Konoha Village, the Embassy.
Kyoichi, seated on the sofa, suddenly twitched as the memories of his shadow clone flowed back into his mind.
"So this whole upheaval really was engineered to push some Uchiha brat into darkness and awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan… What a shame my shadow clone's chakra was limited. Otherwise, I could have followed them and investigated where Uchiha Madara's lair is, and who exactly that Mangekyō-wielding Uchiha kid was…"
"But it couldn't be helped. The shadow clone had to maintain the Camouflage Concealment Technique to hide its presence while also using the Light-Weight Rock Technique to soar through the sky. There was simply no way to cut down on chakra consumption…"
That was right.
Kyoichi had already mastered the secret technique Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique.
Aerial combat capability was exceedingly rare in the shinobi world.
Last year, during the joint operation with Minato to rescue his clansmen, Kyoichi had faced the Third Tsuchikage head-on. With the power of the Eye of God, he had perceived every earth-style ninjutsu and secret technique the old Tsuchikage used. The Light-Weight Rock Technique was among them.
However—
Unlike ordinary earth-style techniques, this secret art was notoriously difficult to learn.
Even for Kyoichi, it was only after his battle with Orochimaru, while traveling toward Kirigakure, that he fully digested the knowledge and truly mastered it.
Earlier, when he sensed Mizushiro's chakra vanish, Kyoichi immediately realized something was wrong. During the brief moment he rushed toward the embassy's second floor, he cast the Shadow Clone Technique, creating a clone that instantly concealed itself with Earth Release: Camouflage Concealment Technique, then used Light-Weight Rock Technique to launch itself into the sky.
In the shinobi world, those capable of fighting in the air were few and far between.
As a result, most sensory ninja focused their detection horizontally. Even when expanding into three-dimensional perception, they tended to probe underground rather than the sky, which was considered easily observable at a glance.
Because of this—
Kyoichi's shadow clone flew silently above the embassy, unnoticed, following Saru and the others toward the Uchiha clan grounds. It watched as Saru and Aburame Kenshira examined the explosion site, then followed them as they passed through the massive barrier enveloping Konoha.
From there,
They traced Mizushiro's trail eastward, then turned north.
At last,
They caught up to Mizushiro in the northeastern forest, where he had already rendezvoused with two Kumogakure jōnin.
Kyoichi's shadow clone never intervened.
From beginning to end, it maintained both camouflage and flight, hovering high above, silently observing the twists and turns of the conflict below…
"Huh?"
"The Hokage is gone?"
"Quiet! All of you! That's the Reverse Summoning Technique. Hokage-sama has been summoned by his contract beast."
The startled cries came from the far end of the hall.
The Kiri shinobi were immediately stirred.
"What's going on?"
Anjō Oniyuzu frowned.
"The Third Hokage suddenly disappeared," Kyoichi replied aloud. "Most likely he was called away by a reverse summoning."
At the same time, his thoughts raced.
Reverse summoning… Was he summoned by that monkey named Enma? Come to think of it, that ANBU who died wearing a monkey-faced mask—was he from the Sarutobi clan? Even among the Sarutobi, though, not many would be qualified to sign a contract with Enma…
That ANBU's identity was probably anything but ordinary.
Kyoichi found himself oddly looking forward to the Third Hokage's expression when he returned. Losing such an important clansman would be a heavy blow for him.
"Does the Reverse Summoning Technique have anything to do with Mizushiro's situation?" Anjō Oniyuzu asked, his brow deeply furrowed.
He glanced up at the clock on the wall.
9:46 a.m.
An entire night had passed.
It was about time for the turmoil caused by Mizushiro to reach its conclusion. And when it did, their own fates would be decided as well.
Would they return alive to Kirigakure?
Or die here in Konoha?
"Possibly," Kyoichi replied cautiously.
From the sky, his shadow clone had only seen Enma being summoned. What the dying ANBU had said to Enma remained unknown. Still, given the situation at the time, Kyoichi believed the Third Hokage's rage would not fall upon them.
After all—
This incident was orchestrated by Kumogakure.
Mizushiro was a Kumogakure spy planted in Kirigakure. The two Kumogakure jōnin who appeared on the battlefield were the clearest proof.
It had to be said—Black Zetsu and Uchiha Madara truly had long-reaching hands. They had pieces not only in Kirigakure, but in Kumogakure as well.
Perhaps—
Every one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages harbored pieces under their control.
The thought made Kyoichi increasingly vigilant.
From now on, he would have to act with even greater caution. One careless misstep, and he might fall into the trap of that thousand-year-old schemer, Black Zetsu.
"Prepare yourselves," Anjō Oniyuzu ordered in a low voice.
"If Konoha shows any extreme behavior… then Kyoichi, Jūzō, Mangetsu, Ameyuri, Zabuza—go wild. Whether you live or die will depend on your own abilities."
The moment those words fell,
Everyone except Kyoichi underwent a dramatic change in presence. Thick killing intent spilled out uncontrollably.
The Konoha ninja watching them were startled. Many instinctively drew their weapons and aimed them at Kyoichi and the others stationed in the corner of the hall.
"Calm down," Kyoichi said evenly.
"Elder Anjō means if Konoha acts rashly, then we respond. Not that we provoke Konoha into a conflict."
The murderous aura receded slightly.
Anjō Oniyuzu said nothing.
He rested his hands flat on his knees, eyes locked forward on the Konoha ninja, silently awaiting the arrival of fate.
Seeing that Kyoichi and the others made no further aggressive moves, the Konoha ninja, under Orochimaru's command, chose to observe rather than strike.
Then—
With a bang, white chakra smoke billowed forth.
The Third Hokage, who had vanished moments ago, reappeared before the assembled Konoha ninja.
Only—
Why did Hokage-sama look… somewhat haggard?