Uchiha?
It was actually an Uchiha…
How was that even possible?
Orochimaru and Minato looked at each other in disbelief.
This truth was something no one could have guessed, no matter how hard they racked their brains. The Uchiha clan certainly produced powerful shinobi, but there were only so many top-tier elites among them, and the whereabouts of every single one were accounted for. Even the clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, was currently stationed downstairs with a group of his men on guard.
What was more,
Among the present-day Uchiha clan, there should not exist anyone capable of completely wiping out Saru and his team.
Uchiha Shisui was undeniably formidable,
but his age set clear limits. In a few more years, perhaps he would possess that level of strength, but right now? No. And besides, Uchiha Shisui was downstairs as well, standing at Fugaku's side.
"The one who killed Takeo and the others was an Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan," the Third Hokage added calmly.
"What?"
Orochimaru's pupils shrank sharply.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Minato was equally unable to suppress the shock on his face.
Both of them were unquestionably among Konoha's upper echelon. Unlike someone like Uchiha Fugaku, who had been pushed to the margins of power, Orochimaru and Minato were insiders in the truest sense. One was the Third Hokage's direct disciple, the other his disciple's disciple. Because of that, they were qualified to know many of the village's deepest secrets.
Setting Orochimaru aside,
there were very few secrets in Konoha that he did not already know.
Even Minato, despite his youth, understood exactly what the Mangekyō Sharingan was.
And precisely because they understood its significance, the name alone was enough to shake them to the core.
"Sensei, this intelligence… is it reliable?"
Orochimaru asked, his tone uncertain.
"Enma saw it with his own eyes. Back then, he witnessed Uchiha Madara using Susanoo together with me. He would not mistake it. That purple-black Susanoo was unmistakable," the Third Hokage replied.
Susanoo?
That was a power exclusive to the Mangekyō Sharingan. If so, then the information was almost certainly true.
"So the Uchiha clan has been hiding a Mangekyō wielder all along. No wonder they deliberately avoided Fugaku and his men," Orochimaru muttered.
"I'm not sure that Mangekyō-wielding Uchiha necessarily belongs to the Uchiha clan itself," Minato said slowly, a hint of doubt on his face. "If someone within the clan had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, they would not have kept it hidden. The Uchiha… have never been known for restraint or laying low."
"That's a fair point."
Orochimaru did not refute Minato. Instead, he nodded in agreement.
"I jumped to conclusions. Given the temperament of that clan, if someone awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, they would be so arrogant their eyes would be looking down on everyone from the top of their head."
"Fugaku and the others probably know nothing about this Mangekyō wielder," the Third Hokage said. "But regardless, they are still an Uchiha. Caution is still necessary."
He did not oppose Minato or Orochimaru's reasoning.
Personally, he agreed with Minato's assessment of the Uchiha.
But as Hokage, he could not simply ignore the clan based on personal judgment alone. Even if the Uchiha clan was unaware of this individual, it did not change the fact that the person was an Uchiha.
The sudden emergence of an unidentified Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan clearly showed that Konoha's surveillance of the Uchiha clan over the years had been inadequate. Otherwise, such a figure could not have appeared without a sound.
"Minato, I have a task for you," the Third Hokage said, fixing his gaze on him. "Take a team and investigate the site where Takeo and the others were killed. That Uchiha should already be gone, but see if you can find any trace at all. If you uncover anything, inform me immediately using the Flying Thunder God Technique."
In his eyes,
a fire named vengeance was quietly brewing.
His son and daughter-in-law had both died in this operation. What made it even more unbearable was that neither of them had left behind any descendants. To be honest, he did not even know how he was supposed to go home and tell his wife and youngest son this devastating news.
"…I'll depart immediately. But the Kirigakure side…"
Minato looked at the Third Hokage with concern.
With the Hokage having just lost his child, if his grief turned into anger toward the Kiri shinobi, the situation could spiral completely out of control.
"Don't worry," the Third Hokage said calmly. "The village still has Orochimaru and me. And besides, in this incident, the Kirigakure is also a victim. The real ones stirring things up behind the scenes are the Kumo shinobi. We can even pull Kirigakure to our side and deal with those barbarians from Kumogakure together."
As he spoke,
a deep, uncontrollable hatred surfaced on the Third Hokage's face.
The one who directly killed his son and daughter-in-law was that unknown Uchiha.
But the true mastermind behind this entire incident was Kumogakure. If Konoha had not already fought multiple great villages in previous wars, if the anti-war sentiment within the village had not reached its peak, and if he were not wary of that unidentified Mangekyō-wielding Uchiha,
he would have declared war on Kumogakure without hesitation.
"I understand. I'll go gather people immediately."
Minato answered respectfully.
"Other than the ANBU, any jōnin without an active mission who is currently in the village is yours to requisition," the Third Hokage added, granting Minato full authority to act as he saw fit.
"Yes."
Minato responded once more. Seeing that the Third Hokage had no further instructions, he immediately activated the Flying Thunder God and vanished from the room.
"Sensei."
Orochimaru turned back to the Third Hokage. "The news of Takeo and the others' sacrifice won't stay hidden for long. Everyone below is already waiting."
"I know."
The Third Hokage nodded.
"I have no intention of concealing it. There's nothing that can't be said. Even if we cannot go to war with Kumogakure right now, we cannot simply ignore this either. Envoys must be sent to the Kumogakure to question the Fourth Raikage. And the Uchiha clan, from top to bottom, must be thoroughly investigated. That Mangekyō wielder did not just pop out of a rock. We must determine exactly who he is."
There was one piece of information he did not say out loud.
That Uchiha may not have awakened merely the Mangekyō Sharingan, but the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
To be honest, even though this was Takeo's final testimony before his death, the Third Hokage found it almost impossible to believe that someone in the present era had reached the same realm as Uchiha Madara.
Revealing that information would only complicate matters further, and serve no other purpose. So he chose to keep it to himself.
"Let's go. It's time to bring this turmoil to a temporary close."
The Third Hokage dispelled the barrier.
He pushed open the door,
and walked out.