Hiruzen Sarutobi Learns the News

"Who's there?!"

The sound of a Shadow Clone dispersing startled Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, who had been holding each other tightly and baring their hearts.

After all, in an environment where everything had been silent aside from the two of them, the sound was far too conspicuous.

Moreover, the chakra fluctuation produced by the Shadow Clone's dispersal was crystal clear to the two of them, both of whom possessed considerable sensory abilities.

Thus, in the next instant—

Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki clasped hands and swiftly arrived at the spot where Yin Jie's Shadow Clone had just dispersed.

Naturally, they found nothing.

However, Minato seemed to realize something, and a slightly helpless, awkward smile appeared on his face.

Sneaking around to "watch" from the shadows... That ANBU from earlier really was...

Minato then told Kushina his speculation. He also mentioned that Yin Jie had possessed the Sharingan, as well as his own guesses regarding the matter.

After all, regardless of Yin Jie's motives for saving them, how he had happened to appear there, or why an Uchiha had joined the ANBU, they still needed to find him and thank him in person.

Only then did Kushina belatedly realize that someone else had also saved her—and that person had been an ANBU.

However, the other party clearly did not care much for her gratitude. Aside from secretly returning with a Shadow Clone and rather "maliciously" "watching" their confession, he had said practically nothing before leaving outright.

In the underground world, Root base.

The long corridor seemed to stretch on without end. The walls on either side exuded an icy chill that made one shudder involuntarily.

The corridor was deathly quiet. There was not even the slightest movement of air, nor could any sound be heard. Only the occasional drip of water, crisp yet monotonous, sounded especially abrupt amid the dead silence.

Yin Jie walked through it slowly and quietly beneath the dim, secluded overhead lights.

As Yin Jie moved forward, the surveillance cameras hidden in every corner silently shifted their angles, ensuring that they could always track his movements.

In the room at the deepest part of the base, a middle-aged man with a gloomy expression stared unblinkingly at the surveillance screen glowing with a dim green light.

The ruler of Root, Danzo Shimura.

This was Root's central surveillance room. From here, Danzo Shimura could monitor all activity within the entire Root base.

Of course, given Danzo Shimura's personality, now that he had surveillance equipment, he certainly would not limit its installation to the Root base alone.

He had naturally placed surveillance cameras at key locations throughout the Hidden Leaf Village as well, all without the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's knowledge.

As the saying went, you may have your clever schemes, but I have my own way around them.

There was no reason Hiruzen Sarutobi could use the Telescope Technique to observe the entire village whenever he pleased, while Danzo Shimura, as the Hokage's advisor and Root's leader, could not.

That would make no sense.

Thus—

After Yin Jie handed over the mission that had been promoted to A-rank, along with the corpse of the Hidden Cloud Village jonin he had killed, received his mission reward, and left the Root base, Danzo Shimura shifted his gaze away from the surveillance screen displaying the situation inside the base.

But then his eyes narrowed, and a glint of cold light flashed through his slender gaze.

A surveillance camera positioned at a great distance and aimed at the Hatake clan compound had captured the back of a man wearing a green jonin flak jacket.

"Sakumo Hatake..."

Danzo Shimura seethed inwardly. That man's prestige within the village was growing ever higher. Even the daimyo of the Land of Fire had heard of the White Fang of the Leaf, and the red-and-white Hokage sleeve on his right arm deeply stabbed at Danzo Shimura's heart, which had always coveted the position of Hokage.

If this continued, Sakumo Hatake, already the strongest contender for Fourth Hokage, might truly become the Fourth Hokage!

That was something he absolutely could not accept.

The Hidden Leaf could only develop better under Danzo Shimura's leadership. Only then could it truly stand at the pinnacle of the shinobi world!

"Heh heh heh..."

A low, bone-chilling laugh, dripping with conspiracy and malice, echoed again and again through Root's central surveillance room...

Meanwhile—

Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, having returned to the Hidden Leaf, sat in the Hokage's office and reported everything that had happened the previous night to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who sat behind his desk wearing his Hokage hat and smoking a pipe.

At first, when Hiruzen Sarutobi heard that his grand-disciple Minato Namikaze had instantly killed a Hidden Cloud Village jonin with his very first move, he felt as refreshed as if he had taken a huge gulp of iced cola in the sweltering heat of midsummer.

But immediately afterward, when he heard Minato ask about the Uchiha ANBU with the two-tomoe Sharingan, who had likewise played a major role in rescuing Kushina, his brows furrowed deeply.

Of course, Minato had not found anything strange about Yin Jie's apparent height of roughly 130 to 140 centimeters.

After all, with a mask on, a ninja's age could not be determined by height alone.

Besides, Yin Jie's masterful Fire Release ninjutsu, immense chakra reserves comparable to those of most jonin, and two-tomoe Sharingan had all prevented Minato, whose current status was still not high enough, from ever imagining that Yin Jie was merely an eight-year-old Uchiha child who was still growing.

What Minato and Kushina truly wanted to know was Yin Jie's real identity.

However, ANBU identities were normally classified. Anyone seeking information related to them would most likely be deemed a spy with ulterior motives.