"Can't go back to the Merchant Association right away, we need to wait for a bit."
Uchiha Fūrin frowned and thought deeply as he watched the genjutsu woman and Sarutobi Eisuke leave. He then left the alleyway.
This matter must be reported to the Merchant Association leader!
If it's true that Lord Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen is planning to make a move against them, things might get even more troublesome.
Are they really planning to strike against us, the Uchiha?
Sarutobi Eisuke returned outside the Merchant Association with his team, constantly watching for anyone coming out of the Merchant Association.
If he saw anyone traveling with Uchiha Genya, they would follow them.
The genjutsu ninja would then take action and question them.
They questioned several people, but all of their answers were the same as what Uchiha Fūrin had said. These people had never seen members of the Sarutobi clan, nor had they been attacked by anyone!
Could it be that Sarutobi Natsu's group really went missing?
Or maybe Sarutobi Natsu ran into trouble and couldn't return?
There aren't many ninjas in the world who could wipe out over a dozen Jonin all at once. It must be a Kage-level ninja!
"Eisuke-sama, should we continue asking?" The genjutsu woman asked, her face showing signs of exhaustion, likely due to the use of her genjutsu.
Genjutsu is extremely draining on mental energy!
"No need. You've asked so many people, and nothing's come up. That probably means they really haven't encountered Sarutobi Natsu and his group!" Sarutobi Eisuke rubbed his swollen forehead, but a surge of frustration filled his chest, unable to be released.
If they can't find any information about Sarutobi Natsu and those elite ninjas from the clan, Sarutobi Hiruzen would surely get furious, and in the end, he would take his anger out on Eisuke.
"You send people to check the places where the attacks occurred and look for any clues!" Sarutobi Eisuke looked at the person monitoring the Uchiha Police Force and continued, "If there's any news, report back immediately!"
"Yes!" The person nodded but then added, "What about the surveillance of the Uchiha Merchant Association?"
"There are already enough people keeping an eye on them. You're not needed for that!" Sarutobi Eisuke shook his head, signaling the person to do as instructed.
Soon after, the person left to carry out Eisuke's orders.
Not long after that person left, Uchiha Fūrin, who had previously left, returned to the Uchiha Merchant Association. After entering, he just chatted for a while before heading to the Uchiha Kinya's office.
"Lord Eisuke, that Uchiha Chunin just came back again!" The Genjutsu woman frowned and spoke to Sarutobi Eisuke.
"This is their headquarters, so it's normal for them to come back!" Sarutobi Eisuke wasn't concerned about this and waved his hand, signaling for everyone to fall back.
There was no need for them to continue monitoring the Uchiha Police Force since no more information could be obtained.
Perhaps, as he suspected, Sarutobi Natsu and the others encountered something urgent and had to leave for another mission. They would return soon enough.
Sarutobi Eisuke led the Genjutsu ninja away. They hadn't gathered any useful information from the Uchiha side.
Uchiha Kinya's Office.
Uchiha Shin, Genya, and Uchiha Kinya were all there. Now that they knew Sarutobi Hiruzen planned to target the Uchiha clan, they were discussing how to respond in the future.
Genya was standing nearby, listening, and occasionally, they would look at him to ask for his opinion. Clearly, Genya had gained an unshakable position in their minds.
Recently, Genya had been involved in many decisions.
They ultimately decided to pretend they didn't know anything, quietly bide their time, and avoid showing their strength. They planned to wait until the Uchiha could resist attacks from other nations, at least having an undefeatable force to deter everyone.
Otherwise, someone might try to take advantage of the Uchiha.
"President." Just as they finished their discussion, Uchiha Fūrin knocked on the door.
After Uchiha Kinya invited him in, they all looked at him curiously, wondering why he had come. Eventually, Uchiha Shin spoke, "Fūrin, is there something you need? You just finished an escort mission, so you can take a break for a few days."
"President, Captain," Uchiha Fūrin said seriously, looking at the two. "On my way back, I was caught in a Genjutsu!"
Uchiha Kinya, Genya, and the others exchanged glances, but none of them spoke. They waited for Uchiha Fūrin to continue.
Uchiha Fūrin then recounted what had just happened, explaining how the Genjutsu woman used her techniques on him. He focused on mentioning Sarutobi Eisuke and the Sarutobi clan's plan to attack them, but that the operatives had gone missing.
The more he spoke, the more agitated he became. His eyes opened wide in anger, and three tomoe spun in his pupils. "President, if those who attacked us hadn't disappeared, we would've likely perished outside!"
His face was filled with fury.
Originally, he had no good feelings toward the Third Hokage, but now, after hearing this news, he harbors nothing but hatred for the Hokage and the Sarutobi clan!
If they want to kill them, they will have to face the anger of the Uchiha clan!
"Heh, looks like the Sarutobi clan has started investigating the truth behind the disappearance of their people?" Uchiha Kinya sneered coldly, though he was curious about how Uchiha Fūrin could break the genjutsu.
"President, you already know? Are those missing ninjas from the Sarutobi clan..." Uchiha Fūrin was shocked, his eyes showing a hint of realization, as if he had guessed something.
"They're not wrong. The ninjas from the Sarutobi clan—we killed them!" After confirming with Uchiha Shin and Genya, Uchiha Kinya nodded and said.
Of course, he didn't say exactly how they had killed the Jonins, just admitting that they had done so. After all, the fewer details known about some things, the better!
"Really killed them?" Uchiha Fūrin was shocked. He never imagined that the ninjas sent to attack them were all killed. He had heard those ninjas were Jonins, the elite of the Sarutobi clan!
"They tried to kill us, so we fought back!" Uchiha Shin nodded and responded.
Uchiha Fūrin's heart was conflicted. It seemed that the war between their clan and the Hokage's side had already begun.
"President, the questions I answered won't affect the Merchant Association, right? I heard they still want to ask some of the other team members!"
"Fūrin, did you say anything else?" Uchiha Kinya asked as well.
"No, they only asked if we encountered any threats during the escort mission." Uchiha Fūrin quickly answered, "I just told them the truth. We only ran into one group of bandits, and Lord Shin drove them away!"
"If that's the case, they won't find any weaknesses!" Uchiha Shin nodded, while looking at Genya with admiration.
Genya's guess was right—once their people returned to Konoha, someone would try to extract information from them!
Uchiha Fūrin, still feeling a little confused by their vague responses, anxiously muttered, "President, we shouldn't rely on Konoha anymore. They're targeting the Uchiha clan —how about we just leave Konoha?"
"Once we leave Konoha, we won't have to put up with their nonsense!"
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