"Konoha Can Never Agree"

Danzo said nothing more.

The office fell silent once again.

After a long while, he spoke in a low voice, "Lie Yang will not return to Konoha simply because you return the truth to him."

"I know."

"Then why are you still investigating?"

"Because Konoha cannot survive on lies forever."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was soft, yet exceptionally clear.

Danzo looked at his aged back, his gaze sinking.

He had no way to refute those words.

That night, darkness blanketed the border of the Land of Fire.

A black ninja cat leaped out from among the trees, landing on the wall of a secluded courtyard.

It looked around, and after confirming no other presence, it raised a paw and formed hand seals.

"Summoning Jutsu."

Poof!

The white smoke dispersed.

Fugaku Uchiha's shadow clone stepped out from the smoke.

He did not enter through the front gate, instead standing outside the wall to observe the entire courtyard.

Between the courtyard wall, eaves, flagstones, and bamboo grove, complex sealing formulas were scattered everywhere.

These seals did not manifest directly.

Only when Chakra approached would fine patterns emerge.

Fugaku activated his Sharingan.

One tier.

Two tiers.

Three tiers.

The sealing arrays overlapped with one another, forming a complete protective system.

There was perception.

There was alertness.

There were techniques to isolate Chakra fluctuations.

There was even a barrier capable of reflecting attacks.

Fugaku watched for a few breaths, his brow slowly furrowing.

These seals were all treasured techniques of the Uchiha Clan.

Several of them were ones even he had only ever seen on scrolls within the clan.

Yet Lie Yang had integrated all of them into the courtyard's defenses.

Just how long has it been...

Fugaku muttered to himself.

He remembered that when he handed those techniques over to Lie Yang, the other