the Root will fall into chaos."

"Furthermore, the Uchiha will believe their judgment was correct."

The Third Hokage said coldly, "And were they wrong in their judgment?"

The office fell silent once more.

Neither of the two advisors answered.

Because this time, even they found it difficult to say the Uchiha were wrong.

The Third Hokage closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

He suddenly felt a deep sense of exhaustion.

For all these years, he had tacitly allowed Danzo to exist.

Because Konoha needed someone to handle matters in the shadows.

Some missions that could not be brought to light, and some orders that the Hokage could not issue personally, were all carried out by the Root.

But now, the blade of the Root had reached into the village itself.

It had reached toward the Uchiha.

It had even reached toward a nine-year-old child.

This was no longer "necessary darkness."

This was a loss of control.

The Third Hokage opened his eyes and said in a deep voice:

"Summon Danzo to the Hokage Building."

The Anbu captain bowed his head.

"Yes."

A moment later, the Anbu departed.

Mitokado Homura asked in a low voice, "What about the Uchiha side?"

The Third Hokage was silent for a moment.

"Pacify them first."

Utatane Koharu frowned.

"We have to make concessions again?"

The Third Hokage stared at the scroll on his desk.

"No concessions. Are you telling me to go tell Fugaku that this secret passage was dug by the Cloud Village?"

Utatane Koharu remained silent.

The Third Hokage said in a deep voice:

"Increase the perimeter security authority around the Uchiha compound."

"During the investigation, allow the Police Force to set up their own sealing barriers."

"At the same time, provide Shin-getsu with personal compensation."

Mitokado Homura frowned.

"Compensation for that child?"

The Third Hokage nodded.

"He is the victim of two consecutive incidents."

"If the Hokage Building doesn't even show a superficial attitude, the Uchiha will only grow more furious."

Utatane Koharu asked, "What shall we give him?"

The Third Hokage thought for a moment.

"Permission to learn a ninjutsu."

Mitokado Homura immediately said, "That is inappropriate."

"He has already awakened his Two-Tomoe, and his growth rate is too fast."

"Giving him more ninjutsu will only make him more dangerous."

The Third Hokage looked at him, his voice low.

"If we don't give it to him, will he be any less dangerous?"

"What he lacks right now is the village's attitude."

"If we give him nothing, he will only lean completely toward the radical faction of the Uchiha."

"At the very least, we can still extend goodwill in the name of the Hokage."

The two advisors exchanged a glance and did not refute him further.

The Third Hokage said slowly:

"Give him a slot to learn a C-rank ninjutsu."

"And allow him one entry into the first floor of the Konoha Public Training Archive."

Mitokado Homura's expression shifted slightly.

"The Archive?"

The Third Hokage said, "Only the first floor."

"It contains nothing but basic information."

"Fire Release, taijutsu, ninja tools, and tactical theory."

"There are no secrets."

Utatane Koharu pondered for a moment and finally nodded.

"That is acceptable."

The Third Hokage let out a breath.

He knew that this small compensation might not truly bridge the rift.

But at the very least, it could send a signal.

The Hokage Building had not ignored what happened to Shin-getsu.

It was just a pity that, with things having reached this point, the Third Hokage himself was not sure how much use that signal would be.

Root Base.

Danzo had not gone to the Hokage Building.

He already knew the results of the investigation.

In the stone chamber, the atmosphere was oppressive.

The Root ninja kneeling on the ground lowered his head to report:

"The hidden compartment in the secret passage stronghold has been destroyed."

"The core records were not leaked."

"However, the Uchiha and the Anbu jointly discovered fragments of a Communication Needle, signs of recent maintenance, and residual sealing formulas."

Danzo's single eye was cold and sinister.

"Who triggered the destruction seal?"

The Root ninja said in a low voice, "According to the presets, the seal triggers automatically when the core area is probed by multiple people."

Danzo's expression turned even colder.

"Idiots."

The automatic trigger had indeed destroyed the core evidence.

But it was also equivalent to telling everyone that this was not an abandoned passage, but a stronghold deliberately hidden and protected by someone.

This fig leaf had effectively been torn halfway off in front of the Uchiha.

What was more troublesome was that the Anbu, who reported directly to the Hokage, were also present.

It would be difficult for Hiruzen to pretend he didn't know.

Danzo knew very well that the Third Hokage would come looking for him soon.

But he was not afraid.

As long as there was no direct evidence proving that Root participated in the attack on Shingetsu, no direct written orders, and no testimony from survivors, the Third Hokage could not truly move against him.

At most, a reprimand.

At most, he would have to cut off a few peripheral lines.

The roots of Root were not so easily pulled out.

Yet this time, Danzo felt no sense of victory.

Because everything that had happened over the past two days was related to one person.

Uchiha Shingetsu.

That nine-year-old child was constantly exposing flaws in Root.

This made Danzo increasingly firm in one thought.

He had to die.

It was just that he couldn't act directly right now.

The Uchiha were watching too closely.

The Hokage was also watching too closely.

Then, he would simply have to change his approach.

Danzo spoke slowly:

"Within the Uchiha, are there people we can use?"

The Root ninja lowered his head.

"There are contacts."

"But not many who can penetrate the core."

Danzo asked, "What about the radicals?"

The Root ninja replied, "The radicals harbor deep hostility toward the village; they are difficult to control directly."

Danzo sneered.

"Deep hostility makes them easier to exploit."

"Angry people are the easiest to guide."

The Root ninja remained silent, waiting for orders.

Danzo's voice was cold and sinister:

"Have someone spread the word."

"Say that Uchiha Fugaku has already reached a secret compromise with the Hokage Building."

"The matter of the secret passage will eventually be downplayed."

"Then, push Uchiha Shingetsu to the forefront."

The Root ninja looked up.

"What do you mean, My Lord?"

Danzo said indifferently:

"Tell the Uchiha radicals."

"The one the Hokage Building truly fears is not Fugaku, but Shingetsu."

"If the Uchiha want to seize the initiative, they should let Shingetsu stand at the front."

The Root ninja's eyes flickered.

This was a "killing with praise."

Pushing Shingetsu to become the banner of the Uchiha radicals.

In this way, he would attract the vigilance of Konoha's upper echelons all the faster.

At the same time, it would cause the internal conflicts within the Uchiha to erupt ahead of schedule.

A nine-year-old child could not bear the weight of such a position.

No matter how clever he might be, he would inevitably be swept up by the radical sentiments within the clan.

When that time came, there would be no need for Root to take action; the Hokage Building would only grow more wary of him.

Danzo said coldly:

"I would like to see."

"Whether a nine-year-old Uchiha brat can withstand the fury and expectations of the entire Uchiha clan."