Lockdown

"Who commanded Sunagakure's forces in this operation, and how many ninja did they send?"

Fugaku Uchiha repeated the question.

The man's expression barely changed. He was still trapped in the genjutsu, and Fugaku could clearly feel that his Sharingan had grown stronger.

From his memories, Fugaku knew that controlling an elite jonin with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan would once have been extremely difficult for him.

"Ebizo led Sunagakure's forces. Only the commander and the Sand Shinobi senior officials know the exact number."

Fugaku frowned. He knew of Ebizo: Chiyo's younger brother, a brilliant strategist and one of the few members of Sunagakure's older generation who would survive to the end.

"What is your purpose in the Land of Rain?"

"To infiltrate the Land of Rain and await further orders."

Fugaku frowned. The intelligence was practically useless. Sunagakure had been so cautious that even the jonin carrying out the mission knew nothing of value.

"Based on everything you've seen and heard since arriving in the Land of Rain, roughly how many ninja have entered the country? Draw Sunagakure's supply route to the Land of Rain and its supply points within the country as well."

Fugaku stared into the man's eyes. His Sharingan spun rapidly as he poured on the genjutsu, giving the man no chance to resist.

The supply route was the most important part of this mission. Everything else was secondary. Konoha's intelligence network would have little trouble learning the general state of Sunagakure's forces in the Land of Rain.

The Sand Shinobi jonin kept drawing the information Fugaku wanted on the mission scroll. Fugaku could feel him resisting. Several times, the man's hand stopped as he struggled to break free of the genjutsu.

Fugaku cast another genjutsu on him. The man marked the supply route through Sunagakure's territory clearly, but Ebizo had personally designated the supply points in the Land of Rain, and few people knew their locations. He marked only the handful he knew or had heard about.

Fugaku asked a few more questions. The man's face kept twisting with the effort to resist. Fugaku glanced at the scroll in his hand. He had gathered nearly all he could.

A dark blur flashed, and a kunai pierced the man's heart.

A line of text appeared in Fugaku's mind.

Killed an ordinary jonin. Gained a moderate amount of pupil power.

A cool sensation washed over his eyes. His Sharingan felt richly nourished, and his pupil power had grown noticeably stronger.

His mission was complete. It was time to return. He glanced at the corpse by his feet, lifted it, and carried it deep into the cave. Then he rigged a simple trap beneath it with an Explosive Tag.

If anyone moved the Sand Shinobi's body, the Explosive Tag would detonate and destroy the corpse along with it.

A country of endless rain might have had a certain charm for sightseeing. Carrying out a mission there was another matter.

Fugaku found himself missing Konoha's bright sunshine.

It took him four days to return to Konoha.

As soon as he entered the village, Fugaku sensed that something was wrong. Uchiha clan members were conducting searches everywhere.

A dark figure flashed past, and an Uchiha appeared before him.

"Jin, what happened?"

The man before Fugaku was Uchiha Jin, an elite ninja of the clan who served in the Security Force and possessed the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

"I heard you went on your promotion mission. Congratulations on becoming a jonin," Jin said. He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "A senior elder of Konoha was assassinated last night. The Security Force has locked down the entire village while we search for the killer."

Fugaku understood. "Which elder was killed inside the village?"

"Elder Yamada. The leadership suspects either the Land of Wind or the Land of Earth."

Fugaku had his doubts. Many of the older generation were still alive in Konoha, veterans who had fought alongside the First Hokage and the Second Hokage. Some served as elders, helping the Hokage handle village affairs.

The Land of Wind and the Land of Earth were both infiltrating the Land of Rain. Fugaku did not believe their leaders were foolish enough to assassinate a Konoha elder at such a critical moment.

It was more likely that Danzo had planned it and the Third Hokage had given his approval. Every elder who died left the Hokage with more power and removed an obstacle to Root's expansion. It also gave them a reason to send troops into the Land of Rain.

"It happened last night, and you're only locking down the village now," Fugaku said. "The killer has probably escaped Konoha already."

"I know. The clan head said the same thing," Jin replied. "But Konoha's leadership keeps pressuring the Uchiha. The Security Force can't do nothing, so we have to lock down the village and search."

Fugaku frowned. It seemed the leadership also wanted to drive a wedge between the Uchiha and the villagers.

Uchiha clan members had always been proud. This lockdown would likely offend plenty of people. He would have to mention it to his father that night.

"Keep searching, Jin," Fugaku said. "But try to watch how you treat the villagers. I'm going to the Hokage Building to turn in my mission."

Jin smiled and nodded. "Congratulations in advance on becoming a jonin. Once this is over, don't forget to treat us."

Fugaku nodded, waved, and headed toward the Hokage Building.

The Third Hokage was holding a meeting with the elders, so Fugaku handed the mission scroll to an assistant in the Hokage's Office. The scroll was sealed; if anyone peeked inside, the Third Hokage would know.

The Uchiha District was unusually quiet that day. Most of its residents were out searching for the killer.

Fugaku took a bath, then lay down and slept until dark. The fatigue he had built up over the mission vanished.

Uchiha Tenjo was meeting with several senior Uchiha in the living room, discussing the assassination.

Fugaku opened the door and went in. "Father. Uncles."

Tenjo nodded to him. "Good to have you back. Once the Hokage reviews your mission, you can be promoted to jonin. Stay and listen to today's meeting."

"Yes, Father."

"Clan Head, Fugaku is only thirteen this year, isn't he? And he's already becoming a jonin," one of the senior members said.

The others praised Fugaku for a while before turning to the matter at hand.

Fugaku felt little at their praise. Few of these senior Uchiha had earned his respect. If even one of them had been truly capable, the clan would not be in its current predicament, with not a single Uchiha among Konoha's leadership.

"Clan Head, I think the Land of Wind is the most likely culprit," one senior Uchiha said. "The Third Kazekage has been gaining power in recent years. The Land of Wind's harsh environment makes it the most likely to start a war and seize a few pieces of fertile land."

"It could also be the Land of Earth, trying to frame the Land of Wind and spark a war between the two great nations."

"Could it be the Land of Rain? The Land of Wind and the Land of Earth have been infiltrating it and carrying out assassinations without restraint. Under that much pressure, the Land of Rain might try to turn Konoha against them and provoke a three-way war so it can profit from the chaos."

The senior Uchiha argued without reaching a conclusion before the meeting ended.

The end.