The Spider That Walked Into the Web

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not answer immediately.

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

He picked up the intelligence report on Uchiha Lieyang again and flipped through it page by page.

Uchiha Lieyang, Special Jōnin.

He awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan three years ago, was promoted to Special Jōnin two years ago, and awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan a 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 ANBU's investigation into his daily activities.

Unlike many withdrawn Uchiha, Lieyang enjoyed interacting with people.

Classmates from the Ninja Academy, teammates he met during missions, members of the Konoha Police Force, ordinary ninjas handling logistics, and even merchants in the village all maintained good relationships with him.

Over the past three years, he had also gradually invested funds into herbal medicine, ninja tool repairs, fabric, and grain businesses.

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

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to the final pages.

They recorded the investigators' assessment of Lieyang.

Gentle toward others.

Thorough in his dealings.

Accepted the village's system.

He had proactively helped several ninjas who had retired due to 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 said that the Uchiha should not belong only to the Uchiha, but also to Konoha. The clan and the village should not be hostile toward one another. True strength should serve as a bridge connecting both sides.

Those words were extremely similar to Shisui's ideals.

Hiruzen Sarutobi put down the report, his voice low.

"ANBU investigated him long ago."

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

"All of his businesses are in Konoha, and all of his connections are in Konoha."

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

Danzo said coldly, "Those could also be disguises."

"A disguise for three years?"

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

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe and slowly took a puff.

"There is no record of him contacting other ninja villages, secretly moving 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 far too rash."

Danzo gripped his cane, his tone becoming increasingly forceful.

"Hiruzen, you are always like this."

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

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze darkened.

"Danzo."

"Am I wrong?"

Danzo met his gaze directly.

"Orochimaru was like that back then. The Uchiha are like that now."

"The more sociable Uchiha Lieyang is, the more dangerous he is. He runs businesses, wins people's hearts, and has even accumulated influence within the Konoha Police Force."

"Would an ordinary Special Jōnin do such things?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"He may be building prestige for himself, or he may be improving the relationship between the Uchiha and the village."

"Shisui is doing the same."

"Do not mention him in the same breath as Shisui!"

Danzo's cane struck the floor heavily.

Thud!

The dull sound echoed through the office.

"Shisui has always been under ANBU's control. His movements, missions, and contacts are all traceable."

"Uchiha Lieyang is different."

"He is keen on socializing, running businesses, involving himself in Police Force affairs, and proactively contacting all kinds of people in the village."

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

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.

Danzo took a step forward.

"You believe 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, Lieyang was the most proficient in Fire Release."

"He has yet to return to Konoha or send any signal for help."

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

"Do we have to see him carrying two corpses and handing Konoha's intelligence to another ninja village before it counts?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said nothing.

Danzo gave him no time to continue considering it.

"Besides, the village never truly trusted him."

"What do you mean?"

"Why are ANBU's investigation records on him so detailed?"

Danzo stared at the intelligence on the desk.

"His friends, businesses, remarks, mission habits, and even the number of times he privately met with Police Force members were all recorded with perfect clarity."

"This was not an ordinary investigation."

"Konoha had 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 quickly, and he was adept at cultivating relationships. Naturally, he was a key target for observation.

The fact that no problems had been found in the past did not mean the surveillance did not exist.

Danzo continued, "Since the village already suspected him, why pretend to be completely on guard now?"

"We found no corpses of rogue ninjas, nor did we find traces of other ninjas' techniques."

"After investigating this long, 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 still learn their whereabouts."

"What if he refuses to return to Konoha?"

Danzo 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 permitted to kill him outright."

The eye exposed beyond Danzo'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."

Danzo agreed quickly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at him for a moment. In the end, he took out a blank order from the desk, wrote its contents, and stamped it with the Hokage's seal.

"The matter of Uchiha Lieyang's disappearance will be thoroughly investigated by Root."

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

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

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

This order meant that 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 explanation."

Danzo turned and headed 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, no emotion could be seen on that aged face.

But the plan had already taken shape in his mind.

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 Danzo's decision.

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

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

The investigation, pursuit, and reckoning against him had completely begun 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 are really planning to stay?"

"Correct."

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

The Shadow Clone lowered his voice.

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

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

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

"So?"

The Shadow Clone was momentarily speechless at the retort.

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

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

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

Every step had undergone repeated simulations.

Every risk had a prepared response.

Endure.

Lie low.

Develop steadily.

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

But after awakening the Gene Lock, the original seemed to have completely abandoned his old rhythm.

The Shadow Clone could not help saying, "We spent three years building our foundation to this point."

"Connections, businesses, influence within the clan—every bit of it was accumulated little by little."

"As long as we leave the Land of Fire, avoid Konoha's pursuit, and find somewhere safe to train, both the Mangekyō Sharingan and the Gene Lock can steadily grow stronger."

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

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

Lieyang asked calmly, "What do you think the Gene Lock is?"

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

"No."