When Uchiha Fugaku learned that Sarutobi Hiruzen had been killed by Jiraiya, he quickly gathered his men and rushed over.
The patriarchs of the major clans also followed out of curiosity.
Everyone present knew the truth: Uchiha Fugaku couldn't stand Sarutobi Hiruzen, the former Hokage, and had likely arranged his death in secret. The so-called gathering was just for show. Though the clan leaders understood this clearly, they still feigned shock on the surface.
> "What?! Jiraiya killed Sarutobi Hiruzen?"
"How is that possible? Weren't they master and apprentice?"
"Who knows? Maybe Jiraiya had planned this all along—lured him out and then killed him."
"Yeah, I always wondered why Sarutobi left the village so suddenly. Turns out Jiraiya was behind it!"
Uchiha Fugaku listened to their hollow chatter and nodded with satisfaction. These clan leaders were all clever. He preferred dealing with smart people.
"Hokage, it's just up ahead. We were on our way out of the village for a mission and happened to witness Jiraiya attacking Sarutobi Hiruzen," one Uchiha said, pointing toward the river.
Fugaku nodded and quickened his pace, unable to hide his anticipation. He was eager to see Sarutobi Hiruzen's corpse with his own eyes.
He sighed inwardly. Shisui really is reliable.
Originally, Fugaku had planned to send ten elite Uchiha to eliminate the troublesome Sarutobi. But even though the old Hokage was over sixty, his strength remained formidable. If the strike team failed and got killed in the process, it would be a serious loss for the clan.
After weighing his options, he decided to entrust the task to more dependable people.
He sought out Obito and Shisui, offering them an astonishing bounty—50 million ryo—to take out Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Neither hesitated to accept. With Mangekyō Sharingan users like them, success came swiftly. Sarutobi was reported dead not long after they departed.
"Third Hokage! Where did you go all of a sudden?" Fugaku called out as he rushed to the riverbank.
But when he arrived, he froze. The clan leaders who followed him were also stunned.
Fugaku turned sharply to Shisui, who stood among the crowd. "Didn't you say Sarutobi was killed by Jiraiya? Where's the body?"
Shisui looked just as confused. The body had clearly been there earlier—where could it have gone?
"Hokage, maybe Jiraiya took the body!" one clueless Uchiha chimed in.
The other clan heads immediately echoed the claim.
> "Yes, if Jiraiya killed him, he must have taken the body!"
"I suggest the Hokage issue a wanted notice for Jiraiya!"
"Yes, list him as a traitor to Konoha right now!"
They weren't trying to help—they just wanted to stir the pot, knowing Fugaku was involved in Sarutobi's "death."
Fugaku's mouth twitched. "Heh… Whether it was really Jiraiya still needs to be verified. But I want to see the man alive or the corpse recovered."
Then he turned serious. "Send the order to search the entire Land of Fire for any trace of Sarutobi Hiruzen."
"Yes, sir!" an ANBU agent replied, vanishing to carry out the order.
Fugaku cast a meaningful glance at Obito and Shisui, then turned and left.
The clan leaders, finding no body and nothing left to gawk at, also dispersed.
Only Shisui and Obito remained, staring at one another.
"…Shisui, you didn't kill him?" Obito asked suspiciously.
Shisui frowned. "I stabbed him once. His internal organs were destroyed by my chakra. He couldn't have survived."
Obito narrowed his eyes. "Then who took the body?"
"…Senior," Shisui said quietly, "if there's no body, do you think the clan leader will still pay us?"
Hearing that, Obito slapped his thigh and cursed. "Damn it! So that's why the body vanished! That old fox Fugaku probably had it moved so he wouldn't have to pay us! Crafty bastard!"
Shisui thought his senior made a good point and nodded solemnly.
"You keep calling him clan leader like he gives a damn about you," Obito growled. "If he refuses to pay, I'll kill his whole family!"
Shisui swallowed nervously. His senior's fury was terrifying. He could only hope that Fugaku wouldn't dare withhold their payment.
He knew full well how ruthless Obito could be.
---
Somewhere in the Land of Fire
"Danzo… I never imagined your experiment would end up saving my life," Sarutobi Hiruzen muttered, staring at the row of closed Sharingan embedded in his right arm.
Years earlier, when Danzo had become Hokage, he began intensive research into Hashirama cells and the Sharingan.
He recognized the immense power these two forces could produce if successfully merged.
Using Orochimaru's leftover experimental data, Danzo finally discovered a method to perfectly integrate Hashirama's cells with the Sharingan.
Eventually, his efforts bore fruit—an arm infused with both abilities, offering incredible power.
Overjoyed, Danzo had invited Hiruzen to witness his success, hoping to win his approval.
But when Hiruzen saw the arm, he immediately deemed the experiment too dangerous and called for it to be shut down, fearing it might bring catastrophic consequences.
The two men clashed fiercely. Danzo stood firm in his vision. Hiruzen stood firm in his opposition.
The argument quickly escalated into violence.
Danzo, unwilling to let anyone—even Hiruzen—defy him, struck his old comrade unconscious and had him dragged to the operating table.
There, he forcibly transplanted the prototype arm onto Hiruzen's body.
Danzo believed that once Hiruzen experienced the power firsthand, he would change his mind.
The surgery was successful.
But when Hiruzen awoke and saw the grotesque line of Sharingan along his new arm, he was devastated.
Danzo, unsympathetic, simply muttered, "That arm was originally meant for me. I'm giving it to you—be grateful."
Then he ordered the Root scientists to begin growing another arm for himself.
Unfortunately, before his new limb could be completed, Danzo was assassinated by Uchiha Fugaku.
"Danzo…" Hiruzen said bitterly, looking at his monstrous arm. "If you hadn't forced this thing onto me… maybe you'd still be alive."
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