The night was as dark as ink.
The inner grounds of the Uchiha Clan.
Uchiha Tekka stared at Shin-getsu, his face grim.
"What did you say?"
"You're going to meet that person from the External Liaison Office yourself?"
Shin-getsu nodded calmly.
"That's right."
Tekka furrowed his brow.
"Are you crazy?"
"If that person can produce a duplicate page of an official Hokage document, then either Root or the higher-ups are behind him."
"If you go now, aren't you walking right into a trap?"
Shin-getsu smiled.
"Who said I'm walking into a trap?"
Tekka froze.
Shin-getsu raised his head, a cold glint appearing in his eyes.
"I'm going to close the net."
Tekka was about to speak when footsteps sounded outside the door.
Uchiha Fugaku had arrived.
Behind him were Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Inabi, and Uchiha Yashiro.
Shinsuke's revelations were clearly so serious that they had already alarmed the clan's inner circle.
As soon as Fugaku entered, he asked directly,
"Shin-getsu, are you sure you want to go yourself?"
Shin-getsu didn't beat around the bush.
"I'm sure."
Fugaku's expression darkened.
"Why?"
Shin-getsu said,
"First, I'm their target."
"If I don't show up, they won't reveal their true intentions."
"Second, Shinsuke has already been exposed. They'll definitely cut off the line of communication tonight."
"If we miss tonight, this lead will be gone."
"Third, I need someone alive."
"Not a guess, not a trace, not a Secret Tunnel."
"I need someone who can talk."
The room fell silent.
Tekka's eyes lit up.
Right.
They'd been investigating for so long, and what they lacked most was a living witness who could truly implicate Root.
They could make deductions based on the Secret Tunnel.
They could make deductions based on the jutsu formula.
They could make deductions based on the Communication Needle.
And Shinsuke could claim it was his own personal initiative.
But if they caught the person from the External Liaison Office and caught him in the act of meeting with Root, that would be different.
Fugaku looked at Shin-getsu and said gravely,
"What's your plan?"
Shin-getsu's lips curved slightly.
"It's simple."
"Have Shinsuke send out a message."
"Tell them I've been shaken by the clan meeting and have started to waver."
"Tell them I want to bypass the clan head and meet their messenger alone."
Tekka immediately understood.
"You're pretending to take the bait?"
Shin-getsu nodded.
"They want to push me onto the stage."
"Then I'll pretend I really want to step onto it."
"Let's see what they offer me."
Inabi frowned.
"Too dangerous."
"If they bring a Root specialist, you won't be able to stop him."
Shin-getsu looked at Shisui.
"That's why I need Senior Shisui to follow me in secret."
Shisui was slightly taken aback.
He hadn't expected Shin-getsu to call on him directly.
Fugaku looked at Shisui.
"Shisui?"
Shisui nodded seriously.
"If I'm only protecting him from the shadows, I can do that."
But Shin-getsu shook his head.
"It's not just protection."
Shisui looked puzzled.
Shin-getsu said slowly,
"I want you to use the Body Flicker Technique to cut off their escape route at the crucial moment."
"Tonight, no one gets away."
Shisui's eyes narrowed.
Tekka grinned.
"Good!"
"Now we're talking!"
"All this investigating has been so frustrating."
"Tonight, we catch them!"
Fugaku was silent for a moment, then finally nodded.
"Fine."
"But I'm adding one condition."
Shin-getsu looked at him.
Fugaku said,
"Tekka, Inabi, and Yashiro will each lead a team to seal off three escape routes in advance."
"Shisui will stay close and protect him from the shadows."
"I'll personally take charge outside the clan grounds."
Battle intent surged in Tekka's eyes.
"The clan head's going too?"
Fugaku's gaze turned cold.
"Someone has reached into the Uchiha and even tried to use one of our children."
"Do they really think I, Uchiha Fugaku, have no temper?"
At those words, excitement flashed in the eyes of every Uchiha in the room.
Great!
This was great!
This was the attitude the Uchiha were supposed to have!
Hold back?
Hold back my ass!
They'd investigate the evidence.
And they'd catch the culprit too!
A hint of satisfaction flashed in Shin-getsu's eyes.
Right.
That was how it should be.
The Uchiha couldn't keep taking hits without fighting back.
If they always waited for the Hokage Building to give them an answer, they'd forever be led around by others.
Tonight, they'd show Root.
Reach out a hand, and it could get chopped off.
Half an hour later.
The outer district of Konoha.
In the back alley behind a pharmacy that had already closed for the night.
Shin-getsu walked into the alley alone.
The night wind was bitterly cold.
There were no lights on either side of the alley.
Only a paper lantern, nearly extinguished, hung beneath the eaves in the distance.
He wore a black clan uniform, with a Kunai pouch at his waist.
On the surface, he appeared to be alone.
In reality, the Uchiha had already laid a net around the area.
On a rooftop, Shisui was concealed in the shadows.
At the street entrance on the left, Tekka and his team lay in wait.
Inabi guarded the drainage channel on the right.
Beyond the tall wall behind them, Yashiro had sealed off the route.
Fugaku had not shown himself.
But Shin-getsu knew he was there.
If their target didn't show tonight, that would be his good fortune.
If he did...
Then he wasn't getting away.
Shin-getsu stopped in the middle of the alley.
"I'm here."
A moment later, footsteps sounded at the far end of the alley.
A middle-aged man in a gray outer robe walked out.
He looked utterly ordinary.
So ordinary that no one would notice him in a crowd.
But Shin-getsu knew at a glance that he wasn't simple.
His steps were steady.
His breathing was even.
His right hand stayed tucked inside his sleeve.
A ninja.
And at least a Chunin.
The middle-aged man looked at Shin-getsu and smiled faintly.
"Uchiha Shin-getsu."
"You're smarter than I expected."
Shin-getsu replied coolly,
"Cut the nonsense."
"Aren't you trying to get me to step forward?"
"Where's the offer?"
The middle-aged man's smile deepened.
"Just as I thought. Talented people can't stand being held down."
"Fugaku is too conservative."
"The Uchiha need a new voice."
"You're that person."
Shingetsu sneered inwardly.
He'd started by trying to drive a wedge between them.
That line was as dirty as it was practiced.
But he showed no sign of it. He only asked,
"Then who's behind you?"
The middle-aged man shook his head.
"You don't need to know that yet."
"All you need to know is that we can help you."
Shingetsu scoffed.
"Help me?"
"You're too afraid to even give your names. What makes you think you can help me?"
The middle-aged man wasn't offended. He slowly drew a scroll from his sleeve.
The Hokage Document Seal was stamped prominently on it.
"This is a transfer order."
"If you're willing to cooperate, we can get you onto the Konoha Special Cultivation List."
"Ninjutsu, resources, missions, intelligence."
"You can have it all."
Shingetsu took the scroll and opened it for a glance.
The next moment, his gaze turned cold.
The contents of the scroll were simple.
It recommended Uchiha Shingetsu for the "Konoha Key Ninja Talent Observation and Cultivation Plan."
The Hokage's official seal was missing from the signature line.
But the Hokage Document Seal was there.
It was a clever little trick.
It didn't count as an official order.
But it was enough to fool people.
Shingetsu looked up.
"What are the conditions?"
The middle-aged man finally gave a genuine smile.
"Simple."
"At the next clan meeting, stand up."
"Publicly demand that the Uchiha abandon Fugaku's conservative approach."
"Push the Uchiha to take a harder line."
"Better yet, drive the Uchiha into outright opposition to the Hokage Building."
A flash of killing intent passed through Shingetsu's eyes.
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