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Hiruzen was nothing if not patient.
Even after witnessing the Daimyō—subtly ensnared by genjutsu—formally request a change of guards, the former Hokage did not move immediately. Instead, he calmly relayed the information back to the village and informed Tsunade.
Would this lead to complications later? Perhaps the Daimyō might sense something amiss afterward and grow resentful.
But the Uchiha had been careful. Their methods were restrained, not crude. The Daimyō retained no clear memory of issuing the order at all.
If objections arose, they could be smoothed over.
And if they couldn't?
There was no such thing as an unresolvable situation.
Yet even after the Uchiha received their orders and prepared to return to the village, Enjin showed no signs of contacting anyone suspicious.
No hidden meetings. No secret signals.
A troubling thought surfaced in Hiruzen's mind.
'Could it be… that this was nothing more than Enjin's own reckless, solitary scheme?'
Unaware of the Third Hokage's doubts, Enjin himself felt that everything was proceeding perfectly.
The only oddity was the absence of the pitcher-plant creature who called himself Zetsu. He hadn't appeared again—not once.
Enjin had no way to contact him. No method to reach either Zetsu or the masked man.
"I'll find you when the time is right."
That was what "Madara" had said.
"Konoha's barrier won't stop me."
If the other party truly was that legendary figure—or connected to him—such confidence would be entirely natural.
Now that Enjin and the others had successfully fabricated the Daimyō's wishes, the rest was simple.
Once he returned to the village, Enjin would request a private meeting with the clan head. At that moment, "Madara" would appear, overwhelming the clan leader with absolute power. Faced with such force, Inabi and the others would naturally accept "Madara's" return.
As for Shisui…
Once everything became a fait accompli, he would have no choice but to acknowledge it.
Convinced that all the pieces were in place, Enjin quietly resumed his assigned position in the mission roster after confirming that the others had begun their journey back to Konoha.
He then departed as well, carrying with him the intelligence Zetsu had previously supplied regarding the Sharingan theft incident.
The moment he stepped into the Village, Enjin was escorted directly to the Hokage's office.
"Have you uncovered any relevant leads?" Tsunade asked.
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Enjin lowered his head respectfully. "According to information I obtained from a rogue shinobi, the attack on the previous squad—and the suspected Sharingan theft—may be connected to Orochimaru."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Where is this rogue shinobi now?"
The massacre of that Uchiha squad was undeniably tied to Orochimaru. As for whether the Sharingan had been stolen by Orochimaru—that could be set aside for the moment.
More important was this: Enjin knowing about Orochimaru's involvement meant he hadn't acted alone.
There was someone else behind him.
Yet that individual had never contacted Enjin again after his second departure from the Village.
Those who knew Orochimaru had joined a mercenary ninja force were limited. Aside from Orochimaru himself and Danzō, only the people who had hired him would know.
Which meant…
Kirigakure.
Enjin didn't know how much he had already exposed, but he continued evenly, "That rogue shinobi… was accidentally killed by me during the encounter."
"I see." Tsunade nodded, waving a hand. "Report to Anbu and complete the mission debrief."
As Enjin withdrew, Tsunade's gaze lingered on his back, her expression unreadable.
This man really had brought back quite a few surprises.
True, the biggest fish she had hoped to net never appeared—but the incidental gains were far from insignificant.
All things considered…
He had turned out to be unexpectedly useful.
Enjin—the bait—was likely already useless.
Since returning to the Village, he had made no further mention of pursuing the Sharingan theft outside Konoha. Instead, he quietly settled back into the Anbu unit under Itachi, carrying out routine patrols and alert duties as if nothing had happened.
Under Itachi's constant observation, Enjin showed no signs of planning anything drastic. If anything, he appeared to be waiting—passively, almost anxiously—for instructions… or rather, for someone to contact him.
But the situation with the Uchiha who had been incited to return was an entirely different matter.
After rejoining the Police Force, they began openly targeting members of the Hyūga and Aburame clans who had recently been admitted. Their harassment was no longer confined to internal police affairs; it spilled beyond the force itself, extending to ordinary shinobi from both clans who had nothing to do with the force.
Petty accusations, deliberate provocation, endless fault-finding—one incident after another. A tense, oppressive atmosphere spread through the Village without anyone noticing when it had begun.
Tsunade's original plan had been to use Enjin as a thread—to pull out the hidden hand manipulating events and resolve the long-standing rift between the Uchiha Clan and the Village at its root.
But if these radicals were allowed to continue unchecked, there would be no need to hunt for a mastermind.
They themselves were rapidly becoming the greatest problem.
Since waiting had failed to draw out the real target, there was no reason to wait any longer. If the net was not tightened soon—if resentment within the Uchiha was allowed to surge once more—the entire plan would collapse.
—
Inside the Uchiha compound, within the clan head's residence, Fugaku sat alone, deep in thought. He was considering how best to resolve the disturbances caused by Mōka and the other returnees.
