"Could this be the work of wandering ninja?"
The speaker was an unusually rotund man, even by shinobi standards, his large frame contrasting starkly with the lean, agile image most would associate with a ninja. He had fiery red hair and wore a harness-style armored vest, emblazoned with the red kanji for "food" across his chest.
He was Chōza Akimichi, head of the Akimichi clan. Though the members of his clan were all similarly built, they made up the "Butterfly" of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio—proof that appearances were often deceiving.
"No," said Nara Shikaku, shaking his head. "While there are rogue ninja within the Land of Fire, they're generally weak. Few even qualify as jōnin.
To ambush and eliminate a squad consisting of an elite jōnin and two standard jōnin would require a team of at least two elite jōnin. Wandering ninja wouldn't have the strength or organization to pull that off."
"What about missing-nin?" Aburame Shibi interjected, his voice calm. "Some of them retain elite jōnin-level abilities. Could this be their doing?"
"It's difficult to say," Shikaku replied. "Missing-nin typically don't initiate attacks on shinobi from other villages unless there's a bounty on the target in the black market. Then, it's entirely possible."
As he said this, Shikaku turned his gaze toward a man with long blond hair.
"Inoichi, is there a bounty on Shimura Ryōma?"
"None that I know of," replied Yamanaka Inoichi, the head of the Yamanaka clan—the "Boar" in the Ino-Shika-Chō. His family's secret techniques made him the head of intelligence in Konoha, which is why Shikaku had directed the question to him.
"If there's no bounty, then we can rule out missing-nin. That leaves only one likely possibility: another hidden village."
Shikaku continued, "And frankly, this is the most probable explanation. A force strong enough to take down an elite jōnin and two jōnin—plus their supporting team—could only be fielded effortlessly by another major village."
"Third Hokage-sama," Danzo Shimura spoke up, addressing Hiruzen. "The death of one elite jōnin and two jōnin is one of the most devastating losses we've suffered since the Third Great Ninja War.
We must thoroughly investigate who is behind this and issue an appropriate response. If we fail to act, Konoha's reputation will be irreparably damaged."
If it had been members of another clan who had died, Danzo wouldn't have cared less. The life or death of others in the village meant nothing to him.
Even fellow Konoha shinobi weren't "comrades" in his eyes.
But the deceased were from the Shimura clan—his clan. His subordinates.
So now, he was aggressively pushing the Third Hokage to mobilize an investigation.
"You're right," Hiruzen said after a pause, glancing sideways at Danzo. He understood Danzo's true motives all too well.
Still, Danzo had a point—if this incident wasn't handled properly, Konoha's standing would take a serious hit.
And so, orders were swiftly given.
"Inoichi, contact our embedded agents in the other four great villages. Investigate the movements of any elite jōnin over the past few days."
"Inuzuka Clan Head, dispatch a tracking unit to assist in the pursuit of the enemy."
"Hyūga Clan Head, send a team to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. Investigate any recent illegal crossings."
One directive after another was issued. Almost every major clan in Konoha was mobilized—either to investigate the borders or to assist with tracking.
One clan, however, was conspicuously left out: the Uchiha.
It wasn't favoritism. The Hokage simply didn't want the Uchiha involved in a collective mission like this. Doing so would disrupt the policy of isolating the Uchiha—a deliberate strategy.
Uchiha Fugaku, head of the Uchiha clan, was unsurprised. To him, this was the status quo.
Had the Third Hokage not excluded them, Fugaku would have suspected a hidden agenda.
His predecessor might have stayed silent in such a moment.
But he wouldn't.
Not this time.
"Lord Hokage, Clan Head Shimura—our Uchiha clan mourns the loss of Shimura Ryōma and his team. We are willing to assist in this operation and would like to contribute manpower."
"Hm?"
Hiruzen looked at Fugaku in mild surprise. The Uchiha were known for staying silent on such matters. For Fugaku to speak up was unexpected.
Still, there was no chance he would allow the Uchiha to break their imposed isolation.
"I'm grateful for your clan's concern, Fugaku-dono," Hiruzen said tactfully. "But the Uchiha are responsible for maintaining village security. At times like this, patrol duties cannot be reduced."
"Of course, patrol shifts can be adjusted from a three-shift system to two. It will be more taxing, but I believe your clan will understand especially in honor of fallen comrades."
Though rejected, Fugaku didn't give up so easily.
"The village is not yet in a state of emergency that requires exhausting patrols," he replied calmly. "Still, I understand your reasoning and appreciate your acknowledgment of our willingness to contribute."
"Therefore," Hiruzen continued, "I will assign Uchiha Shisui to participate in this operation on behalf of your clan. I trust there will be no objections?"
With just a few words, the Third Hokage had skillfully deflected Fugaku's request and offered a token gesture in return—assigning Shisui to the mission.
But the truth was, Shisui had already been slated to join. He had long since aligned himself with Hiruzen.
"Of course. We follow Hokage-sama's decisions," Fugaku said, no longer pressing the matter.
He knew Shisui had thrown his lot in with the Third Hokage. Strictly speaking, Shisui could hardly be called a true Uchiha anymore.
But even so, this wasn't a total loss.
So long as Shisui bore the Uchiha name, his presence on the team would reflect back on the clan.
And if Fugaku's guess was right, the Hokage had originally intended for Shisui to operate under an Anbu alias. Now, he would be participating as a representative of the Uchiha clan—a small but meaningful victory.
"Very good," Hiruzen nodded quickly, eager to finalize the arrangement before Fugaku could say more. "I'm sure Clan Head Shimura is also grateful for the Uchiha's support."
"…Thank you, Fugaku-dono," Shimura Daisuke said stiffly, clearly displeased.
Relations between the Shimura and Uchiha clans were notoriously hostile. To say they were like oil and water would be an understatement.
There was no way Fugaku was acting out of sympathy for Ryōma's death.
It was obvious he was using the incident as an opportunity to break the isolation around his clan.
Thus, Daisuke's words of thanks were forced and reluctant.
"No need to thank me," Fugaku said with a satisfied smile. "We're all part of the same village. Helping each other is only natural."
There was a certain joy in forcing your enemy to thank you for the death of their own.
As the meeting adjourned and the council members filed out of the room, Shikaku's brow furrowed ever so slightly.
There was one more possibility behind the deaths of Ryōma and his team.
It might not have been the work of an external force but an internal one.
A clan within the village… with a grudge against the Shimura.
But without irrefutable evidence, such a suspicion could not be voiced.
To even mention it would trigger paranoia and distrust among the clans.
And so, he kept that possibility to himself.