Half a month had passed.
"Hokage-sama, you summoned me!" Naoya Shimura entered the Hokage's office, his expression clouded with frustration.
Over the past two weeks, no trace of a force targeting the Shimura family had been found. When he received the summons from the Third Hokage, he had a feeling about what the discussion would entail.
"Yes," the Third Hokage replied calmly, his eyes scanning Shimura Naoya. "In the past half month, two teams of ANBU have been following Shimura clan members on missions, but they have found no evidence of any forces targeting your clan."
Shimura Naoya remained silent, awaiting the inevitable conclusion.
"I've decided to withdraw these two ANBU teams," the Third Hokage continued. "Do you have any objections?"
Shimura Naoya shook his head. "None."
The Hokage raised an eyebrow at the ease of his agreement. He had expected a debate, perhaps a plea for extended protection, but Shimura Naoya had accepted the decision without protest.
"If there's nothing else, you may leave," the Hokage said, dismissing him with a wave.
Bowing, Naoya Shimura left the Hokage's office, descended the stairs of the Hokage Building, and returned to the Shimura compound.
"Could my assumption have been wrong?" he thought, pacing his study. Despite his initial certainty, the lack of evidence over the past two weeks made him question his theory.
"If my speculation was wrong, then were those deaths truly just accidents?" he murmured, frowning. The death of Shimura Tomohisa in particular weighed heavily on his mind. Could it really have been a mere coincidence?
Another possibility occurred to him: "Did the hidden forces discover the presence of the ANBU surveillance and choose to lay low?"
He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "The ANBU teams sent by the Hokage included sensory ninjas. Could these hidden forces have detected them without being noticed themselves?"
He dismissed the idea almost as quickly as it came. Such a scenario was highly unlikely given the elite nature of the ANBU operatives. After cycling through various theories in his mind and finding none satisfactory, Shimura Naoya sighed and decided to let the matter rest—for now.
At Nanga Shrine, a high-level Uchiha clan meeting was taking place. Present were Uchiha Fugaku, the three elders—Uchiha Setsuna, Uchiha Shou, and Uchiha Tsukasa—and four elite jonin: Uchiha Atsuko, Uchiha Min, Uchiha Yaowei, and Uchiha Hoshi. Uchiha Shiro, who had recently returned from a secret base, was also present. Uchiha Huang had been sent to take over Shiro's previous post.
"The ANBU teams have been withdrawn," Uchiha Fugaku announced.
The patrols of the Guard Department had spotted the two returning ANBU teams, confirming the Hokage's decision to pull back surveillance.
"Does this mean we can resume our actions against the Shimura family?" Uchiha Atsuko asked, her tone eager.
"Not immediately," Fugaku cautioned. "It's possible that the withdrawal is a ruse and that they are continuing their surveillance in secret. We need to wait and confirm that there are no ANBU ninjas tailing Shimura clan members before we act."
"That makes sense," Uchiha Shou agreed. "The Shimura family and the Third Hokage's faction became suspicious because we acted too frequently before. Even though we disguised every attack as an accident, it still drew their attention."
"We were indeed too hasty," Fugaku admitted. "It's fortunate I was the one who encountered the ANBU teams. If any of you had, you might have fallen into their trap. Not only would it have exposed our actions against the Shimura family, but it could have endangered your lives as well."
Uchiha Atsuko, Uchiha Min, and Uchiha Yaowei nodded solemnly. They understood the risks they had taken and were grateful for Fugaku's foresight.
"Once we are certain the ANBU are no longer monitoring Shimura clan members, we can resume our operations," Fugaku continued. "But this time, we must significantly reduce the frequency of our actions. The deaths must appear as natural as possible, without raising suspicions."
The room fell silent as the implications of Fugaku's strategy sank in.
"That approach will take far too long to destroy the Shimura family," Uchiha Setsuna complained, his voice tinged with frustration. "I want them wiped out as soon as possible!"
Fugaku met the elder's glare with a calm but firm expression. "The Shimura family is no longer a significant threat to us. What's most pressing now is addressing the Third Hokage's faction."
The mention of the Third Hokage brought a collective chill to the room.
Fugaku's tone grew colder. "The Third Hokage's attempt to remove me from Konoha under the guise of pursuing Orochimaru cannot be ignored. We must deal with his faction before they take further action against us."
"Then we must first eliminate the traitor Uchiha Shisui," Uchiha Tsukasa said, her voice resolute. "He is one of the Third Hokage's most trusted allies."
"Agreed," Fugaku said, his voice carrying an edge of finality. "It's time we dealt with Shisui once and for all."
(End of this chapter)
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