Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Zongxian was also stunned. "Researching forbidden techniques? Is this intelligence obtained by the Dark Division? So the Dark Division has been investigating this case?"

"No, um, Zongxian, wait a minute, how did the Anbu get involved again?" Akimichi Torifu pinched his temples hard to clear his head and asked again, "Wasn't this missing persons case something about someone researching forbidden techniques that you discovered? I thought it was another Orochimaru case! Also, let me clarify, I haven't received any reports from the Anbu about this."

Zongxian paused for two or three seconds, then his mind caught on and he smiled helplessly. “It’s still unclear where the missing people went. I thought the Dark Division was also investigating this case… This missing persons case is still under investigation. However, because the investigation has revealed that this case is related to the Special Embassy, ​​continuing the investigation is very likely to cause conflicts or even clashes with the Special Embassy. So I came to report in advance.”

This time,

The fact that they weren't interrupted meant that Akimichi Torifu and Jiraiya both understood what had happened.

Jiraiya's tense expression relaxed slightly. Mentioning the missing persons case inevitably reminded him of Orochimaru. The investigation into Orochimaru's human experimentation was initially triggered by the frequent disappearances of people in the village, which eventually led to Orochimaru.

of course,

The disappearance of someone is never a good thing, and Jiraiya's expression remained serious.

In contrast, the Fifth Hokage was extremely conflicted at this moment. It was undoubtedly a relief that it wasn't another Orochimaru case, but when he realized what Sogen had said, his heart jumped again. How did it involve the embassy?

He hadn't fully grasped the delicate relationship between the Daimyo and Konoha before, but after becoming Hokage, he understood that the Daimyo and Konoha were like two hedgehogs huddling together for warmth. They couldn't stray too far apart, or they would be frozen by the merciless winds and frosts of the ninja world. The Land of Fire needed Konoha's military strength to defend against external enemies, while Konoha needed the Land of Fire to provide a good ecological environment.

However, they could not get too close to each other. The Fire Daimyo could not say that he did not care that his strongest force was independent and not under his control, and Konoha was used to a high degree of autonomy under the Hokage's leadership. It was impossible for them to be willing to be directly ruled by the powerless Fire Daimyo. The ninjas could not accept the corrupt and sluggish bureaucratic system of the Daimyo's mansion.

Therefore,

Throughout history, both the Hokage and the Daimyo have tried to maintain a delicate balance between the country and the village.

The Fire Daimyo couldn't simply take over Konoha by force. Konoha was also influenced by the one-country-one-village system, so few people would think of simply overthrowing the Daimyo's government and letting Konoha directly rule the Land of Fire. Therefore, maintaining the balance between the country and the village was very important.

"Is it confirmed to be related to the special envoy?"

Autumn winds carry out inquiries.

"It's still uncertain. All we can say is that the investigation has revealed a connection to the Special Envoy. We're not sure if the mastermind behind this is the Special Envoy, someone within the Special Envoy, or a group of people. We'll have to investigate to find out the truth."

"...Is there a way to investigate without alerting the special envoy?"

"Well... if the mastermind behind this is the special envoy or someone close to him, it's hard not to alert the special envoy," Zong Xian said tactfully, indicating that it was impossible.

Akimichi Torifu rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache. What bad luck! Why did the police department have to find out about this first? If the ANBU had found out first... there would have been a chance to handle it secretly without alerting outsiders. But now that the police department has found out and Jiraiya has heard about it, he can't say anything about abandoning the investigation or handling it secretly for the sake of the overall situation.

He can't afford to lose face like that as Hokage.

"Then... let's investigate! Let the Anbu—well, Munekazu-kun, let the police department continue the investigation! But remember, unless there is clear evidence that the missing persons are related to the special envoy, try to avoid conflict with the special envoy. The priority is to find out where the missing persons went. If the problem is not serious, we should still save face for the Daimyo."

"I understand. Please rest assured, I will personally oversee this matter."

Zongxian answered seriously.

[Chapter 255. We'll Cooperate Sooner or Later]

After submitting the report and waiting for two days without receiving a reply, Kabuto Yakushi thought the matter had fallen through because it involved the special envoy of the Daimyo Prefecture. Having worked as a spy for so many years, he had seen many things about the world and human relationships that many people might never experience in their entire lives.

