Hiruzen Sarutobi's Vigilance

Natsu swept his gaze over the remaining five and said gravely, "The rest of you will follow your respective captains' orders. Remember, your lives always come first; the mission comes second. Strike fast, retreat even faster. End it quickly, and never drag things out!"

"Yes! We shall obey Young Master Natsu's command!"

Sixteen voices merged as one, carrying a fire-forged resolve that echoed through the sealed underground chamber for a long time. The lights flickered, reflecting pairs of scarlet Sharingan like sparks ignited in the night, waiting only three more days to explode across all of Konoha.

Late at night, the Hokage Building was lit so brightly it hurt the eyes.

In the top-floor office, the smoke was so thick that people were nearly invisible. Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, his pipe having burned dry long ago, yet he remained oblivious. He gripped the secret report Anbu had just delivered, his knuckles white from the force of his hold.

Urgent border reports lay piled high on the desk, their wax seals redder than the last, each one like a death warrant.

The string in his heart that had been slack for nearly a month had now been pulled taut once more.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

The Anbu reports grew more frequent by the day, and the suspicious signs continued to pile up: throughout the entire Uchiha clan, aside from a few storefronts along the streets kept open for appearances, almost no one had stepped outside the clan district. Even ordinary supply runs and ninja mission handovers had completely ceased;

The chakra fluctuations around Naka Shrine grew stronger every day. Sensory Anbu reported that a large-scale sealing formation was operating beneath the shrine, but whenever they tried to approach and investigate, Uchiha patrols stopped them without ceremony;

Even the Ninja Cat Clan, which had been tied to the Uchiha for generations, had been frequently entering and leaving the clan district through Summoning Jutsu. Anbu had watched them for half a month and still failed to learn what they had been transporting inside.

The reassurance Fugaku had given them by voluntarily surrendering authority and requesting surveillance had long since been washed away by these suspicions.

"Sarutobi! We can't wait any longer!"

Utatane Koharu slammed her hand against the table, her face livid. "Anbu has already investigated it. The Underground Exchange has posted dozens of bounties against Uchiha clan members—all high-price kill contracts!

But look at them. Not only did the Uchiha refuse to send anyone to investigate, they locked every last clansman inside the clan district. Is that normal?! They're definitely plotting something!"

"What's worse is the border!" Mitokado Homura took over, pushing the top two urgent reports before him.

"Hidden Cloud's Fourth Raikage A has brought Killer B and two thousand elite ninja to the Land of Fire's border. On the surface, they claim it's a routine exercise, but they brought ample supplies and provisions. They're clearly waiting for internal turmoil on our side!

Ōnoki of Hidden Stone has made his move as well. Earth Release units are already gathering at the border. One to the south and one to the north—they're just waiting to take a bite out of us!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes, his temples throbbing.

Only five years had passed since the Third Ninja World War. Konoha had lost nearly half its elite forces and still hadn't recovered.

Hidden Cloud and Hidden Stone were both major powers in the Ninja World. With pressure coming from both sides, he simply didn't have enough pieces left to deploy.

After a long silence, he finally opened his eyes and looked at the Anbu commander beside him. "Pass on my order. Have Kakashi lead Anbu's First Division, along with the Ino–Shika–Cho clans' elite, to the northern border immediately to guard against Hidden Cloud. Have Asuma lead Anbu's Second Division to the western border and keep watch on Hidden Stone's movements."

"Lord Hokage!" The Anbu commander's expression changed. "If we do that, the Anbu left in the village won't even be enough to maintain regular patrols!"

"I know." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was full of exhaustion. "But the border cannot fall into chaos. If Hidden Cloud and Hidden Stone break through, Konoha will truly be finished."

Mitokado Homura said urgently, "With the village's defenses emptied out, what do we do about the Uchiha? If they really rebel at a time like this, who will stop them?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi lightly tapped the desk with his fingertips, calculation flashing through his eyes.

The Uchiha still had nearly a thousand ninja, including quite a few Elite Jonin.

If he could send them to the border, they could fill the manpower gap there while also drawing the Uchiha's core forces out of Konoha and splitting their strength. Even if they truly harbored rebellious intentions, without a leader, they wouldn't be able to make much of a wave.

"Deliver my written order." He looked at the Anbu messenger. "Go to the Uchiha Clan District and find Uchiha Fugaku. Tell him the border is in crisis and Konoha is in grave danger. Order him to immediately dispatch two hundred elite Uchiha ninja to the northern border within three days to assist Kakashi in guarding against Hidden Cloud."

The Anbu acknowledged the order and left, and the office fell quiet for the moment.

But no one expected that barely half an hour later, the Anbu sent to deliver the order would return with an ugly expression. "Lord Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku refused."

"What did you say?!" Utatane Koharu shot to her feet and barked.

"Uchiha Fugaku said," the Anbu said with his head lowered, his voice tense,

"that the Underground Exchange is now full of high-priced bounties targeting Uchiha clan members. The moment the clan's ninja leave the district, bounty hunters from across the Ninja World will target them. He cannot use his clansmen's lives to plug the holes at the border.

Furthermore, the entire clan is preparing for its once-in-a-century ancestor worship ceremony. All core clan members must participate, and they truly cannot spare the manpower.

He also said that if Lord Hokage is truly short on troops, he can first send Lord Shimura's Root elites to the border. Root's combat strength is no weaker than the Uchiha's."

"Outrageous!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his hand against the table. His pipe crashed heavily onto the desktop, and boundless fury churned in his eyes.

He had been Hokage his entire life, and no one had ever dared reject his orders to his face like this.

Fugaku's words sounded like excuses, but they plainly revealed his stance. He was unwilling to send even a single soldier, content to watch Konoha suffer pressure at the border.

If Hiruzen still couldn't see that something was wrong with the Uchiha at this point, then all his years as Hokage would have been for nothing.

But he had no good options.

The pressure at the border was already at his throat. He had sent out all the elite forces in his hands and had no ability to tear open hostilities with the Uchiha.

If war broke out with the Uchiha, Hidden Cloud and Hidden Stone would immediately march south. Then Konoha would be attacked from both front and rear, doomed beyond salvation.

The office fell deathly silent. At last, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and looked toward the figure standing in the shadows by the window, his voice cold as ice. "Danzo."

Shimura Danzō stepped out of the shadows, his lone eye beneath the bandages full of undisguised mockery. "What? Lord Hokage, you finally remembered me?

I told you long ago that these ungrateful Uchiha dogs could never be tamed. You insisted on considering the bigger picture. Well, look at this—they don't appreciate your goodwill at all."

"Enough." Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was dark enough to drip water. "I order you to immediately mobilize every Root elite and seal off the Uchiha Clan District completely.

There are four entrances and exits. Set up three layers of sentries at each one. Have sensory ninja monitor them around the clock. Don't let a single Uchiha fly out—not even a fly!"