Chapter:57

"Someone's sneaking in!"

Suddenly, a loud shout echoed through the Hokage Building. The once quiet halls erupted in chaos as the sound of hurried footsteps filled the air.

"They've found the unconscious guards!" Uchiha Fugaku's expression darkened, immediately realizing that the Anbu ninja he had subdued had been discovered.

In addition to the stationary Anbu guards positioned throughout the Hokage Building, there were also mobile patrols. One of these patrols must have come across the unconscious Anbu and raised the alarm.

No time to waste!

In a flash, Fugaku moved to the platform where the Book of Seals was kept. Without hesitation, he grabbed the massive scroll and quickly sealed it into a storage scroll.

Boom!

Fugaku burst through the wall of the scroll room, landing smoothly on the ground outside before darting away at lightning speed.

"Don't let him escape! After him!" shouted the Anbu as they spotted the figure breaking through the wall. More than a dozen Anbu ninjas were now hot on Fugaku's trail, with even more joining the chase from all directions. The commotion they caused was like a swarm of angry hornets.

"Surround and cut him off!" ordered an Anbu team captain as they divided into three squads. One squad chased directly behind Fugaku, while the other two moved to flank him from the left and right, closing in fast. Additional ninjas who had heard the disturbance rushed in from the front, further tightening the net around him.

It seemed as though Fugaku was about to be completely surrounded.

Suddenly, Fugaku's figure dashed toward a seemingly abandoned house, its doors locked from the outside, indicating it was unoccupied. Without missing a beat, he broke through the door and disappeared inside.

"Surround the house and set up a barrier to block Earth Release jutsu!" ordered the Anbu captain. Within moments, ninjas skilled in barrier techniques erected a protective barrier around the house, preventing any attempt to escape underground using Earth Release ninjutsu.

"The rest of you, follow me inside!" The captain led the remaining Anbu inside the house, their eyes scanning every corner.

However, despite searching the entire house from top to bottom, they couldn't find any trace of Fugaku.

"He's gone!" one of the Anbu muttered in disbelief.

None of them noticed that during the chaos of the chase, one figure had quietly broken away from the pursuit and disappeared into the night. This figure was none other than Uchiha Fugaku, now disguised as an Anbu ninja.

The one who had broken through the wall had only been Fugaku's shadow clone, disguised as Uchiha Obito. Once inside the house and away from prying eyes, the shadow clone dispersed, leaving no trace behind.

---

Late that night, the Third Hokage, who had been resting lightly due to his old age, was abruptly awakened by the commotion in the village.

"What's happening?" His expression tensed as he quickly dressed and headed towards the source of the disturbance.

Before he got far, Hatake Kakashi, wearing his Anbu mask, appeared before him, his silver hair glinting under the moonlight.

"Hokage-sama, someone broke into the Hokage Building. The Book of Seals has been stolen!" Kakashi reported urgently.

"What!?" The Third Hokage's face paled.

The Book of Seals contained forbidden techniques of immense power—each one a precious and dangerous tool. If these techniques fell into the wrong hands and were leaked, the consequences could be catastrophic.

"Have you found the thief?" the Hokage asked quickly.

"The Anbu are pursuing the intruder as we speak. I've come to inform you," Kakashi replied. "The Uchiha clan's compound was robbed earlier today, and now the Hokage Building has been targeted. I believe it may be the same person responsible for both thefts."

"You think it's the same person who broke into the Uchiha compound?" The Third Hokage's expression grew conflicted.

The one who had infiltrated the Uchiha compound earlier was Uchiha Shisui. However, there was no way Shisui would have stolen the Book of Seals. This meant that while the timing of the two thefts was suspicious, they were almost certainly unrelated. But this was not something he could explain openly.

He couldn't reveal that Shisui had infiltrated Fugaku's mansion. At the same time, he knew it was impossible for Shisui to be behind the theft of the Book of Seals.

"We'll discuss this later. For now, let's move!" The Third Hokage instructed Kakashi as they headed toward the scene of the crime.

***

Before long, the Third Hokage and Kakashi arrived at the abandoned house where the Anbu had cornered the thief.

"Hokage-sama," the ninjas present greeted him respectfully as they stood at attention.

"Have you caught the intruder?" the Hokage asked urgently.

"Hokage-sama, the intruder vanished without a trace after entering this house," the Anbu captain reported, his voice tense. He had been in charge of guarding the Hokage Building that night, and now that something had gone wrong, he knew the consequences could be severe.

"Vanished?" The Third Hokage's expression darkened, his anger barely contained. He took a deep breath and asked, "Is it possible that they used Earth Release to escape?"

"I had the barrier set up immediately to prevent Earth Release jutsu from being used. The intruder should not have been able to escape that way," the Anbu captain responded nervously. "We did find signs that the house had been used as a hideout, but no trace of the intruder remains."

Suppressing his frustration, the Third Hokage asked, "Did you identify the intruder?"

The captain hesitated for a moment before responding, "The intruder was wearing a black cloak with red clouds and a spiral mask. Based on what we've seen, it appears to be the same individual who possesses the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai."

"The Wood Release user?" The Third Hokage's eyes widened in realization.

According to the information Shisui had provided, this mysterious individual claimed to be Uchiha Madara and had the ability to use a powerful space-time ninjutsu. If that was true, it was highly likely that the intruder had escaped using that same space-time technique.

Only someone with mastery over space-time ninjutsu could escape such a tight encirclement.

The Hokage's mind raced with possibilities. Could this individual have remained hidden in the village after his battle with Shisui the previous night? Perhaps he hadn't left Konoha at all but had been hiding in this abandoned house, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

"But if he had the ability to leave at any time using space-time ninjutsu, why would he risk returning here?" the Hokage wondered. The question lingered in his mind for a moment before the answer became clear.

The intruder must have hidden something valuable in the house and returned to retrieve it.

(End of Chapter)

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