Chapter 5: Undercurrents
Konoha, Police Force Office
Fugaku gazed at the distant Hokage Rock carvings, his fingertips unconsciously tapping against the desktop. The setting sun outside cast his silhouette in dark red hues.
"Clan Head, this is the third disappearance this month." An elder slammed the intelligence scroll heavily on the table, causing ripples across the water's surface in the nearby teacup.
"Those bastards in ROOT—do they really think we're blind?"
Fugaku slowly unfurled the scroll. Three more names had been added to the list of the missing, flickering in the lamplight like dying flames.
"The Police Force's patrol range has been compressed again." The Police Force captain kicked over his chair as he stood, his Sharingan glowing blood-red in the shadows.
"ANBU surveillance has even appeared near Naka Shrine!"
Thunk
The dull sound of a kunai being forcefully driven into a wooden table echoed from the corner.
Fugaku didn't need to look to know it was Ryochu venting his rage.
This usually taciturn subordinate hadn't extinguished the flames of hatred in his eyes since his younger brother had "accidentally disappeared" during an ANBU mission.
"If you ask me, we should just—"
"Watch your words!" Fugaku's suddenly raised voice made the air freeze.
His gaze swept across each clan member's flushed face as he recalled the Third Hokage's hesitant expression from this morning.
He knew the conflict between both sides was nearly irreconcilable.
The scroll burst into flames in his palm, ashes drifting out the window on the breeze as Fugaku slowly stood.
His cold words rang in every Uchiha's ears:
"From today forward, without my direct orders, no Uchiha ninja may leave the compound at will—not even on the Hokage's command..."
The Uchiha and Senju had founded Konoha together with the meaning "though leaves are small, they can provide shade." The Sarutobi, Shimura, Hyuga, Akimichi, Nara, Yamanaka, and other clans had gradually joined the alliance.
But these other families despised the Uchiha's aloof and stubborn nature while fearing the Sharingan's overwhelming power.
Over the years, the Uchiha clan had been gradually pushed out of the power structure. Now they were even threatening clan members' lives. The Sarutobi, Shimura... they had long since betrayed their covenant.
Fugaku slid open the door as night wind struck his face. Standing in the corridor, he looked up to see Konoha's thousands of lights twinkling, children's laughter occasionally drifting to his ears.
His chest felt heavy as he finally released a deep sigh.
---
The Next Day
Konoha, Hokage's Office
"Those Uchiha bastards dare to defy orders!" Danzo's gray-white hair stood on end as his withered fist pounded the desktop with thunderous bangs.
The Third Hokage took a deep draw from his pipe, sparks flickering in the dim light: "Danzo, you've gone... too far recently."
"Have you forgotten the Second Hokage's teachings, Hiruzen!" Danzo's single eye erupted with terrifying ferocity as he stared balefully at his old friend amid the smoke.
The pipe tapped lightly against the desk's edge as Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed: "You're too impatient."
"Your indecisiveness will only destroy Konoha!"
"Do you remember Kagami?" The Third suddenly looked up. "He was also an Uchiha."
Danzo's form stiffened, a flicker of emotion passing through his single eye: "He... was different." Gripping his cane, he turned to leave, his voice cold as ice: "Don't interfere with me. For Konoha's sake, someone must bear the darkness."
"I am the Hokage, Danzo." Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice suddenly became incredibly hard. "Stop with the unnecessary actions."
These words struck Danzo's heart like a kunai.
"Hmph!"
Danzo's cane struck the floor heavily as he pushed through the door without looking back.
The cane echoed dully through the long corridor.
"I am..."
A sickly obstinacy appeared on Danzo's wrinkled face, his cracked lips trembling slightly:
"...Konoha's root."
For Konoha's sake,
Some darkness was necessary.
...
"The shadow clone has dispersed. I must hurry back."
Deep in the night, within a dense forest, a black shadow flitted between treetops. Yu's form suddenly froze—beneath his mask, blood-red pupils flickered with an eerie crimson glow.
That familiar chakra...
"Itachi?"
He immediately changed direction, tree branches snapping crisply beneath his feet.
Recalling Itachi's recent strange behavior, Yu decided to tail him secretly.
Maintaining a thousand-meter distance, he tracked using his Magnetic Field's biological sensing ability.
Itachi's perception was too keen—the slightest carelessness would expose him.
Passing through layers of forest, Itachi suddenly stopped before some ordinary bushes. Under the moonlight, his fingers fluttered like butterflies, forming seals so quickly they left afterimages.
"Earth Style: Hidden Rock Technique!"
Dust swirled.
The ground split open, revealing a deep stone door. Itachi's figure slowly sank into the darkness as the stone door silently closed, as if it had never opened.
"What is this...?"
To uncover the truth, Yu cautiously approached, holding his breath in the shadows two hundred meters away.
He couldn't get any closer...
He had to wait for Itachi to leave before...
Whoosh—
The sound of tearing air suddenly shattered the silence. A kunai shot straight for his throat.
He'd been discovered.
Yu quickly dodged sideways. The kunai grazed his cheek and embedded itself in the tree trunk behind him with a thunk.
"Itachi, you let yourself be followed?" A harsh, cold voice spoke up, like a serpent's hiss.
Under the moonlight, Itachi knelt on one knee: "My negligence, sir."
'Danzo!' Yu's pupils contracted.
Why would ANBU be working with ROOT...
The disappearances... so the village leadership really had given their tacit approval.
"Make up for your failure." Danzo's single eye flashed with cold light. "Since they've discovered this place... they don't need to leave."
Itachi's figure instantly vanished into the night.
The pitch-black forest suddenly erupted with the sharp sound of cutting air. Multiple shuriken spun through the night sky with bone-chilling whistles.
Yu's pupils contracted sharply, every muscle tensing. He dodged repeatedly, barely avoiding this wave of deadly attacks.
Twang—
The trembling sound of taut wire exploded in his ears. Those shuriken that should have flown away strangely reversed course, striking toward his vital points again.
"Damn!"
Yu had no choice but to draw his ninja blade. The blade flashed like lightning as he deflected all the shuriken with a series of dings and clangs.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball!"
Blazing light suddenly illuminated the entire forest. A massive fireball roared forward with world-devouring momentum, its scorching heat causing surrounding trees to begin withering.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
Just as the fireball was about to engulf Yu, a water wall shot up from the ground. The moment water and fire collided, they erupted in a deafening roar as massive amounts of steam instantly spread.
In the dense water mist, only Itachi's pair of Sharingan flickered with dangerous light.
Can't activate my Sharingan... I'll be recognized...
Yu relied purely on his body's instinctive perception of surrounding danger. With water mist everywhere, this was the perfect chance to escape.
"Want to run? Too late."
Danzo's cold voice slithered into his ears like a venomous snake.
"Sealing Technique: Tiger Vision Staring Bullet!"