When she woke up the next morning, she saw that the other members of her team were free.
"Today we can train if you want," said Kakashi-sensei, noticing that everyone had the day off.
"I have to go see Tsunade-sama."
"I figured. We'll be at the training ground in the meantime," the jonin nodded.
"Yosh! We can finally train together again!" Naruto grinned from ear to ear.
"Hn."
Seina left, grabbing the report one of her clones had made while she was having breakfast. The protocol for jonin was the same as for chunin. Everyone reported to the Hokage during her office hours, or to the mission department when she wasn't available. The reports were then archived by the jonin commander once the Hokage approved and completed the mission. Thus, Seina and the other jonin didn't have to report directly to Shikaku. He would receive the reports from Tsunade-sama and, if necessary, would call them to his office after they finished with the Hokage.
The amusing thing about this detailed process was that Shikaku was the one who recommended missions for the jonin to the Hokage. Tsunade-sama, however, had the final say and was the one who handed out the missions, or the mission department did if she was unavailable, or Shikaku if he officially summoned them to his office. So, the jonin commander was not only aware of all the jonin missions but also advised the Hokage on which missions could be handled by which ninjas since he knew their abilities and availability perfectly.
This saved the Hokage time, allowing her to focus on assigning missions to chunin and genin, managing the village's administration, and handling foreign policies. This process kept the jonin commander informed of everything happening, and he was responsible for more complex A and S rank missions. This meant that both the Hokage and the jonin commander were the essential positions responsible for all the village's shinobi forces, knowing what was happening at all times.
Then there was the anbu commander, who supplemented his military forces with all kinds of ninjas of different ranks. The reports went directly to the Hokage and then to the anbu commander, without passing through the jonin commander. Thus, the archive of these missions was entirely confidential and secret since anbu only answered to the Hokage and other anbu. Unlike the jonin headquarters, no one knew where the anbu headquarters was except its members. Not to mention, it was probably full of traps. Therefore, secret missions were only carried out by anbu. Usually, these were missions they didn't want linked to Konoha, such as assassinations, kidnappings, sabotage, enemy ninja hunts, etc.
"Come in," Tsunade-sama said, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Ah, Seina. I've been expecting you. Yamato told me everything. Good job."
"Here's my report," she said, handing the scroll to Shizune.
"We have a lot of material to study and investigate. More than I could have imagined. It will take us days to sort it all out," Tsunade-sama smiled. "Without you, we wouldn't have succeeded."
Seina said nothing. It might have taken longer, but she wasn't sure all the credit was hers.
"Look at this," the Hokage requested. Shizune handed her some photographs. "Does it look familiar?"
"Yes. It's a lab instrument," she said, taking the photograph. "Is this something we stole from Orochimaru?"
"That's right. Thanks to you bringing back everything from his lab, we've discovered another clue. Take a close look at the instrument."
"It's a modified condenser tube," she thought aloud, noticing it had two cooling coils instead of one, one of them with a blue fluid.
"Exactly. This type of instrument is only made by one company," Tsunade-sama said with a malicious smile. "Now we know Orochimaru buys lab equipment from this manufacturer, so we can go directly to the source."
"With four of his bases destroyed in such a short time, he'll have to contact the manufacturer again," Shizune spoke with enthusiasm. "If we're lucky, the seller might have sent his package to a rendezvous point."
"That means if they have records of their sales, we'll know how many bases he has and where they might be," she thought.
"Exactly. With a bit of luck, Orochimaru hasn't considered that detail and hasn't been cautious enough to have his order sent elsewhere," Tsunade-sama said. "In fact, I've already sent another team to contact the manufacturer. I wouldn't want Orochimaru to think the same and try to cover his tracks."
"What about the ninja bands?" she asked, realizing something. "What about the uniforms, the food, and all that? Someone must be supplying Orochimaru. If he had stolen such a quantity of goods, we would have heard about it. That means he's buying them legally."
