Itachi's pupils abruptly contracted.
The Uchiha?
There were Uchiha among those who attacked Shisui?
"Who?"
Fugaku shook his head.
"We don't know. Ryōta's memories were tampered with. He only remembers parts of the battle, and his memories after escaping are a complete blank."
He paused, then continued.
"Tonight, Inoichi Yamanaka tried to examine Ryōta's memories, but... someone assassinated him in an ANBU secret chamber."
"Ryōta was abducted, and Ghost Fire went after him."
"Both are now missing. All we found was Inoichi's body in Ghost Fire's house."
Itachi listened quietly, rapidly analyzing everything.
Shisui died in battle.
Ryōta's memories were altered.
Inoichi Yamanaka was assassinated during the examination.
Ghost Fire and Ryōta disappeared.
This chain of events... was too coincidental.
So coincidental that it resembled a carefully woven web.
After a moment of silence, Itachi spoke.
"Father, how have the other clans in the village... reacted?"
Fugaku glanced at his son.
The question was pointed, but it also struck at the heart of the matter.
"The Hyuga Clan's stance is ambiguous. Although Hiashi holds an advisory position, after tonight's incident, he left early, citing 'pressing clan affairs.'"
"Torifu Akimichi is still there, but everything he says hints... that it might have been an inside job."
"As for the small clans like the Utatane and Mitokado..."
Fugaku snorted coldly.
"They'd love nothing more than to watch the Uchiha make fools of themselves."
Itachi nodded, unsurprised.
This was only natural.
The Uchiha had been far too dominant over the past three years.
They had seized power through a coup, controlled the ANBU, sidelined the old clans, and taken a hard line with outsiders... Although they had stabilized Konoha, they had also accumulated far too much resentment.
Now Shisui had died in battle and Ghost Fire was missing. The Uchiha had lost two