Konoha.
"Where exactly have Jiraiya and Tsunade run off to?" Sarutobi Hiruzen took a puff of his smoke and muttered, "How did they just suddenly disappear?"
Looking at the messages sent back from below...
He shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Forget it, it's not like anything major is happening anyway. Let them both relax a bit."
It would actually be good if Tsunade could overcome her hemophobia this time!
But...
"What exactly is this Goddess Alliance all about?" Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned and muttered.
During these past periods of suppression operations, quite a few people had been captured, but most were just genin or ordinary people.
As for that Uchiha Shin...
Not a single clue about him had been found so far.
And what about that mysterious bald man suspected to be the Second Hokage? Why hasn't he appeared either?
Could it be that their suppression operations hadn't dealt a substantial blow to the organization, so they didn't need to show themselves?
Otherwise...
Why hasn't that surface leader, the so-called Yin-Yang Holy Son, appeared either?
But...
"Peace, freedom, equality..." Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the intelligence gathered from those civilians, a slight smile curling on his lips as he murmured, "How ridiculous!"
How can shinobi and ordinary people ever be equal?
These people are far too naive, so naive that it almost makes this Kage laugh.
Shinobi possess chakra and ninjutsu. How can there be equality?
No wonder even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire was alarmed. This is striking at the very foundation of shinobi and nobility!
But...
"Could it really be that because his ideals differed from Uzushiogakure's, Uchiha Shin decided to start his own venture alone?"
Otherwise, why are their ideologies so similar?
It's just that one is implementing it in Uzushiogakure, while the other is running around the shinobi world.
"Uzushiogakure." Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the shinobi world map on the wall behind him, took a drag of his smoke, and murmured, "The Uzumaki clan..."
He hadn't found any sealing techniques among Lady Mito's belongings. He had also asked Kushina, and she didn't have any sealing technique scrolls either.
So then...
Who took the sealing techniques?
And if they took them, why not take everything, leaving only the Dead Demon Consuming Seal behind?
What was Lady Mito trying to do?
Now, the Uchiha clan's fire release secret techniques had been obtained by him. The Sarutobi clan had begun training in them and had even established a secret army!!
This was different from an organization like the ANBU, which was already known to the public. This was a force truly hidden in the shadows.
Aside from a few high-ranking members of the Sarutobi clan, no one else knew anything about it.
And some time ago...
All the intelligence Jiraiya wrote about Uzushiogakure was completely trivial.
What was he trying to do?
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head and murmured, "It seems it's time for my good friend to take action again."
...
"Achoo! Achoo!" Danzō rubbed his nose, sighed, and said helplessly, "What should I do now?"
Because of the Hatake family incident, he had now reached a point where everyone detested and avoided him.
Especially since he met the Senju clan, and the Senju were wiped out; he met the Uchiha clan, and the Uchiha were wiped out; he met the Hatake clan...
Now the Hatake family was left with only one orphan.
The Konoha Jinx was him. Now, whenever he visited other clans, they would all pretend to be sick, terrified that their clan was about to be finished.
There were even rumors that because of Danzō, Commander Dan was inexplicably killed!
He heard that Commander Dan had shaken hands with Danzō...
So...
He felt the position of Hokage was getting further and further away from him.
Danzō also felt quite wronged inside...
Although he initially did want to make an example of the Senju clan, but...
Didn't he later not have time to do it?
So the Senju clan was forced onto the battlefield and died there. It had nothing to do with him, Danzō. And the Uchiha...
This was even more unjust.
True, he, Danzō, did visit the Uchiha clan head a few times, but that was just to chat about the future, about a harmonious life in Konoha. Clearly, those Uchiha clansmen were all killed by the Uchiha clan head himself!
He even awakened the Mangekyō!
Though it's a mystery why only one eye remained.
So, this really wasn't Danzō's fault!
As for Hatake Sakumo...
He... he hadn't even gotten around to doing anything yet!
And...
Even if he really were to do something, as the leader of Root, wouldn't he do it discreetly?
After all, he is someone who wants to become Hokage!
How could he leave a stain on his life's record?
"Hiruzen..." Danzō shook his head with a complex gaze and said to himself, "You are Konoha's light!!"
And he, Danzō, is Konoha's darkness...
He did promise back then that he, the darkness, would handle everything the Hokage shouldn't do, but you didn't have to be this ruthless!
You aren't assertive when you should be, and you're overly assertive when you shouldn't be.
Watching this pains the Darkness of Shinobi's liver!
Just then...
"Shun!"
Suddenly, a masked shinobi appeared.
"Danzō-sama." Looking at Danzō, he slightly bowed and said, "The Hokage-sama has a mission for you to carry out."
He handed over a letter with both hands.
"Mm." Danzō nodded, took the letter calmly, and said, "I understand."
This masked shinobi before him wasn't a Root shinobi, but an ANBU shinobi, because all Root shinobi had his mark, precisely to prevent mistaking people.
Watching the disappearing ANBU shinobi, Danzō opened the letter, frowned, put the letter down with a gloomy expression, and sighed.
"It seems..."
"It's time to implement that plan."
"God of Shinobi..."
Danzō narrowed his eyes and murmured, "Wood Release..."
He...
Really didn't want to do this.
...
Uzushiogakure.
Public Security Bureau.
"Clan Head." Obito looked at Uchiha Fugaku before him, his face full of admiration, and said, "I, I... I am here for my internship."
He had already graduated. Because he filled out his volunteer application to become a police officer, after graduating, he came to the police station for his internship. He never expected to see his bureau chief, the one who had won multiple Best Police Chief awards. Although expressionless, every villager would give him a thumbs up when mentioning him. The star officer, Uzushiogakure Senior Superintendent...
Uchiha Fugaku!!
"Call me Superintendent Fugaku." Uchiha Fugaku said expressionlessly, his tone flat, "This is not the clan grounds."
Although seeing a clansman admire him so much made him somewhat excited inside, but...
As the clan head, how could he easily show it?
"Yes, Captain Fugaku." Hearing the clan head's words, Obito quickly saluted and said respectfully, "What are your orders?"
Obito's heart was currently filled with excitement.
He had finally graduated successfully and become a glorious police officer...
Trainee.
This was all thanks to Grandpa Madara. If Grandpa Madara hadn't taught him so earnestly, he probably would have had trouble even graduating.
"Nothing much on the first day." Uchiha Fugaku said flatly, "Just familiarize yourself with the procedures."
"You will come on patrol with me later."
"This will be your work from now on."
"Understood, guaranteed to complete the task." Obito puffed out his chest and responded.
He...
Would definitely become like the clan head.
Win countless awards, become a Senior Superintendent recognized by all of Uzushiogakure. Then, whenever anyone hears the name Obito, they would give a thumbs up and say cheerfully...
Officer Obito is truly amazing!!