"Yes!"
The Jonin immediately stopped their discussion and left the Hokage's office one after another, leaving only four people sitting in chairs.
" Hiruzen, what are your plans regarding this matter?" Mitokado Homura asked in a low voice.
"The chain of evidence is insufficient, so we can't launch an attack on Kumogakure. Besides, these are turbulent times, so it's better to avoid trouble," the Third Hokage said, taking a puff of his cigarette.
"Agreed," Danzo agreed.
"That's what we think too. In that case, we'll be leaving now." Utatane Koharu; she didn't want war to befall Konoha again.
"Okay." The Third nodded.
Immediately, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura also left, leaving only the Third and Danzo in the Hokage's office.
" Hiruzen, did you notice?" Danzo suddenly spoke, his tone quite cold.
"What did you notice?" the Third asked, puzzled.
"That brat Nanagen'u doesn't listen to you at all; he only listens to Yuto. That's the Uchiha Clan you—the power of their internal voices far outweighs the power of the village's voice!" Danzo a deep voice.
"I understand that." The Third seemed to take it lightly.
"Perhaps the Konoha Military Police Force were involved in this matter, and the case might not have been so complicated originally!" Danzo said again.
"You seem to know a lot about this case?" The Third Hokage suddenly looked at Danzo, his eyes seemingly filled with insightful wisdom.
"I just found out," Danzo said casually.
"Who do you think those four dead people are?" The Third didn't dwell on the previous topic, but continued to ask.
" Kumogakure!" Danzo said without hesitation.
"Why?" The Third was surprised; this conclusion was completely different from what the Konoha Military Police Force had said.
"Intuition." Danzo shook his head and said, "I just think that killing the Konoha and leaving them with Forehead Protector is incredibly stupid. It's something that the people of Kumogakure couldn't possibly come up with. Although they may be physically strong but not very bright, the more that kind of people are, the less likely they are to come up with such a foolish plan."
"Let me think about it some more."
The Third didn't dwell on such matters. He slowly got up, took his pipe, stood by the window with his back to Danzo, took a puff, and focused his gaze on the three heads of the Hokage Rock outside the window.
"What is that map you're talking about?" the Third suddenly asked.
"These Kumogakure ninjas are probably visiting Konoha for the first time. Without a map, they might get lost," Danzo replied.
"Then from whom did they get the map?" the Third Hokage asked meaningfully.
"I don't know about that." Danzo did not provide an answer.
On the other side.
Uchiha Yuto left the Hokage's office with Uchiha Nanagen'u and the others.
" Yuto, are we just leaving like this?" Uchiha Nanagen'u was clearly unwilling, saying, "We worked through the night to find such important information, but judging from the Third's reaction, it seems like he didn't take it seriously at all."
"Keep your voice down," Uchiha Yuto said in a low voice.
"Yes."
Uchiha Nanagen'u nodded, but still feeling indignant, he said again, "I have a feeling that the Third has no intention of pursuing the responsibility of Kumogakure at all."
"I knew that from the beginning," Uchiha Yuto said calmly. "I guessed it a long time ago."
"Why?" Uchiha Nanagen'u asked, puzzled. The three captains behind him stared at their captain with the same confusion.
" The Third Hokage is different from the First and Second. He doesn't have such strong methods. The Second Shinobi World War is proof of that. Now, Konoha's resources have been almost completely depleted. Facing the powerful Kumogakure, how dare he ask for any explanation!" Uchiha Yuto smiled helplessly.
"Are we just going to let it go like this?" Uchiha Nanagen'u was filled with resentment.
"If I'm not mistaken, we'll leave it at that. However, our investigation wasn't in vain. At least it saved the village from one more opportunity to attack. Otherwise, if it were determined that four Kumogakure ninjas had died, the envoy group would have demanded extremely difficult compensation," Uchiha Yuto explained.
" Yuto, I think there's a traitor in the village!" Uchiha Nanagen'u's eyes instantly turned icy cold.
"You can't just say things like that." Uchiha Yuto's eyes were deep, as if he was thinking about something.
"I'm not making this up at all!"
At this moment Uchiha Nanagen'u seemed to be enveloped by the oppressive feeling and resentment he had just experienced in the conference room. He was in a very depressed state and now he had to vent his feelings.
"Putting everything else aside, just look at those maps. Tomorrow's map is of Konoha. Where would the ninjas of Kumogakure get a map of Konoha? Just like we can't get a map of Kumogakure at all. If there's no traitor inside, it's simply impossible!"
"Regarding the barrier issue, those Kumogakure ninjas keep saying they entered through a loophole in the barrier, but we searched the entire village border and found no loopholes in the barrier. I have ample reason to suspect that someone in the village told them how to enter the barrier, or even if there really is a loophole, it was someone in the village who found it and told them!"
