"This is how the case initially appeared!"
Uchiha Yuto silently recounted the details of the case, and as he spoke, complex expressions flickered in the eyes of the Jonin present.
Kumogakure Ninjas!
This is something they didn't want to happen!
The Second Shinobi World War has just ended, and if another conflict were to break out with Kumogakure now, it would be very disadvantageous for them.
What Konoha needs now is to recuperate and rebuild.
What happened next?
The Third was quite composed. While he was speaking, he took out his pipe, lit it, took a puff, and exhaled a smoke ring through his nose.
Swish!
Almost instantly.
Everyone at the scene looked at Uchiha Yuto, their gazes now different. They were all acutely aware that the bombing had drastically changed its nature, and if not handled properly, it could very well trigger a crisis between villages.
If not handled properly...
War may be waiting for them!
Chapter 40 Have you been waiting for me all this time? (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)
At this moment, almost everyone's attention is focused on Uchiha Yuto.
This situation has transformed everyone from bystanders into active participants.
From any perspective, this is no longer a matter that originally belonged to Konoha, but rather involves other villages.
" Nanagen'u, you speak."
Uchiha Yuto turned to look at Uchiha Nanagen'u on his back and nodded to him. After saying this, he looked at the Third and slowly said, "This matter was handled entirely by Captain Nanagen'u, and he was the one who made all the contributions last night. It's most appropriate for him to speak on this!"
"Okay." The Third Hokage nodded and looked at Uchiha Nanagen'u.
At this moment, Uchiha Nanagen'u showed no sign of stage fright whatsoever, clearly indicating that he had experienced similar situations more than once.
This has always been the case in the reports from the Konoha Military Police Force.
Each team leader is responsible for a region. If a problem occurs in that region, they must submit a report to the department head, who will then hold a meeting with them, and the appropriate person will report the matter to the Lord Hokage.
This case happened to occur in the area where Uchiha Nanagen'u was located, so he was the one with the clearest understanding of it.
"After our analysis, we've reached a preliminary conclusion: the deceased were not from Kumogakure, but from Konoha!"
Uchiha Nanagen'u's words immediately caused an uproar, and everyone looked at him with disbelief.
What happened?
What's going on?
"Hurry up and tell me!"
Explain it more clearly!
Stop keeping me in suspense!
"..."
Upon hearing this report, each of the Jonin felt extremely anxious.
In the past, they would have just listened and moved on.
certainly.
In the past, they probably wouldn't have come at all.
Today was an exception; the Konoha Military Police Force's report was combined with the Jonin meeting, which speaks volumes about the importance of this bombing.
" Nanagen'u, explain yourself clearly. If the dead were from Konoha, then why were there Kumogakure ninja Forehead Protector at the scene?" Danzo asked coldly, his face seemingly devoid of any expression, yet his mere words exuded an aggressive aura.
"Because the ninja from Kumogakure are the murderers!" Uchiha Nanagen'u immediately said.
Wow!
An even more heated discussion immediately erupted at the scene.
Almost everyone was captivated by this bizarre event.
Their minds were filled with many questions, which evoked a variety of different feelings within them.
"What exactly happened?" Mitokado Homura asked, staring at Uchiha Nanagen'u with a puzzled expression. His mind was filled with confusion, completely bewildered by these few words.
"Yeah, hurry up and explain yourself, Danzo! Don't interrupt him!" Utatane Koharu was getting nervous, but seeing that he wasn't nervous at all, she was getting anxious too.
"Yes."
Uchiha Nanagen'u immediately nodded in agreement.
"Our immediate thought after the incident was to verify the identities of the four victims, but all information and intelligence that could potentially lead to their identities had been burned; only the ninja Forehead Protector remained."
"This means that the ninja Forehead Protector are the only source of information. We have no evidence to prove that these ninja Forehead Protector belong to the four people who have already died. Another possibility is that the murderer placed them here to deliberately mislead us into thinking that the deceased were ninjas from Kumogakure."
"With this hypothesis in mind, we began a nighttime search throughout the entire Konoha!"
"By dawn today, we had captured three squads, a total of twelve ninja from Kumogakure!"
"They didn't enter Konoha through normal channels; instead, they found a gap in the barrier!"
"So..."
"In terms of its nature!"
"These ninjas from Kumogakure are all newcomers!"
Uchiha Nanagen'u said with great energy, as if he had stayed up all night, but for him, this discovery was a great benefit to the village.
If a few more people can be caught, it will be enough to prove that there are Kumogakure ninjas illegally entering the village, and the envoy's claim will fall apart.
Even the ninjas of Kumogakure will no longer utter a word about the delegation!
