A Spider That Walked Into the Net

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not answer immediately.

The office fell silent, with only thin smoke rising from the pipe at the corner of the desk.

He picked up Uchiha Lieyang's file again and flipped through it page by page.

Uchiha Lieyang, special jōnin.

He had awakened his two-tomoe Sharingan three years ago, been promoted to special jōnin two years ago, and awakened his three-tomoe Sharingan one year ago.

His mission completion rate was high. There was no record of him disobeying orders, nor had he ever abandoned a comrade during a mission.

Beyond his ninja record, there was also an ANBU investigation into his daily activities.

Unlike many withdrawn Uchiha, Lieyang enjoyed socializing.

His classmates from the Ninja Academy, teammates he had met on missions, members of the Uchiha Police Force, ordinary ninja responsible for logistics, and even merchants in the village all maintained good relations with him.

Over the past three years, he had also invested funds in businesses involving medicinal herbs, ninja tool repairs, cloth, and grain.

The scale was not large, but they affected the livelihoods of quite a few Konoha villagers.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to the final pages.

They recorded the investigators' assessment of Lieyang.

Gentle toward others.

Thorough in his dealings.

He recognized the village's system.

He had voluntarily helped several ninja forced into retirement by injuries.

He had never publicly expressed dissatisfaction with Konoha's higher-ups.

The final entry concerned Lieyang mentioning Shisui Uchiha at a gathering.

At the time, he had said that the Uchiha should not belong only to the Uchiha, but also to Konoha. The clan and the village should not view each other as enemies. True strength meant becoming a bridge connecting both sides.

Those words were remarkably similar to Shisui's ideals.

Hiruzen Sarutobi set down the file, his voice low.

"ANBU investigated him long ago."

"Lieyang maintained close ties with villagers, ninja, and merchants. Quite a few people in the Uchiha Police Force also approved of him."

"His businesses are all in Konoha, and all his connections are in Konoha."

"Why would someone who spent three years putting down roots in the village suddenly defect without warning?"

Danzō said coldly, "All of that could merely be a disguise."

"A disguise maintained for three years?"

"Ninja can maintain a disguise for ten years to complete a mission."

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his pipe and took a slow draw.

"There is no record of him contacting other ninja villages, secretly transferring his assets, or preparing supplies to leave the Land of Fire in advance."

"Concluding that he killed his teammates and defected based on a single disappearance is too hasty."

Danzō gripped his cane, his tone growing firmer.

"Hiruzen, you are always like this."

"You insist on waiting until the threat truly erupts, until the village has paid the price, before admitting your judgment was wrong."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze darkened.

"Danzō."

"Am I wrong?"

Danzō met his eyes directly.

"Orochimaru was the same back then. The Uchiha are the same now."

"The more skilled Uchiha Lieyang is at socializing, the more dangerous he is. He runs businesses, wins people over, and has even built influence within the Police Force."

"Would an ordinary special jōnin do such things?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"He may be building his own reputation, or he may be improving relations between the Uchiha and the village."

"Shisui is doing the same."

"Do not put him on the same level as Shisui!"

Danzō's cane struck the floor heavily.

Thud!

The dull sound echoed through the office.

"Shisui has always been under ANBU control. His movements, missions, and contacts can all be traced."

"Uchiha Lieyang is different."

"He is keen on socializing, runs businesses, involves himself in Police Force affairs, and actively approaches every faction in the village."

"This is not merely the Will of Fire. He is weaving a network of connections that belongs to him alone."

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.

Danzō stepped forward.

"You think there were no signs that he defected."

"But Takeno Sota and Ayakawa Yukina have already disappeared."

"The mission site was burned into scorched earth by Fire Release. Of the three, only Lieyang was especially skilled in Fire Release."

"He has yet to return to Konoha, nor has he sent any signal for help."

"If that does not count as a sign, then what does?"

"Must we see him carrying two corpses and handing Konoha intelligence over to another ninja village before it counts?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said nothing.

Danzō gave him no time to think further.

"Besides, the village never truly trusted him."

"What do you mean?"

"Why are the ANBU investigation records on him so detailed?"

Danzō stared at the intelligence file on the desk.

"His friends, businesses, statements, mission habits, even the number of times he privately met with Police Force members—everything was recorded with perfect clarity."

"This was no ordinary investigation."