"Finally, these Kumogakure ninjas, no matter how I interrogated them, they didn't lie. In any other case, I would believe they weren't the murderers. Sharingan don't lie. Furthermore, I checked their supplies, and there were no extra ninja Forehead Protector. So, could it be that the four Kumogakure ninja Forehead Protector at the scene were among the few they were carrying? But where are the four Konoha ninja Forehead Protector? I suspect that the four murderers weren't caught, but are hiding somewhere wearing Konoha ninja Forehead Protector, very likely where the mole is."
Uchiha Nanagen'u said coldly. He had kept these words in his heart for a long time, but he couldn't say them in the situation just now.
Just as Danzo said.
There are still many unanswered questions in this case.
This can only be considered a preliminary report.
We won't draw a conclusion easily.
However, these doubts filled Uchiha Nanagen'u with resentment and anger. He felt as if a powerful force was controlling the entire incident.
"You're right, but it's meaningless because you have no evidence whatsoever. Under these circumstances, it's all just your speculation," Uchiha Yuto said, shaking his head.
"Then I'll go find the evidence!" Uchiha Nanagen'u clenched his fist and said in a deep voice, "I will definitely find that traitor!"
Gradually.
over time.
It's lunchtime.
Araki was making the last Explosive Tag in the house, thinking that he should go find Tsunade to learn from her, but the two girls were still asleep. If he left like this, it would cause them great anxiety.
Although he felt there was already something wrong during the day, he still wanted to wait until the two of them woke up before saying anything.
"Ughhh~"
Just then, the sound of stretching came from the bedroom, followed by uneven footsteps, and the bedroom door opened.
Good morning!
Kushina rubbed her sleepy eyes, glancing at Araki through the haze, and gave him a soft greeting. She was still unsteady on her feet, not fully sober, and her head throbbed with pain!
It's getting late.
Araki smiled slightly, then put the Explosive Tag he had already made into his bag. These weren't for selling, but for saving up. Now he needed to rebuild his strength.
"I've put the leftovers from last night in the fridge. You can heat them up and eat them in a bit. Now that you're awake, I'm going to class." Araki got up, preparing to leave.
"Have you been waiting for me?" Kushina suddenly stopped, but only for a moment, before quickly walking towards the bathroom. She had drunk too much last night and slept for too long, so she couldn't hold it in any longer and was about to leak.
"Um."
Araki nodded, said nothing more, and quickly left.
After all, he didn't have much time left.
He needed to run quickly to Tsunade's house, recover his energy and spirit in the process, and then begin his training.
This is a rigorous medical practice that requires meticulous attention and is extremely demanding.
only...
Araki was unaware of this.
After this night...
The Konoha regarding the four Kumogakure invaders he eliminated has begun to evolve into a major issue involving extremely complex inter-village power dynamics.
If he knew...
I would definitely give a thumbs up to Uchiha Fugaku for successfully leading the entire Konoha Military Police Force astray with this idea!
Chapter 41 I don't think Araki is the murderer who killed Sora Hyuga! (First update)
Not long after Kushina woke up, Mikoto also woke up.
My head hurts so much!
Mikoto sighed helplessly. She had never felt this way before, and now she finally understood what a hangover felt like. She felt extremely miserable.
Her head was spinning and throbbing.
And I can't remember at all what happened during the last part of yesterday.
This feeling is very strange.
Mikoto felt as if she were in a dream. The world in the dream seemed very clear, but she couldn't remember it very well. She vaguely knew what had happened, but what she knew was not real.
" Mikoto, you're awake!"
Upon hearing the voice, Kushina immediately approached, a smile spreading across her face. Holding a bowl of freshly made hot soup, she said, "Have some soup; it might make you feel better."
"You have this skill?" Mikoto was genuinely surprised.
"It's nothing special. I learned it in the village before, but I never had a chance to show it off. It's not a complicated candy, just some vegetables in it," Kushina said with a smile.
"Thank you!" Mikoto immediately took the soup and drank it in big gulps. She was indeed very thirsty, feeling as if something had been poking her throat, making it dry and burning.
" Mikoto, what did you do after I passed out yesterday?" Kushina asked, completely curious.
"I don't remember either..." Mikoto shook her head. She wasn't speaking, but genuinely couldn't recall what had happened. She then said, "It seems we played two more rounds, and I kept losing. After drinking two or three glasses of wine, I passed out."
"Let's play together again sometime!" Kushina immediately extended an invitation; the game she played last night had made her very happy.
"Okay! Okay!" Mikoto nodded without hesitation, then looked around in confusion and asked, "Where's Araki?"
"He has already gone to train," Kushina said calmly.
"This guy is a cultivation fanatic!" Mikoto was speechless.
"Yes, I've never seen anyone who trains more diligently than him. He's so hardworking that it makes me feel like a useless person, as if I haven't even tried," Kushina sighed.
"I feel the same way. Although I've never worked this hard, seeing him work so hard makes me feel like a complete failure." Mikoto nodded in agreement.
"Let's not talk about him anymore. When are you leaving? I'll see you off." Kushina said, staring at Mikoto with reluctance. The past two weeks of living together had rapidly warmed the bond between her and Mikoto, making Mikoto's departure all the more difficult for her.
"I'm packing up and leaving..."