Leaving the Village

The next morning.

At the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village.

The sky had only just brightened, yet quite a few ninja were already coming and going through the entrance.

The chunin in charge of registration sat inside the guard booth with a scroll in hand, occasionally looking up at those entering and leaving.

By the time Uchiha You arrived, three ninja dressed in ANBU uniforms were already waiting there.

One wore a fox mask.

One wore a crow mask.

One wore a wolf mask.

On the surface, they looked no different from ordinary ANBU.

But after just one glance, Uchiha You had already identified them.

Root.

Their emotionless stances, the cold gazes concealed behind their masks, and the faintly sinister aura clinging to them were utterly unlike ordinary ANBU.

The ANBU answered directly to the Hokage.

Root were the dogs Danzo kept underground.

And these three dogs before him had clearly been sent by Danzo to "see him off."

The corner of Uchiha You's mouth lifted slightly.

Interesting.

Danzo really thought highly of him.

He had sent three Root operatives at once.

Unfortunately, the hunter and prey had been assigned the wrong roles from the very beginning.

"Uchiha You?"

The fox-masked ANBU leader spoke, his voice cold.

Uchiha You replied flatly, "That's me."

The fox-masked ANBU gave him a look.

"You should already be aware of the mission details."

"You are to head to the Land of Water border and investigate signs of Hidden Mist Rogue Ninja activity."

"The three of us will be responsible for assisting you along the way."

Assisting?

Uchiha You nearly laughed out loud.

What a nice way to put it.

Was this assistance?

This was an escort.

An escort to his death.

Uchiha You nodded casually. "Got it."

The fox-masked ANBU frowned.

He disliked Uchiha You's attitude.

Too calm.

And too casual.

Logically, an Uchiha who had just angered the Shimura Clan and then suddenly received an assignment outside the village should have been at least somewhat nervous.

But Uchiha You was not.

He acted as though this mission did not matter at all.

As though the three of them did not matter at all.

That stirred a trace of displeasure within the fox-masked ANBU.

Still, he said nothing more.

There was no need to argue with a dead man over his attitude.

Once they left Konoha and reached a suitable location, this Uchiha would naturally understand just how foolish his arrogance from yesterday had been.

Just then, a voice came from inside the Konoha gates.

"You."

Uchiha You turned around.

Uchiha Chuan strode over quickly, concern written across his face.

Several Police Force members followed behind him.

None of them wore combat gear. They simply stood silently at a distance.

They had clearly come to see him off.

Uchiha Chuan stepped before Uchiha You and lowered his voice.

"Be careful."

"If anything feels wrong, come back immediately."

Uchiha You smiled.

"Don't worry."

Uchiha Chuan glanced at the three ANBU, obvious wariness in his eyes.

"They..."

Uchiha You raised a hand to interrupt him.

"I know."

Uchiha Chuan's heart sank.

As expected.

You had known from the start that something was wrong with these three.

Yet even so, he had still come.

That composure left Uchiha Chuan both worried and strangely reassured.

Uchiha You patted him on the shoulder.

"Go back and tell the clan to behave themselves for the time being."

"The Police Force will enforce the law as usual, but no one is to act alone."

"Also, if unfamiliar ANBU appear around the clan compound, don't alert them. Record their routes and numbers first."

Uchiha Chuan's gaze shifted slightly.

"You suspect they'll make a move against the clan while you're gone?"

Uchiha You replied calmly, "It isn't a suspicion."

"It's certain."

Uchiha Chuan's expression changed.

"Then why are you still..."

Uchiha You looked at him.

"Chuan."

"Some traps can't be broken from within."

"Only by stepping out of them can you see where the person moving the pieces is hiding."

Uchiha Chuan fell silent.

He suddenly felt that this clansman, far younger than himself, seemed to have long seen things they could not.

A moment later, he nodded heavily.

"I understand."

"I'll keep watch over the clan compound."

Uchiha You nodded.

Just then, a calm voice came from the other side.

"You."

Uchiha You raised an eyebrow.

Shisui Uchiha had come too.

He stood not far away, his expression complicated.

Their conversation last night had clearly kept him awake all night.

Shisui took several steps closer, looked at the three ANBU, then turned to Uchiha You.

"For this mission, I can apply to the Hokage and go with you."

The eyes of the three ANBU turned cold at once.

The fox-masked ANBU immediately spoke.

"Jonin Shisui, this mission was personally arranged by the Hokage."

"The accompanying personnel have already been determined."

"Changing personnel at the last minute is against protocol."

Shisui looked at him, frowning slightly.

"I am also a Konoha jonin."

The fox-masked ANBU's voice remained cold.

"This is an order."

The air instantly grew delicate.

Uchiha Chuan and the others looked grim.

An ANBU actually dared speak to Shisui in that tone.

After all, Shisui was no ordinary jonin.

He was Shisui of the Body Flicker.

Among the Uchiha Clan's younger generation, he was the one most valued by the village leadership.

Yet this ANBU showed him no courtesy at all.

Why?

Because he was no ordinary ANBU.

Danzo stood behind him.

Uchiha You watched the scene.

"Shisui, do you see it now?"

Shisui froze.

Uchiha You pointed at the fox-masked ANBU.

"This is the village you said was worth trusting."

"An ANBU who doesn't even dare reveal his name can block you at Konoha's gates with the tone of an order."

"Do you think that's protocol?"

"Or has someone simply never regarded the Uchiha as worthy of respect?"

Shisui's expression shifted slightly.

The fox-masked ANBU said coldly,

"Uchiha You, watch your words."

Uchiha You turned toward him, and his gaze abruptly turned icy.

"Shisui and I are talking. What right do you have to interrupt?"

The fox-masked ANBU's chakra stirred.

The other two ANBU also stepped half a pace forward.

The atmosphere instantly tightened.

The ninja around the Konoha gates all turned to look.

The registering chunin went pale with fright.

What was going on?

The mission had not even begun, and their own people were already about to fight?

The fox-masked ANBU stared at Uchiha You.

"Are you provoking the ANBU?"

Uchiha You replied flatly,

"ANBU?"

"You think you're worthy of representing the ANBU?"

The moment those words left his mouth, the auras of the three Root ninja sank at once.

Shisui's eyes shifted.

He keenly sensed that Uchiha You's words seemed to carry another meaning.

Uchiha You did not continue the argument.

He walked up to the fox-masked ANBU and lowered his voice until only the few of them could hear.

"Go back and tell that old dog behind you."

"If he wants to kill me, he should send someone more useful."

The fox-masked ANBU's pupils contracted sharply.

He knew?

How was that possible!

Their Root identities had been concealed perfectly. Outwardly, they were no different from ANBU.

How had this Uchiha recognized them at a glance?