The more Izumi listened, the more her heart pounded, and her petite body began to tremble.
The plot that Eiya had dissected was terrifying, sending a chill from the pit of her stomach to the tips of her fingers.
She stole a glance at the dazed informant standing not far away, then edged closer to Eiya and whispered in his ear, "Then… what do we do now? Should we just destroy this cloth as evidence…?"
Her warm breath brushed his ear, but Eiya's expression remained almost inhumanly calm. "No."
Eiya shook his head decisively. "Everything proceeds according to their original 'script.'"
Izumi's eyes widened. "What? Wouldn't that be falling right into their hands—handing them an excuse to attack the Police Force, to attack us Uchiha?"
Eiya didn't answer immediately. He formed a hand sign and reinforced the Genjutsu on the informant.
A red light flickered in the man's eyes; he turned blankly, staggered to his door, and shuffled away.
"He won't remember the key parts for a while, and he won't bring it up on his own," Eiya said mildly, watching him go.
Then he lifted his gaze toward Konohagakure, a cold gleam flashing and vanishing in his eyes.
"If they dare hold a blade to your throat, do you still think retreat and compromise will buy peace?"
He turned slightly, fixing Izumi with a deep look. His voice was low and forceful. "Tell me—do you want to kneel under the enemy's heel and let them butcher you, or will you fight at my side for our clan and smash their scheme to pieces?"
His words hammered at Izumi's heart.
In an instant, memories of the long-standing prejudice and injustice against the Uchiha, and the unprecedented crisis before them, flashed through her mind. Something roared to life in her chest—anger and the will to fight.
Though this was her first time standing shoulder to shoulder with Eiya, she was already awed by his courage and cunning.
In moments, he had seen through a plot large enough to overturn the Uchiha, and now he was willing to risk himself to defend the clan.
A man like this was a leader worthy of her vow to follow.
"I understand!" Izumi nodded without hesitation, a firm light blazing in her clear eyes.
She straightened her slim back. "For the clan, I will follow your lead, Eiya!"
A faint smile of approval touched Eiya's lips. He inclined his head. "Good."
Eyes shining with respect and yearning, Izumi asked eagerly, "What should I do next?"
"Take the body to the Police Force at once," Eiya ordered, his tone steady. "Publicly announce you've found a critical lead."
A glint flashed in his gaze. "After that… someone will tell you how to coordinate."
"Understood!" Izumi replied solemnly.
…
That night, candlelight flickered in the underground chamber of Uchiha Fugaku's residence.
Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Yashiro, Uchiha Inabi, and several core figures of the Uchiha Police Force were all present, faces grave as they sat around the low table.
Seated at the head, Fugaku swept a sharp gaze over the room. "Eiya, state your purpose. Why did you summon us here under the pretext of an 'emergency clan meeting'?"
Kneeling below, Eiya didn't hedge.
He drew from his robe the scrap of cloth—carefully preserved—embroidered with the fan crest, and spread it on the low table.
"This is…" Yashiro leaned in, frowning.
Inabi also bent close, eyes widening. All eyes fixed on the bold Uchiha crest stitched on the fragment.
Eiya looked around the circle and began evenly. "This evening, while assisting Izumi in a civilian missing-person case, I found the corpse of a male downstream of the Nanga River. He was killed by a single kunai thrust to the heart. This cloth is the evidence we discovered beside the body."
Yashiro's face tightened. "In the evening Izumi did bring back a John Doe, saying she'd found him while on patrol. She reported a fatal wound to the chest but didn't mention this cloth…"
"Because I told her to conceal it," Eiya said calmly.
Fugaku had already taken the cloth and was studying it, brows knit into a hard knot. He didn't interrupt—just motioned for Eiya to continue.
Organizing his thoughts, Eiya went on. "We found the original informant. He admitted he was bribed and instructed by a stranger 'wearing a mask' to file the report. The purpose was to steer the Police Force's attention toward this 'missing-person case.'"
"Wearing a mask?!" Yashiro shot to his feet, furious. "Anbu—or… Root?!"