"Good point," Tsunade-sama nodded. "Shizune, have them investigate the clothing of the prisoners we have so far. I want to know where it came from."
"Should I also request an investigation into possible metalworking manufacturers?"
"Yes. Everything we can. If we can cross-check the shipping records of each order, we might have the exact locations of Orochimaru's bases."
"What about you-know-who?" she asked, referring to Danzo.
"We'll discuss that this afternoon, along with other matters. Present yourself with Kakashi at 4 p.m. You can go rest now."
"Hai," she accepted the order. She bowed and left.
She went straight home with the hiraishin. The last thing she wanted was to see someone while walking through the village and have to stop and chat. When she entered the training ground, she saw Naruto and Sasuke practicing new jutsus. For a moment, she pitied her average of four new jutsus a week, realizing she was behind her study plan.
"Ah, Seina. Welcome. Here. This one's for you," Kakashi-sensei tossed her the scroll as soon as she walked in.
She glanced at the writing and saw they were fire jutsus. That's how she started training again with her team. She spent the whole morning practicing the new jutsu with her 20 clones. Another 20 clones were set aside to study the dozens of books she had to read for her jonin exam. Luckily, she had already learned many of them to become a tokubetsu jonin, so she knew she had time ahead to study.
"Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku," she chanted for the first time, molding the chakra after the seals.
A true sea of flames shot out of her mouth, covering much of the ground in front of her. Luckily, the inside of the shed was as large as a football field, so no one was hurt. She tried giving it more or less chakra, seeing how she could control the flow of flames.
"Try with my chakra," thought Kurama with some curiosity.
The flames changed color as Kurama's demonic yin chakra empowered them. They became black flames that seemed to have a life of their own. For a second, she thought of fiendfyre but realized that controlling these flames was much easier in comparison. She stopped the flow of chakra, watching the grass heal itself thanks to the runes, and tried another jutsu, molding half her chakra with Kurama's.
"Katon: Goen no Jutsu."
She molded the chakra halfway and saw how the tongue of fire, besides being much more localized and powerful, like a high-pressure water jet, had a black exterior with a reddish interior.
"You're molding Kurama's chakra with yours, right?" asked Kakashi-sensei, watching the tongue of fire with interest. "Very interesting."
"Ugh. How do you get him to listen to you?" asked Naruto, crossing his arms beside her.
"Listen to me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Naru, Kurama is not my slave or subordinate. He's my equal. If you treat your other half like crap, how do you expect him to help you?"
Naruto frowned as he pondered her words.
"I thought you got along with him."
"I do, but... sometimes we fight," her brother confessed. "He complains about being stuck with me, the idiot."
Seina sighed as she listened. She could imagine what had happened because she could sense it thanks to their bond. Naruto was sometimes too impatient, which must have irritated and angered the yang Kurama, who was already one of the most irascible beings she knew. Adding to that, Naruto could be very stubborn and unwilling to compromise... They had the perfect recipe for failure. She had left her brother too alone with his Kurama, perhaps she needed to intervene a bit with the help of the yin Kurama.
"Let me talk to them later," Kurama asked her. "My other half will understand when I show him our relationship."
"I suppose..." she sighed.
"Trust me. Your brother will eventually understand what you know. You have an advantage because of your circumstances."
"Alright. Tonight, I'll open our bond so you can talk to him."
They continued training for a few more hours. She sparred with the team using all her abilities, seeing how she was closing the gap between Kakashi-sensei and herself. Even so, the jonin was clearly a genius in combat. If she ever had a chance to beat him, it would be by "cheating." Kakashi-sensei seemed to notice it too because he smiled in her direction with a competitive gleam she had never seen in his eyes before.
"I think I'll have to start training harder," he said in a playful tone, but she knew he meant it seriously.
"You've all improved a lot," she smiled at Sasuke and Naruto. "I'm 100% sure you'll be promoted this time, as long as you don't mess up by being late..."
"I got it," Sasuke replied, elbowing her in the side.
