Chiya stood in front of the abandoned warehouse, his gaze sweeping across the corpses scattered on the ground. A flash of cold light passed through his eyes.
He turned and spoke to the Uchiha members.
"Clean up all the bodies here. Leave no traces behind."
The clan members stepped forward one by one and began handling the scene.
Chiya walked to one side and quickly formed hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In an instant, five shadow clones appeared beside him.
He gave orders in a low, steady voice.
"Each of you go to one of the nearby small towns. Investigate in secret and find out if there are any other leads."
The shadow clones nodded and vanished from the spot.
Once everything was dealt with, Chiya gathered all the clan members and had them sit together in a circle.
He looked around at everyone and began to speak slowly.
"This mission is more complicated than we imagined."
"Based on what we have seen, the ninja who was originally stealing the children was discovered by Iwagakure people, and then we discovered the Iwagakure ninja."
Fugaku frowned and asked.
"If it was not a foreign ninja, then who else would do something like this?"
Fugaku had spoken the question that was on every clan member's mind.
It would have been one thing if this matter involved spies, but what they had found was that the spies were not the ones responsible.
'Not from outside the village. Could it be someone from inside the village?'
"It really was done by certain people inside the village!"
Inside the village?!
Everyone's faces filled with shock.
"Who is so utterly ruthless as to steal children?"
A young Uchiha could not hold back and spoke up.
"Danzo!"
Chiya swept his gaze across the group.
When they heard that name, the crowd immediately broke into an uproar.
Danzo was not a stranger to any of them.
"Danzo?! Is that not a Hokage advisor? How could he?"
"Clan Head, this is no time for jokes. Danzo is still part of the Hokage's side. How could he do something like this!"
"..."
Everyone's faces were filled with disbelief.
None of them had imagined that the person behind all of this was Danzo, a figure within the village itself.
"So what do we do next?"
Fugaku's gaze turned toward Chiya.
The corners of Chiya's mouth lifted slightly, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face.
"This commission asked us to investigate this matter, but now that it involves Danzo, a Hokage advisor, we cannot keep going down the same path and act so recklessly."
'We cannot act recklessly?'
'Are we supposed to pretend we saw nothing and just let Danzo go?'
'Then would that not mean this mission cannot be completed?'
Everyone felt confused in their hearts.
But Chiya was unusually calm.
"If we hand Danzo over to the daimyo of the Land of Fire, it would bring shame upon the village."
"So we can find another way. A way to both punish Danzo and resolve this matter perfectly."
Everyone felt a sense of calm settle over them.
It seemed the Clan Head already had a plan of his own.
"I have a plan, and I need everyone's cooperation."
When the crowd heard this, they all straightened their backs and looked at Chiya with focused eyes.
'As expected of the Clan Head. He has already thought of a solution.'
"First, we need to create a false impression."
Chiya lowered his voice.
"Make Danzo believe that Iwagakure ninja have been active in this area."
"Were the Iwagakure people not all killed by us?"
Fugaku was momentarily confused.
"When away from home, your identity is what you give yourself. Are we not Iwagakure ninja right now?"
A cunning light flashed in Chiya's eyes.
"We also need to plant traces commonly associated with Iwagakure ninja, such as remnants of Earth Release jutsu."
One of the Uchiha's eyes lit up.
"Clan Head, leave that to me! I can perform many of Iwagakure's Earth Release jutsu."
Chiya nodded with approval.
'The Uchiha clan truly produces outstanding talent at every turn.'
"Good. The rest of you will spread out and leave behind signs of Iwagakure ninja activity in the surrounding area. But be careful!"
Everyone acknowledged their orders and moved out quickly.
Chiya then called Fugaku aside.
"I am splitting the team into two groups."
"One group will be led by you. Head toward the border of the Land of Fire and search for Iwagakure ninja."
Chiya spoke with a serious tone.
"Remember, do not engage in conflict. Only find out their positions and movements."
Fugaku responded solemnly.
"Understood!"
"The other group will be led by me. We stay here and wait for Root ninja to arrive."
Chiya's gaze was deep and steady.
"There were signs of Iwagakure ninja activity here before. Danzo will not easily give up on investigating this place. He will definitely send someone to check."
"He will come. There is no doubt about it."
Fugaku looked slightly worried.
"Clan Head, would it not be too dangerous for us to face Root ninja directly?"
Chiya let out a soft laugh.
"Do not worry. I have my own plan."
Seeing that Chiya was fully confident, Fugaku said nothing more. He turned and began arranging the division of the teams.
Shortly after, the group was split into two.
Fugaku led ten elite Uchiha and quietly departed, heading toward the border.
Chiya and the remaining clan members concealed themselves around the area, laid out their traps, and waited silently for the prey to arrive.
...
The night was deep and dark, and thick clouds covered the moonlight.
Three days passed without notice.
Chiya stood high up on a tree trunk. His crimson Sharingan flickered with a cold light in the darkness.
He looked down at the valley below.
There, more than ten Root ninja were moving silently through the terrain. Their dark gray cloaks blended almost completely into the night.
"Everyone, prepare the Transformation Jutsu."
Chiya gave the order in a quiet voice.
The Uchiha ninja beside him quickly formed hand seals. Chakra flowed and shifted, and their forms began to warp and change.
In an instant, the ten elite Uchiha had all taken on the appearances of the Iwagakure ninja from before.
Chiya had also completed his transformation. He now wore a standard Iwagakure flak jacket. His features looked rough and weathered, and on his forehead was an Iwagakure headband.
He touched the exploding tags at his waist that he had prepared before setting out, and a cold smile curved the corner of his mouth.
'I brought a lot of equipment when we set out. I did not expect we would be putting it to use this quickly!'
"Remember, from this point on, we are an Iwagakure pursuit squad."
Chiya gave the reminder in a low voice.
"During combat, use Earth Release and exploding tags as much as possible. The Sharingan and Fire Release must not be exposed under any circumstances."
Everyone nodded in acknowledgment, and their eyes flickered with excitement.
'With this many exploding tags, we do not even need Earth Release. We can just blow everything up to our hearts' content.'
When the Root ninja moved to the center of the valley, the lead Root ninja crouched down and examined the markings on the ground.
Suddenly his pupils contracted. He said in a low voice.
"Earth Release. Could these be Iwagakure ninja?"
Another Root ninja stepped forward quickly and picked up a chakra-residue stone from the ground.
The lead Root ninja stood up, his expression dark and heavy.
"Whatever the case, we must report to Lord Danzo immediately!"
"Yes!"
Just as they were about to leave, Chiya swung his hand sharply.
"Earth Release, Rock Spear Jutsu!"
One of the Uchiha stood at the corner and formed hand seals. Dozens of sharp rock pillars burst out of the ground and instantly pierced through three Root ninja.
"Ambush! Are these Iwagakure people?"
The lead Root ninja roared in a sharp voice.
"Wind Release, Vacuum Wave!"
One of the Root ninja quickly formed hand seals and launched a counterattack.
"Earth Release, Earth Flow Wall!"
A thick wall of earth rose from the ground and blocked every wind blade.
At the same time, a large number of shuriken and kunai rained down from above.
Violent explosions rang out one after another. In the blink of an eye, the Root ninja had suffered heavy casualties.
The surviving Root ninja were alarmed and turned around immediately, fleeing as fast as they could.
A sharp light flashed in Chiya's eyes.
"Give chase! We must find their base!"
'Danzo, I, Uchiha Chiya, have come to pay you a visit. And I brought gifts!!'