Inside the Hokage's Office, the Third Hokage paced back and forth, his brows deeply furrowed.
Too much time had passed, yet there was still no word from Shisui and his team.
A deep sense of unease gnawed at him.
"Did the mission fail? No, that's impossible! With Shisui's strength, that shouldn't happen!"
Uchiha Shisui, wielding the Mangekyō Sharingan, possessed power surpassing that of an average Kage.
Even the Third Hokage himself wasn't sure he could defeat him in a one-on-one battle.
So how could Shisui possibly fail?
According to his calculations, Shisui should have confronted Fugaku, completed the mission, and sent back a report by now.
Yet, there was only silence.
This silence was unsettling.
"Could Fugaku have anticipated this? Did he set up an ambush using the Uchiha's elite forces?"
His expression darkened at the thought.
It was exactly how Fugaku had outmaneuvered Danzo in the Land of Rice.
Back then, Fugaku had sensed the threat and deployed Uchiha elites in secret, turning Danzo's ambush into a failure.
Had he done the same thing now?
Had he somehow anticipated that Shisui would act against him and mobilized Uchiha forces for an ambush?
The mere possibility made the Third Hokage's unease grow.
"No… I need confirmation."
He immediately called out to the ANBU stationed outside his office.
"Send word to the ANBU monitoring the Uchiha clan. I want a full report—have there been any unusual movements? Did a large number of Uchiha leave the village? Especially any elite jōnin?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
One of the ANBU immediately vanished to relay the order.
A short while later, the ANBU returned.
After knocking once, he stepped into the Hokage's Office.
"Report!"
The Third Hokage's voice was tense.
"Hokage-sama, there are no unusual movements within the Uchiha Clan. Some members have left the village, but all appear to be carrying out regular mission assignments. Furthermore, all known elite jōnin, including Uchiha Hoshi, remain inside the village."
Hearing this, the Third Hokage exhaled slightly, feeling a small relief.
However, this only made the situation more confusing.
If the Uchiha clan hadn't deployed any elite forces, then Shisui should have succeeded.
Yet, no report had arrived.
"Something… has happened."
His expression turned grave.
There had to be an unforeseen development, preventing Shisui from reporting back.
"I have no choice. I must send out a search team."
He turned to the ANBU.
"Deploy three ANBU teams skilled in tracking. Have them search along the route toward the Daimyo Prefecture. Their objective is to locate the Crow Team and confirm their status."
"Understood!"
The ANBU ninja disappeared, relaying the orders to the ANBU base beneath the Hokage Building.
Soon, three ANBU tracking teams—nine operatives in total—departed the village, moving swiftly in the direction of Daimyo Prefecture.
A Few Hours Later
One of the search teams arrived at a clearing—the site where Fugaku and Shisui had battled.
The team immediately stopped, their expressions serious.
"There was a battle here."
The landscape before them was unnatural.
Even though Fugaku and his forces had erased much of the evidence, they couldn't fully restore the site.
Though ice had melted, and bones had been removed, the damage was still apparent.
The ground had been torn apart.
Trees had been leveled, boulders shattered, and the very earth itself was scarred.
This place had been a battlefield.
A middle-aged female ANBU, scanning the scene, spoke grimly.
"The scale of destruction suggests two possibilities—either the combatants were extraordinarily powerful… or an entire army fought here."
A second ANBU, wearing a bull-faced mask, crouched and picked up a handful of soil.
After sniffing it briefly, he murmured,
"Fresh. This battle happened within the last six hours."
The third ANBU, wearing a horse-face mask, folded his arms.
"This location aligns with the path toward Daimyo Prefecture…"
His voice dropped.
"And no report has come from Team Crow."
The words hung in the air like a death sentence.
A heavy silence settled over them.
"Then… the Crow Team is likely…"
The bull-faced ANBU hesitated, before finishing his sentence in a low voice.
"...Completely wiped out."
The words felt unreal.
The Crow Team—led by Uchiha Shisui, one of the strongest shinobi in the village—destroyed?
"Impossible!" the bull-faced ANBU protested.
"Shisui's team was elite! Every member was jōnin-level, and Shisui himself was stronger than most Kage! How could they be destroyed without even sending a report?!"
"I don't want to believe it either," the horse-masked ANBU responded coldly, "but based on the evidence, this is the most logical conclusion."
The female ANBU leader sighed heavily.
"Send a message back to the Hokage. He needs to know immediately."
A carrier hawk was released into the air.
As it soared above the treetops, it locked onto its direction and sped toward Konoha.
Meanwhile, in Daimyo Prefecture
Far away from Konoha, Fugaku, Hoshi, and Shiro arrived at Daimyo Prefecture.
To maintain appearances, they visited the Iwai Clan, a noble family with government influence.
Although this visit was merely a cover for luring out Shisui, the Uchiha Clan had indeed received an invitation from the Iwai family.
Under normal circumstances, Fugaku would have sent a representative.
But this time, he had come personally—not only to execute his plan, but also to strengthen ties with powerful allies.
"Fugaku-sama, welcome!"
A portly, middle-aged man with a warm smile greeted them at the gates.
He was Iwai Yoichi, the head of the Iwai Clan, a highly influential family within the Fire Nation's government.
Upon learning that Uchiha Fugaku himself had come, Yoichi was visibly honored.
"Chief Iwai, it has been many years!" Fugaku greeted, his tone friendly.
Though the Iwai family weren't shinobi, they held considerable political power.
Many of their relatives served in high-ranking government positions.
Maintaining a strong relationship with them would be beneficial for Fugaku's future ambitions as Hokage.
"Yes, indeed! It has been far too long. Please, come in!"
Iwai Yoichi personally led the way, his manner eager.
For his family, forging closer ties with the Uchiha Clan—the strongest ninja clan in the Fire Nation—was an opportunity they could not afford to miss.
(End of this chapter)
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