Mud-Slinging Contest

On the streets of Konoha.

As Uchiha Kei continued searching the streets for the peeping tom, he felt a surge of secret delight.

He had never expected Uchiha Yato to use such a method to divert everyone's attention.

He had followed his instructions perfectly. Not only the Sand Shinobi, but also Konoha's higher-ups and Danzo Shimura now had to take action.

That way, no one could disturb the Uchiha Clan's peace. That was what he wanted.

Inside the Hokage's office.

Konoha F4, Tsunade, Chiyo, and Rasa.

These important figures had all arrived, and their purpose was simple: to discuss how the peeping tom should be handled and dealt with.

What compensation should Konoha provide in this matter?

Chiyo was the first to speak.

"I do not want this incident to have a negative impact on the women of the Sand Shinobi. Once this peeping tom is caught, he must be dealt with severely."

This was the conclusion Chiyo had reached after careful consideration. After all, the culprit was surely someone from Konoha. If he happened to be capable, then all the better to have him killed.

That would weaken Konoha's military strength. Whether their later plans went forward or not, it would only benefit them.

At that moment, Tsunade spoke as the female representative.

"It is still unclear whether the culprit is definitely from Konoha. Do not jump to conclusions so early."

"If we catch that peeping tom, Konoha will certainly give you an explanation. You can rest assured of that."

At this point, Konoha F4 sat there with calm, detached expressions, acting as though it had nothing to do with them.

Hiruzen Sarutobi needed Tsunade to speak up as Konoha's female representative.

In truth, he vaguely sensed danger, and he already had a suspect in mind for the peeping tom.

He had sent people to find Jiraiya long ago, but there had still been no sign of him. That made him extremely anxious.

Unlike Hiruzen Sarutobi's anxiety, Danzo Shimura was flustered for a different reason.

Before coming here, he had already made certain arrangements. He intended to use this opportunity to put Uchiha Yato to death.

After Tsunade and Chiyo had finished "bonding."

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked the ANBU ninja beside him, "Has there been any news from the Uchiha Police Force?"

"Have they caught the peeping tom?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi had deliberately referred to the Uchiha Clan's police force by that name, intending to disgust the Uchiha.

If he could divert the pressure or make the Sand Shinobi suspicious and stall for time, that would count as a victory.

The ANBU ninja replied, "There is currently no news. However, the Uchiha Clan head is on his way here to report the latest developments."

Danzo Shimura cut in at that moment. "I strongly suspect that this was done by an Uchiha Clan ninja. They may have staged this theft themselves."

"Their purpose was likely to drive a wedge between Konoha and the Sand Shinobi."

Those words immediately made Tsunade uncomfortable. Wasn't he just dumping blame directly onto Konoha's ninjas?

And since the person saying it was Danzo, it made her even more uncomfortable.

She immediately fired back, "The Uchiha are all handsome men and beautiful women. Why would they need to peep on anyone?"

"If you do not believe me, bring the Sand Shinobi girls here. If an Uchiha ninja confessed to them, would they agree? Would they accept? Do not consider the concerns between our two countries."

Only fools among the Sand Shinobi girls would refuse, even setting aside the Uchiha Clan's looks.

After spending time with them recently, aside from being somewhat arrogant, what fault could anyone find with the Uchiha?

They were a powerful ninja clan backed by resource-rich Konoha. To the Sand Shinobi girls who had come here to study, they were practically the children of an ultra-wealthy family.

Danzo Shimura was instantly left speechless by her retort.

The Uchiha Clan had a solid foundation. Other than their arrogant personalities, it was truly difficult to say anything bad about them.

Uchiha Kei also arrived at the Hokage's office.

But when he saw Tsunade baring her fangs and Danzo continuously shrinking back under her imposing presence.

He knew this was not the time for him to speak. After all, watching Danzo suffer was not a bad thing.

The moment Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Uchiha Kei, he asked, "How did the search go? Did you find the peeping tom?"

Uchiha Kei said, "My apologies, Lord Hokage. We did not catch him. This person is extremely skilled and should be at Kage level."

Danzo Shimura immediately came up with another idea and seized the topic. "And you still dare claim you are not covering for him? What sort of criminal could break in at a time like this?"

"Do not tell me the Uchiha Clan is vouching for itself. Nothing your clan says can be trusted."

That was tantamount to lighting the powder keg once again.

Before Tsunade could speak, Uchiha Kei said directly, "Though I am not particularly capable, I had already considered this possibility."

"Every Uchiha Clan member sent out to capture the peeping tom was accompanied by a Sand Shinobi to assist."

"This matter occurred suddenly, so it would have been impossible for the Uchiha and Sand Shinobi to coordinate their stories."

"I ask that Lord Hokage have the ANBU bring in one team for questioning. You will then know the truth."

The moment Uchiha Kei said this, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew there was trouble.

Neither Hiruzen Sarutobi nor Danzo Shimura had expected the Uchiha Clan to be so thorough this time.

But for the sake of the current situation, they could only do as Uchiha Kei suggested.

Before long, the ANBU brought in a randomly selected team of ninjas involved in hunting the peeping tom for questioning.

Just as Uchiha Kei had said, the team consisted of Uchiha ninjas and Sand Shinobi working together.

Furthermore, female Uchiha ninjas worked with female Sand Shinobi, while male Uchiha ninjas worked with male Sand Shinobi.

There could be no improper relationships between them, making the arrangement even more reliable.

Since the matter concerned the dignity of Sand Shinobi women, Chiyo had no time to care about anything else.

She directly asked whether the situation was true.

The result was obvious: it matched Uchiha Kei's account. This essentially cleared the Uchiha Clan of suspicion.

Danzo Shimura had originally wanted to smear Uchiha Yato as well, but now he could only seize on Yato's absence as he prepared to launch his questioning.

Uchiha Kei directly said, "Since that is the case, Elder Danzo, may I ask whether you are satisfied?"

Uchiha Kei was clearly trying to disgust Danzo Shimura. There was no helping it; after being smeared by him, he had to at least make him feel sick in return.

Danzo Shimura had nothing to say at this point. He could only swallow his broken teeth and nod, indicating that the Uchiha Clan had cleared itself of suspicion.

Danzo Shimura still refused to give up and asked, "Then where is Uchiha Yato?"

"Was he among the pursuers this time? He was not among the bodyguards, was he? Since he is not present, he certainly has a motive to commit the crime."

Whether he could bring down the Uchiha Clan was not actually important. What Danzo Shimura wanted most right now was for Uchiha Yato to die.

If the peeping tom incident was pinned on him, both villages would have their eyes on him.

Even if Uchiha Yato did not die, he would lose a layer of skin.

That was why Danzo Shimura was so unrestrained in smearing Uchiha Yato.

Just as Uchiha Kei was about to continue arguing, an ANBU ninja outside announced.

"Uchiha Yato requests an audience."

That instantly changed the expressions of everyone in the Hokage's office.

Danzo Shimura was extremely pleased with Uchiha Yato's attitude. He had already laid out a net in heaven and on earth, waiting for Uchiha Yato to walk right into it.

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that something was not quite right, but he could not say much. He could only summon Uchiha Yato inside.