"Shisui, are you certain it was the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Minato's expression was grave as he looked at Uchiha Shisui, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny.
And yet—
The boy's eyes were clear and bright, untouched by the murkiness and dullness of adulthood. There was no trace of calculation or intrigue in them, only a straightforward love for the village and a sincere sense of duty. This was a youth with a pure heart, still far from being worldly or mature.
"I'm certain."
Uchiha Shisui answered without the slightest hesitation, nodding firmly.
"Good. I understand."
A faint smile appeared on Minato's face. He stepped forward, reached out, and patted Shisui on the shoulder, speaking with clear appreciation. "Shisui, you did very well. Keep it up from here on. Don't worry about any of that messy nonsense. If you run into any problems you can't handle, come find me."
Uchiha Shisui froze for two seconds.
He did not quite understand why Minato had suddenly shown him such warmth and closeness.
Still,
He did not dislike Minato-senpai's goodwill, and he answered honestly with a nod.
Nearby,
Hyūga Hizashi and Inuzuka Gaku exchanged glances. They both saw the complicated emotions in each other's eyes, but constrained by their respective identities and backgrounds, neither spoke up at this moment. In their hearts, however, they both found themselves thinking that it would really be wonderful if Minato were to succeed and become the Fourth Hokage.
Compared to Orochimaru, with his gloomy aura, strange temperament, and utter lack of approachability,
Minato was, without question, someone people naturally wanted to get close to.
"Confirming that the perpetrator was indeed an Uchiha who awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan is only the beginning. Next… using this battlefield as the center, expand the search radius outward by five kilometers and sweep the area once more to see if there are any gains. Also, this time you are to move as a group. No splitting up."
Minato looked at the group and issued new orders.
"Yes."
Everyone responded in unison.
And so,
A new round of search operations began.
Following the outline of the battlefield, the group made loop after loop around the area, each circuit wider than the last. They spent more than two full days searching the vicinity of the battlefield, but regrettably, they still failed to uncover any useful clues regarding the unidentified Uchiha.
In the end,
The operation could only be declared a failure.
————
Konoha Village.
News of the deaths of Sarutobi Takeo and the others had already spread. Although they had fallen while carrying out missions as ANBU, the secrecy surrounding ANBU only applied while they were alive. It was not to the extent that, once dead, the news had to be buried completely, with not even a funeral allowed.
Of course,
The more important reason was that among the fallen ANBU this time was a man named Sarutobi Takeo, the Hokage's eldest son. There was no way he could die as quietly as an ordinary ANBU. A proper funeral was inevitable.
However,
Given that Sarutobi Takeo and the others had been completely obliterated, with only a few shattered forehead protectors, mask fragments, and bits of bone recovered, and since Konoha did not have the custom of empty tombs, the village chose to engrave their names on the Memorial Stone for those whose bodies could not be retrieved.
Here,
They would receive the villagers' offerings together with the predecessors who had likewise never had their remains brought back.
It was a day under heavy clouds.
Cold gusts swept through, making the bare treetops tremble softly.
Pedestrians on the road tightened their collars and quickened their pace, eager to return to the warmth indoors. At Konoha's cemetery, however, the crowd was dense. One black-clad Konoha ninja after another gathered before the Memorial Stone, and standing at the very front was none other than the Third Hokage.
Kyoichi stood on the rooftop of a building outside the cemetery, gazing at the sea of black before the Memorial Stone.
At his side,
Were Ringo Ameyuri and Momochi Zabuza.
As shinobi of Kirigakure,
They would not attend a Konoha ninja's funeral.
Still,
There was no issue with observing from afar.
In recent days, they had been holed up in the embassy, cultivating in seclusion. Negotiations with Konoha were being handled by a professional team led by Elder Anjō Oniyuzu, so there was no need for a group of "muscle" like them to worry about it. Being cooped up for days on end, it was only natural to feel bored and restless.
At that moment,
Kyoichi remembered that he still had an unresolved sparring match scheduled with Uchiha Obito.
Thus,
After reporting in, he went out early that morning, planning to head to Konoha Hospital to meet Uchiha Obito as agreed. Although Obito was not a medical ninja and did not work at the hospital, Kyoichi had already found out that Nohara Rin, a medical ninja, worked at Konoha Hospital whenever she was not out on missions.
And if Nohara Rin was at Konoha Hospital, then when Uchiha Obito was not on a mission, he would probably be spending most of his time there as well.
If Kyoichi went over, he might run into Obito directly. Even if he did not, he could ask Nohara Rin to pass along a message.
When Kyoichi was preparing to leave,
Momochi Zabuza overheard his conversation with Elder Anjō. Upon learning that Kyoichi intended to go pick a fight with Uchiha Obito, Zabuza immediately insisted on coming along. He even produced a rather high-sounding justification: when Kyoichi sparred with Konoha ninja, someone had to watch his back and make sure Konoha did not try anything underhanded.
Elder Anjō did not refuse.
Even though he was well aware that Zabuza still remembered the argument he had with Uchiha Obito when they first arrived in Konoha, an incident that had ended with Zabuza being forced to apologize for his sharp tongue,
He still agreed.
With Kyoichi present, there was no need to worry about Zabuza causing trouble.
Not only did he allow Zabuza to follow Kyoichi, he also bundled Ringo Ameyuri along and entrusted her to Kyoichi as well.
About this,
Kyoichi had even asked if that was truly all right.
Elder Anjō replied that it was no problem.
Because Kumogakure was a shared enemy, Konoha clearly had intentions of drawing Kirigakure into a joint front against the Kumo. As a result, Konoha had granted Kirigakure many conveniences during the negotiations, which were progressing very smoothly. Barring any accidents, the talks should conclude in just a few days.
With negotiations going well,
Relations between the two sides had eased considerably.
Naturally, the restrictions placed on Kyoichi and the others were also loosened. Walking openly through Konoha's streets like this no longer risked causing trouble. Of course, ANBU shadowing and surveillance were still unavoidable, but Kyoichi had no intention of doing anything shady in the first place.
So, he was not afraid of being watched by Konoha's ANBU.
And on the way to Konoha Hospital,
They passed by Konoha's cemetery.
Just in time to see this funeral.
"Let's go. There's nothing worth watching."
Kyoichi withdrew his gaze.
"You're the one who wanted to stop and look. I'm not interested in funerals at all," Momochi Zabuza muttered, but he still stepped forward to follow Kyoichi. Ringo Ameyuri remained silent, simply sticking close behind Kyoichi.