When Was the Anbu No Longer Directly Under the Third Hokage?

That night, after finishing their work with the Police Force, Hayato and Shisui ate dinner, then strolled toward the Uchiha Compound.

They watched the bustling scene around them, with villagers of all kinds going about their business.

A trace of envy showed in Shisui's eyes. When could the Uchiha Clan enjoy such a scene in Konoha, too?

He thought it, then asked Hayato outright.

"Don't rush, Shisui." Hayato laughed at his words. Though the Uchiha Clan possessed power like the Mangekyo, their mental state was hardly any better.

Clearly, after awakening the Mangekyo, Shisui had become at least somewhat affected by the Uchiha Clan's madness.

It was just that his usual beliefs kept him from standing out as much as the others.

Shisui gazed intently at Hayato, then nodded. "All right. But there are some things you should explain to me in detail, don't you think?"

"Such as?"

"Orochimaru, and the higher-ups you mentioned before."

A flicker of emotion crossed Shisui's face. He had asked about it before, but Hayato had always brushed him off.

But as the two of them grew closer, Shisui thought Hayato might finally tell him.

"Sure."

Hayato replied.

"Same as always." Shisui muttered first, then looked at Hayato with some confusion. "What did you just say?"

"I said you can learn about it if you want."

Hayato kept walking. They had already left Konoha's central district, and the closer they got to the Uchiha Compound, the more deserted it became.

Suddenly, Hayato stopped and looked ahead. "You've been following us for a while. Why not come out?"

Shisui, who had been wondering what was going on, froze, then warily scanned their surroundings.

He had been lost in thought and hadn't noticed anything unusual.

"Who's there?"

Whoosh—

Ten figures emerged from all around them, each a ninja wearing an animal mask.

The one in front glanced at Hayato, then turned to Shisui. "Uchiha Shisui, Lord Danzo wants you to come with us."

"Anbu?" Shisui looked at their outfits, his expression turning tense.

Oh.

So they were ignoring him.

Hayato narrowed his eyes at the ten Root ninjas approaching them. "Could you stop acting like rats in the dark? Those in the know might call you Anbu elites. Anyone else would think some bastard was imitating a beauty after she'd turned ugly."

"Oh, and isn't the Anbu directly under Lord Hokage? Danzo? Never heard of him."

Before he had even finished speaking, several Root ninjas used the Body Flicker Technique to rush forward, their blades flashing in the night.

"An unstable element. Eliminate him!"

One of them shouted, his voice full of malice.

"Hayato, who are these people?" Shisui still didn't know who they were, but when they attacked, he immediately stood back-to-back with Hayato and prepared to defend himself.

"I'm not sure, but they're definitely not Anbu." Hayato said no more. He only said they weren't Anbu so Shisui could fight without holding back.

Sure enough—

Hearing Hayato's words, Shisui's expression hardened. He quickly formed Hand Seals. "Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!"

The instant Shisui spat out flames, he hurled more than a dozen shuriken. The fire clung to the spinning shuriken, heating them until they streaked toward the charging Root ninjas like a shower of blazing phoenix flowers.

Hayato, meanwhile, activated his Sharingan and recorded Shisui's Hand Seals with a sidelong glance. He formed his own Hand Seals at once. "Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

A massive dragon of fire spiraled toward the outer edge of the battle, swallowing several Root ninjas who were dodging Shisui's Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson.

They had come to take their lives. Holding back would be the greatest disrespect to himself.

Shisui only furrowed his brows. He had wanted to keep some of them alive, but Hayato had already dealt with those few. There was no time to hesitate.

The two of them split up and charged at several Root ninjas nearby.

Both had awakened the Mangekyo. They wouldn't reveal that fact, but the Root elites here still couldn't stop them.

Relying on the uncanny speed of the Body Flicker Technique, Shisui appeared behind his opponents and took down two of them in just a few moves. He left them alive, though.

Hayato was more direct. Nearly every Root ninja who dared look him in the face fell under a genjutsu the next instant. Taking advantage of the opening, he slashed several of their throats with the kunai in his hand.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Three figures fell like bowling pins, their masks slipping off to reveal faces frozen in disbelief.

Hayato looked at the two unconscious men at Shisui's feet and walked over.

"Wait, Hayato."

Shisui hurriedly stopped him. "They've lost the ability to fight. If we attack now, it'll be hard to explain."

Hayato put away his kunai. Not because he agreed with Shisui, but because he had other plans. Besides, people had already noticed the commotion.

He turned to look behind them. Several figures were leaping from rooftop to rooftop in the distance. Before long, they had reached the group.

The leader had short silver hair and wore a mask. When he saw the bodies on the ground, his pupils contracted.

The Anbu members behind him had already taken up defensive positions.

The silver-haired Anbu raised a hand to stop them, then looked at Hayato and Shisui. "You'd better have a reason that can convince me. Otherwise, I'll take you both into custody."

"A reason?"

Hayato glanced at the bodies of the Root ninjas. "They tried to attack fellow villagers. I don't know who they are, but they said they were acting on Lord Danzo's orders."

"Our Uchiha Clan is already on the outskirts of the village. Since when has the Anbu stopped being directly under the Third Hokage?"

He finished with an innocent expression, looking at the silver-haired Anbu—Kakashi.

Kakashi looked at Hayato with his single visible eye, then ordered, "Send someone to notify the Hokage Building."

Hayato interjected, "Sorry to trouble you, but our clan leader needs to be notified, too."

Since they were inevitably going to have to make the trip, they might as well bring Fugaku along. Otherwise, he and Shisui might end up having to betray the village.

More importantly, he needed to understand how Fugaku had changed.

Kakashi said nothing, only waving his hand again.

Since they belonged to his close friend's clan, this was all he could do for them.

"Then come with me to meet Lord Third Hokage," Kakashi said.

"Of course." Hayato patted Shisui on the shoulder, signaling that he didn't need to worry too much. "Relax. We're just going to demand an explanation."

Kakashi made no response, simply motioning for them to follow.

"You stay here and take care of all the bodies. Catch up as soon as you can."

With that, he led Hayato and Shisui toward the Hokage Building.