Chapter 89 - CHAPTER 89

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"What's the meaning of this?"

Hiko sat upright, brows furrowed with doubt.

Was it just his imagination?

An incident had struck the Shimura clan. Fuyue held strong suspicions, believing Yan was behind it—acting from the shadows. But he lacked evidence, and his subtle test had yielded no results.

Am I overthinking this?

Yan's strength was formidable, but slipping into the Shimura compound unnoticed and vanishing with the clan head and two elite elders? That would be difficult for even an elite ANBU. Even he couldn't guarantee such precision.

Besides, the Shimura clan wasn't a pushover.

Fuyue brushed aside his doubts.

"It's fine. Go handle the affairs at hand. Once you're done, take over the shift guarding Danzo at the prison."

"Oh—and if there's a suitable candidate, it wouldn't hurt to consider succession early."

"…"

You really think I'm like you?

If not for Fuyue being the clan head, Yan would've gladly shown him the middle finger.

"Brat…"

Yan didn't lift his finger, but his glare conveyed the sentiment. Fuyue nearly snapped.

You, Uchiha Hiko, can run around the village all day with Uchiha Izumi, but I can't spend time with my wife?

Elsewhere, in the Shimura compound, Jiraiya was meticulously examining the crime scene, looking for anything of use.

He swept through the estate—from halls to courtyards—and found little. Clues were sparse. Valuable intel? Even less.

There were no signs of battle, yet three high-ranking jōnin—veterans of many conflicts—had vanished.

Stranger still, no one in the Shimura clan noticed any disturbances.

Not a sound. Not a flash. As if the assailant materialized out of nowhere.

"You're certain no one heard or saw anything?"

After triple-checking with the Shimura members, Jiraiya was stumped.

Not a single clue. No blood. No remnants of jutsu—nothing to investigate.

With no leads, he requested help from the Inuzuka clan.

If anyone could sniff out a trail, it was them.

The Inuzuka responded swiftly, dispatching one of their most promising: Inuzuka Zuo, a stoic kunoichi, alongside her loyal ninja dog, Kuromaru.

"Master Jiraiya."

Zuo approached with confidence, Kuromaru by her side.

"No need for formality. I'll be counting on your help—there's too little to go on."

Had there been a shred of evidence, Jiraiya wouldn't be relying on others. But right now, he was stuck.

"Yes."

Zuo was all business. She knelt beside Kuromaru and focused her chakra through her senses.

"Kuromaru—track the scents of the missing three and anyone unfamiliar."

The dog's nose twitched. Zuo's eyes narrowed, following the faint chakra signatures lingering in the air.

Jiraiya and several Shimura stood nearby, tense and quiet.

After a long examination, Kuromaru's expression turned confused.

Zuo frowned and scratched her head—an uncharacteristic gesture for the normally composed kunoichi.

"No trail?"

Jiraiya didn't need an answer—her face said it all.

"Master Jiraiya…"

Zuo hesitated, then spoke gravely.

"Kuromaru and I both caught a faint scent—not from the Shimura clan nor the missing three. It was… foreign. But it's weak. Almost like…"

"Like it appeared out of nowhere?" Jiraiya filled in the gap.

Zuo blinked, startled, then nodded.

"Yes. It doesn't follow any logical entry or exit path. I believe the enemy utilized space-time ninjutsu."

"But there are no battle traces. That's what bothers me. How could someone silently extract three elite jōnin without resistance?"

Even a desperate animal fought back when cornered—let alone veteran shinobi. Something didn't add up.

Jiraiya mulled it over, rubbing his temple.

"Could they have used genjutsu in combination with space-time techniques?"

Appearing suddenly, casting illusions, and then abducting them…

But whose genjutsu was strong enough to subdue jōnin instantly?

In the ninja world, jōnin weren't common—they were hardened, skilled, and experienced. Breaking their minds with illusion wasn't easy.

Jiraiya's mental list of suspects narrowed. And disturbingly, most of them were from Konoha.

A face surfaced in his thoughts. He groaned and slapped his forehead.

Am I paranoid? Everyone's starting to look like a suspect.

Still, he made a decision.

"Go to the Konoha Police Department. Tell Uchiha Hiko I want him to assist in this case."

If I can't crack it, might as well get someone who specializes in illusions.

"Eh?"

The Shimura shinobi froze. Asking a Uchiha—especially that Uchiha—for help? That was a slap to their pride.

The Shimura-Uchiha relationship was hanging by a thread. And now they were being told to grovel?

Their faces turned pale.

Jiraiya caught their hesitation and frowned.

"If your pride matters more than your patriarch and elders, forget I asked."

What a time to care about grudges. If this wasn't solved, no clan in Konoha would be safe.

The assailant had pierced one stronghold—others could be next.

Grudgingly, the Shimura swallowed their pride and complied.

Meanwhile, Yan—sipping tea in his office and reviewing case files—was in high spirits.

He'd collected his dues. He'd silenced eyesores. And soon, he'd get a front-row seat to Danzo's downfall.

He was counting the minutes.

"Captain!"

Izumi burst in, eyes shining.

"Shimura clan shinobi are here. Master Jiraiya sent them—they want your help investigating."

Yan blinked, paused mid-bite on his meat bun, then burst into laughter.

"The Shimura clan? Asking me for help? Through Jiraiya?"

He chuckled long and hard.

"So this is their new tactic—sending an elder as a messenger? What a joke."

He wiped his mouth and waved dismissively.

"Tell them to deal with their own mess. I don't take orders from them. And this isn't police work."

Help them investigate my own crime?

They're dreaming.

Izumi hesitated, unsure. Yan waved her off.

"Wait—send Zhiyan. He's better suited for delivering… harsh words."

Zhiyan, a hulking brute of a man with a perpetual scowl, gladly accepted the task.

In the police department lobby, he stormed toward the Shimura delegates.

"The Captain says: get lost. As far away as possible."

"You still have the nerve to ask for help? Weren't you the same people who badmouthed Uchiha left and right?"

He jabbed a thick finger at their chests.

"Where was this humility then, huh?"

"If you don't leave, I'll knock out your front teeth."

"But this is from Master Jiraiya—"

"GET. OUT."

Zhiyan didn't need to argue. He grabbed the lead Shimura by the collar and hurled him out the door.

Jiraiya? Doesn't matter. Our captain doesn't play that game.

The Shimura ninja left, humiliated and red-faced.

Uchiha clan members laughed, openly gloating. The bystanders outside the police department watched with interest, munching on metaphorical popcorn.

What did happen at the Shimura compound…

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