Eiya nodded. "Either way, the mastermind points to the village leadership. Given recent events, I personally lean toward this being Danzō's handiwork."
Then he laid out his deductions in full.
The chamber fell silent, save for the faint crackle of candlewicks.
Eiya's account was clear and tightly linked, each step locking into the next.
As he spoke, Fugaku and the others grew ever more somber, shock and anger burning in their eyes.
"Outrageous!" Inabi, hot-tempered as ever, slammed his palm on the low table, making the teacups jump. "That old bastard Danzō is going too far!"
Fugaku's face was black as iron; his fists creaked.
His chest heaved a few times before he drew a deep breath to tamp down his fury. "Eiya, what do you propose?"
Eiya swept his gaze across them and spoke four words with steady weight. "Turn their scheme back."
"Turn their scheme back?" Yashiro blinked.
Eiya nodded, voice low and firm. "Yes. Since they've made their move, we'll perform a play with them."
"A play?" Inabi stared.
A cold smile touched Eiya's lips. "Let them think their plan is unfolding smoothly—better than they hoped—that the Uchiha have fallen into disarray."
He leaned forward, a flash of steel in his eyes. "We escalate it. When they grow complacent and think victory is assured—we expose everything in public and drag Danzō's frame-up of the Uchiha into the light!"
Silence, heavy as stone.
A heartbeat later, Yashiro and Inabi traded a look, and in each other's eyes they saw fighting spirit ignite.
"Good! Let's do it!" Inabi clenched his fists, veins standing out, barely holding back.
After a long moment of thought, Fugaku slammed the table and rose, eyes blazing. "We follow Eiya's plan!"
His gaze swept the room, pausing on each face. His voice carried its own authority. "This concerns the life and honor of the Uchiha. Absolute secrecy. If anyone leaks even a whisper, don't blame me for executing him personally for betraying the clan."
"Yes, Clan Head!" they answered as one, solemn and severe.
…
The next day.
As usual, close to noon, Eiya strolled into the Anbu base at an unhurried pace.
Aside from the watch detail, everyone else was already out on missions, and the place felt empty.
Eiya didn't mind. The quiet suited him.
He went alone to the training room, shrugged off his jacket, and began his daily routine.
Fists, then legs—each strike carved a sharp whistle through the air.
Shuriken flashed from his fingertips, thudding into a target tens of meters away, clustered so tightly the bullseye had no empty space left.
Compared to day-by-day drilling, sudden surges in power had their drawbacks.
A tiny lapse threw off coordination; in a life-or-death fight, that could be fatal.
Sweat beaded at Eiya's brow, but his movements stayed exacting.
He would master every ounce of this newfound strength, feeling out the limits of his speed and reactions.
Time slipped by with the toil.
Unnoticed, evening sun streamed through the vent, painting a corner of the room warm orange.
A faint stir of air came from the doorway.
Tenzo appeared, uncharacteristically tense and urgent. "Eiya, emergency assembly!"
Eiya halted, took a towel, and dabbed away the sweat. "Got it."
At the rendezvous, the other Anbu were already assembled.
A heavy, oppressive mood hung over the group; every face was set and ready.
"All present," Kakashi said after a glance at Eiya. He didn't waste words. "Emergency order from the Hokage. Root operatives have forced their way into the Police Force headquarters. A fierce clash with our Uchiha has broken out. The situation is out of control."
"Move to Police Force HQ immediately. Contain the situation and stop the fighting."
A jolt went through the unit. Faces hardened.
Kakashi issued crisp instructions. "Upon arrival, separate the two sides first. Stabilize the scene and prevent further casualties. Hold the line until the Hokage's next orders. Understood?"
"Understood!" the squad answered in unison.
"Move out!"
Before the words finished echoing, a dozen figures vanished, streaking toward Police HQ.
Eiya deliberately took the rear.
Behind the fox mask his face was unreadable, but a thin, icy smile curved his lips.
The fish had taken the bait.