While eating, after showering, Seina remembered the Hokage's request. Kakashi-sensei nodded thoughtfully. Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke frowned.
"Is it about Danzo?"
"It seems so," she said.
"You'll tell us what happened," Sasuke asked.
"If she can," Kakashi-sensei interjected. "Some things are better left unknown to certain people."
"We'll find out anyway," Naruto rolled his eyes, touching his forehead.
Seina rolled her eyes too at her brother's comment. She could easily keep information hidden if she wanted to. However, she didn't want to argue about Danzo, so she let it go under her master's exasperated gaze. After eating, she headed to the Hokage's tower with Kakashi-sensei. Curiously, Shizune led them to Tsunade-sama's private residence. There, they were greeted by the Hokage, Shikaku, and his teammate Inoichi. Ah, and the hidden anbu commander. She raised an eyebrow in his direction, seeing his golden aura with her spells. Kakashi-sensei glanced at him but ignored him.
"Can you set up some kind of barrier?" her teacher asked. She nodded, using the appropriate spells. "Perfect. Well, we're all here again."
"It's about Danzo, isn't it?" Shikaku asked, then nodded. "There's no other reason for Seina to be here."
"That's right. Though Seina is my apprentice," said the Hokage, with an exasperated tone. "I trust her on these matters. Shizune, can you summarize what we've discovered so far?"
"With permission. Danzo Shimura has been investigated unofficially. The investigation is ongoing and looks like it will take a long time. We started investigating the areas Seina indicated and have verified the presence of several Ne members in the southeast of Konoha. We have trustworthy personnel stationed there and have compiled a list of possible ninjas, which we've cross-checked with ninjas supposedly recruited from different families. So far, we're almost certain that several members are from different clans. Children believed to be dead."
"Many other ninjas seem to be from civilian families or have completely lost their identities. According to statements from Tenzou and Kakashi, who were members of Ne for some time, most of them don't know or remember their own names. It's possible they belonged to a clan. Maybe they were recruits from other countries, kidnapped as children and inducted into Ne. In fact, we're quite sure that most members fit this profile. Clan members seem to be the exception to the rule."
"And where did he get so many children without anyone noticing?" she asked.
"Everything points to an orphanage," Shikaku sighed. "With access to one, he could have taken as many children as he wanted without attracting the parents' attention. For that, he would need the collaboration of at least the orphanage matron."
"Makes sense," the Hokage thought aloud. "Shizune, note it in your agenda."
"It would also be possible for him to have kidnapped children from other countries. Even if the parents looked for their children, here in Konoha we wouldn't be aware of it," said Nara again.
"What else do we know about Danzo?" asked Inoichi, returning to the topic.
"We are still investigating the missing files on the Uchiha clan, but they have completely disappeared. If they still exist, he must have them in his secret base," the Hokage confessed. "Kakashi has been investigating possible Uchiha clan documentation. Thanks to the jutsu Seina used to protect the Uchiha lands, we know that no one has been able to enter, so the complex is intact. If the anbu protected those lands from intruders until the Third's death, then we can tentatively accept that Danzo hasn't been able to obtain anything from the Uchiha."
"I can confirm that an anbu member was stationed at the Uchiha complex continuously until Sasuke Uchiha graduated to genin."
"That means there were a few months when the complex was unprotected," Kakashi-sensei interjected. "Seina didn't use that jutsu until sometime after Sasuke graduated."
"We'll have to make do with what we have," Shikaku said, sighing. "So? What did you find?"
"I'm afraid there are clear indications that the Uchiha were planning a coup. Tsunade-sama is already aware of everything. In summary, thanks to some secret notes and other evidence, I discovered that the Uchiha were unhappy with the way they were treated in the village. The disdainful way some treated them, as well as the fact that the Second Hokage was again a Senju despite the Uchiha being one of the village's founders, led some of its members to rebel against the Third, who didn't address the rumors circulating in the village."
"Rumors that perhaps Danzo himself spread," Tsunade-sama said, frowning at Shikaku, who nodded. "This is getting worse and worse."
