Developments from All Sides

Hokage's Office

"Lord Third, the Uchiha have returned the four ANBU they detained."

"They weren't punished, just held overnight."

"Is that so?" The Third Hokage took a drag on his pipe.

"Sarutobi, what do you plan to do?" Homura Mitokado inquired from the side.

The Third Hokage sighed. "Withdraw all ANBU monitoring the Uchiha clan. There's no need to keep watching them."

"Is that really okay, Sarutobi?"

Homura still felt uneasy. Monitoring the Uchiha had been a directive from Tobirama.

They hadn't dared to relax their vigilance but had never found evidence against the Uchiha.

However, the Nine-Tails incident involved the Uchiha's Sharingan.

"If we don't withdraw, are you planning to let all the ANBU die there?"

The Third Hokage huffed heavily.

"The Uchiha now have two Kage-level powerhouses, Fugaku and Natsuki, both Mangekyō Sharingan users. Killer Bee is still in our Konoha hospital!"

Homura sat down silently, not saying a word.

Koharu Utatane suggested, "Then let's summon Jiraiya and Tsunade back?"

Sarutobi took a deep drag on his pipe. "Tsunade is hard to locate. Summon Jiraiya back."

Homura and Koharu exchanged a glance. Tsunade's whereabouts were hardly unknown.

Wherever she went, her gambling nickname "Big Loser" spread.

Tsunade refused to return due to her suspicions of Konoha's leadership.

The deaths of Nawaki and Dan bore clear signs of foul play, but Tsunade had no evidence, leading her to leave Konoha.

Getting Tsunade back now would be difficult.

Jiraiya, on the other hand, was easier to manage.

Koharu nodded, "I'll make the arrangements."

After Koharu left, the Third Hokage asked, "What about Kumogakure?"

Homura picked up a report. "After emergency treatment, Killer Bee is out of danger. With his Jinchūriki physique, he'll be discharged soon."

"Yugito Nii sent a letter back to Kumogakure. But they've all stayed quietly in the embassy, not going anywhere else."

The Third Hokage nodded. Kumogakure had indeed been intimidated this time.

They probably hadn't expected the Uchiha to support Konoha openly.

Although Konoha stood to gain some benefits from the peace talks, the Hyuga clan…

The Third Hokage was deeply troubled by the emergence of someone like Natsuki in the Uchiha clan.

All these changes in the Uchiha clan occurred after Natsuki became the vice-clan leader.

Now, the Hokage faction had lost the Hyuga clan as an ally, making it necessary to recall Jiraiya.

If only Orochimaru were here.

The Third Hokage knew Orochimaru well.

Orochimaru was a top-tier researcher and strategist.

If Orochimaru were Hokage…

The Third Hokage drifted off into thought.

"Sarutobi? Sarutobi?"

Homura's voice snapped the Third Hokage back to reality.

Shaking his head, he thought he was getting old. Orochimaru would never return.

The Third Hokage refocused, "Hmm, what's Danzo up to lately?"

Homura hesitated, "Since Root joined the police force, Hizashi has only allowed them to perform security duties."

"With so many complaints, Danzo had to personally oversee the restructuring."

"What he's doing now isn't very clear. But he frequently sends Root members to areas controlled by the Uchiha."

"Hmph, the Uchiha are not so easily bullied now."

The Third Hokage had mixed feelings about Danzo. They had been teammates and later leaders together, complementing each other well.

However, in recent years, Danzo's ambition has grown, and Root's numbers far exceed what was originally intended.

Even the Hokage didn't know how many Root members were hidden underground.

Previously, Danzo coveted Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan.

He was caught by Natsuki and severely reprimanded, yet he remained undeterred.

"Hmm…"

The Third Hokage pondered for a moment.

"Pass this information to Natsuki. Let them deal with it themselves."

Homura nodded in agreement.

He, too, had noticed Danzo's growing ambition. Despite being an old teammate, Danzo now acts superior.

With the Uchiha so strong now, Danzo was likely to suffer.

Land of Rice Fields

After days of travel, Itachi and Shisui's group finally arrived in the Land of Rice Fields.

The Land of Rice Fields was a small nation, not even a tenth the size of the Land of Fire.

Its resources were not as rich, and its national strength needed to be stronger.

Having trekked through the wilderness for days, the group now only wanted a good rest and to gather some information.

In a small town, the Uchiha group booked an entire inn.

The innkeeper, on the brink of bankruptcy, was overjoyed with such a large order.

He was very hospitable to Itachi's group, meeting all their requests.

After a day of rest, the group had recovered their energy.

Early the next morning, Takuya began gathering information about the Land of Rice Fields.

"Has your country recently established a new ninja village?"

"Oh, you know about that?" The innkeeper was surprised.

"Yes, a few years ago, we established a small ninja village, Otogakure. Although small, it's quite capable."

"Many foreign ninjas reside there, and Otogakure's mission efficiency is high."

"Our daimyo strongly supports Otogakure and has allocated significant funds to it."

Before departure, Elder Takuya had gathered information about Otogakure's location and details.

Once rested, the Uchiha quickly headed towards Otogakure.

The Land of Rice Fields was small, and within two days, Otogakure came into view.

To avoid unnecessary casualties, Itachi stationed the other Uchiha in a nearby town, planning to visit Otogakure with Shisui.

Otogakure's scale was modest, smaller than the Uchiha compound, with only a few hundred inhabitants.

However, as Itachi and Shisui entered Otogakure, they sensed many powerful chakras hidden within the village.

These were jonin-level ninjas.

Itachi and Shisui were cautious, proceeding to the mission center as ordinary clients.

There was only one reception window at the mission center.

Behind it was a plump middle-aged woman, just an ordinary person.

Shisui approached to discuss their request. The woman smiled kindly, "Welcome to Otogakure. How can I help you?"

Shisui responded politely, "We're looking for someone who should be in your village."

"Oh? Who might that be?" the woman asked curiously.

"They're looking for me," said a bespectacled man entering from outside, smiling. It was Kabuto Yakushi.

"Please follow me," Kabuto said, greeting the woman before leading Itachi and Shisui towards the back of the village.

The back of the village led to a mountain range, with fewer people along the way until only the three of them remained.

After a short walk, Kabuto stopped at a mountain hollow.

"I wonder why the famous Shisui of the Body Flicker and the Uchiha heir have come to Otogakure."

As he spoke, several figures leaped down, their headbands varied, indicating they were jonin-level followers Orochimaru had gathered from other villages.

All of them looked at Itachi and Shisui with hostility.

Ignoring their glares, Itachi said, "You're Kabuto Yakushi, right? Where is Orochimaru?"

Itachi's voice was calm, but the jonin seemed provoked.

"How dare you address our master directly!"

They then charged fiercely at Itachi and Shisui.

…