On the streets of the Hidden Leaf...
Uchiha Kei, currently searching for the peeping tom, couldn't help but feel a dark satisfaction.
He hadn't expected Uchiha Yato to divert everyone's attention so effectively—just as he had requested.
Not only the Sand, but even the Hidden Leaf's higher-ups and Shimura Danzo were now forced to act.
This meant no one would disturb the Uchiha Clan's peace. Exactly what he wanted.
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Inside the Hokage's office...
The key figures had gathered—the Hidden Leaf's F4, Tsunade, Chiyo, and Rasa—all present for one purpose: to discuss how to handle the peeping tom incident and what reparations the Hidden Leaf should offer.
Chiyo was the first to speak.
"I refuse to let this incident tarnish the reputation of Sand kunoichi. The culprit must be severely punished."
This was her carefully considered stance. Since the perpetrator was undoubtedly from the Leaf, if they turned out to be a capable shinobi, executing them would weaken the Leaf's forces—beneficial regardless of future plans.
Tsunade, representing the women of the Leaf, countered,
"We don't yet know for certain if the culprit is from the Hidden Leaf. Don't jump to conclusions."
"But rest assured, if the peeping tom is caught, the Hidden Leaf will deliver justice."
Meanwhile, the Leaf's F4 remained aloof, detached from the matter.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, however, had Tsunade speak as the Leaf's female representative while he privately sensed danger.
He already had a suspect in mind and had sent people to locate Jiraiya—but so far, there was no trace of him, leaving Hiruzen deeply unsettled.
Unlike Hiruzen's unease, Shimura Danzo was nervous for a different reason.
Before arriving, he had already set his scheme in motion. He intended to use this opportunity to destroy Uchiha Yato.
Once Tsunade and Chiyo finished their "exchange of sentiments," Hiruzen turned to an Anbu operative and asked,
"Any updates from the Uchiha Military Police Force?"
"Have they caught the peeping tom yet?"Here, Sarutobi Hiruzen specifically mentioned it was the Uchiha Clan's Military Police Force, intending to use this title to deliberately provoke the Uchiha.
If he could divert the attention or sow suspicion among the Sand ninja to buy time, that would still count as his victory.
At that moment, an Anbu ninja reported, "There's no news yet, but the Uchiha Clan leader is on his way to provide the latest updates."
Then Shimura Danzo interjected, "I strongly suspect this was the work of the Uchiha Clan ninja. It's highly possible they stole from themselves."
"And their goal is to drive a wedge between the Hidden Leaf and the Sand."
These words immediately made Tsunade uncomfortable. Wasn't it too much to just dump the blame on Hidden Leaf ninja like this?
But the fact that it was Danzo who said it made her even more displeased.
She fired back, "The Uchiha are all handsome men and beautiful women—why would they need to peep?"
"If you don't believe me, call the Sand kunoichi over. If an Uchiha ninja confessed to them, would they refuse? Would they hesitate? Forget about political concerns."
Only a foolish Sand kunoichi would say no—forget the Uchiha's looks.
From what she'd seen during their interactions, aside from their arrogance, what flaws could anyone even point out about the Uchiha?
They were a powerful clan with abundant resources in the Hidden Leaf—basically the equivalent of a wealthy elite family to the Sand kunoichi here for training.
Shimura Danzo was instantly shut down, left speechless.
The Uchiha Clan had a solid foundation. Aside from their pride, it was hard to find any real faults with them.
Uchiha Kei soon arrived at the Hokage's office.
But seeing Tsunade in full fury and Danzo shrinking back under her pressure, he knew this wasn't the time for him to speak. After all, watching Shimura Danzo get humiliated wasn't a bad sight.
Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately asked, "How did the investigation go? Did you catch the peeping tom?"
Uchiha Kei replied, "My apologies, Lord Hokage. We didn't capture the culprit. Their skills were exceptional—likely at Kage level."
Shimura Danzo seized the opportunity to push his agenda. "And you still claim you're not covering for them? What kind of thief could break in right now?"
"Don't bother using the Uchiha Clan as witnesses—your clan's word can't be trusted."
This instantly reignited the powder keg.
Before Tsunade could respond, Uchiha Kei spoke up. "I anticipated this situation."
"Every Uchiha sent to capture the peeping tom was paired with a Sand ninja for assistance."
"This was arranged on the spot—there was no chance for collusion between the Uchiha and the Sand."
"Lord Hokage, you can verify this by having the Anbu summon a random team for questioning."
Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew things had taken a bad turn.
Neither he nor Shimura Danzo had expected the Uchiha Clan to be this thorough.
But for the sake of the bigger picture, they had no choice but to follow Uchiha Kei's suggestion.
Soon after, the Anbu brought in a randomly selected team that had been hunting the peeping tom.
Just as Uchiha Kei had said, the team consisted of both Uchiha and Sand ninja.
And they were paired accordingly—Uchiha kunoichi with Sand kunoichi, Uchiha shinobi with Sand shinobi.There would be no improper relationships involved, making the matter more solidly handled.
Since it concerned the reputation of Suna kunoichi, Chiyo couldn't afford to be overly cautious. She directly inquired whether the situation was true.
The results clearly matched Uchiha Kei's account, essentially exonerating the Uchiha Clan.
Shimura Danzo had originally wanted to smear Uchiha Yato's name, but now could only focus on his absence as grounds for interrogation. Just as he was about to launch his offensive with questions,
Uchiha Kei spoke up first: "In that case, may I ask Elder Danzo if you're satisfied with this outcome?"
This was purely Uchiha Kei's way of annoying Shimura Danzo—since he'd tried to frame them, they might as well return the favor.
Shimura Danzo had no choice but to swallow his frustration, nodding to indicate the Uchiha Clan was cleared of suspicion.
Still unwilling to give up, Danzo pressed on: "Then where is Uchiha Yato?
"Was he among the pursuers this time? He wasn't in the bodyguard formation, and now he's absent. That certainly suggests motive."
Whether he could bring down the entire Uchiha Clan wasn't the main point—what mattered was that Shimura Danzo wanted Uchiha Yato dead right now.
If the peeping tom incident was pinned on him, he'd be marked by both villages.
Even if Uchiha Yato didn't die, he'd be skinned alive.
This was why Shimura Danzo was going all out to frame Uchiha Yato.
Just as Uchiha Kei was about to continue arguing, an Anbu ninja outside announced:
"Uchiha Yato requests an audience."
This caused everyone in the Hokage's office to visibly change expressions.
Shimura Danzo was extremely pleased with Uchiha Yato's attitude—he'd already set an inescapable net waiting for Yato to walk into.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sensed something amiss but couldn't voice it, simply summoning Uchiha Yato inside.