"Indeed. Some in the Uchiha clan, however, seemed to remain neutral about what was happening. One of them was Shisui Uchiha."
"Shisui Uchiha was Itachi's second cousin. They were quite close, from what I can remember."
"Perhaps that means Itachi wasn't in agreement either."
"And now comes the worst part," Shizune sighed. "We have found evidence that Orochimaru worked and continues to work with Danzo. At the very least, they are in contact. Danzo provided... specimens to Orochimaru for his experiments. In fact, he provided his secret laboratories here in Konoha before being exiled as a criminal. In the stolen documentation, we found evidence that Orochimaru is obsessed with having a body with a kekkei genkai. He even had plans for when he would take over Itachi Uchiha's body. A plan we believe failed or has yet to be carried out."
"Tenzou is a Senju?" she asked abruptly, having a mix of epiphany and premonition.
"No," the Hokage replied firmly. "Why do you ask?"
"Then how does he have the abilities of Hashirama Senju?"
"Orochimaru kidnapped him shortly after his graduation to genin," Kakashi-sensei, sitting next to her on the sofa, said. "He experimented on him and many other children. Tenzou was the only survivor. He escaped Orochimaru's lab only to be... found and recruited by Danzo in Ne."
"But where did Orochimaru get the genetic material to conduct his experiments?" she asked, realizing they hadn't considered this mystery either.
"..."
"Why do you think he used Hashirama Senju's genetic material?" Shikaku asked, leaning over his seat with a serious expression.
"Because it's the quickest and most reliable option. If he manages to change Tenzou's DNA to have the same DNA as Hashirama Senju, he will have successfully reproduced an extinct kekkei genkai, and Tenzou, by reproducing, will perpetuate Orochimaru's experiment. Additionally, it's easier to conduct an experiment with DNA that already has the necessary genetic information for your research rather than starting from scratch. Moreover, by studying those cells and comparing them with Tenzou's, a successful experiment, Orochimaru would gain much information on how to repeat the process."
"Seina is right," the Hokage said with concern. "Orochimaru would be capable of stealing my grandfather's grave and doing all that."
"No. I don't think it was Orochimaru," she said, realizing what had been bothering her. "I think it was Danzo."
"Explain," the Hokage ordered.
"I don't think Orochimaru had access to certain biological material. Otherwise, why would he need Danzo's help to establish a lab? He could have created one clandestinely in Konoha without assistance, as he has done multiple times with his bases across the continent. I think Danzo was the one who provided him with individuals to experiment on, and above all, Hashirama Senju's genetic material in exchange for something. Perhaps Tenzou didn't escape from Orochimaru but was purposely let go as payment to Danzo... I would investigate the graves of ninjas with kekkei genkai," she said, as another idea occurred to her. "Can the Sharingan be transplanted from a deceased host? What happened to the bodies of the Uchiha clan members?"
"The truth is, I don't have that information," Tsunade-sama replied after exchanging worried looks with Shizune. "We will investigate the graves of the murdered Uchiha clan members and my grandfather to start. If we find anything strange... we will have to investigate the other graves."
"It never occurred to me that Orochimaru used the genetic material of the First," Shikaku thought aloud, more serious and tense than ever, "but it makes a lot of sense. In fact, several theories are now coming to mind."
"Like what?"
"To begin with, the fact that Danzo now has Aburame clan members and Yamanaka clan members in his paramilitary forces, and that he abducted Tenzou, a child with Senju abilities, shows he is very interested in kekkei genkai. Interested enough to approach the clans to try to recruit members personally, even knowing it could reach the Hokage's ears. Maybe he is crazy enough to steal Hashirama Senju's cells. If true, Danzo would be interested in knowing how to reproduce kekkei genkai and would need the help of someone intelligent like Orochimaru, whom he could also use as a scapegoat if things went wrong. For Danzo, having Orochimaru reproduce a kekkei genkai, even if only one, would be very beneficial since he would have plenty of subjects available to test a new kekkei genkai if he really used orphanages to supply his ranks. If it failed, well, he just needed to exile Orochimaru from Konoha as the criminal he is. Which happened."
