Time passed slowly, and more than half a year flew by in the blink of an eye.
After recruiting new members, the Root in Konoha has finally expanded its membership to a full complement once again.
Danzo began sharpening his knives, preparing to strike against the Uchiha.
" Konoha is facing an increasingly complex situation and a surge in missions. Therefore, we have decided to establish another Anbu squad, with Itachi as its captain."
"Isn't it too hasty to promote someone to Anbu Captain at such a young age?" Utatane Koharu asked worriedly.
Danzo, however, said, "It's not uncommon in Konoha's history for someone younger than him to shoulder heavy responsibilities; ninjas cannot be judged by ordinary standards."
"He must be the youngest Anbu Captain," Mitokado Homura remarked.
"Itachi's performance in the Anbu has been outstanding; he should have no problem serving as captain."
Hiruzen Sarutobi approved the proposal and appointed him publicly.
From this point on, Uchiha Itachi will leave Team Kakashi and officially step onto the historical stage of Konoha.
After leaving the office, Itachi said to Kakashi, "Captain Kakashi, thank you for taking care of me these past few days."
"Actually, I wasn't much of a help. I know a little about the Uchiha's affairs. In short, you need to be careful and not get involved in the power struggles among the higher-ups."
"Yes, I'll be careful."
Itachi knew perfectly well that Danzo had no good intentions in promoting him to the Anbu Captain.
That evening, Danzo summoned Itachi at his base.
"During this period, I have been in charge of assigning missions to the Anbu, so your team is now under my command, and I have assigned you two assistants."
Two Root members wearing dog-head masks approached Itachi from behind. "Captain!"
Itachi glanced at the two new team members with his Sharingan, knowing full well that this was Danzo's way of monitoring him.
However, he was not like Shisui; he told the village everything and took no precautions whatsoever.
They subtly gave these two team members a psychological suggestion.
These two had no idea of the wickedness of human nature; they attacked him ruthlessly on their very first meeting, right in front of Danzo.
"Your next task will focus on monitoring the Uchiha Clan," Danzo assigned the mission.
"What?"
Itachi knew that Danzo's promotion of him to Anbu Captain was not a good thing, but he never expected that it was to send him to monitor his own clan.
He was already acting as a spy for the village, secretly leaking clan information to the village, but the village was still not satisfied.
'Does this mean they don't trust me?'
Danzo that Itachi's reaction was a bit strong, Danzo explained, "Itachi, the Third has repeatedly emphasized that you are someone who has broken free from the constraints of your clan and considers issues from the perspective of the village."
That's precisely why I assigned you this task; it's a testament to the trust I have in you.
"Understood."
"Okay, you'll start your shift tomorrow. You can go home now."
After Itachi left, Danzo immediately told Uchiha Itachi's two new teammates, "Keep a close watch on his every move, and report any developments to me immediately."
"Hi, Danzo."
The next day, Itachi arrived at his workplace with two teammates. Itachi was in a monitoring center, and the room was full of closed-circuit televisions.
The scenes depict the daily lives of the people of Konoha, but at this moment the focus is on the vicinity of the Uchiha's territory.
There was also a large telescope. Itachi tried it out himself, and through it, he even saw Sasuke playing with his friends on the playground.
The other one was Quan, who had just bought three-colored dumplings from the shop and was preparing to go to work.
"I can do it for you, Itachi," Kakashi suggested.
"No need, I can do it myself."
"I knew you'd say that. Well then, I'll be going now." Kakashi said, and then went off to finish his shift with his squad.
At this moment, in the Uchiha- exclusive training ground, a squad of about thirty people was receiving training from the Uchiha Yashiro.
"Attention... At ease!"
"Very good. From today onwards, you will be incorporated into the Police Force to defend the name of your race."
"Next, we'll divide into teams based on the names I call out..."
Soon, these dozens of people were quickly assigned to various squads within the original Police Force, with experienced members mentoring new recruits to help them become familiar with their work.
The daily work of the Konoha Military Police Force includes: security patrols, handling disputes and fights among villagers, arresting and detaining, interrogating, providing support and assistance in defense, and managing prisons.
This scene at the training ground was recorded in its entirety by ' Huamao, ' Anbu hidden in the nearby woods.
' The Uchiha is expanding its military power; their intentions are unclear.'
After putting away the notebook, the Huamao prepared to return immediately to report to its superiors. Turning around, it saw a pair of red Sharingan; the other person had been standing behind it for who knows how long.
Thud...
The Huamao fell straight down from the tree and was quickly tied up by Tekka and Inabi, who were waiting below.
"Hmph, trespassing into the Uchiha Autonomous District, lock him up in jail."
"Damn it, you have no right to detain me!"
