Leaving the Village

The next morning.

Konoha's main gate.

The sky had only just begun to brighten, 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 Uchiha You had determined their identity after a single glance.

Root.

Their emotionless stances, the cold gazes concealed behind their masks, and the faintly sinister aura around them were completely different from ordinary ANBU.

The ANBU answered directly to the Hokage.

Root was the pack of 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 lips lifted slightly.

Interesting.

Danzo really thought highly of him.

He had sent three Root operatives at once.

Unfortunately, the positions of hunter and prey had been mixed up from the very beginning.

"Uchiha You?"

The fox-masked ANBU at the front spoke, his voice indifferent.

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

The fox-masked ANBU glanced at him.

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

"Travel to the Land of Water's border and investigate traces of Hidden Mist Rogue Ninja activity."

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

Assisting?

Uchiha You nearly laughed aloud.

What a nice way to put it.

Was this assistance?

This was an escort.

An escort to send him to his death.

Uchiha You nodded casually. "Understood."

The fox-masked ANBU frowned.

He did not like Uchiha You's attitude.

He was too calm.

And far too casual.

Normally, 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 he did not take this mission seriously at all.

He did not even take the three of them seriously.

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

However, 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 place, this Uchiha would naturally understand just how foolish his arrogance from yesterday had been.

Just then, a voice came from inside Konoha's gates.

"You."

Uchiha You turned around.

Uchiha Chuan hurried over, concern written across his face.

Several members of the Police Force followed behind him.

None of them wore combat gear. They merely stood silently in the distance.

Clearly, they had come to see him off.

Uchiha Chuan walked up to Uchiha You and lowered his voice.

"Be careful on the road."

"If anything feels wrong, come back immediately."

Uchiha You smiled.

"Don't worry."

Uchiha Chuan looked at the three ANBU, his eyes filled with obvious wariness.

"They..."

Uchiha You raised a hand to stop him.

"I know."

Uchiha Chuan's heart sank.

As expected.

You had known from the very beginning that there was something wrong with these three.

Yet he had come anyway.

That composure made Uchiha Chuan worried, yet strangely reassured as well.

Uchiha You patted him on the shoulder.

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

"The Police Force should enforce the law as usual, but do not act alone."

"Also, if unfamiliar ANBU appear near the clan grounds, do not alert them. First record their routes and numbers."

Uchiha Chuan's gaze shifted slightly.

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

Uchiha You replied evenly, "It isn't suspicion."

"It's certainty."

Uchiha Chuan's expression changed.

"Then why are you still..."

Uchiha You looked at him.

"Chuan."

"Some traps cannot be broken while you are standing inside them."

"Only by stepping out first 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 the rest of them could not.

After a moment, he nodded heavily.

"I understand."

"I'll keep an eye on the clan grounds."

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 stepped closer, glanced at the three ANBU, then looked at Uchiha You.

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

At those words, the gazes of the three ANBU turned cold simultaneously.

The fox-masked ANBU immediately spoke.

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

"The accompanying personnel have already been decided."

"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 became delicate.

Uchiha Chuan and the others all looked displeased.

An ANBU actually dared to speak to Shisui in that tone.

After all, Shisui was no ordinary Jonin.

He was Body Flicker Shisui.

Among the Uchiha Clan's younger generation, he was the one most highly valued by Konoha's upper ranks.

Yet this ANBU showed him no courtesy whatsoever.

Why?

Because he was not ordinary ANBU.

Danzo stood behind him.

Uchiha You watched the scene unfold.

"Shisui, do you see it now?"

Shisui froze.

Uchiha You pointed at the fox-masked ANBU.

"This is the village you say is worthy of trust."

"An ANBU who does not even dare show his name can stand right in front of Konoha's gates and shut you down in the tone of an order."

"Do you think this is protocol?"

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

Shisui's expression changed slightly.

The fox-masked ANBU said coldly,

"Uchiha You, watch your words."

Uchiha You turned to look at him, his gaze abruptly turning icy.

"I'm talking to Shisui. What gives you the right to interrupt?"

Chakra stirred around the fox-masked ANBU.

The other two ANBU stepped forward half a pace as well.

The atmosphere tightened instantly.

The ninja at Konoha's gates all turned to look.

The Chunin handling registration was so frightened that his face went pale.

What was going on?

The mission had not even begun, and their own people were about to start fighting?

The fox-masked ANBU stared at Uchiha You.

"Are you provoking the ANBU?"

Uchiha You answered calmly,

"ANBU?"

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

As soon as those words fell, the auras of the three Root ninja sank simultaneously.

Shisui's gaze shifted.

He keenly sensed that Uchiha You's words carried another meaning.

Uchiha You did not continue pressing the matter.

He walked up to the fox-masked ANBU and lowered his voice so only a 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. Their appearance was no different from that of the ANBU.

How had this Uchiha seen through them at a glance?