I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 189 You've kidnapped Sarutobi Shinnosuke!

Leaf.

"What did you say? Sarutobi Shinnosuke is missing? Are you kidding me?!"

In the meeting room, when the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, solemnly announced the news, Danzo was instantly stunned, while Koharu Utatane, standing beside him, exclaimed in disbelief.

Mitokado Homura frowned and said in a deep voice, "Hiruzen, did you investigate properly? Shinnosuke is an elite Jonin, and he's always protected by the Anbu. Even if you did it yourself, you couldn't have done it without making a sound, could you?"

This is the key point. While Sarutobi Shinnosuke might not be strong enough to become Hokage, he was certainly an elite Jonin. Moreover, he was protected 24/7, so how could he possibly have disappeared?

Seeing the expressions on his three old friends' faces, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was also extremely heavy-hearted. After all, the one who had gone missing was his own son. What father wouldn't care about his son?

"This is what came back from the front lines. Three hours after Sarutobi Shinnosuke finished his patrol of the base, the Anbu on duty suddenly found that they could not contact him at all. It was as if he had evaporated into the entire camp. At the same time, when they tracked down the location of his disappearance, they found only some faint traces of battle."

"Judging from the situation, Shinnosuke was taken away with almost no resistance."

After Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed the intelligence from the front lines, Danzo Shimura was bewildered and looked at Sarutobi with suspicion. Could this be some kind of trick? But he still asked the question that had been bothering him.

"Could someone have leaked our whereabouts?" Shimura Danzo still speculated based on the darkest aspects of human nature.

Faced with this question, Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and said, "According to the intelligence from the Anbu, Shinnosuke made the decision to patrol the camp on short notice. There was no leak of information or pre-arranged ambush."

Upon hearing this, Shimura Danzo frowned, a sinister glint appearing in his one exposed eye, and said coldly, "Then there are only two possibilities."

"One possibility is that there is a traitor on the front lines who approaches Shinnosuke unsuspectingly while posing as one of their own, and simultaneously eliminates the guards' ANBU."

When Shimura Danzo was stating his speculation, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu frowned, seemingly wanting to say something, but Danzo simply said coldly, "Poison, genjutsu, or even unknown and strange ninjutsu are all possibilities."

"The second possibility is that an enemy happened to infiltrate the camp and just happened to encounter Sarutobi Shinnosuke. There are too many coincidences involved, and besides, controlling the combat strength of Sarutobi Shinnosuke's group is extremely difficult!"

After stating his two speculations, Danzo Shimura stared at the three men with a gloomy expression, his gaze finally settling on Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Sarutobi, among the personnel on the front lines, the only one with the ability to control Sarutobi Shinnosuke and his group without making a sound is that brat Uchiha Yoru. I suggest Root investigate thoroughly."

"Investigate thoroughly!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said coldly, his face grim as he looked at Danzo Shimura. "Danzo! Also missing are all the elite members of Root from Uzushiogakure and Umeko Sarutobi. I have information that you approved of this."

Faced with Sarutobi's questioning, Shimura Danzo did not back down at all, but directly confronted him, glaring with one eye and coldly snorting, "How dare I disobey the orders of the future Hokage's wife?"

Faced with Shimura Danzo's challenge, Sarutobi Hiruzen coldly replied with a grim expression, "On the day of the incident, Uchiha Yoru was with Tsunade, and the following night they even found the location where they were secretly disrupting the Cloud Ninja."

"The leader of the Cloud Ninja team this time is the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki."

With Hiruzen Sarutobi's statement, Tsunade and Yoru Uchiha had complete alibis, and even the timing didn't match up.

"The disappearance of the frontline commander is a major event, and the deputy commander is secretly carrying out a secret mission. I have ordered Kakashi to act as the frontline commander to stabilize morale, while publicly stating that Sarutobi Shinnosuke is on a secret mission."

Choosing between his son and the village, Hiruzen Sarutobi became the Third Hokage first, and only later a father.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's decisiveness earned the nods of the other three. Hiruzen's ability to remain undeterred by anger also impressed Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane. As high-ranking members of Konoha, they could no longer act recklessly.

"Shin-no-suke is the pillar of the village's younger generation and cannot be allowed to fail. I suggest that Root and Anbu conduct a joint investigation and rescue Shin-no-suke."

Hiruzen Sarutobi fulfilled his duties as Hokage, and Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, who were also advisors, made their own choices.

Having maximized the village's interests, they naturally wanted to help their friend to the best of their ability. Officially, Sarutobi Shinnosuke's rise to power was part of their plan to stabilize Konoha.

