Attacking the Heart

Konoha Village.

Hearing Zhengye's accusation, the Third Hokage felt as if someone had struck him over the head with a club.

He did not respond immediately, instead thinking rapidly.

Everyone sent to monitor Naruto is among my most trusted subordinates. There can't possibly be a spy.

This was Zhengye's trap!

Before the Third Hokage could speak, Utatane Koharu, who had arrived shortly after, angrily rebuked him:

"Uchiha Zhengye, what nonsense are you spouting!? How could there possibly be spies in the ANBU!?"

"I think you want to keep the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki for yourself!"

Zhengye had not even wiped the blood from his face. His eyes widened, and a fierce, murderous aura rushed straight at Utatane Koharu!

"Keep the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki for myself!?"

"If I hadn't suppressed the Nine-Tails, it would have already gone berserk!"

"All of you would be dead!"

Utatane Koharu had arrived later and had not seen Zhengye suppress the chakra on Naruto's body.

Now, Zhengye's presence frightened her into staggering back!

"Y-you..." Utatane Koharu stammered for a long time, unable to say a single complete sentence.

"What's with you? If you don't know anything, get out of the way!"

Mitokado Homura hurriedly pulled her aside and quietly explained what had happened earlier.

Zhengye ignored her and pointed at Yamanaka Saki and Akimichi Mountain Range.

"You two, tell them what happened today!"

Akimichi Mountain Range and Yamanaka Saki both felt their hearts skip a beat, then each looked toward their clan heads.

Even in a situation like this, the two clan heads kept grim expressions. "Just tell the truth."

Akimichi Mountain Range said in a deep voice, "We heard Naruto crying out as he was being beaten and came over to stop it."

Yamanaka Saki continued, "But the Uchiha Police Force Chief was stopped by the ANBU."

As he spoke, he pointed at the ANBU Mikawa Ze in Shisui's grasp.

"He said, 'Police Force, halt. The ANBU is taking over here.'"

"The chief tried to negotiate repeatedly, but the ANBU kept blocking him."

"During that time, no one stopped those people from beating Naruto. It was not until the Nine-Tails' chakra leaked out that Lord Uchiha Zhengye arrived."

The moment Yamanaka Saki finished speaking, the atmosphere at the scene dropped to freezing point!

Zhengye casually wiped his face.

The bloodstains made him look like a ferocious demon.

"Third Hokage! What else do you have to say!?"

The Third Hokage gritted his teeth until they creaked. He did not know where things had gone wrong, but he absolutely could not take the blame for this!

"This is slander!"

"This does not prove that the villagers who beat Naruto had anything to do with the ANBU!"

"At most, Naruto's leaked Nine-Tails chakra means the ANBU failed in their duty!"

"Now all these villagers are dead. The dead cannot testify!"

"Everything here needs to be investigated!"

Yet Zhengye's reaction was beyond the Third Hokage's expectations. He merely let out a cold laugh.

"Fine! Then investigate!"

"But I don't trust you! I want the investigation conducted on the spot!"

"These villagers died only recently. There should still be information that can be extracted from their brains!"

He turned toward the crowd. More and more members of the major ninja clans had arrived.

A familiar face appeared: the Yamanaka Clan's next clan head, Yamanaka Inoichi.

"Then let Yamanaka Inoichi extract the information here and now!"

This was Inoichi's specialty, so he was somewhat mentally prepared when he was called out.

His eyes met those of the current clan head, who gave a slight nod.

"Fine. I'll do it."

Without wasting any time, he formed hand seals while the deaths were still recent, then pressed his hands against the corpses' heads.

Inoichi moved quickly, switching to another person every ten seconds or so. Fine sweat beaded on his forehead, but his hands never stopped.

Fugaku, who had received the news, hurried over at this time.

But he had not come alone. He had brought a group of Uchiha three-tomoe elites, all neatly equipped and armed to the teeth.

The first thing Fugaku did upon arriving was look at Zhengye.

Zhengye was always aggressive in his actions, and Fugaku had truly feared that the two sides would already be fighting by the time he arrived.

Only after Zhengye gave him a reassuring look did the weight in his heart finally lift.

He waved a hand, and only then did the group of elites take their positions behind Zhengye.

Itachi exchanged a look with Fugaku, then activated his genjutsu.

In an instant, he pulled Fugaku into the genjutsu and quickly explained what had happened here.

Fugaku's eyes immediately cleared. Once he learned this had been Zhengye's own initiative, anticipation rose in his heart again.

He wanted to see what surprise Zhengye would bring to the Uchiha.

Yamanaka Inoichi performed the technique quickly. Within a few minutes, he had extracted all the remaining memories from the villagers' minds.

He stepped into the center and said before Zhengye and the Third Hokage:

"These people were incited into coming here specifically to beat Naruto."

"But the person who incited them..."

The Third Hokage's heart lurched as an extremely ominous feeling welled up within him.

That method and way of doing things could only belong to...

But Yamanaka Inoichi swept his gaze over everyone present before looking at the two piles of mangled flesh that had been blown apart.

"They were silenced."

The Third Hokage relaxed slightly and unconsciously took a puff from his pipe.

"In other words, the trail ends here."

"Hehehe..."

Zhengye's sudden laughter made the Third Hokage's heart leap into his throat again.

"Uchiha Zhengye, what are you laughing at?"

Zhengye pointed at the Third Hokage and shouted:

"Can't everyone see it yet? The fundamental problem today is that Konoha's villagers hate the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. That gave spies an opening and allowed them to incite the villagers into beating Naruto."

Zhengye gave a signal. Itachi tightened his grip on Mikawa Ze's hand, and Mikawa Ze immediately regained consciousness. But the moment he awoke, he found himself in Uchiha Itachi's hands.

And nearly all of Konoha Village's higher-ups were gathered here.

His heart sank, and a sense of dread rose within him.

Zhengye's next words echoed in everyone's ears like a demon's whisper:

"The Third Hokage deliberately made the villagers hate the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, while he himself used the Hokage's title to approach Naruto openly, brainwash him, and control him!"

"He wanted to monopolize Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki for himself! That is why he strictly forbade the Uchiha from rescuing Naruto!"

Zhengye's words were like a massive boulder crashing into the hearts of everyone present!

The Third Hokage's ears rang from the shock!

That was indeed what he had planned, and indeed what he had done, but no matter what, he could not admit it!

"Absolutely not! The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki belongs to the village! I have never thought of controlling him!"

The Third Hokage had already fallen into Zhengye's trap of proving his own innocence, but at this moment, he had to state his position.

As Hokage, there was nothing wrong with him overseeing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and wanting to grow closer to him.

The other ninja clans would not care too much either. After all, rank was power.

But today was different. He had overplayed his hand!

His control strategy had suffered a fatal error!

The Nine-Tails had gone berserk!

The entire village had nearly been destroyed!

He had to give the other ninja clans an explanation.

But only now did Zhengye reveal his true killing move.

He seemed to know exactly how the Third Hokage would answer. Staring at Mikawa Ze with an icy expression, he asked:

"You tell us. Were you sent by the Third Hokage to stop the Police Force from rescuing Naruto, or are you a spy from another village who deliberately caused the Nine-Tails to go berserk?"