Chapter:42

Two days later, Uchiha Chi's body was found and brought back to Konoha.

After being brought back, the body was immediately taken to the analysis department and handed over to the ninja best skilled in analysis.

A few hours later, several men and women, looking a little tired, walked out of the analysis room. The leader was a man with long blond hair, wearing a green vest and a red cloak. This person was none other than the head of the Yamanaka Clan, Yamanaka Inoichi.

"Chief Yamanaka, Lord Hokage asks for your presence!"

An Anbu ninja appeared beside Yamanaka Inoichi, approaching him quickly.

Under the guidance of the Anbu ninja, Yamanaka Inoichi entered a room where the Third Hokage was smoking a pipe, deep in thought.

Seeing Yamanaka Inoichi arrive, the Third Hokage put down his pipe and asked, "Have you accessed Uchiha Chi's memories before his death?"

Even the Anbu members weren't aware of Uchiha Chi's true identity, but the Hokage naturally was. Uchiha Chi had been a spy planted in the Uchiha clan and had been infiltrating them for sixteen years.

Upon hearing about Uchiha Chi's death, the Hokage's first thought was that his cover as a spy had been blown and that the Uchiha clan had eliminated him. As soon as Uchiha Chi's body was brought back, the Hokage immediately requested Yamanaka Inoichi, the top ninja in analysis, to inspect it.

"Uchiha Chi's brain tissue was damaged, and I couldn't read his memories," Yamanaka Inoichi replied with a shake of his head.

Although he could see that the Third Hokage took Uchiha Chi's death seriously, Yamanaka Inoichi didn't think much of it. Despite Uchiha Chi being a member of the Uchiha clan, he was still a loyal Konoha ninja, an elite jonin at that. Naturally, the Third Hokage would be concerned.

"Brain tissue damaged?" The Third Hokage pondered for a moment.

With the brain tissue compromised, the intelligence they could gather would be greatly reduced. On the other hand, this also implied that Uchiha Chi had critical information in his brain that the enemy didn't want others to discover. If the Uchiha clan was responsible, the Sharingan would have been activated during the battle. To prevent that important information from leaking, the brain had to be damaged. This raised suspicion towards the Uchiha clan.

"Yes, in addition to the damage to his brain, his eyes were also gouged out," Yamanaka Inoichi added.

"What was the cause of death?" asked the Third Hokage, unsurprised about the missing eyes. Both the Uchiha's Sharingan and the Hyuga's Byakugan were powerful kekkei genkai. Enemies wouldn't let the chance to take those valuable eyes slip away.

"The cause of death was a stab wound to the chest. First, some sharp object pierced the body, then many spikes emerged from inside, causing extensive damage," Yamanaka Inoichi explained in detail.

"Wood Release Kekkei Genkai?" A sharp glint appeared in the Third Hokage's eyes.

Judging from the description, this was undoubtedly the work of the Wood Release Ninjutsu, "Wood Release: Insertion Technique."

"Yes, the injuries match those sustained by the Anbu members who were killed previously. It's believed that Wood Release: Insertion Technique was used. Either it was the same person, or someone else who possesses Wood Release Kekkei Genkai."

"Could it be faked?" The Third Hokage asked after a moment of silence.

If the injuries were genuinely caused by Wood Release, then the Uchiha clan had no involvement. Uchiha Chi's death wouldn't be because his cover as a spy was blown, but if the Wood Release injuries were a disguise, then suspicion would naturally fall heavily on the Uchiha clan.

"It's unlikely that it was faked," Yamanaka Inoichi shook his head. "Judging from the muscle reactions, all the injuries were sustained just moments before death. It's hard to fake that, except perhaps through Wood Release itself."

"In addition, Uchiha Chi had no other injuries besides this one fatal blow, which killed him instantly. The attacker was very powerful, likely at Kage-level strength. Based on this, it's safe to assume the same person killed both Uchiha Chi and the Anbu team."

"I see. Prepare the body and return it to the Uchiha clan," the Third Hokage waved his hand, signaling Yamanaka Inoichi to leave.

It was now clear that Uchiha Chi's death was an unfortunate incident, likely an attack by ninjas hostile to Konoha, not because his identity as a spy had been exposed and he was executed by the Uchiha clan. As for the possibility of someone from the Uchiha clan mastering Wood Release, that wasn't possible. The Uchiha clan lacked the necessary technology, most notably, the Hashirama cells.

Inside a coffin lay a body draped in a white cloth. This was the body of Uchiha Chi that had been returned to his family.

"Chi, open your eyes..." A white-haired old woman lay on the coffin, crying bitterly as she called out Uchiha Chi's name in a heart-wrenching manner. She was Uchiha Chi's mother, Uchiha Umeko.

All of those who knew Uchiha Chi had gathered around, except those who were on missions. Among them was someone who had planned to have a drink with Uchiha Chi once he returned from his mission, but that promise would never be fulfilled.

Uchiha Fugaku and other high-ranking members of the Uchiha clan stood nearby, their expressions grim. The death of an elite jonin was a serious matter for the Uchiha clan. They had already held a family meeting about this.

'Since you made a mistake, you have to pay the price!'

Looking at the heartbroken old woman, Uchiha Fugaku felt a trace of pity but quickly forced it away. Everyone must face the consequences of their actions, or the line between right and wrong would blur.

Uchiha Chi had betrayed the Uchiha clan by serving as a spy for the Third Hokage. He had to pay the price with his life.

Although Uchiha Umeko's sorrow was tragic, wasn't the entire Uchiha clan equally tragic, especially with the impending destruction they would face two years later?

It was because of traitors like Uchiha Chi, Uchiha Shisui, and Uchiha Itachi that the Uchiha clan's situation continued to worsen, ultimately leading to their downfall on the Night of the Massacre.

If Fugaku hoped to prevent the genocide, then traitors like these would need to be eliminated, one by one.

(End of chapter).

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