Chapter 136

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In Konoha, within the Hokage's office...

After returning to the village, Kakashi, as the leader of the mission team, immediately reported to the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, detailing the failure of the mission and the entire sequence of events:

"…And that concludes the full report of this mission. I apologize, Lady Hokage, but we failed to accomplish our objective."

Sitting behind her desk, Tsunade's expression grew solemn as she listened. She waved her hand, dismissing his apology. "If the masked man indeed possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan, as you've described, the failure of this mission is understandable."

Every Uchiha with a Mangekyō Sharingan was a formidable opponent—be it the recent Uchiha Itachi or the earlier Uchiha Madara. Tsunade, born into the Senju Clan, understood well the strength of such individuals.

Facing a Mangekyō Sharingan user, Tsunade was relieved that there were no casualties among the team members in this mission.

However…

"When did another Uchiha with a Mangekyō Sharingan emerge? And how is he involved with Uchiha Sasuke and that Hagoromo Gensou behind him?"

Tsunade intertwined her fingers, resting her hands on the desk, deep in thought. The situation of the Uchiha Clan was well-documented in Konoha, and she hadn't heard of anyone else awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan back then. If such a person existed, Itachi's massacre of the clan wouldn't have gone so smoothly.

"Could it be that some Uchiha left a descendant outside the village, who then suddenly awakened the Sharingan and evolved it to the Mangekyō stage?" Tsunade speculated.

Ninjas weren't saints. During missions or travels, it wasn't unusual for them to engage in casual relationships if they met someone they liked. Aside from the Hyūga Clan, with their rigid and almost fanatical rules, it wasn't uncommon for members of other clans, even those with kekkei genkai, to leave behind descendants unintentionally.

Look at the Yuki Clan from Kirigakure and the Kaguya Clan; although these bloodline limit clans were wiped out, it wouldn't be surprising if one or two Ice Release or Shikotsumyaku users emerged in the Land of Water in the future. Haku was one such example.

So, Tsunade considered the possibility that the masked man might be a similar case.

She had no idea that Uchiha Shisui had also awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan before his death. After Shisui disclosed the abilities of his eyes to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Danzo, Danzo acted swiftly to seize one of Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan.

Since the incident involved shady dealings and personal secrets, Danzo naturally left no trace of what happened. Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't aware that Danzo had taken one of Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan.

Upon hearing that Shisui had jumped to his death, and knowing that the Konoha leadership had not acted with integrity during the event, Hiruzen downplayed the incident, deciding not to leave any official record of the affair, not wanting to further provoke the already tense Uchiha Clan.

As for Shisui himself, he was not one to seek attention. As a member of the Uchiha Clan, he didn't want his clan, which had become militant, to gain more confidence in their plans to overthrow the village, so he never revealed that he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Thus, in the vast village of Konoha, after Hagoromo Gensou annihilated Danzo and the Root members who had taken part in the attack, no one was aware of the truth behind Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan—except for one person who had already defected from the village.

"This mission has been tough on all of you. I'll give you some time off. Take this opportunity to rest," Tsunade said, rubbing her temples, feeling a bit weary.

The longer Tsunade served as Hokage, the more she wanted to punch her predecessor, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and demand to know why he had left her with such a mess.

The independent Root division was one thing; though it wasn't resolved in a way she preferred, it no longer existed. But the complete annihilation of the Uchiha Clan, one of Konoha's pillars and symbols of power, under the Third Hokage's watch, was another issue. Now, she had to deal with not one but three individuals from the Uchiha Clan—Itachi, Sasuke, and this unknown Uchiha with the Mangekyō Sharingan—all of whom should have been on Konoha's side but were now its enemies.

The situation struck Tsunade as absurd. Although she wasn't particularly fond of the Uchiha as a Senju, she didn't harbor enough hatred to want them eradicated.

What had driven Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo to such extremes?

It was impossible that Hiruzen hadn't received any information on the night Itachi wiped out the Uchiha Clan; after all, he had always had Anbu monitoring the clan's every move. Many of the Uchiha who died that night weren't just shinobi; they were elderly, children, and even some who lacked any shinobi potential. Was such thoroughness really necessary?

Tsunade sighed heavily. It seemed she was destined to deal with the aftermath of her predecessors' decisions.

"Kakashi…"

As Kakashi was about to turn and leave, having just formed some ideas about the Sharingan and planning to experiment after returning home, Tsunade called out to him.

Kakashi paused and looked back at her.

Tsunade sighed slightly, then addressed him seriously: "Given the current situation, the village can no longer ignore Sasuke. I'll be issuing an official notice, designating Sasuke as an S-Rank missing-nin of Konoha."

As Konoha's allies, the Fire Temple and the Tsuchigumo Clan had suffered significant losses, and there needed to be an explanation. Sasuke, as one of the culprits, had too many witnesses. If Sasuke wasn't labeled a missing-nin after all this, Konoha's credibility would suffer greatly. Even though Tsunade was reluctant, she had no choice.

In truth, in the original timeline, Danzo, who had just been appointed interim Hokage, wasn't wrong in officially designating Sasuke as a missing-nin of Konoha.

Previously, Sasuke hadn't been labeled a missing-nin because he had kept a low profile, and the enemies he killed were on Konoha's blacklist, such as Orochimaru, Deidara, and Uchiha Itachi. However, by the time the Five Kage Summit was about to convene, the news that Sasuke had defeated and captured the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki had spread throughout the shinobi world. If Sasuke wasn't officially declared a missing-nin at that point, it could lead to a significant conflict between Konoha and Kumogakure.

After all, if Sasuke wasn't a missing-nin, he was technically still a Konoha shinobi. A Konoha shinobi capturing Kumogakure's Eight-Tails Jinchūriki would undoubtedly lead to war.

The current situation was quite similar.

Kakashi wasn't as naive as Naruto, who would run off to plead with the Raikage for Sasuke's forgiveness. Understanding Tsunade's predicament, Kakashi remained silent for a moment before nodding in agreement:

"I understand."

Ever since Sasuke left the village, Kakashi knew this day would eventually come. Now, he could only hope that Naruto wouldn't be too devastated by the news and wouldn't cling to false hopes.

(End of Chapter)