Konoha, the Hokage Building.
"Still haven't traced where the money is going...?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured in puzzlement.
Beside him, Itachi, dressed in Anbu attire, said, "Father stores all the cash in scrolls. We haven't found any additional expenses within the clan, either."
Sarutobi nodded. Regarding the mystery surrounding the funds, he trusted Itachi's report.
After all, Itachi was not the only person Sarutobi had assigned to keep watch.
Around the edges of the Uchiha compound, as well as along the village's barrier.
The Anbu personnel had not spotted any members of the Uchiha Clan heading out, either.
Nor had they found any monetary transactions with strangers.
A month had passed since Itachi's face-to-face conversation with Haruma.
Over that month, Sarutobi had grown increasingly puzzled by the Uchiha Clan's actions.
First, they withdrew their personnel from the Konoha Military Police Force, then sold the positions to ninja from the village's clans.
Now, to rake in money, they were openly selling their clan's Ninjutsu heritage!
The accumulated heritage of an elite clan-once this news spread.
Not only did the various clans in the village start getting ideas.
Even among the nearby small tribes, large numbers of wandering ninja and wealthy merchants had already set off for Konoha.
Had the news traveled faster, even the Kage of other countries would likely have sent people to make purchases.
Although Sarutobi very much disliked Konoha attracting attention in this way.
What could he say when the Uchiha Clan was selling off its own private property?
Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, was not the only one who was confused.
Now, the ninja of Konoha were all baffled by the Uchiha Clan's wild moves.
All of them suspected some deeper reason or purpose behind these transactions.
After all, to say that the elite Uchiha Clan was short of money...
Not a single ninja would believe it.
Yet the fact they refused to believe...
Just happened to be the truth behind this whole series of wild moves.
After all, however hard they racked their brains, they would never imagine that the person truly in charge of the Uchiha Clan now...
Had a gold-devouring beast growing inside his head.
Sarutobi rubbed his temples, feeling a slight headache, then asked, "Let's put the money aside for now. Has Fugaku still made no other moves?"
With his head lowered, an almost imperceptible gleam flashed through Itachi's eyes. Then he said solemnly, "No. Everything is still the same as usual."
"It's just that lately, Father and the clan's grand elder have been arguing more and more fiercely over the Hawk Faction."
Sarutobi nodded, continually pondering Fugaku's intentions.
Itachi had reported this matter before: Fugaku wanted Setsuna to disband the clan's Hawk Faction.
Setsuna had agreed on the surface, but secretly continued stockpiling large quantities of ninja tools and Explosive Tags.
After discovering this, Fugaku had warned him privately several times to no avail, then publicly ordered Setsuna to dissolve his faction at a Uchiha Clan meeting.
Unable to keep it hidden any longer, Setsuna had nearly come to blows with Fugaku over the matter.
"Understood. Sorry for the trouble, but I'll need you to remain undercover for now."
"If you find out where the money is going, report to me immediately."
Itachi nodded and, at Sarutobi's gesture, left the room.
A short while later,
Another masked Anbu member entered.
Sarutobi asked directly, "Any new findings regarding Danzo?"
The extra shook his head. "We haven't yet identified the party trading with Danzo. We cannot confirm that it is the Uchiha Clan."
Every two days, Root members went to the vicinity of the Uchiha compound at two or three in the morning to trade with a mysterious person...
If such regular transactions over such a long period had still gone unnoticed.
Then that could only mean the Anbu Ninja, and he himself as Hokage, were utterly useless.
But Sarutobi had only sent people to follow and observe them, without confronting Danzo directly.
He needed to confirm the mysterious person's identity and determine whether Danzo was secretly in contact with the Uchiha Clan.
Sarutobi frowned and asked, "Have you traced the movements of the Root personnel who left the village?"
The extra nodded and answered, "Team B has confirmed that all the Root ninja who left half a month ago infiltrated Amegakure."
"But... after they went in, we found no sign of them coming out."
Rubbing his brow, Sarutobi pressed, "Have you sent anyone inside to investigate?"
The extra replied, "We sent people in. They haven't come out either, and no intelligence has been sent back."
No return and no intelligence. For ninja, that most likely meant they had already died.
At this, Sarutobi's expression darkened further. "Amegakure... just what is Danzo plotting?"
"Withdraw all our personnel for now."
"For the time being, assign more personnel directly to Root's entrance and monitor Danzo's own movements."
"And send another two Anbu teams to watch the Uchiha."
"During the scroll sales, keep a close eye on every Uchiha Clan member's movements! Who they meet, who they trade with. Watch all of it!"
After the extra left,
Sarutobi kept puffing on his pipe, pondering the chaotic situation before him.
The Uchiha Clan's unusual behavior was not the only thing giving Sarutobi a headache.
The missing-person cases that had previously been suppressed had surfaced once again.
The serious part was,
This time, it was not just ordinary civilians. Members of several ninja clans in the village had disappeared.
Among them were the three Ino-Shika-Cho clans, the Hyuga Clan, and even the Uchiha Clan.
News like this was no longer something Sarutobi could suppress simply because he wanted to.
This was also why Sarutobi had assigned more personnel to watch Danzo.
"Danzo, you'd better not have been involved in this incident..."
Smoke obscured his face, making the look in Sarutobi's eyes impossible to discern. Only the chill lurking in his words made one's hair stand on end.
The Uchiha compound.
At dinnertime, Fugaku's family gathered around the table.
Itachi and Sasuke sat in the lower seats, while an empty seat separated Fugaku and Mikoto.
After dinner, Fugaku went straight outside, occasionally chatting with passing clan members.
Five-year-old Sasuke glanced at the front door, then looked up at his brother and mother and said in a clear voice, "Father's seemed strange these past few days."
Mikoto, who was clearing the table, stiffened, then returned to normal a moment later.
Itachi looked at his little brother and asked softly, "What's wrong, Sasuke? Why do you say Father's acting strange?"
The little boy looked up at his brother and analyzed the situation in all seriousness. "During meals these past few days, Mother and Father have seemed a little distant."
"And Father never used to take walks after dinner."
Mikoto set down the dishes, looked at Sasuke, and said gently, "It's just that Mommy and Father had an argument a while ago. We're still sulking these past few days."
"Is that so?" The little boy blinked in confusion.
"That's right~"
Mikoto nodded and crouched down, gently stroking Sasuke's head.
She said softly, "Don't tell anyone about Daddy and Mommy's argument, Sasuke."
"Otherwise, people will laugh at Daddy and Mommy."
"Okay! I understand!"
Sasuke nodded firmly. "Don't worry, Mommy! I won't let anyone laugh at you!"
Mikoto smiled gently and hugged her younger son.
Beside them, Itachi silently watched the tender scene before him.