At Dusk,
A shinobi in an Anbu uniform rushed through the village, pushing his limits, 'Damn it! What could have happened? Itachi, did you really betray us?' His thoughts were a chaotic mess, the Hokage building came into view, and he rushed up to the Hokage's office.
"Bang-bang!" Hurried knocking came from outside the door, putting the Anbu guarding the Hokage on high alert.
"Come in," Hiruzen spoke, taking a deep sigh, followed by smoking his pipe.
Immediately, a shinobi came in, "Lord Hokage, forgive my behavior, but something important has occurred. Uchiha Itachi killed his squad on the route to a mission and is nowhere to be found!
The information made the vice-Anbu commander grimace; he was no stranger to the infighting between the Uchiha and Hokage factions. Recently, things were becoming smoother as if true unity might exist after a long time, but this mess will crush all the effort made so far. ' Fuck.' The vice commander had a fire mask and stood behind the hokage, and he could feel the fury in the Hokage's aura.
"Are you sure?" Hiruzen asked in a tone laced with anger, 'Fugaku! You incompetent fool.
" Yes, Lord Hokage. The traces left in the battle point to him, and one of the killings was thorough the Sharingan from what Oni could read. He didn't have time to erase the battle as a patrol unit from the village rushed to the battle along with a Suna patrol unit. The situation has been diffused, but Sunagakure is aware that a shinobi of ours has turned traitor, and it's only a matter of time before they and the other villages connect the dots."
" Hoooh. Call the advisors and Fugaku here. Also, I need you to keep this quiet. No one shall speak of this. Go." The Anbu vanished, and Hiruzen remained with a tired look on his face. 'Fugaku, I am sorry you will have to take the fall for this, but there was no other way. Everything is for the village. ' His thoughts heavy, he prepared himself for Danzo's confrontation.
A dozen minutes later, Homura and Koharu entered the office with righteous fury plastered on their grim faces. A few seconds later, Danzo walked, and Fugaku was the last to arrive.
"Take a seat, everyone, we have much to discuss." Hiruzen pointed to the chairs.
"I will be brief. Uchiha Itachi murdered his teammates and has since fled the land of Fire. As to his motives, we have no clue, but this betrayal cannot be pardoned. Fugaku, why did your son betray us?" Hiruzen gazed sternly at Fugaku. A tense silence in the room.
" Lord Hok—" "It's obvious the Uchiha are thinking of rebelling! Hiruzen, I told you, you should have rid the village of this tumour a long time ago. Now look where we are. Itachi is a grave threat to the village; the Uchiha must be put under surveillance immediately!" Danzo's shout
"Danzo, how dare you question the loyalty of the Uchiha! The Uchiha are loyal to the village, and the actions of a few will not change that. My son is a Konoha shinobi first and foremost; he will not betray the leaf for no reason. Have we investigated the shinobi killed? Perhaps the problem lies with them!" Fugaku spoke with rage.
"They are leaf shinobi, even if they had problems, no shinobi can disregard the authority of the village." "Bang!" Danzo stomped his walking stick, making his view final. Koharu and Homura were paying minor attention to the argument while they read the files of the murdered shinobi.
"Alright, calm down, I called you here for a civil discussion, not this. Fugaku, was there any indication in Itachi's behavior that could have led to this?"
"No, Lord Hokage. Itachi, even at home, did not show any inclination." Fugaku's gaze was solemn and direct.
" Hiruzen, we need to investigate the murdered shinobi and investigate Itachi. I have heard of Itachi, and he has a reputation as a genius of the village, and his personality was outstanding among our shinobi. It is indeed hard to think he would betray the village. So, there must be a cause." Homura spoke, voicing his thoughts.
"Isn't the cause clear? It was because of Shisui Uchiha." Koharu's words shifted attention to Danzo's bandaged eye.
"What?! I had nothing to do with this. Root had been dissolved, and I have since been kept under house arrest, so look elsewhere." Danzo spoke indignantly.
"Elsewhere?! Danzo, it was you who forced young Shisui Uchiha to commit suicide after taking his Mangekyo Sharingan eye. Something which could have greatly restored strength to the village. Itachi was the one to discover Shisui after having been pursued by the entire village and poisoned by your Aburame Root members. So, of course, when an advisor is only house arrested for a crime that most village shinobi would have been executed for, it makes people indignant and not fiercely loyal anymore to the village and its meaning." Fugaku's words pierced the room, bringing shadows to light.
The 4 Anbu guards, some of them not aware, their chakra spiked at the revelation. Uchiha Shisui, also one of the most celebrated gifted Konoha youth capable of leading Konoha into a new age, it was sad to find out his end like this. Fugaku's words travelled across the corridor into offices, and unfortunately, a team of shinobi that had just reached the higher-level floor was exposed to them fully.
Hiruzen's gaze at a nearby Anbu led to the swift activation of silencing arrays in the office. What some might have considered an error might have in fact been on purpose, but who would discern it as such was unknown.
After a few minutes of back and forth, a consensus was reached. The Uchiha would send out a capture squad for Itachi, since the only way to fight the Sharingan is with another Sharingan. The murdered leaf shinobi would also be investigated. Itachi would be listed as an S-rank rogue shinobi if all evidence pointed to true betrayal of the village.
A/N: Read advanced chapters on Patreon/Louis_JL1