Reactions from All Sides

Shikaku Nara thought for a moment, then said slowly, "We act. Of course we do."

"But we don't investigate where it came from."

"Instead..." He paused. "We protect ourselves. Things in Konoha are about to change."

The other ninja clans reacted in their own ways.

At the Aburame Clan's compound, Shibi Aburame stood wearing sunglasses, silently studying the paper in his hand.

Beside him, Kikaichū buzzed through the air.

When he finished reading, he folded the paper and tucked it away.

He said nothing, merely pushing his sunglasses up his nose.

But those who knew him understood: when Shibi Aburame fell silent, he was at his most serious.

At the Inuzuka Clan's compound, Tsume Inuzuka slammed the table in a fury.

"I knew those higher-ups were no good!"

"They wipe out one clan after another. Are we Inuzuka next?!"

The Ninja Dog beside her barked twice, as if agreeing.

"Calm down, Tsume."

Her husband spoke from beside her.

"Calm down, my ass! They're shitting right on our heads!"

For all her swearing, Tsume Inuzuka did not act rashly.

She sat back down, frowning as she sank into thought.

The smaller ninja clans were in a different state altogether.

In one family with barely a dozen ninja, the clan head's hands shook as he held the paper.

"We're finished... We're finished..."

"Konoha High Command wants to wipe out bloodline clans... Does that mean families with secret techniques like ours are next...?"

His clansmen had gone pale.

"Clan Head, what if... we go to the Uchiha Clan?"

Someone made the suggestion in a low voice.

"The Uchiha? They can barely save themselves..."

"But their new clan head, Uchiha En—didn't he force Danzo to back down at the Clan Leaders' Meeting? Maybe he could..."

The clan head fell silent.

After a long while, he sighed.

"Let's wait and see... Wait and see."

"One wrong move at a time like this, and we're finished."

It wasn't just the ninja clans.

Minato Namikaze's former subordinates and supporters reacted most fiercely after reading the paper.

A retired Jonin read the third claim, and his eyes instantly turned red.

"Lord Fourth... Danzo got him killed?!"

He slammed his fist into the table, splitting the solid wood.

"I knew it! I knew something was wrong with the orders that day!"

"How could someone as strong as the Fourth Hokage die at the Nine-Tails' hands?"

"There was a traitor!"

He leaped up and made for the door, but several people nearby held him back.

"Calm down! Don't do anything rash!"

"We don't know what's going on yet. What will rushing over there accomplish?!"

"Let me go! I'm going to make Danzo answer for this!"

"You'll get yourself killed! Root may have been absorbed, but Danzo still has loyalists!"

It took all their strength to restrain him.

And he was far from the only one.

The ninja who had fought through life and death alongside Minato Namikaze all had red-rimmed eyes.

Some went straight to the Hokage Building and demanded an explanation from the Third Hokage.

Others stood watch outside Root's former headquarters, glaring at its dark doors. If Danzo showed his face, they were ready to strike.

Konoha, which had been relatively calm, descended into chaos.

The Hokage Building, inside the office.

An Anbu knelt on one knee and gave a brief report.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the Hokage's chair, his face grim.

A copy of the paper lay before him.

He had read its stories many times already.

Each reading deepened his frown.

"How many copies were distributed?"

"According to our preliminary count... at least ten thousand."

"Every household has one."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said nothing.

His grip on the paper tightened slightly.

The Anbu continued, "All the major ninja clans have seen it. The Hyuga Clan has called an emergency meeting, and the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans are holding private talks. The smaller clans are unsettled. Also... the Fourth Hokage's former subordinates have reacted strongly. Some tried to storm Root's former headquarters to confront Elder Danzo..."

"Were they stopped?"

"Yes, but people are on edge. I'm afraid..."

"I understand."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved a hand.

"You may go."

The Anbu nodded and vanished.

Silence settled over the office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the paper for a long time.

Then he spoke. "What do you two think?"

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu stepped out of the shadows nearby.

Neither looked pleased.

Utatane Koharu spoke first. "Someone is manipulating public opinion from behind the scenes. This is professionally done. Only a handful of people in all Konoha could pull it off."

Mitokado Homura added, "It's probably someone from the Uchiha Clan. You saw how Uchiha En behaved at yesterday's Clan Leaders' Meeting... He has a motive."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "But where's the evidence?"

"We have none."

Mitokado Homura sighed.

"That's what makes this so clever. They left no clues. Even if we investigate, we won't find anything."

"Then investigate!"

Utatane Koharu's voice was firm.

"Send the Anbu to investigate and interrogate people! Turn the whole village upside down if we have to, but find whoever's behind this!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said nothing.

After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly. "We'll investigate, of course. But we can't make a spectacle of it."

"Why?"

Utatane Koharu looked puzzled.

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his head, weariness in his eyes.

"Because the entire village is watching us now."

"If we launch a public investigation, we'll only lend credence to those three claims."

Utatane Koharu froze, then understood.

Of course.

If the three claims were false, Konoha High Command would have no reason to be so nervous.

The harder they pursued it, the guiltier they would look.

"So... we just let it go?"

Utatane Koharu asked, unwilling to accept that.

"We're not letting it go."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood and walked to the window.

He looked out at the villagers talking in the streets, his expression conflicted.

"Have the Anbu investigate in secret. Don't alert them."

At the Uchiha Clan Compound.

More than a dozen Jonin had gathered in the Meeting Hall.

Reports had just come in from every direction: the Hyuga Clan had shut its doors for a meeting, the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans were staying put, the smaller clans were unsettled, the Fourth Hokage's former subordinates had nearly caused a riot, and the Hokage Building had already begun acting in secret.

Every development traced back to the three claims they had released the night before.

One Jonin could not help laughing.

"Clan Head, it worked even better than we expected!"

"All of Konoha is in an uproar!"

"I bet Konoha High Command is scrambling right now!"

The others broke into laughter.

Only Uchiha En remained silent.

Seated at the head of the room, he reviewed the figures on the Uchiha Clan's finances, then let his gaze pass over everyone present.

"This is only the beginning."

His voice was calm, carrying a confidence that put the others at ease.

"We've muddied the waters."

"Now it's time to catch the fish."