"Konoha has been monitoring Uchiha Lieyang all along."

The fingers gripping Hiruzen Sarutobi's pipe tightened slightly.

Of course, he knew that.

After the conflict between the Uchiha clan and the village continued to deepen, ANBU expanded the scope of its surveillance.

Uchiha Lieyang was young, his strength had grown rapidly, and he was skilled at cultivating connections. Naturally, he had become a key target for observation.

Just because nothing had been found in the past did not mean the surveillance had never existed.

Danzō continued, "Since the village has long suspected him, why pretend to have no guard up now?"

"We have found neither the corpses of rogue ninja nor traces of any other ninja's techniques."

"At this point, every lead has gone cold."

"Uchiha Lieyang is the only breakthrough."

After a long silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke slowly.

"What if he was merely attacked?"

"Then find him and determine who attacked him."

"What if Takeno Sota and Ayakawa Yukina are still alive?"

"Find Lieyang, and we can learn their whereabouts as well."

"What if he refuses to return to Konoha?"

Danzō did not hesitate in the slightest.

"Treat him as a rogue ninja."

Hiruzen Sarutobi set down his pipe.

"Before the facts are confirmed, you are not to kill him outright."

The eye exposed beyond Danzō's bandages narrowed slightly.

"No one can guarantee a live capture in battle."

"What I mean is that, if circumstances permit, bring him back to Konoha for interrogation."

"Fine."

Danzō agreed quickly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched him for a moment before finally taking out a blank order from the desk. He wrote its contents, then stamped it with the Hokage's seal.

"The Root will conduct a thorough investigation into Uchiha Lieyang's disappearance."

"ANBU and the border patrols will provide you with assistance."

"The whereabouts of Takeno Sota and Ayakawa Yukina must also be determined."

Danzō accepted the order and lowered his head to scan it.

This order meant Root could access all of Lieyang's past records, seize his businesses, interrogate those close to him, and freely deploy tracking forces throughout the Land of Fire.

Most importantly, Root had obtained the authority to act against Lieyang.

"I will give the village an answer."

Danzō turned and walked toward the office door.

His pace remained unhurried, and the rhythm of his cane striking the floor did not change in the slightest.

Even after the office door closed, there was still no emotion visible on that aged face.

But the plan had already taken shape in his heart.

A living Uchiha Lieyang could be interrogated.

A dead Uchiha Lieyang could still yield his Sharingan and brain.

As long as Root found him first, what exactly they brought back in the end would be Danzō's decision.

From this moment onward, Uchiha Lieyang was no longer an ordinary missing ninja.

He was the prime suspect in the eyes of Konoha's higher-ups.

The investigation, pursuit, and reckoning aimed at him fully unfolded with that Hokage order.

Inside an inn in a remote town.

The Shadow Clone stood before the bed, still processing the decision the original had just made.

"You really intend to stay?"

"That's right."

"This is the Land of Fire, not the border."

The Shadow Clone lowered his voice.

"Once Konoha confirms that you have defected, ANBU, Root, and the Police Force may all join the pursuit. Towns, post stations, and checkpoints along the way will also receive wanted notices."

"Staying here is equivalent to walking into an encirclement."

Lieyang sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes covered.

"So?"

The Shadow Clone was stopped short by the question.

Over the past three years, the original had never been this aggressive.

To accumulate fortune, they had run businesses, made allies, and gradually expanded their influence in the Police Force.

Even after deciding to defect, their initial plan had been to use a mission to shake off surveillance, then immediately leave the Land of Fire.

Every step had been repeatedly considered.

They had prepared a response for every risk.

Endure.

Lie low.

Grow steadily.

That had been Lieyang's unwavering way of doing things for three years.

But after unlocking the genetic lock, the original seemed to have completely cast aside his former rhythm.

The Shadow Clone could not help saying, "We spent three years building our foundation to its current level."

"Connections, businesses, influence within the clan—we accumulated all of it bit by bit."

"As long as we leave the Land of Fire, evade Konoha's pursuit, and find a safe place to train, both the Mangekyō and the genetic lock can steadily grow stronger."

"But now you want to stay here and wait for the pursuers."

"This is not taking a risk. It is gambling everything we have already gained one more time."

Lieyang asked calmly, "What do you think the genetic lock is?"

"Breaking the body's limits and releasing potential."

"No."