The next day, Uchiha Fugaku and the other two left the Daimyo's mansion and began their journey back to Konoha.
Upon learning of Uchiha Fugaku's departure, the Twelve Guardian Ninjas who had been guarding the daimyo closely—no, now they should be called the Eleven Guardian Ninjas—all let out a sigh of relief.
"This dangerous man has finally left!"
A man with a turban let out a long exhale.
The man's name was Kazuma. Even among the Twelve Guardian Ninjas, he was among the strongest.
But even so, when he heard that Uchiha Fugaku had come to the Daimyo's Prefecture and was suspected to have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
At his level of strength, many things that were secrets to others were no longer secrets to him—including the Mangekyō Sharingan of the Uchiha clan.
Back then, Uchiha Madara, wielding the Mangekyō Sharingan, had been able to compete with the First Hokage, the God of Shinobi.
Even though Uchiha Fugaku couldn't compare to Madara, he was still an extremely formidable opponent. Even if the Eleven Guardian Ninjas fought together, they would likely stand no chance.
"It seems our information was wrong. He had no intention of harming the Daimyo."
A man with slightly long hair and no beard, named Shidō, also let out a breath of relief.
At that moment, Fūka, the only female member of the Guardian Twelve, hesitated before asking.
"Do you think Uchiha Fugaku was the one who killed Asuma?"
The moment those words left her mouth, everyone fell silent.
It wasn't just Fūka who thought so. Many of them had already had the same suspicion.
Within the Daimyo's mansion, the person most likely to silently assassinate Asuma Sarutobi was none other than Uchiha Fugaku, who was rumored to have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
However, they had all kept their thoughts to themselves, hesitant to voice them.
After a moment of silence, Chiriku, the monk from the Fire Temple, finally spoke.
"It's possible, but we can't rule out the chance that a highly skilled ninja infiltrated the Daimyo's mansion and launched a stealth attack on Asuma."
He had been suspicious ever since Asuma Sarutobi was murdered, and he had personally inspected Asuma's room thoroughly, trying to find conclusive evidence—but he found nothing.
"Asuma was one of us. Now that he's gone, we can't just let this go. We have to find the killer."
One of the Four Lightning Release Users, Kitane, said through gritted teeth.
"I disagree."
Kazuma immediately objected.
"The person who could silently assassinate Asuma must be incredibly powerful. Even if the eleven of us fought together, we might not be their match."
"Our duty is to protect the Daimyo. If we recklessly pursue revenge and suffer heavy casualties, or even get wiped out, wouldn't that be a dereliction of our duty?"
"You—!"
Kitane glared at Kazuma, his eyes burning with anger.
"I've seen you and Asuma at odds before, but I never imagined you'd be so cold-blooded that you wouldn't care about the death of a comrade!"
"This isn't cold-blooded—this is rationality. But you just want to act on impulse. Do you want the eleven of us to die alongside Asuma?"
Kazuma said coldly.
The reason for his refusal was partly because he had a bad relationship with Asuma, but more importantly—he was afraid.
Whoever could silently assassinate Asuma could just as easily assassinate him.
The enemy's strength was too terrifying—he didn't want to provoke someone like that.
"Enough! Stop fighting. We need to identify the killer first before we decide on revenge."
Chiriku frowned and intervened.
Deep down, he wanted to avenge Asuma.
But first, they had no conclusive proof that Uchiha Fugaku was the killer.
Second, their opponent was likely a terrifying existence, one they couldn't defeat even if they all fought together.
"Fine."
Hearing Chiriku's words, Kitane forcibly suppressed his anger.
"Hmph."
Kazuma snorted coldly, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Kei, and Uchiha Hiroshi left the Daimyo's Mansion, passed through a vast forest, and began their return to Konoha.
Suddenly, Uchiha Fugaku's expression changed slightly.
"I was being followed the moment I left the Daimyo's Mansion. It seems like I've been targeted."
In his perception, he sensed a faint chakra presence lurking underground, trailing them.
This chakra signature was all too familiar—it belonged to a White Zetsu clone.
He had killed this type of creature multiple times before.
It was clear that Akatsuki had targeted him, specifically sending a White Zetsu clone to track his movements.
"Since you're following me… I might as well accept your gift."
Swoosh—
Uchiha Fugaku suddenly turned his head, looking at the leaf-covered ground, where nothing seemed out of place.
His Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan spun, the pattern in his right eye rotating as he activated his real illusion.
Even though he had no direct eye contact, even though a layer of earth separated them, the illusion still took effect—dragging the White Zetsu clone into his illusionary space.
"Damn! I've been discovered!"
The White Zetsu clone, hidden beneath the earth, panicked and tried to flee.
But before it could get far, a figure suddenly appeared in front of it, blocking its escape.
It was Uchiha Fugaku.
He had appeared as if by teleportation, using the real illusion to move instantly.
Puff—
Before the White Zetsu clone could react, Uchiha Fugaku drove a kunai into its chest, killing it instantly.
In the real world, the illusion faded, and Uchiha Fugaku returned to his original spot.
"Clan Leader, what happened?"
Seeing Uchiha Fugaku's sudden movement, Uchiha Kei and Uchiha Hiroshi asked in surprise.
"There was a rat following us. But I took care of it."
Uchiha Fugaku replied calmly.
With that, he flashed forward and appeared at the spot where the White Zetsu clone had died.
His Susanoo activated, a giant black skeletal hand emerging. It dug into the ground, pulling out the White Zetsu clone's corpse.
He pulled out a sealing scroll, storing the corpse inside.
Although a single White Zetsu clone wouldn't greatly improve his Wood Release, if he accumulated enough of them, it would still enhance his ability.
Initially, he could barely use the Wood Release, but now, he could perform basic techniques.
"The Clan Leader must've used the same ability from his battle with Uchiha Shisui."
"Why does it feel like the Clan Leader has become even stronger?"
Uchiha Kei and Uchiha Hiroshi exchanged shocked glances.
Before they had even noticed the enemy, their leader had already killed it.
Compared to his previous battle with Uchiha Shisui, the Clan Leader seemed to have grown even more powerful.
(End of this chapter)