He wouldn't be surprised or disappointed if the matter ended there.

However, I'll probably curb my unnecessary curiosity in the future, go to get off work on time every day, do my job well, and then change jobs when I get tired of it.

"The minister said we should continue the investigation." Uchiha Torajiro rubbed his hands together, clearly ready to make a big move. His piercing eyes were fixed on his two subordinates. "Kabuto, Izumi, I'll give you half an hour to prepare. Then we'll go investigate the Arasaka family."

Two days of waiting,

Uchiha Torajiro didn't say he was just waiting around doing nothing. It wasn't appropriate to directly investigate the Arasaka family, who had close ties with the embassy, ​​but that didn't stop him from keeping an eye on the new district and the brothel. It was possible that the Arasaka family had learned about their comings and goings to the brothel, so no one went there to hunt targets anymore.

However, his careful investigation revealed that some people had gone missing in the past two days.

It is clear that the Arasaka family had more than one way of abducting people.

Of course, it's a pity that they didn't catch them in the act, but as long as the witnesses from the brothel are protected, there will be no shortage of excuses to investigate the Arasaka family. The biggest problem is not these. To be honest, Uchiha Torajiro has the same idea as Yakushi Kabuto. He is no longer an innocent teenager and understands that many times and many things cannot be done according to the rules.

Fortunately,

The young clan chief certainly did not disappoint.

case,

The investigation will continue, rather than being handed over to some random team, quickly arriving at an absurd conclusion, and then being shelved.

"Yes, Captain!"

The energetic girl answered loudly.

Unlike Kabuto Yakushi, she didn't have a complicated past or mindset. She never thought the case might just end there. Instead, she kept hoping for the next step. Two days later, she finally received the response she had been waiting for.

Kabuto Yakushi wasn't as excited as Izumi Uchiha. He pushed up his glasses and said, "Captain, based on my experience, if we continue the investigation, we might end up with those big shots at the embassy. Would that be alright?"

He himself is not afraid of trouble.

However, he needs to consider his adoptive mother and the orphanage.

After all, trouble doesn't follow the principle of assigning blame or debtors; instead, it spreads indiscriminately, leaving no one behind.

When he was a spy, he witnessed the hardships of the lowest-class commoners and the extravagant madness of nobles. For their amusement, there was nothing those nobles wouldn't dare to do; they would do anything no matter how heinous!

to be frank,

From the very beginning, he didn't believe that those who were kidnapped could be rescued alive.

"Dou, I understand what you're worried about, but don't worry! The deputy minister himself said that we can investigate with confidence. As long as we follow the rules, the police department will not allow anyone to cause trouble for us or our families. Anyone who dares to meddle should be prepared to have their claws and head chopped off."

Uchiha Torajiro patted Yakushi Kabuto on the shoulder.

The smile on his face concealed a sharp, knife-like killing intent.

Perhaps the Uchiha clan's recent efforts to clear their name in the village have led some to mistakenly believe that their swords have become dull. But if anyone dares to be the first to step forward, they will see whether the Uchiha clan's swords have rusted or not!

Half an hour is more than enough time to prepare.

Some of the equipment and supplies that had been applied for and received from the equipment department had been used up. After spending some time applying for and receiving some more supplies, they filled the ninja tool bag, which was not small at all, and all the pockets on their bodies that could be used to hide things, without affecting their operations.

With everything packed and ready, the three-person team set off for the Arasaka family's territory.

On the rooftop of the police department building,

Three figures stood there.

“Vice Minister Arashiyama, is it really necessary for us to come along? We’re just moving around in the village, what danger could there be?” Kaguya Kimimaro objected.

"Haha! Better safe than sorry!"

Uchiha Arashiyama chuckled.

“There are two skilled fighters at the embassy.” Itachi Uchiha, who was quietly watching the backs of the three members of the team below, spoke up at this moment. “Both of them are among the best Jonin. If Torajiro and his team were to face either of them, they would have a hard time getting the better of them.”

"Is it that strong?"

Kimimaro was somewhat puzzled.

"Not bad! The Land of Fire is so big, and there are quite a few strong fighters outside of Konoha!" Uchiha Arashiyama said with a smile.

