Yamanaka Fu cursed inwardly. You took it upon yourself to spy on the Uchiha, and now that my subordinate's been killed, you're asking me to investigate why?
What other reason could there be? Some Uchiha from the Hawk Faction had killed him along the way.
But in public, Yamanaka Fu didn't dare show the slightest disrespect. He lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry, Lord Danzo. I'll keep investigating."
Only then did Danzo's expression soften a little. He nodded and said more gently, "Mm. You've worked hard lately. You may go."
At Danzo's dismissal, Yamanaka Fu tactfully acknowledged him and left.
Once Yamanaka Fu was gone, Danzo's face twisted into a snarl again.
He cursed under his breath, "Evil Uchiha!"
Did Danzo really not know why Root had gone missing?
That bunch of Uchiha from the Hawk Faction weren't pushovers.
But for now, Danzo had investigated and spied on the Uchiha in secret. He couldn't bring any of it into the open.
All he could do was swallow the insult.
That was also why Uchiha Yan had killed Root operatives without hesitation earlier, but had held back against the Anbu.
After all, judging by the current situation, the Uchiha Clan still wasn't in a position to turn the tables.
Inside Ichiraku Ramen.
Uchiha Yan and Izumi were waiting for their ramen.
Just then, a familiar voice came from outside.
"Yan, are you on patrol?"
Uchiha Yan turned at the sound and smiled when he saw who it was. "Mm. Just doing my usual patrol today."
A beautiful woman with long hair walked in and naturally took the seat beside Uchiha Yan.
She wore a smile and looked at him with ruby-red eyes.
"Yan, long time no see."
Izumi pouted and said sarcastically, "Can't you see me, Kurenai-senpai?"
She deliberately stressed the word "senpai," as if reminding Kurenai of something.
But Kurenai seemed not to catch Izumi's meaning. Resting her chin on one hand, she looked at Uchiha Yan and replied, "Oh, it's Izumi. Sorry, I only noticed my old classmate just now."
Uchiha Yan looked at Kurenai and said coolly, "Kurenai, if I remember right, we saw each other yesterday."
As he spoke, he glanced at the bandages wrapped around her arms and legs.
Uchiha Yan had always wondered why Kurenai wore bandages.
Was she really trying to cover up tattoos? After all, people with tattoos weren't allowed to take the teacher certification exam.
Kurenai leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Yan, want to come over to my place? My cat can do a backflip."
Uchiha Yan rolled his eyes at her.
As Kurenai's old classmate, he knew all too well that, despite her elegant and dignified appearance, she had a pretty wicked personality.
Uchiha Yan met her gaze and said, "Stop joking around. Let's talk business."
Kurenai's smile finally faded. She lowered her head and muttered, "What a boring man."
Then her tone turned serious. "It's nothing much. Everyone's getting together tomorrow. Do you want to come?"
Uchiha Yan's expression didn't change. "When and where?"
"12 noon, at the Akimichi barbecue restaurant."
Uchiha Yan's mouth twitched when he heard where the gathering would be.
Apart from barbecue and dango, Konoha didn't seem to have any other good food.
Kurenai stood up and rested a hand on Uchiha Yan's shoulder, whispering, "And my cat really can do a backflip!"
With an annoyed look, Uchiha Yan pushed her pretty face away. "All right, I'll be there on time tomorrow."
Only then did Kurenai leave, looking pleased with herself.
Just then, Teuchi brought out the ramen.
Izumi gave Uchiha Yan a resentful look and took a hard bite out of her pork.
Uchiha Yan flicked her forehead. Izumi covered it with a hand and looked at him pitifully.
After finishing their ramen at Ichiraku, the two continued patrolling the streets of Konoha.
And Uchiha Yan used his own unique methods to bring in money for the Uchiha.
The fines collected from those troublesome Konoha residents went straight to the Uchiha.
As for Konoha? It didn't get a single cent.
On their way back along the same route, the two ran into someone they knew.
Uchiha Weasel.
"Yan, I need to talk to you."
Uchiha Yan walked up to Uchiha Itachi and looked down at him. "Itachi, what is it?"
Itachi looked at him without changing expression. "Yan, you went too far today."
Uchiha Yan sneered at Itachi's words. "If you want to lecture me, get Fugaku to do it. You're not qualified."
He didn't bother to be polite to Itachi, the double agent. If circumstances allowed, he would have liked to pluck Itachi's eyes out and use them himself.
In Uchiha Yan's view, if your loyalty wasn't absolute, then you were absolutely disloyal.
A traitor like Uchiha Itachi, who couldn't decide where he stood, deserved to be cut into a thousand pieces.
For the sake of so-called peace and stability, he had slaughtered the helpless women and children of the Uchiha Clan.
Uchiha Yan seriously wondered if Itachi had some kind of psychological problem.
Itachi replied, "You shouldn't get close to the Jinchuriki. It'll only make the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and the village more tense."
Uchiha Yan stared at him, his black eyes turning into a scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan. "I suggest you don't tell me what to do."
Itachi's expression changed, and he activated his own Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
But faced with Uchiha Yan's powerful ocular prowess, Itachi—who hadn't awakened the Mangekyo yet—was no match for him.
Itachi fell into a genjutsu at once. He hadn't expected the gap between himself, the so-called prodigy since childhood, and Uchiha Yan to be so wide.
Just then, another Uchiha clan member arrived.
He was about the same age as Uchiha Yan.
He was a little shorter than Uchiha Yan, with a gentle face and a conspicuous dumpling-shaped nose.
A sword hung across his back. Looking at Uchiha Yan, he said, "Yan, there's no need to go that far."
Uchiha Yan only glanced at him, his tone flat. "I'm just telling Itachi that if he wants to lecture someone, he'd better have the strength to back it up. That's all."
With that, he ignored Shisui, whose expression had darkened, and left with Izumi following behind him.
Shisui watched Uchiha Yan's retreating figure, deep wariness flashing in his eyes.
He patted Itachi's shoulder, pulling him out of the genjutsu.
Shisui looked at Itachi and asked, "That guy Yan..."
Before he could finish, Itachi wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied, "He's the Uchiha with the most terrifying ocular prowess I've ever seen."
Shisui fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Is he stronger than the clan leader?"
Itachi nodded gravely. "He's stronger than the clan leader, but his ambitions are too narrow. He refuses to stand with the village."
Shisui fell silent for a long time. Itachi then turned and left.
He needed to report what had happened today to Lord Hokage.
Shisui let out a quiet sigh. Life wasn't easy for either him or Itachi in the Uchiha Clan, especially for Shisui.
Because he was close to Konoha's leadership, many people looked at him strangely and even kept their distance.
But Shisui didn't regret it. After all, he was doing it for Konoha's peace.
Before you continue