Kakashi lifted his head and looked at Uchiha Yan. "Yan, why are you telling me all this?"
Uchiha Yan replied calmly, "Which side are you going to take?"
Kakashi gave a bitter laugh. "So you're forcing me to choose a side?"
Uchiha Yan patted his shoulder and explained, "I'm not forcing you to choose. I'm asking you to think carefully about whether the village's leaders are really worthy of your loyalty. As your classmate and friend, I hope you'll give it serious thought."
Kakashi was silent for a long time. Looking into Uchiha Yan's eyes, he said, "I understand, Yan."
"All right." Uchiha Yan's tone grew more relaxed. "I won't keep you for dinner, Kakashi."
At Uchiha Yan's dismissal, Kakashi nodded and headed out. As he reached the door and prepared to open it, he glanced back and casually remarked, "The Third Hokage asked me about Uchiha Itachi's whereabouts today."
Then he opened the door with a creak and left.
Uchiha Yan wasn't surprised by Kakashi's words.
Root was bound to have Sarutobi Hiruzen's spies, and Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui were always together.
So it was only natural that Sarutobi Hiruzen would try to track Uchiha Shisui through Uchiha Itachi.
He turned his head slightly and fixed his gaze on the distant Hokage Building.
He was curious how a formidable man like Sarutobi Hiruzen would handle a situation like this.
The Hokage Office, Hokage Building.
After finishing the last document, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and left the office.
As he passed a narrow alley, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly sensed that something was wrong.
It was far too quiet.
So quiet that there wasn't even the sound of insects or birds.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind raced as he considered which faction was behind this.
The Uchiha? A foreign village? Or some organization operating in the shadows?
While Sarutobi Hiruzen hesitated, the assassins lying in wait in the alley sprang into action.
As if they had rehearsed it countless times, four men wielding katanas surrounded Sarutobi Hiruzen from four different directions and lunged at him.
Their coordination was flawless. If their target had been an ordinary person, they would have easily succeeded.
Unfortunately, their target was the "strongest" Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The title of strongest might have been somewhat exaggerated, but Sarutobi Hiruzen was still a genuine Kage Level shinobi.
The four katanas plunged into different vital spots on Sarutobi Hiruzen's body.
The masked faces of the assassins lit up with delight.
They hadn't expected the assassination to go so smoothly.
But as the blades sank deeper into Sarutobi Hiruzen's body, their expressions changed.
Anyone who had killed before knew this:
A blade met resistance when it pierced flesh.
But this felt completely wrong, as if they were cutting grass.
The four men realized something was off and looked closely.
As the white smoke cleared, they saw that Sarutobi Hiruzen had turned into a scarecrow.
The assassins' eyes filled with panic.
At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared behind them and said calmly, "Tell me. Who sent you?"
The assassins exchanged glances, determination flashing in their eyes.
They bit down on the poison capsules in their mouths, and the poison immediately took effect.
One breath later, they were lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth.
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a soft sigh and temporarily ruled out the Uchiha Clan.
The Uchiha Clan probably wasn't clever enough to pull this off.
After all, aside from the Uchiha Clan, Konoha had no one else who would deliberately send a gifted child whose values weren't yet formed to the Anbu for brainwashing.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression shifted between dark and troubled.
He studied the bodies and considered the matter for a moment before firing a signal flare.
To other Konoha villagers, it looked like nothing more than a firework.
Within half a minute of the flare going up, several masked Anbu appeared before Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The Anbu squad leader took in the scene and paled. He went straight to the Third Hokage, dropped to one knee, and said, "I'm sorry, Lord Hokage."
Sarutobi Hiruzen waved a hand and said calmly, "This isn't your fault. Find out who they are. And don't spread word that I was attacked."
Sarutobi Hiruzen no longer had much hope of discovering who had sent the assassins.
Still, he had to investigate. Perhaps he'd get lucky.
The Anbu accepted the order and dragged the bodies away.
The next day, in the Hokage Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen studied the files for a long time in silence.
The four men's records were perfectly ordinary.
But their very normality made Sarutobi Hiruzen uneasy.
These four assassins weren't from the village at all.
If they weren't from the village, then how had they gotten inside?
Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brow. The Anbu beside him stood stiffly, not daring to make a sound, like a statue.
Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly thought of his old friend, Danzo.
He sighed and turned to the Anbu. "Notify Danzo, Homura, and Koharu to come here for a brief meeting."
The Anbu finally relaxed. He nodded slightly and replied, "Yes, Lord Hokage."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he vanished from the Hokage Office.
Half an hour later.
The Konoha F4 had gathered in the Hokage Office.
Danzo narrowed his eyes and said coolly, "Hiruzen, why did you call us here so early?"
Mitokado Homura pushed up his glasses and looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen, his eyes full of questions.
Utatane Koharu also spoke up. "Hiruzen, I have plenty of work at the hospital. If there's something to say, then say it."
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a soft laugh at his old friends' reactions.
He handed the three of them several files from his desk. "Take a look for yourselves."
As he spoke, he made sure to watch their reactions.
Danzo took a file first. He glanced at it, then looked back at Hiruzen.
Frowning, he said, "Hiruzen, don't tell me you called us here first thing in the morning just to show us the files of a few ordinary people."
His tone was unpleasant. Danzo had just recalled Root's members to carry out other missions.
Before he'd even finished giving them their orders, Hiruzen had summoned him.
The other two also looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen with some displeasure.
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a soft cough and explained, "I was attacked yesterday."
As he spoke, he watched his old friends' reactions.
The other three all changed expression at once.
Mitokado Homura asked, "Hiruzen, what happened?"
The other two also looked at him questioningly.
Before you continue