Chapter 187: Spy's Retaliation, Plan Exposed

Just then, an ANBU member being inspected exploded into action.

Lightning flared from his arm, piercing through the body of the Yamanaka ninja who was using his secret technique.

"Yatsuki!!"

The inspection was abruptly interrupted. Yamanaka Yatsuki glanced down in shock at the gaping hole in his chest, blood spilling from his mouth. He never would have imagined that the person he was inspecting had a problem, much less that they would strike just as the inspection began.

"Save him!!"

It was true—there was a spy in ANBU!

The Third Hokage's face darkened like a storm cloud as he barked a command.

"Understood!"

The Jonin who had been called in, along with the ANBU members who had already passed the inspection, charged at the rogue ninja. Tsunade was among them.

Her main role today, however, was to heal the injured.

"Why? Why are you pushing me like this?!"

"If I could have just stayed undercover for two more years, I would have left Konoha and returned to my village. Just two years!!"

The spy, now exposed, screamed in desperation. His superior had promised that if he remained hidden for two more years, he could leave Konoha and return to his village.

He thought he would have those two years to lie low, but then the incident with the Root ninja being attacked happened, leading to the ANBU inspection that sealed off his escape route.

"Take him down!!"

Danzo wasn't interested in listening to the spy's rant. He was desperate to find out who had attacked his men and where the stolen chakra metal had gone.

The Interrogation Department only had one exit. Unless someone had godlike powers, there was no way to escape.

Chaos broke out in the interrogation hall. Two more ANBU members who hadn't yet been inspected took advantage of the mayhem, dashing toward the exit in a bid to escape.

"Tsk, tsk…"

ANBU had been thoroughly infiltrated, it seemed.

Too bad for them, there was no way they were going to make it out. They couldn't even get close to the exit.

"Heart rupture—don't let the fight interfere with my work."

Tsunade wasted no time in rushing to treat Yamanaka Yatsuki. His injuries were severe, with a gaping wound through his chest and his heart damaged by the lightning chakra. The flesh around the wound was scorched, making the injury almost impossible to treat.

"He's a spy from the Hidden Cloud Village—take him down!!"

Realizing his cover was blown, the spy threw everything he had into his escape, trying to flee from the Interrogation Department. His identity was confirmed almost immediately.

Thanks to Tsunade's medical skills, Yamanaka Yatsuki, who had been on death's doorstep, was pulled back from the brink. Unfortunately, even though he survived, the severity of his injuries would have a lasting impact on him.

The three spies who had been exposed were quickly overwhelmed and subdued.

"Take them away and start questioning them immediately!"

The Hokage had suspected that there might be spies, but the confirmation stung like a slap to the face.

Still, the Third Hokage couldn't help but feel a slight sense of relief that he had followed Danzo's advice.

If it hadn't been for Danzo, he never would have taken such decisive action to root out the traitors.

Danzo truly was the Hokage's right-hand man.

The Third Hokage made a mental note to remind Tsunade to treat Danzo's injuries as soon as possible. They couldn't afford for Danzo's health to deteriorate.

The spectacle was finally over, Tsunade escorted the wounded back to the Konoha Hospital, leaving Takuya to head home alone.

At least the inspection had been limited to ANBU and Root. If they'd tried to extend it to every Jonin in Konoha, it would have been a nightmare.

Wait a minute… if they were inspecting Jonin, wouldn't I be one of the targets too?

Inspecting the ANBU was relatively straightforward since there weren't that many of them. But if they expanded the investigation to include every Jonin in the village, it would be an enormous undertaking—practically impossible to complete.

Unless they had concrete evidence, none of the clan-affiliated ninjas would agree to such an inspection.

The secrets of the clans were no laughing matter.

The higher-ups wouldn't dare issue such an order. And even if they did, the Yamanaka clan would never agree to carry it out.

Inspecting the ANBU was already ruffling some feathers, but it wouldn't cause major trouble for the Yamanaka clan.

However, if the investigation spread to include every Jonin in Konoha, things would take a drastic turn.

The Yamanaka clan would find themselves in a very tight spot.

It could even force the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance to split.

The results of the investigation came in quickly.

The three spies were from the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Sand Village.

Two of them were from the Cloud Village.

In addition to the spies, several other ANBU members were found to have questionable backgrounds.

Some had deliberately sabotaged others, framed their teammates, abandoned comrades in danger, or even bullied those weaker than them.

Humans are selfish, emotional creatures. Very few can withstand intense scrutiny. If you look closely enough, almost everyone has something to hide.

The difference is, some people's secrets will be uncovered, while others' won't.

In the end, the investigation exposed three spies and saw over ten ANBU members arrested. They would be sent to prison for further questioning.

"Those damn Hidden Cloud bastards! They were planning to target the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!!"

The Third Hokage rarely lost his temper, but this time he was like a furious lion. The Hidden Cloud Village spies had crossed a line.

The Jinchuriki was not something to mess around with.

The idea of an enemy infiltrating Konoha to kidnap Kushina sent a shiver down his spine. If anything went wrong, they could be looking at a disaster—like a Nine-Tails rampage right in the heart of the village.

The thought of the Nine-Tails tearing through Konoha made the Hokage break out in a cold sweat.

He wasn't confident he could stop the rampage.

As Konoha's long-standing neighbor, the Wind Country had experienced more than its fair share of Jinchuriki disasters. Every time Shukaku, the One-Tail, lost control, the Hidden Sand Village was thrown into chaos. And that was just the One-Tail.

If the Nine-Tails got loose, it would be infinitely worse.

The entire Hidden Leaf Village could be destroyed.

"This is why I've always said we need to keep a tight grip on the Jinchuriki! But you never listen. You refuse to accept my advice," Danzo interjected, seizing the opportunity to pressure the Hokage.

He hoped this would be the incident that finally pushed the Hokage to hand control of the Jinchuriki over to Root.

"That's enough, Danzo! I'm not going to argue with you."

Danzo had always wanted to control the Jinchuriki, but the Hokage wasn't willing to allow it.

For one thing, the Jinchuriki couldn't be pushed too far. And besides, if Danzo gained control over the Jinchuriki, his ambitions might grow out of control. That was a risk the Hokage wasn't willing to take.

"Now's not the time for this, Danzo," Koharu and Homura chimed in, siding with the Hokage for once.

"Hmph."

Danzo wasn't done yet, though. "The Hidden Cloud Village is reaching too far! They dared to target our Jinchuriki. Are you just going to let this slide?"

Who the hell attacked my men?

Although the Yamanaka clan's interrogation techniques had pried open every secret the spies were hiding, Danzo couldn't be satisfied. The matter of his men being attacked—and the stolen chakra metal—was still unresolved.

Still, this inspection hadn't been entirely fruitless. The Hidden Cloud Village had indeed gained access to certain nodes in Konoha's barrier.

They had been planning to infiltrate Konoha and carry out their Jinchuriki abduction scheme.

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