Chapter 146: A Mysterious Enemy; Tobirama Faces Mito's Surveillance
Uchiha District. Inside Isshin's Private Attic.
Uchiha Yashiro sat slumped on a stool, his face ashen, looking like a man whose
soul had been hollowed out. Before him stood the three men who currently steered
the Uchiha's destiny: Isshin, Fugaku, and Seisui (Tobirama).
The momentum from Seisui's impeachment of Danzo had only just begun to
stabilize. Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't dismissed Seisui for his "unprofessional"
public display; instead, he had authorized a village-wide "Sentiment Audit,"
effectively putting Danzo under a microscope.
But the Uchiha had immediately fumbled their own "Performance Review."
At this critical juncture, they had committed a catastrophic error. A faction of
Fire Country nobles had already issued a scathing condemnation. The Rock, Sand,
and Cloud villages had jumped on the opportunity, claiming Konoha's shinobi had
lost their "Reliability Metric" and were a disgrace to the
profession—conveniently suggesting that international clients should shift their
"Security Contracts" to them instead.
Even the isolationist Mist Village sent a backhanded message, mockingly
suggesting the Hokage "tighten the leash" on his "soft" subordinates. The Third
Mizukage was reportedly delighted; to him, this failure proved the necessity of
the "Blood Mist" brutality.
"Tell us everything," Isshin said, his voice cold and heavy. "From the
beginning. No 'Strategic Omissions.' Every detail."
Yashiro lowered his head, his hands trembling. "I was on an S-Rank Escort for
the Imperial Bronze Mirror with Umino Ikkaku and Funano Daikoku. I wanted to
give them a 'High-Value' mission to boost their resumes before they transitioned
to Academy teaching roles. I didn't expect an interception... especially not
from someone that strong."
Yashiro's grip on his face tightened. "The enemy attacked. Ikkaku and Daikoku
were guarding the Mirror, but they were about to be killed. I... I prioritized
their survival. I moved to save them, and by the time I recovered, the Mirror
was slag. The enemy vanished."
"I don't know who it was," Yashiro continued, his voice breaking. "We fought
with everything we had, but we couldn't even touch his shadow. He toyed with us
like a cat with a mouse for half the day. He didn't use a single Ninjutsu or
Genjutsu. No signature style. Just pure, overwhelming Taijutsu and tools...
until he finished the job with a basic Fire Style."
Isshin's brow furrowed. "You're saying an enemy with Kage-level 'Combat Metrics'
intercepted you, toyed with you, and then left without taking a single life? And
you didn't see a single 'Signature Technique'?"
"He didn't even leave a scratch on us," Fugaku added, his tone sharp. "Tell the
truth, Yashiro! If this was 'Operational Negligence' that led to the Mirror's
destruction, admit it now. Between the Yamanaka clan and Mito-sama, no one can
hide the truth."
"I KNOW!" Yashiro shouted, his eyes wide with desperation. "I know how it
sounds! My Genjutsu hit him, but it was like it was 'Buffer-Overflowed'—it had
zero effect. His speed and reaction time were beyond anything I've seen. He read
every move I made before I made it."
Tobirama (as Seisui) listened in silence, the gears of a "Hidden Hand"
strategist turning in his head. If this enemy truly exists, he possesses
Kage-level stats and a total mastery of Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and Ninjutsu. But
he's hiding his 'Code.'
"Even a Kage—the Raikage or Tsuchikage—would reveal something of their style in
a fight with a three-tomoe Uchiha," Tobirama mused. "To fight that long and
remain anonymous is a 'Dimensional Strike' of its own. This was a targeted
sabotage of the Uchiha's 'Brand Value'."
"I suspect Danzo," Isshin muttered, rubbing his temples. "He has the motive. The
timing is too perfect. Root is about to be dismantled, so he creates a crisis to
prove that 'Mission-First' ideology is necessary."
"The Assistant is a master of Wind Style and Seals," Tobirama countered calmly.
"Even if his Taijutsu is superior to Yashiro's, he doesn't have the 'Processing
Speed' to toy with a three-tomoe elite for hours without slipping up. Unless
he's had a massive 'System Upgrade' recently, it's not him."
Fugaku blinked. "Then who? Is there even a shinobi in Konoha with that profile?
Minato said the Prophet-Teacher's Taijutsu is—"
Smack!
Isshin slapped Fugaku across the face. "Are you suggesting the Hokage sabotaged
his own 'Kingdom Building' project? If the Prophet-Teacher wanted the Uchiha
gone, he wouldn't need a broken mirror to do it."
Fugaku looked dazed but didn't protest. "I was just... analyzing the 'Metrics,'
Elder."
Tobirama felt a headache coming on. He didn't care about the mirror; he cared
about the investigation.
"Isshin," Tobirama said, "if the village elders and Mito-sama get involved,
they're going to look into everything. They might suspect that the 'Ancestral
Miracle'—the spirit of Izuna—is the one who orchestrated this to sow discord."
Isshin looked at Seisui with concern. "I know. That's why you need to prepare
yourself. Mito Uzumaki's 'God's Eye' perception is essentially a 'Hard-Drive
Search.' If she audits your mind, we need to make sure the 'Izuna' presence is
properly walled off."
Tobirama felt a surge of genuine annoyance. He had planned to集 (collect) the
achievement of "Fooling Mito Uzumaki" by slowly building Hiruzen's trust. But
now? He was facing a forced "System Audit" before he was ready.
If Mito scans me, she's going to find the Izuna/Tobirama 'Dual-Core' setup,
Tobirama thought. I might be re-monitored. How did I end up under surveillance
again in my second life?
A knock at the door interrupted them. Isshin reinforced the barrier before
opening the door.
Standing there was a shinobi wearing a dark trench coat and a mask—but not a
standard Anbu mask. It was the "New Root" uniform.
"By order of the Hokage," the man said, revealing himself as Aburame Tatsuma.
"High Commissioner Isshin, you are to ensure Uchiha Yashiro does not attempt
'Forced Deletion'—no suicide. The truth must be verified. We have already
secured the other two witnesses."
"I am from the Konoha High Commission: Internal Security Bureau—the reformed
Root. The official restructuring will be announced after this crisis is
resolved."
Isshin was stunned. Hiruzen had already re-established Root under his own direct
control? And he had predicted the Uchiha's "Extreme" urge to commit suicide to
preserve "Face"?
Tatsuma nodded and vanished into a swarm of insects.
"The Prophet-Teacher was steps ahead of us," Tobirama noted. "He's already
handled the Root legacy. He's letting the 'Sentiment Poll' continue just to give
Danzo a public lesson in 'Human Relations'."
Isshin sighed. "Seisui, the Prophet-Teacher is calling for a High Commission
meeting. How should I play this?"
"Don't back down on Danzo," Tobirama said firmly. "Separate the two issues.
Yashiro's failure is a 'Military Metric' error. Danzo's corruption is an
'Ethical Governance' error. We cannot let the reforms go into 'Reverse Gear'
just because of a broken mirror."
Three days later, the tension in the village was a tightly wound spring. The
different ideological factions were clashing in the streets—some demanding a
return to "Root-style" discipline, others demanding more Uchiha accountability.
Everyone was looking toward the Hokage Building. They were waiting for the
Prophet-Teacher to issue a "Definitive Decree" to resolve the chaos.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't in a hurry. As a "Balanced Master," he knew when to
let the "Market" fluctuate. He needed to let the "Conflict Metrics" peak before
he stepped in to provide the solution.
He just needed to wait for one more piece of data to fall into place.
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you