"They actually caught a ninja from Kumogakure! Oh, no, they're intruders! This is extremely serious!" Mitokado Homura slammed his hand on the table.
"So, among these twelve people, is there a murderer?" Utatane Koharu asked doubtfully.
"I think there must be a murderer among these twelve people. We have already conducted a thorough search of Konoha. If they were the perpetrators, they couldn't have left Konoha under such intensive surveillance. It must be one of these twelve people. However, we haven't found any clues. All of them still have their ninja Forehead Protector, but..." Uchiha Nanagen'u hesitated at the end.
"But what?" Danzo's tone seemed to have become even colder.
"However, before we captured them, each captain did the same thing: swallowed a crumpled piece of paper. I suspect there was a major secret inside. But after we pried open their mouths and took it out of their stomachs, most of the paper dissolved. It was a special kind of paper that easily dissolves in stomach acid. We could only vaguely make out a map of Konoha. Clearly, this matter has a great deal to do with these Kumogakure ninjas," Uchiha Nanagen'u said coldly.
"Maps?" Danzo suddenly frowned, a rare expression appearing on his face, and asked, "Can't you even see all four maps clearly?"
"There are only three portions; we captured three squads!" Uchiha Nanagen'u explained.
"Aren't there four squads?" Danzo aback.
" Danzo, perhaps I didn't explain clearly enough and caused you to misunderstand. I meant three teams of four people each, totaling twelve people," said Uchiha Nanagen'u.
"I see."
Danzo nodded silently, then muttered to himself, but everyone could hear him.
"Three teams, four people per team, twelve people in total, four victims..."
"That's right." Uchiha Nanagen'u nodded.
"Can we confirm the identities of the four victims now?" Danzo pressed.
"No." Uchiha Nanagen'u shook his head and said, "These Kumogakure ninjas are very stubborn. None of them have admitted to this, so we can't identify the murderer yet, and therefore we can't find the victims' identities from the murderer. Currently, all four victims are charred beyond recognition, but considering that people have been going missing in the village recently, perhaps these people are among those missing."
"So, in other words..." Danzo a deep breath and said in a low voice, "There are still many doubts in this case, and it hasn't been completely clarified?"
"Yes." Uchiha Nanagen'u nodded again, then added, "However, we can confirm that, based on the information we gathered last night, this case was definitely committed by intruders from Kumogakure. It was a crime committed by intruders from Kumogakure, and we must punish them severely!"
"We'll discuss the specific punishment later. As for those twelve people from Kumogakure, if you can't get a final result from your interrogation, hand them over to me," the Third Hokage said casually.
"This..."
Uchiha Nanagen'u was taken aback; he hadn't expected the Third to demand someone in front of so many people.
This made him a little undecided.
They did not agree immediately.
They didn't refuse immediately.
Instead, he looked towards the head of the Konoha Military Police Force Uchiha Yuto.
"Hmm." Uchiha Yuto nodded.
"OK!"
After receiving confirmation, Uchiha Nanagen'u turned to the Third and said, "We will interrogate these twelve Kumogakure ninjas as soon as possible. If we have any results, we will report back immediately. We absolutely cannot let them get away with this!"
"You did a great job!" The Third smiled brightly, radiating a warm and welcoming aura. He then said, "You've all been working all night. Go back and rest. The fact that the case was solved to this extent in just one night shows how hard you've worked. I'm very pleased."
"Yes!"
Uchiha Yuto immediately responded, then turned and walked towards the door of the Hokage's Minato, leaving with the three Konoha Military Police Force personnel.
"What do you think about this?"
The Third Jonin the Jonin present, wanting to get everyone's opinion. For a time, opinions were varied.
In summary, there are roughly two factions.
One reason is to fight this matter head-on, since the illegal intrusion of the Kumogakure ninjas is a serious provocation to the Konoha. If such behavior is tolerated, it will damage the dignity of the Konoha.
Another reason is to handle the situation discreetly and avoid conflict with Kumogakure. Having just experienced the Second Shinobi World War, there is absolutely no chance of another war. This is also one of the reasons why Kumogakure is so emboldened. The Konoha Military Police Force has done a very good job, defining Kumogakure's ninjas as invaders and preventing the village from being put in a passive position.
As the two groups debated and added their points, the viewpoints gradually became clearer.
"Alright."
The Third rubbed his head. After listening to these people's opinions, he had already summarized the main points in his mind, and he already had an answer in his heart.
"You may all leave!"
Let's discuss this matter again!
Meeting adjourned!
The Third Jonin waved to the Jonin present, indicating that they could leave.