"Then it wouldn't matter if they were civilian orphans. If he could introduce my grandfather's kekkei genkai to them... He would have a potential army with a kekkei genkai powerful enough to control a bijuu."
"Exactly. Moreover, I think Danzo had an Uchiha in his forces. If he was the one who created the conflict with the Uchiha, he would have needed someone inside to provide information on what they planned to do to act accordingly," Shikaku continued. "Actually, it doesn't matter if he was or wasn't the creator of the conflict. In any situation, for Danzo, it was necessary to have a mole. Also, we have known for some time that Danzo didn't like the Uchiha very much. Probably out of envy and fear. He even instigated the council's move to seize Sasuke's lands. However, he is interested in kekkei genkai..."
"Are you suggesting that Danzo orchestrated all this to get rid of the Uchiha while obtaining a few Sharingan?" Inoichi asked, horrified.
"Think about it, Inoichi. He has a bunch of children without parents, without a clan, without anyone to claim them, and on the other hand, he has several kekkei genkai that he can... arm in these children like toys with extra accessories. Danzo could be building an army to his liking. And I mean that literally."
"This is more serious than we thought," the Hokage finally said. "The problem is that we have no idea of Danzo's actual numbers. If we rise against him, he might overpower us. Even more so when he possibly has ninjas with different stolen kekkei genkai."
"I would start by looking into the First Hokage's grave," Shikaku recommended. "What Seina says makes a lot of sense. Tenzou has your grandfather's kekkei genkai. That should be enough to investigate the body, and it shouldn't attract attention if we do it discreetly."
"We'd better reinforce the security of the Hokage Tower first. Every nook and cranny," the anbu said, speaking for the first time in a long while. "The last thing we need is for Danzo to have the slightest idea that we're after him."
"Seina? Could you do something like that in my office with your powers?" her teacher asked.
"I could. I would have to think about how to do it without excluding the anbu guard, but it's feasible."
"Perfect. Let's move on to the next item on the list," the Hokage said. "Itachi Uchiha. Go ahead, Kakashi."
"After reflecting on what happened thanks to Seina and Sasuke, it was evident that something strange was happening. I found plans for the coup d'état in the Uchiha complex, as I mentioned, but also the wooden copy of the Uchiha sacred tablet. It is a very old and private relic, so I will only mention one of the points inscribed on the tablet: to obtain the mangekyo sharingan, one must witness the death of their best friend or closest person. I achieved this type of evolution by witnessing... Obito's death. Itachi, according to the writings I found in Fugaku Uchiha's private and secret office, developed it through Shisui's suicide."
"You mean he saw him die? It was assumed that Shisui's body was never found."
"Fugaku didn't say it explicitly, but it's implied. Shisui had nothing of value in his house. No documents or any kind of evidence. The house was clean. Consciously," his teacher emphasized. "I think it wasn't a suicide but something premeditated. It happened a couple of weeks before the massacre, so it might be related to the coup. On the other hand, I have investigated the multiple crime scenes. Whoever did it was very good. They left no trace in the bloodstains on the floor, walls, or furniture. Even so, I have made a diagram of how it seems everything happened.
>> I am quite sure that there are two starting points for the attack. It's clear that some defended themselves while others fled. This is very important because the blood of those who fled shows they were attacked from behind, at different points in the complex. If only one person had attacked, people would have fled in one direction, but the directions of the two attacks are opposite."
"Which means that either there were two attackers killing simultaneously, or Itachi played with them, appearing in front of them as they fled and making them change direction before attacking them again from behind..." muttered the anbu.