While Shimura Danzo was furious at Sarutobi Shinnosuke's disappearance, he was also secretly pleased.

He had prepared a series of backup plans to deal with this junior, but before he could even make a move, the junior was defeated due to his own lack of strength.

That's it?

He was furious that someone had provoked Konoha so much, but he was also secretly pleased that this incident was actually a boon, completely eliminating the other party's chance to become Hokage.

Disappearance means he's still alive. A captured prisoner, returning and immediately becoming Hokage? Who would accept that? Even if it's put off for a few years, it will always be a thorn in our side.

"Danzo! I need the elite forces of Root. Shinnosuke, as the front-line commander, has disappeared without a trace. I suspect this might be a premeditated and planned conspiracy."

Faced with his son's persistent wrath, Hiruzen Sarutobi unleashed his full power, glaring at Danzo Shimura with an imposing presence. His eyes held a blatant warning, as if to say, "Put aside your ulterior motives, or I won't let you off easily."

"Danzo, recently you should keep a close eye on the Land of Wind externally and the Uchiha clan internally. You should also assign two battalions from your Root unit to work with the Anbu to investigate this matter."

Good heavens, they said it required the power of the roots, but it turns out to be like this!

Enough!

Shimura Danzo's eyes widened, and he slammed his fist on the table in anger, shouting, "Monkey, you don't believe me!"

"Danzo! I am the Hokage!"

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who commands respect even without anger, did not tolerate his old buddy this time. Without harming the village's interests, he directly confronted him, all for the sake of his child.

If Danzo were to be put in charge of this matter, some unexpected things might happen, such as the news being spread.

But this is exactly what Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't want to see; neither publicly nor privately, no father wants to see his child humiliated. Moreover, this was the person he considered the most suitable at the moment.

"Sarutobi! You'll regret this!"

Danzo Shimura, as if his secret thoughts had been discovered, slammed his fist on the table in frustration and roared in anger at Hiruzen Sarutobi's warning.

With a bang, the conference room door was slammed shut by Shimura Danzo, and Sarutobi Hiruzen's face was extremely ugly. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, who acted as the mediator between the two, shook their heads and comforted him.

"Hiruzen, since Shinnosuke is missing, that proves there is absolutely no danger."

"That's right, Hiruzen, don't worry too much. Danzo has always been like this. We'll go and have a good talk with him later."

……

Outsiders are unaware of what is happening in Konoha, while on a distant island in the Land of Whirlpools.

Upon receiving the emergency signal secretly transmitted by Shisui, Uchiha Yoru was also somewhat anxious. What on earth had happened that required an emergency signal?

Following the signal's directions, Uchiha Yoru arrived at an abandoned mine on the coast.

He carefully and slowly surveyed his surroundings, confirming there were no traps. However, upon seeing a familiar figure, he immediately asked anxiously, "What happened? Why did you use such an urgent signal? And why are you all here?"

Uchiha Shisui, Hatake Kakashi, and Hyuga Hizashi were all there.

Seeing Uchiha Yoru's tense expression, Uchiha Shisui said in a deep voice, "Brother Yoru, don't panic. Kakashi and Hizashi are using shadow clones, not their real bodies."

"Now that the three of you are all together, I haven't heard of any major battle taking place in the town. What exactly happened?"

Faced with yet another question, Uchiha Yoru was filled with anxiety; he was now completely overwhelmed.

Faced with the choice between Root and the two future Fifth Kage from Sarutobi Umeko's group, he chose the two future Kage, thus revealing his Kaleidoscope Sharingan. He dared to say that once those Root guys returned, the old folks in the village would definitely know.

Therefore, he decided to first develop himself by leveraging the influence, power, and reputation of the two future Kage, and then return to the Uchiha clan to hold a high position and wield power to challenge the old guys in the village's leadership.

The influence of Tsunade, in particular, was absolutely enormous. Who would have thought that another urgent matter would come right afterward, forcing him to secretly hide and barely manage to get here.

"Brother Ye! That!"

Uchiha Shisui hesitated for a moment, but seeing Uchiha Yoru's anxious expression, he gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Brother Yoru, Sarutobi Shinnosuke has gone missing."

"What?!"

Upon hearing this news, Uchiha Yoru showed a look of astonishment. He then looked at the three people in front of him with disbelief, pointing at them.

"You! You didn't do this, did you?!"

Faced with Uchiha Yoru's disbelief, Hatake Kakashi stood speechlessly, while Hyuga Hizashi, with a stern face, continued his report in a deep voice: "Not only Shinnosuke, but also Sarutobi Umeko!"

Pfft!

