"Inabi, what are you saying? Can't you speak properly?"
Uchiha Fugaku barked out a reprimand.
But—
He was scolding Uchiha Inabi's tone, not denying the content of his words.
Clearly, he agreed with Inabi's assessment. In his view, the Kiri side… felt exactly like a thief crying "stop, thief!"—putting on this so-called disappearance act only to distance themselves from the incident.
The Third Hokage spoke gently, "It's true we can't dismiss the possibility that the Kiri are pulling a 'thief crying thief.' But right now, we simply don't have enough reliable information. If we act rashly based on speculation, we might fall right into someone's trap."
As he spoke, he turned and pointed toward the consulate.
"Besides, Fugaku, look. I've already stationed Orochimaru and his men to surround the entire embassy. These Kiri-nin can't escape. And once we confirm they're playing a double-bluff, they'll naturally face the consequences."
He raised his voice slightly.
These words weren't just for Fugaku—they were for every Uchiha jōnin present, meant to settle this fierce and unruly clan.
"...Hokage-sama, please allow us to remain here as well, to assist Orochimaru-senpai in keeping watch over the Kiri."
Fugaku requested after a brief moment of thought.
"No problem."
The Third agreed readily.
But deep in his eyes simmered faint displeasure.
The Uchiha clan—still as disobedient as ever.
It seemed his efforts to weaken the Uchiha still needed to continue.
"Yashiro, go help Orochimaru-senpai."
With the Third's permission, Fugaku immediately ordered his men forward.
The Uchiha jōnin quickly moved to coordinate with Orochimaru's temporarily-commanded ANBU, sealing the embassy shut from all sides. The Third didn't leave either; instead, he had a makeshift command post constructed right there in the first-floor hall.
Soon, the Third, Orochimaru, and Fugaku all remained stationed inside the embassy. More elite personnel were summoned from various departments, launching a new wave of room-by-room searches. Hyūga, Yamanaka, Inuzuka, and other clan shinobi all joined the investigation.
---
In a corner of the embassy's lobby,
the Kiri-nin sat on couches, coldly watching Konoha's shinobi scurry about.
"Elder Anjō," Hōzuki Mangetsu murmured as he watched a Yamanaka-clan shinobi nearby. "What's going on with that Mizushiro guy? This situation… feels really bad."
"Mizushiro definitely has a problem."
Anjō's expression darkened.
"If those two Uchiha boys weren't lying, then Mizushiro wasn't kidnapped—he left the embassy on his own. Never mind how he slipped past us and Konoha's surveillance—just the fact that he left without informing anyone means something is absolutely wrong."
Mangetsu stared at Anjō for a few seconds, then asked—not about whether Mizushiro acted under orders from someone in the village—but a different question:
"Do you think Konoha can catch him?"
"How should I know?"
Anjō shook his head.
"If it were the Mizushiro I thought I knew, then no—he'd never escape Konoha's pursuit. But now? Mizushiro clearly isn't what he appears. The one I knew may have been just a mask. Who knows how many tricks he's hiding?"
"If Konoha can't catch him… and they fail to rescue that Uchiha kid—Uchiha Tsuruha—will they pin the blame on us?"
"…We can't rule it out."
"Then what do we do? Just sit here and wait to die?"
"…"
Anjō had no answer.
Earlier, he'd planned to leverage Mizushiro's disappearance to demand an explanation from Konoha and gain advantage in the negotiations.
But now? He had zero confidence left.
If things went badly, they might all end up permanently detained in Konoha.
His mind ran in circles, trying to find a way out.
But no matter how he wracked his brain, no solution emerged.
All they could do was wait.
"Relax, Mangetsu. Things haven't reached the worst point yet."
Kyoichi lounged casually on the sofa—legs crossed, sipping hot tea as if enjoying a pleasant afternoon. His calm demeanor drew glances not only from his companions but also from several nearby Konoha shinobi.
"This isn't bad enough already?" Mangetsu shot back irritably.
"Of course not. At the very least, we're still here drinking tea and snacking—not sitting in Konoha's prison eating jail rations."
"…"
Mangetsu was speechless.
When framed that way… yeah, things weren't that bad yet.
After a moment of silent brooding, he muttered,
"But that's only for now. If things get worse, we won't be eating rations—we'll be eating our last meal."
"But things might also turn around, right?"
Kyoichi smiled.
"You're awfully optimistic."
"It's literally a fifty-fifty chance. Things might get better or worse. You and Elder Anjō are just being too pessimistic."
"You think things will improve?"
"Konoha's shinobi aren't useless. Even if they can't catch Mizushiro, they're not going to dump blame on us without cause. That would accomplish nothing except soothing the Uchiha's anger—and would more likely spark another war. A wise leader like the Third Hokage wouldn't make such a foolish move."
He raised his voice deliberately—loud enough for several Konoha shinobi nearby to clearly hear.
As expected, a few glanced at him with sharp, assessing eyes.
Undoubtedly, these words would be reported to the Third Hokage.
"And what if they do catch Mizushiro?"
"Then there's even less to worry about. We all agree Mizushiro has problems. If Konoha catches him and rescues Uchiha Tsuruha, they'll have plenty of ways to uncover whoever's pulling the strings behind the scenes."
Mangetsu watched him speak, unable to find words.
"You're worried the one behind Mizushiro might actually be someone inside the village, right?"
Kyoichi glanced at him knowingly.
"Even if your concern is correct, as long as Mizushiro is captured and Tsuruha is safe, neither Konoha nor the Uchiha will have suffered any real losses. They won't demand our heads. At most, our delegation will need to pay a heavier price during the negotiations…"
He paused, tone firm and certain.
"And honestly? I don't buy your theory at all. I can say with confidence:
Mizushiro's mastermind has nothing to do with the Konoha."