Uchiha Shisui's body was discovered by Team 7.
In his time, Shisui of the Body Flicker was renowned. He was known as the strongest genjutsu user of his generation, capable of single-handedly breaking the psychological defenses of invading Mist Village ninja.
Regardless of his identity or his strength, the discovery of his body was no small matter. Due to the sensitive nature of the situation, the Third Hokage personally led a team of ANBU to the scene, ordering them to immediately seal off the area.
Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at the Torture and Interrogation Force ninja squatting to examine Shisui's body. His face was etched with anxiety. "What's the situation?"
"He likely fought before he died. Both of his eyes were gouged out. He may have bled to death, or he might have drowned." The head of the Torture and Interrogation Force shook his head and explained in a low voice, "Because so much time has passed, the exact cause of death can't be determined, but it's undoubtedly one of those two possibilities."
"I understand." Hiruzen glanced at Kakashi Hatake beside him and instructed quietly, "Tell Naruto and the others not to leak any news from here."
"Understood." Kakashi sighed.
Outside the ANBU cordon, Team 7 was waiting.
An old man, leaning on a ninja sword as if it were a cane, walked over. His face was wrapped in layers of bandages, covering a right eye that appeared to be blind. His single visible eye gradually widened as he stared at Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha.
"What a fine pair of little shinobi..." he said in a gloomy voice.
Haruno Sakura shrank back beside them. "So... so scary..."
Next to her, Naruto frowned. He glanced at Sasuke, and they both looked like they were about to say something.
"Hey!" Kakashi's voice cut in. He walked over, blocking the one-eyed old man's line of sight. "Lord Danzo, stay away from my subordinates!"
Danzo Shimura looked up at the white-haired ninja. "Kakashi, they are not just your subordinates. They are ninja of the village."
"Right now, they are my only three subordinates." Kakashi took a step forward and said coldly, "If anyone still dares to covet my subordinates, I will fight them to the death."
The one-eyed old man looked at him, his gaze deep. "Perhaps they will make their own choices in the future."
"They have no other choice," Kakashi said, a hint of laziness in his voice as he pulled out a kunai and casually tossed it in his hand. "Their only choice is to follow my orders."
"A jonin leader who was injured by a fresh graduate is hardly qualified to be their instructor." Danzo shook his head and chuckled lightly. "Kakashi, do you think you are qualified to teach them?"
"..."
Kakashi was silent for a moment. Apparently, the fact that Naruto had injured him was known by quite a few people, and it certainly wasn't a glorious moment for him.
Just as he was about to retort, Naruto, standing behind him, suddenly spoke up. "At least under Teacher Kakashi's guidance, we'll always have a chance to become Hokage, right?"
"Brat, what do you mean by that!" Danzo's face grew cold. Was this demon fox kid mocking him for never having a chance to become Hokage?
In truth, there were currently four higher-ups in Konoha. Besides him, who was still tirelessly scheming for the position, the other three all thought Hiruzen's disciple, Jiraiya, was the most suitable choice. If Jiraiya remained unwilling to take the post, they would most likely choose the most outstanding member of the next generation: Kakashi Hatake.
This made Danzo somewhat sensitive to the word "Hokage," making him feel as if he was being targeted everywhere.
Sensing the cold shift in the atmosphere, Kakashi scolded in a low voice, "Naruto, you guys go to Ichiraku Ramen and wait for me!"
"Yes." The three members of Team 7 nodded and left.
After they were gone, Danzo shot Kakashi a cold look before turning to meet the Third Hokage, who was walking out from the sealed-off area.
Danzo looked at the coffin being carried by several ANBU behind the Third Hokage and said in a low voice, "Monkey, give me Shisui's body!"
"Don't disturb him anymore." Hiruzen shook his head gently and said calmly, "Shisui's Mangekyo… both were taken."
Danzo's heart shook violently. "...Impossible! No, it must be him. It must be Itachi Uchiha who killed Shisui and took his eyes!" He had obtained one of the Kotoamatsukami Mangekyo back then, so where was the other? The figure who had saved Shisui that day could have been Itachi!
Hiruzen's gaze grew cold. He stared at Danzo's bandages, snorted, and voiced his suspicion. "Are you sure... it wasn't you?"
Danzo shook his head. "Shisui is Kagami's junior. How could I possibly lay a hand on him?"
"I will find a chance to ask Itachi about this matter."
"You would rather believe a disloyal Uchiha than believe me?" Danzo said in a deep voice. "Since he announced his defection, he hasn't passed any information to the village for a long time, has he? The reputation of Itachi of the Sharingan is not to be underestimated..."
"At least he is more trustworthy than you." The Third Hokage knew very well that as long as Itachi's younger brother remained in Konoha, Itachi would never truly betray the village.
Hiruzen looked down, ignoring Danzo's ugly expression. "In any case, the theft of Shisui's eyes is a serious matter. Pay more attention to intelligence from the outside world."
At Ichiraku Ramen, the three kids of Team 7 sat in a row.
Sasuke Uchiha wrung his fingers and asked in a low voice, "Miss Ayame, I heard that Itachi Uchiha once came to this ramen shop..."
Ayame looked at Sasuke in confusion. "That handsome Uchiha boy who used to come with Kakashi? Isn't he..."
"I want to know something about him." Sasuke was still wringing his fingers.
After seeing Shisui's body, hatred had once again welled up uncontrollably inside him. He had to kill that man. Shisui's attitude towards Itachi had been witnessed by the entire clan; he had been like a true older brother.
And Itachi didn't even spare him.
Itachi must have planned it long ago, first eliminating Shisui, who was hailed as the number one master of their clan at the time.
Sasuke's heart felt like it was being pumped by a bellows, growing colder and colder with each beat. The man he had to face was as meticulous as Itachi, so he couldn't afford to miss a single piece of information.
Thinking of this, he suddenly reached out to Naruto. "Naruto, let me borrow your notebook!"
Naruto handed it over with a strange expression, feeling as if he had awakened some incredible new trait in his teammate. The only reason he used a notebook was that his memory had been chaotic recently, and he couldn't remember important things.
Could it be that Sasuke had the same problem?
Sasuke paid no mind to his teammate's thoughts. He seriously took out a pen and looked up at the daughter of the ramen shop owner. "Miss Ayame, you can start."
The corner of Ayame's mouth twitched. "...O...Okay. That handsome boy actually didn't come here many times. He was almost always with Kakashi. Occasionally, I would run into him at the sweet shop. It seems he likes to eat sweet things..."
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Bonus:
Danzo Shimura: Young man, what do you mean? Under my command, you will surely become Hokage!
Naruto Uzumaki: You can't even get the Hokage position yourself...
Danzo Shimura: Let me tell you, I almost got someone into the Hokage position once!
Naruto Uzumaki: Who!
Danzo Shimura: Orochimaru. He narrowly lost to his opponent by one move...
Naruto Uzumaki: Lost to whom?
Danzo Shimura: Why don't you go back and ask your dad?
Minato Namikaze: Heh, I didn't want it either. I was doing fine as a jonin, why did they have to make me Hokage