This is the truth. The Land of Fire is so large. When Konoha was founded, it gathered a large number of ninja clans to join. However, there were also quite a few ninja clans that did not want to join Konoha and insisted on maintaining their clan traditions. There were also special forces like the Fire Temple, which had religious characteristics. In addition, the Daimyo's Mansion has been trying its best to collect the traditions of all kinds of ninjas and use these traditions to train ninjas directly under the command of the Fire Daimyo.

The current Twelve Guardian Ninjas, half of whom are led by Kazuma, are from the Oniwaban, a ninja organization belonging to the Daimyo's domain.

This organization is virtually unknown.

Under the dazzling halo of Konoha, the so-called Oniwaban had an extremely weak presence. Even though the Twelve Guardian Ninjas became famous because of some incidents, to be honest, not many people knew that half of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas came from the Oniwaban.

Even in Konoha,

They were completely clueless about this private armed organization directly under Huo Daming, having no idea how many skilled fighters Huo Daming had amassed.

"It's still uncertain whether the case Uchiha Torajiro and his team are investigating will involve important figures from the embassy. However, we can't afford to be complacent about such matters. We can hope for a happy ending, but we must also prepare for the worst. You two will stay with Torajiro and his team. If they encounter any danger, you'll lend a hand. If everything is alright, just protect them until they complete their investigation and return." Uchiha Arashiyama reiterated their mission once again.

"Leave it to us!"

Uchiha Itachi nodded in agreement.

After saying that, he jumped off the rooftop with Kimimaro. Uchiha Torajiro and the others were already quite far away. If they delayed any longer, they wouldn't lose track of them, but if someone took advantage of the time difference and injured Uchiha Torajiro and the others, that would be a bad situation.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

It was still broad daylight, but Kazuma sat in his room meditating, his mood heavy. As a ninja from the Daimyo's Household Department, Kazuma's skills were quite diverse. He had studied the Zen meditation of the Fire Temple and practiced sealing techniques he had learned from Konoha. Of course, his greatest skill was the Earth Release technique, which he had inherited from a now-extinct ninja clan.

Right now,

He calmed his anxiety by practicing Zen meditation, which he learned from the Fire Temple.

As for why he was so anxious... the reason is simple. Since arriving in Konoha as the deputy envoy of the Daimyo's government, everything he saw and heard in Konoha had made him feel indescribably frustrated. The people here, whether ninjas or civilians, had almost forgotten that the ruler of the Land of Fire was the Daimyo.

On this land,

The presence of the daimyo has been weakened to the extreme, becoming a vague and elusive concept. The people here have no interest in the daimyo; they only have eyes for the Hokage. Children worship the Hokage as an idol, and adults firmly believe that the Hokage will bring them victory and peace.

In short, everything on this land was so unsettling to He Ma.

He is a staunch supporter of the name of the fire god.

In his view, the Hokage was unnecessary, and even Konoha, a self-contained military organization, should be dismantled and broken up. The real power of the ninjas should be held by the Hokage.

Furthermore, he witnessed that the old man, Hiramiya Nariaki, who was the chief envoy, engaging in such inhumane and disgusting acts in private. If this were accidentally exposed, it would certainly cause considerable damage to the daimyo's reputation. Unfortunately, he was only the deputy envoy, while Hiramiya Nariaki was the chief envoy. He had no control over that old man and could only watch helplessly as the old fellow continued to act recklessly.

But if this continues unchecked...

Konoha will find out sooner or later.

Kazuma was troubled by his conflicted feelings, and even meditation could not completely suppress the distracting thoughts in his mind.

Just at this time,

"Dong Dong Dong!!!"

A knock came at the door.

Kazuma, whose meditation had been interrupted, frowned instantly and couldn't help but ask angrily, "Who? Didn't I tell you not to disturb me?"

however--

"I apologize for disturbing you, Mr. Ma. I apologize for coming uninvited."

The door was tightly closed.

Wearing an orange swirling mask and dressed in a black robe, the uninvited guest ignored the tightly closed door like a ghost, as if the thing didn't exist. Without damaging the door, he simply passed through it and entered the room. This bizarre method made Ma's scalp tingle.

He was one of the best Jonin, yet he couldn't understand how this uninvited guest had gotten through the door.

Is all of this an illusion?

Or is it a technique of space and time?