Kotoamatsukami

Hearing Danzo's words, Uchiha Yan looked at him without expression and said calmly, "Shimura Danzo, the time limit on Izanagi is almost up, isn't it?"

"You..." Danzo's face showed a flicker of panic at his words.

He looked somewhat horrified, but quickly suppressed it.

Danzo's expression settled back into calm. "Although I don't know who you are, this barrier of yours must have a time limit."

"Even with your strength, you couldn't kill me silently in such a short time. Why not make a deal?"

Hearing Danzo's words, Uchiha Yan raised an eyebrow.

His scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan turned slowly as he said, "Oh? A deal? What exactly are you offering?"

He didn't mind buying some time.

Danzo looked at him and said, "Let me go, and I'll ease the surveillance and restrictions on the Uchiha. I'll also try to get Fugaku appointed as an advisor."

It sounded like a very sincere offer.

But on closer thought, all of Danzo's promises were nothing more than empty words.

Easing restrictions, buying time—even if Danzo kept his word, none of it was something he had to do.

Uchiha Yan knew that if he let Danzo go, the next day the Uchiha compound would be surrounded by Root, Anbu, and Konoha's other great clans.

After all, those clans had long coveted the Uchiha's resources and secret techniques. More was always better, after all.

Danzo looked at Uchiha Yan with an expectant gaze.

But the emotionless eyes beneath Uchiha Yan's mask said everything.

Uchiha Yan spoke calmly. "Danzo, accept reality."

Then a crow appeared inside the completely sealed Anbu headquarters.

In its eye socket, a Mangekyō Sharingan with a distinctive pinwheel pattern spun, drawing the eye.

Danzo's eyes widened. "That's Shisui's eye. Could it be you've already..."

Uchiha Yan gave no response and activated Kotoamatsukami.

The moment Kotoamatsukami took effect, Danzo's eyes went vacant, and he stood there, stunned.

Uchiha Yan completely altered Danzo's thoughts.

Until then, Danzo had always adhered to his teacher Tobirama's attitude toward the Uchiha.

But Uchiha Yan used Kotoamatsukami to plant something in Danzo's subconscious.

Rather than planting it, he had amplified it.

Kotoamatsukami magnified Danzo's desire for the position of Hokage.

It also changed Danzo's plans.

If Danzo's previous plan had been to work with Sarutobi Hiruzen to wipe out the Uchiha, seize their resources and Sharingan, and then compete for the Hokage Position, his new plan was to pursue the Hokage Position first, force Sarutobi Hiruzen out of office, and then use the Hokage's power and influence to deal with the Uchiha.

Uchiha Yan also used his own genjutsu to seal Danzo's memories and implant false information.

When the seal's effect ended, Uchiha Yan left without a trace, leaving behind only a few corpses whose faces were indistinct.

Danzo was left alone, clutching a bloodstained Kunai, shaken to the core.

Uchiha Yan found Root's files and, after searching through them, managed to locate two dossiers.

One contained the truth behind Hatake Sakumo's death; the other detailed Danzo's secret dealings with Kumogakure.

Most importantly, both bore the seal reserved for the Third.

In other words, the Third knew about all of this.

Before leaving, Uchiha Yan also sought out Yamanaka Fu, a sensory ninja.

It wouldn't do to let him discover that something was wrong with Danzo.

Uchiha Yan appeared in front of Yamanaka Fu.

Yamanaka Fu stared at him in surprise, then asked, "Is something wrong? Didn't Danzo send you to search for Uchiha Shisui?"

Uchiha Yan replied evenly, "I'm here to borrow something."

"Borrow something?" Yamanaka Fu stepped up to Uchiha Yan. "What?"

"Your life." As Uchiha Yan spoke, a Kunai plunged straight into Yamanaka Fu's vital point.

Yamanaka Fu stared at Uchiha Yan in disbelief.

Uchiha Yan reached out with his other hand and crushed his windpipe.

Danzo's future right-hand man had died just like that.

It was an absurd, almost ridiculous death.

As for the system reward, Uchiha Yan chose sensory abilities.

Only after finishing everything did Uchiha Yan leave.

By then, the Third's informant inside Root had also reported that Uchiha Shisui was missing.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression darkened noticeably when he heard the news.

He spoke to the Anbu hidden in the shadows. "Bring Kakashi to me."

The Anbu acknowledged the order, then disappeared from the Hokage Office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to his informant inside Root, his expression growing warm and pleasant.

In a gentle voice, he said, "Thanks for your effort. I'll take care of your child's Chunin matter."

After receiving Sarutobi Hiruzen's promise, the informant lowered his head gratefully. "Thank you, Lord Hokage."

"Mm. You can go back now." Sarutobi Hiruzen waved a hand to dismiss him.

After the Root informant left, Kakashi entered the Hokage Office.

He knelt on one knee and said respectfully, "Lord Hokage."

Sarutobi Hiruzen leisurely lit the pipe in his hand and took a puff.

White smoke drifted from his nose and mouth, veiling his aged face.

When the smoke cleared, Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke as if it were an afterthought. "Kakashi, I called you here for one reason. Where is Itachi?"

Kakashi looked up, but remained kneeling on one knee. Confused, he said, "Itachi? Lord Hokage, Itachi told me yesterday that Shisui had invited him to take on a mission, so I don't know where he is."

Hearing Kakashi's answer, Sarutobi Hiruzen's usually kindly expression darkened once more.

He tapped his fingers against the desk in a steady rhythm.

In the quiet Hokage Office, the sound seemed especially grating.

Kakashi could sense the irritation radiating from the Hokage before him.

The air in the entire Hokage Office seemed to have been sucked away, making it hard to breathe.

After a long silence, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Kakashi, his tone easing slightly. "Thanks for your effort, Kakashi. Don't let it interfere with your mission to protect the Jinchuriki."

Kakashi nodded, then slowly withdrew from the Hokage Office.

Only after leaving did he realize that cold sweat had soaked through his back.

He suddenly felt as though he barely recognized the Third, who was usually so kind and approachable, always smiling as he asked subordinates and villagers if they were tired.

This Third reminded him more of Danzo—or Orochimaru.

The thought sent a chill through Kakashi, and he shook his head to stop himself from overthinking.

But not long ago, Uchiha Yan's words had taken root in his heart, growing stronger by the day.

Should he go find Uchiha Yan today and get to the bottom of it?

What had really happened back then?

Once the thought had taken hold, Kakashi could no longer suppress his doubts.

His father's silence after failing a mission; the baseless accusations against his father for saving his comrades.

At the thought, Kakashi's gaze grew resolute.

He decided that after his mission ended that day, he would go to Uchiha Yan and demand answers.