In a meeting room in the Hokage Building.
"Hateful!"
The Third Hokage's face turned pale.
He had taken the Anbu to the Uchiha Clan, trying to stop Uchiha Itachi from leaving the Anbu.
However, he didn't expect that not only would he fail to stop Uchiha Itachi from leaving, but he would also end up injured.
Moreover, because part of the guard force had been transferred away, the Hokage Building was left vulnerable, and someone took advantage of it to break in—the scroll room was robbed.
There were two other people in the room: the advisors Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.
Advisor Utatane Koharu asked:
"Hiruzen, what scroll was stolen?"
"The Yin Seal."
The Third Hokage said in a deep voice.
"The Yin Seal?"
Koharu raised an eyebrow.
"That sealing technique stores unused chakra over time and releases it during battle, right? Who would be targeting that?"
"Could it be the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai user who once broke into the scroll room?"
Homura guessed.
"It wasn't a Wood Release user."
Koharu shook her head, speaking with certainty.
"Hiruzen's decision to withdraw the Anbu guard was made at the last minute. Even if that Wood Release ninja had accomplices in the village, there's no way they could've acted so quickly. This was clearly done by someone on the inside."
"An inside job…"
Homura frowned.
What Koharu said made sense. The decision to pull back the Anbu was sudden—only someone already inside the village could have exploited it.
"If someone is stealing the Yin Seal, it likely means they either lack chakra or are using techniques that consume too much of it."
"As long as we identify who fits that description, we'll find our suspect."
Koharu continued.
"Someone with low chakra, or someone using high-consumption ninjutsu…"
A cold glint flashed in the Third Hokage's eyes.
"I know who it is."
"Who?"
Koharu and Homura asked at once.
"There are two people in Konoha who would be eager to get the Yin Seal."
The Third Hokage sneered.
"Who are they?" Homura asked.
"One is Uchiha Fugaku. His dojutsu Susanoo is a chakra-based materialization technique. It consumes massive chakra. If he wants to maintain it longer, a sealing jutsu like the Yin Seal would be ideal."
The Third Hokage said.
"Not Uchiha Fugaku."
Koharu shook her head.
"He was fighting you at the time. He couldn't possibly have been at the Hokage Building. Besides, several elite jōnin from the Uchiha Clan were also present. None of them could've done it."
"Who's the other suspect?"
"The other is Hatake Kakashi."
The Third Hokage's voice turned cold.
"Because he's not a true Uchiha, he can't fully synchronize with the Sharingan. It drains his chakra constantly. The Yin Seal would help him overcome that flaw."
"He's the only one between the two who had the opportunity to act," Homura said firmly.
"Not only did he resign from the Anbu, but now he's committed this betrayal. Such ingratitude!"
Koharu looked furious.
After a moment, she turned to the Third Hokage and asked with some confusion.
"Hiruzen, what happened? Why did you withdraw the Anbu guard?"
"I received a letter from Fugaku, stating he wanted Itachi to leave the Anbu. I suspected Itachi's identity as our spy had been discovered, so I rushed to the Uchiha Compound."
The Third Hokage said with a grim expression.
"Fugaku wouldn't suddenly pull Itachi out of Anbu without a reason. There's a high chance his cover was blown."
Koharu frowned.
"What a pity. After losing Shisui, Itachi is now exposed as well…"
"Itachi has great talent. Even if he couldn't remain undercover, he still had potential as a top-level shinobi."
Homura said with regret.
"The Uchiha's attitude was firm. It may not be possible to keep him in Anbu."
"Hiruzen, bringing the Anbu to the Uchiha Compound to demand him back… That was a bit rash."
Koharu gently rebuked him.
"It was. If Itachi's identity gets out, it'll damage both our side and his."
"The matter should be handled discreetly. Since Fugaku has pulled him from the Anbu, we'll pretend Itachi was never part of it."
Homura added.
"If it were anyone else, I would've agreed. But Itachi isn't just anyone."
The Third Hokage sighed.
"There's something I haven't had a chance to tell you—just yesterday, Uchiha Itachi awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Is that true?"
Koharu and Homura looked at him with surprise and disbelief.
They were shocked, but also skeptical. Itachi was still so young.
"I saw it with my own eyes. It's real."
The Third Hokage said.
"To awaken the Mangekyō at that age… He might be even more talented than Shisui."
Homura murmured.
"No wonder you panicked when Fugaku wanted him out of Anbu."
Koharu finally understood the Third Hokage's desperation.
"What a shame."
The Third Hokage sighed again.
He had lost a highly promising subordinate and taken a serious hit to his prestige.
"Don't dwell on it. Though Itachi was forced out of Anbu, he's likely still loyal to you."
"After a few years, Fugaku won't be able to restrain him. He'll return to Anbu then."
Koharu tried to reassure him.
"I hope so."
The Third Hokage sounded unconvinced.
"I'm more concerned about the threat that Fugaku poses. He hurt you in just a few exchanges—his strength is overwhelming."
"If we don't deal with him soon, he may truly rise to power. The Uchiha could seize the Hokage position."
Homura said solemnly.
"Fugaku's power is nearly at Uchiha Madara's level. Even if all of Anbu joined me, it'd be hard to bring him down. Unless… we convince Jiraiya and Tsunade to help."
The Third Hokage's face darkened.
"That will be difficult," Koharu said, shaking her head. She knew well that Hiruzen's relationship with his students had long since soured.
"Then how do we deal with Fugaku?"
Homura asked.
"There's only one way now—borrow someone else's knife. Let other villages take care of him."
Koharu's voice turned icy.
"Use the other villages?"
The Third Hokage and Homura looked at each other, thoughtful.
Their own forces were no longer enough to stop Fugaku. If they wanted him gone… they would need help from outside Konoha.
(End of this chapter)