Shisui—who should have been outside the Village carrying out the Daimyō's commission—appeared silently in the courtyard.
"Shisui?" Fugaku looked up, surprised. "Why are you back?"
"It concerns Mōka and the others."
"This matter…" Fugaku said gravely. "I will personally reprimand them tomorrow. Is this level of internal conflict truly enough for the Village to recall you?"
Before Shisui could answer, footsteps sounded from within.
Itachi emerged from the inner room, dressed in Anbu attire—maskless.
The moment Fugaku saw his eldest son like this, his expression hardened.
"What exactly has happened?"
Shisui lowered his voice. "They used genjutsu on the Daimyō. Sandaime-sama was personally there and confirmed it—he happened to be in the Fire Capital at the time."
"What?!" Fugaku stiffened instantly.
Even for the Uchiha, manipulating a nation's Daimyō with genjutsu was an unforgivable transgression—a crime that crossed a fundamental line.
Itachi spoke calmly, his tone steady. "Father, Tsunade-sama and the two advisors are already fully aware of the entire incident."
"The Hokage is waiting for the Clan's internal decision on how this should be handled."
Fugaku looked directly at Itachi. "Can they be detained under the authority of the Police Force?"
Itachi shook his head once—firm and unequivocal.
"The furthest concession Hokage-sama is willing to make is this: all involved personnel must be handed over to my Anbu unit for detention and supervision."
Fugaku's gaze moved between Shisui and Itachi. After a long moment, he rose to his feet.
"I understand," he said quietly.
"Then we will proceed… according to Hokage-sama's wishes."
—
For ordinary civilians and merchants who had come purely to enjoy the spectacle, the individual match phase was just as thrilling, filled with memorable moments and sudden bursts of excitement.
But Roshi's attention during the latter half of the competition lay elsewhere.
Rather than focusing solely on the matches themselves, he began observing the audience—and, more importantly, the commercial activities sprouting up around them.
Since he intended to formally propose his ideas to Tsunade, it was only natural that he paid closer attention to the spectators' behavior, spending habits, and the new businesses emerging to cater to them.
As for Yugakure and Shimogakure… for now, they might as well have been background characters.
Roshi's remaining task was simply to observe the examinees' on-site performances and gauge how much they had improved compared to the team matches. In that regard, Iruka's showing in the individual rounds was unexpectedly impressive. Compared to his earlier struggles when grouped with Yūgao and Hayate, his strengths finally had room to shine.
He truly had been unfortunate to be placed alongside two high-speed, high-agility specialists.
After all, the Chūnin Exams emphasized comprehensive individual ability. Being unable to properly display one's skill set—or being forced to face opponents far beyond one's level—was never favorable for final evaluations.
The final winner was no surprise.
With the competition concluded, Konoha's ninja returned early to their quarters. After nearly two months in Kumogakure, the initial novelty had long since faded, replaced by a creeping sense of monotony.
As shinobi from another village, their freedom of movement was limited—far more restricted than Roshi's. As team leader, he not only had broader access but often dispatched shadow clones to roam freely throughout the village.
"I heard you're interested in physical training."
Before departing, Roshi paid one last visit to the Raikage's office to complete the formal handover. Matters were settled efficiently, and just as he prepared to take his leave, the Fourth Raikage, A, spoke up.
"The protein powder from that shop is decent," the Raikage said, "but in terms of effectiveness and bodily compatibility, I personally recommend this."
He reached beside his desk and lifted a large metal can emblazoned with a bold A.
"Consider it repayment for the guidance you gave Darui. Take it."
"No, actually, I—" Roshi waved a hand reflexively. "I only bought it out of curiosity."
"Don't stand on ceremony!" the Raikage boomed. "Muscle training isn't something you can neglect for even a single day! With that seemingly thin frame of yours, you're already capable of explosive strength. If you don't temper it properly, it's a waste of natural talent!"
"If you're a man, you don't slack—not even for a day!"
"And don't let Darui catch up to you so easily, Roshi!"
—
Enjin continued waiting for contact from the masked man.
The resistance shown by his fellow clansmen matched his expectations, and the renewed tension within the Uchiha compound felt like proof that everything was falling back into place.
As long as Madara returned, the clan could be unified through absolute power—
"Enjin."
Itachi's calm voice came from outside the door, cutting off his thoughts. Enjin rose and moved to open it.
The moment the door swung wide, a pair of fully activated Three-Tomoe Sharingan met his gaze.
Instinctively, Enjin activated his own Sharingan in defense.
"You have betrayed the goodwill of the village and the clan."
That was the last thing he heard before consciousness slipped away.
The same Three-Tomoe Sharingan…
And yet his dōjutsu is stronger than mine?!
That incredulous realization was the final thought to cross Uchiha Enjin's mind before darkness claimed him completely.
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