" The Police Force can detain suspects without the Hokage's approval; this is our law enforcement authority. Take them away."
Half an hour later.
Clang!
The Huamao was thrown into an iron cage, its body covered in bruises, and half of its face was swollen, truly turning into a ' Huamao '.
In the face of the Sharingan, there is no possibility of keeping a secret, however...
"Captain, it's confirmed. He's from Root. There's Cursed Seal on his tongue, so we can't extract anything from it," said Uchiha Yashiro.
Fugaku nodded and said, "As expected, the Third should have sent someone."
"Yes, they're here. They're waiting over at the Police Force."
Release them.
"But..."
"It's not time to completely break ties with the village yet. Tell the messenger that we won't pursue this matter this time, but if they dare to sneak into our territory again, we won't hold back."
"Hi!"
When the Huamao was led back to the root base, his legs were weak.
He knew that the moment he was exposed, he would be a dead man, Danzo would not let him go.
Thump...
The tabby Huamao knelt before Danzo, trembling all over, " Danzo, I... I..."
"What did you find?"
"I infiltrated the Uchiha training grounds and discovered they were secretly expanding their security force, so..."
"I see. So you're not entirely useless after all. I'll leave you a whole corpse."
"Spare me, Danzo! I promise I won't be discovered next time."
Two colleagues came to the Huamao, grabbed him by the arms, and dragged him out. This kind of thing was all too common in Gen; Gen didn't need any useless people.
"Damn Uchiha, this time we will wipe you out completely!"
Danzo squinted, his mind already brewing a plan. The Uchiha's expansion of their armed forces indicated they intended to launch a coup, which was a good thing.
He was already worried about not having enough evidence to take action, and in his view, this behavior was nothing more than a cornered beast's struggle.
How to quietly eliminate the Uchiha's elite personnel is the problem.
After the Anbu were captured, the Uchiha remained relatively quiet for a while.
One day, in a courtyard, the space suddenly rippled and vibrated, Obito, wearing a tiger-striped mask, appeared. However, realizing that there were other people in the courtyard, he quickly left.
The weasel, wearing a mask, emerged from behind the large tree.
"This guy... it was him back then..."
He had been watching this elusive fellow for a long time, ever since he was forced to awaken his Sharingan when he was eight years old, and now he was sneaking around the Uchiha Clan Compound.
What exactly is their purpose?
That evening, the Uchiha held another meeting, where members continued to vent their frustrations about the village.
The gatherings had become a place for the clansmen to vent their emotions, and Fugaku could only try his best to appease them and delay as long as possible. It seemed that there was no other way but to stage a coup.
Everyone agreed to prepare first and wait for the right opportunity.
Uchiha Itachi, along with two henchmen arranged by Danzo, hid in the woods outside the shrine to observe, but they couldn't actually see anything; they were just putting on a show.
For someone from the Uchiha Clan to spy on the Uchiha is an act that even their subordinates would find objectionable.
The feeling is not pleasant.
The clan gathering soon ended, and everyone gradually dispersed, leaving the secret chamber empty except for the torches burning quietly.
Someone opened the stone slab of the tatami mat from the outside, came in, and stood in front of the stone tablet for a while.
"Who exactly are you? What is your purpose in spying on the Uchiha Clan?"
"Is that... Chief Fugaku's voice?"
Obito was startled, turned around, and found Fugaku standing right behind him. 'This guy has been lying in wait for me, deliberately using Shadow Clone to create the illusion of leaving.'
"The goal? Of course, it's to completely destroy this false world and create a place without war and suffering."
" The Uchiha are the biggest obstacle to this plan; we just need to eliminate you first."
Fugaku angrily retorted, "You're also from the Uchiha Clan, aren't you? Why are you so cruel to your own people?"
"Clan members? Hmph, the so-called village or clan has long lost its meaning in my eyes. On the contrary, it is you, Fugaku."
Watching one's own family slide step by step into the abyss of death must be an incredibly painful feeling.
"You're crazy..."
Fugaku hurled several Shuriken at the Obito.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Shuriken pierced through Obito's body and embedded themselves in the wall.
Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Scattered fireballs danced in the air, yet Obito easily pierced through them.
"It's no use, you can't hurt me. Enjoy the last moments of your clan."
Obito's figure slowly disappeared into the secret room. Fugaku rarely took action, and intelligence was almost nonexistent; he couldn't take the risk.
Just like when Shisui was alive, he never dared to appear in the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Fugaku was powerless to stop them and could only watch helplessly as they left.
"The same Space-Time Ninjutsu as the Fourth, no... even more advanced. No wonder he was able to take the Nine-Tails from the Fourth Hokage back then."
With such a malicious enemy lurking in the shadows, the Uchiha Clan is in big trouble.