"Exactly. I have also studied the bloodstains and matched the number of stains that seem to belong to a single victim with the number of dead listed on the Uchiha family tombstones. According to the record, 63 people died, including both ninjas and civilians from the clan. The numbers match. Then I investigated the time Itachi went missing before and after the crime. Considering Sasuke's memories, we know the exact time he killed his parents, who were his last victims. So, Itachi must have killed 63 people, of which only 15 were civilians, in approximately 45 minutes. Of the 48 ninjas he killed, only a third did not have the sharingan, and of those 48 ninjas, only 12 were genin or academy students."
"With those numbers, it's very hard to think there wasn't any resistance."
"In fact, the number of people who fled and were killed from behind only rises to 8. While the other 7 died cornered in their homes. This means that the Uchiha clan ninjas didn't run away, so it would be logical to think they resisted. As much as they could at least..."
"In other words, we are almost sure he wasn't alone," muttered Inoichi.
"Exactly, but all the Uchiha except Itachi and Sasuke, and that fake Madara we don't know who he is, are officially dead, so it's difficult to deduce who the other attacker is."
"This gives more weight to the theory that Itachi is innocent," said Tsunade-sama with an expression of irritation at how they had failed a 13-year-old teenager. "Even so, it can't be ruled out that it was simply an ally of his and that he just wanted to get rid of everyone."
"That hypothesis doesn't make much sense," Shikaku disagreed. "Otherwise, it would be more logical for him to have killed his brother. Moreover, after listening to Kakashi the last time Itachi attacked him within the village, I must agree with him in saying that it's very strange he let himself be seen. Everything points to him doing it on purpose. Itachi was an anbu. He's an elite ninja. He could have gone unnoticed if he wanted to. If we go with the hypothesis that Danzo is involved in all this and that the Third, in some way, protected Sasuke from Danzo... it wouldn't be far-fetched for Itachi to approach the village once he learned of the Third Hokage's death to see how his brother was faring without the Hokage's protection."
"That means we must find some proof linking Danzo to this whole mess. Did you find anything else of value in the Uchiha complex, Kakashi?"
"I'm afraid not. All useful documentation, which was very little, didn't talk about the Uchiha's plans. There's even less information in the old Uchiha police headquarters, as expected. If there ever was any, it's already been taken."
"I don't think so. Obviously, they wouldn't leave anything incriminating in a public place," Shikaku nodded, stretching his neck from the tension. "Well. You've found quite a bit of useful information."
"We need to know who the second possible attacker was," said the anbu commander. "At that time, we didn't lose any other ninja to exile, so we have a hole in our defenses."
"I know..." sighed the Hokage, leaning on one hand with fatigue.
"Permission to open Hashirama-sama's tomb, Hokage-sama?" requested the anbu.
"Do it personally. Bring my grandfather's body here. Shizune will prepare an autopsy room in secret. Meanwhile... we need to capture one of Ne's ninjas alive, fake his death, and prepare a cell for his interrogation. Also in secret. We will keep him alive as long as it takes until we manage to break the seal Tenzou talked about. Kakashi, you will be in charge of capturing him. Until further notice, you will stay in the village waiting for one of them to secretly leave Konoha to carry out a mission for Danzo. Be ready to leave at any moment. I will send a letter to Jiraiya to return to the village as soon as we have the prisoner."
Kakashi-sensei nodded beside her. Tsunade-sama glanced at the others, one by one.
"For now, there's not much more to do regarding Danzo. We don't want to alert him that we're on his trail, so we'll act slowly. Back to Orochimaru. Inoichi, you take care of the interrogation of the prisoners captured by Tenzou's team at the base in the Land of Ice. Shikaku-"
"I know. I will try to find his bases indirectly with what we have."
"Very well. You're up, Seina," she said with another sigh. "I think what I'm going to ask you is the riskiest of all. I want a map of Danzo's base and a number of how many members he has. If possible, their faces, a locator... whatever you can."
Seina noticed Kakashi-sensei's leg tense beside her for a second, but then it relaxed. She nodded at the Hokage. She could do it perfectly without entering the base.
"Then, if everyone is clear on what they have to do... You may leave."