Hiruzen felt his thoughts spinning out of control.
He no longer knew who to suspect.
"Someone who can perfectly copy Hizashi's handwriting… and who knows ANBU procedures inside and out…"
"Oh, right, Lord Hokage. One more thing."
The ANBU continued. "The Hyuga clan recently lost a branch family member. Hizashi's son—Hyuga Neji. He disappeared without a trace. No one knows where he went."
"And there's no record of him leaving the village."
Hiruzen's brow furrowed again.
"Neji Hyuga… missing?"
The forged suicide note was still unsolved, and now another disappearance. Hiruzen's head was starting to pound.
If there were any leads, he could at least investigate. But there was nothing.
The only thing he could be certain of was this:
"Someone in this village is deliberately working against me!"
"Not many people have both the motive and the ability to pull something like this off."
"Don't tell me… Danzo again?"
"He's already under house arrest and he's still causing trouble?"
"But Root has been disbanded. The only people Danzo can still use are members of the Shimura clan. Does that mean a lot of the Shimura clan is involved in this plot against me?"
"Is Danzo trying to lead the entire Shimura clan into open rebellion?"
"Just like the Uchiha did?"
Hiruzen's expression darkened.
Then a card was placed in front of him.
"Rasa!"
Hiruzen snatched the card and tore it to shreds with both hands.
"Attack! Send word to Orochimaru—tell him to hit the Sunagakure forces even harder!"
Once the ANBU left, Hiruzen could no longer hold back.
"Rasa, you little bastard! I will kill you!"
"Using this filthy method to disgust me!"
"You're trying to force the entire ninja world to believe I sold Jiraiya out?"
Hiruzen was furious.
What enraged him most was that he understood exactly how popular Ninja Kill had become. Even ordinary civilians played it now.
As long as Ninja Kill existed, the Crippled Jiraiya card would keep spreading.
And so would the rumors that he had betrayed his own student.
Hiruzen already knew how damaging the Minato card had been. And those two abilities hadn't even been aimed directly at him.
This Crippled Jiraiya card was basically screaming accusations at him.
Right now he was still alive and could fight back. But what about after he died?
Ninja Kill would probably last for decades. By then, no one would be left to defend his name. The slander in the game would become accepted fact.
It wouldn't just ruin his legacy. It would stain the entire Sarutobi clan.
"Sunagakure's forces are no joke. Orochimaru alone won't be able to crush them. But who else do I have left that I can actually trust?"
"Who's strong enough?"
Hiruzen refused to use Danzo again.
He no longer trusted the man. Giving Danzo any opportunity was too risky.
Besides, putting Danzo and Orochimaru together would only give them both a chance to scheme.
Name after name flashed through Hiruzen's mind.
Suddenly, one name stood out.
"Uchiha Fugaku…"
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed.
"Uchiha Sangaku was killed by Uchiha Hachidai. Fugaku would never side with Hachidai. Plus his wife is still here in the village."
"His second son, Uchiha Sasuke, was born not long ago."
"Even if I gave Fugaku the chance to leave, he probably wouldn't go."
"There's nowhere safe for him outside."
"And inside the village, there are still things he can't abandon."
"Fugaku's strength is real. He's awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan, excels at genjutsu and Fire Release, and is skilled with all kinds of ninja tools. He doesn't fight often, but he's no weakling."
"Even Minato acknowledged Fugaku's power."
"Not many people earned Minato's respect."
Hiruzen called for an ANBU.
"Go to the Uchiha compound. Tell Uchiha Fugaku to come see me."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
Fugaku arrived shortly after.
"Lord Hokage."
Fugaku's face was calm—almost numb, as if nothing in the world could move him anymore.
"Fugaku. It's been a while. Sit."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage."
Fugaku took the seat Hiruzen indicated.
"Lord Hokage, you called for me. Is there something you need?"
Hiruzen spoke. "I've thought a lot about the Uchiha situation. The way the village has treated you has been… harsh. Even though you're all Uchiha, you're not the same as the ones who left."
"When Uchiha Hachidai and the others rebelled, you didn't support them. You didn't even stand by and watch. You joined the other Leaf shinobi in hunting them down."
"Uchiha Gen… what a waste."
"But at the time, public opinion was against you. The villagers feared and distrusted all Uchiha… and as Hokage, I had to prioritize their feelings first."
"However, enough time has passed now."
"People should have realized by now that the Uchiha still living in Konoha are different from the ones who left."
"So, Fugaku, I'm giving you an opportunity."
"In this upcoming campaign against Sunagakure, you may go to the front lines. You can bring three other Uchiha and form your own squad. This is your chance to prove yourselves."
"As long as you earn merit, the villagers' opinion of you will change."
"I will reward you the same way I reward everyone else."
"Don't disappoint me."
Fugaku froze for a moment.
He hadn't expected to ever be given this kind of freedom again.
But after thinking about it, he realized this wasn't Hiruzen suddenly becoming generous toward the Uchiha. If the old man had truly wanted to show mercy, he would have done so long ago.
Fugaku guessed the truth—the war on the front lines wasn't going well, and Hiruzen needed his strength.
Things must be bad if the village was forced to rely on an Uchiha.
Still, Fugaku forced a look of gratitude onto his face.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage!"
"I swear I will fight with everything I have for the village!"
Hiruzen nodded.
"Go prepare."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
After Fugaku left, Hiruzen turned to the ANBU beside him.
"By the way, what's the name of Fugaku's second son?"
"Lord Hokage, his name is Uchiha Sasuke."
Hiruzen repeated the name slowly.
"Uchiha Sasuke… hmm? Sasuke?"