As soon as Hyuga Hizashi finished speaking, a sudden hook punch struck Shisui directly in the abdomen. Faced with the sudden attack, Shisui did not dodge, and the powerful force made him gag.

Before he could explain, Uchiha Yoru angrily grabbed Shisui by the collar and roared, "I know the side effects of activating the Mangekyou Sharingan, but it's been so long! You're a genius of the Uchiha clan, you're genius Shisui, how could you do this?!"

"Shinnosuke Sarutobi and his wife are the eldest son and daughter-in-law of the three generations of old men. Are you crazy? I've said before that reform requires bloodshed, but your reckless actions will only lead to widespread suffering."

Despite Uchiha Yoru's loud rebuke, Uchiha Shisui smiled.

Uchiha Yoru guessed wrong; he thought it was Shisui who did it.

Just then, the two people beside him rushed forward. Kakashi Hatake said in a hoarse, lifeless voice, "Yoru, it was Shisui and I who did it together."

"You? You all!"

Seeing Kakashi step forward and Hyuga Hizashi nod in agreement, he admitted, "I covered for the two of them in the camp."

Seeing the three of them, Uchiha Yoru was somewhat at a loss. In the end, he looked at the calmest Hatake Kakashi with astonishment.

"Kakashi, you're the calmest one. Tell me, what's going on? I don't believe you guys would attack Sarutobi Shinnosuke for no reason."

However, Kakashi's next words deeply moved Uchiha Yoru.

"We did it, and I killed Sarutobi Umeko."

"What?" Uchiha Yoru always considered himself to be calm in the face of danger, but this time he was really dumbfounded. He had only been gone for a short time, how could everyone have changed so much?

Kakashi, the calmest and most troublesome of them all, actually killed the Third Hokage's eldest daughter-in-law? And they even joined forces to attack Sarutobi Shinnosuke.

Hyuga Hizashi was responsible for creating alibis for the two of them within the camp.

"Ahem, Brother Ye, please listen to us first."

Despite being punched innocently, Uchiha Shisui smiled, happy for his elder brother's reform efforts.

"Brother Ye, this is what happened..."

After Shisui slowly finished recounting the whole story, Uchiha Yoru was truly dumbfounded, staring at the three of them, who all nodded in unison.

"You mean Kakashi accidentally killed Sarutobi Umeko, and then Shisui, you decisively eliminated everyone from Root. At the same time, you also ambushed Sarutobi Shinnosuke."

It all felt like a dream, as if the secret of his awakening of the kaleidoscope had been resolved by sheer chance.

Uchiha Shisui, unaware of this coincidence, instead said with a firm expression, "Brother Night, you said that bloodshed is unavoidable in reforms, but we must do our utmost to control the scope of bloodshed and prevent it from affecting the entire village."

"The root area was a completely inhuman breeding ground. If even one person had slipped through, Kakashi would have been exposed."

Kakashi Hatake, standing to the side, lowered his head in self-reproach and said in a deep voice, "Yoru, I'm sorry."

Kidnapping someone in secret is one thing, but killing them is quite another.

"So, where is Sarutobi Shinnosuke now?"

When Uchiha Yoru understood everything, he rubbed his temples and looked at the three of them, seemingly having inadvertently cleaned up the mess for him.

He risked his life to save two fifth-generation leaders. Could this be the legendary stroke of good fortune?

Otherwise, this is really hard to explain. Coincidence? This is too much of a coincidence.

"Shinnosuke Sarutobi is in the cell inside. His chakra has been sealed, and he is currently unconscious."

Uchiha Yoru walked to the cell window and saw Sarutobi Shinnosuke lying unconscious with his eyes closed through the crack. He immediately frowned.

"You guys! You're all too impulsive."

Turning his head, Uchiha Yoru looked at the three of them, who were pretending to be worried, and said something.

"Shinnosuke Sarutobi is not only the eldest son of the Third Hokage, but also the one chosen by the current high-ranking forces and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio."

"You should also know that only if Sarutobi Shinnosuke goes up can the village remain unchanged and their interests remain unmoved. But you! You kidnapped him. If even a single word of this leaks out, you will face pressure from the entire Konoha leadership."

Is he exaggerating? No, he's telling the truth.

X﹏X Waaah~ Coming to Shanghai for classes is too intense. I have to get up at 6 am every morning to do homework, leave at 8 am, class starts at 9 am, I only have half an hour to eat lunch, and then I do homework, attend classes and research until 8 pm when the school closes.

I still have homework to do when I get home tonight, X﹏X, my brain isn't working properly, I really don't have time to write, so I can only update once a day for the next few days.

(End of this chapter)