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Though it was his first time killing, Kagaya had previously witnessed death up close, so he didn't feel much aversion.
As for the two Root ninjas' bodies, Kagaya had no intention of dealing with them. First, he didn't know how to dispose of them properly. Second, Root would undoubtedly notice their absence and investigate, especially since these two were likely sent by Danzō. Their deaths couldn't be concealed, so there was no point in trying.
His face was splattered with blood from piercing the fox-masked ninja's neck. Kagaya initially thought about finding a river to wash it off, not wanting to worry his family. But glancing at the pitch-black night, he decided to head home first. If Danzō had sent more than two ninjas and others were still coming, lingering would be dangerous.
The journey home was uneventful. Upon arriving, Uchiha Yuko, seeing the bloodstains on Kagaya's face, was horrified and bombarded him with questions.
Takayuki, however, furrowed his brow. He immediately activated his Sharingan to check behind Kagaya. Seeing no pursuers, he let out a sigh of relief and spoke.
"No dinner yet. Come to my room and explain."
Kagaya nodded.
"Alright."
In the room, Kagaya and Takayuki sat across from each other on the tatami.
"You said Root attacked you?"
"Yeah, and I killed them."
Takayuki looked at Kagaya in astonishment.
"Impressive. You took down two Root members on your own."
Kagaya shook his head.
"Father, that's not the point. I'm worried Danzō will use this as an excuse to come after our Uchiha clan."
Takayuki's face hardened.
"Come after us? Root struck first, and they dare frame the Uchiha?! Don't worry about this. I'll handle it. Go wash your face and eat."
Kagaya felt helpless, unsure how to explain further, and could only take his leave from Takayuki.
Meanwhile, Takayuki remained deep in thought, his brow furrowed.
This incident could indeed spark conflict between the Leaf Village and the Uchiha.
But what could he do? Could he tell his son to stand still and let Root kill him? Impossible!
No matter how this situation unfolded, he would always support his son's actions. Against Root's assassins, sitting idly by was not an option. No matter what, they had to survive.
Late at night, underground, in the darkness.
Danzō slightly opened his eyes.
"It's late, and they still haven't returned. It seems they failed."
Danzō quickly summoned a Root member.
"Go to the Uchiha training grounds and check for any bodies of our Root members."
"Yes, sir!"
After the Root member left, Danzō sneered.
"I've never failed in my plans. This time, I underestimated you, Uchiha Kagaya. But you'll still die!"
Root's rules were strict. If those two hadn't returned by now, they were surely dead. Otherwise, even on their last breath, they'd crawl back to report to Danzō.
A while later, the Root ninja Danzō had sent returned with two bodies.
"Lord Danzō, these were found near the Uchiha training grounds."
Danzō glanced at the bodies and spoke calmly.
"Understood. Leave the bodies here and go."
"Yes, sir!"
Elsewhere.
Shisui had just left Root's headquarters, his face full of confusion. Danzō had called him in and rambled about meaningless things.
It was obvious to Shisui that Danzō was deliberately keeping him there, preventing him from leaving.
Why would he do that? For what reason?
Kagaya!
It hit Shisui. Nighttime was when he usually trained Kagaya. Danzō keeping him occupied likely meant he was targeting Kagaya!
No way, it couldn't be.
Though Shisui pieced it together, he didn't want to believe it. He couldn't understand why Danzō would target Kagaya. Kagaya had no involvement in the tensions between the Uchiha and the Leaf Village.
'I hope I'm wrong,' Shisui prayed.
He first went to the training grounds but didn't find Kagaya. Then he headed to Kagaya's house, avoiding Kagaya's parents, and met with him.
In Kagaya's room, after hearing the full account, Shisui's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Lord Danzō… why? Damn it!"
Shisui couldn't fathom it. To him, Danzō had no reason—none at all—to target Kagaya.
Kagaya, however, wasn't surprised. He had long expected Danzō to come after him. That Danzō had waited this long was already beyond Kagaya's expectations.
"Senior, some time ago, Root tried to recruit me, and I refused."
Shisui frowned, gritting his teeth.
"Just because of that? Just because you refused, Lord Danzō would target you?"
Kagaya pondered for a moment before speaking calmly.
"There's probably more to it. Something likely convinced Danzō that I'd never join Root. In his eyes, that makes me, a so-called genius, an unstable factor within the Uchiha clan—one he can't control. That's likely why he acted."
Shisui fell silent, covering his face with one hand, saying nothing for a long time.
After what felt like an eternity, Shisui finally looked up and stood.
"Kagaya, it's late. Get some rest. I'm leaving."
Kagaya stood as well.
"I'll walk you out."
Shisui gave a faint smile.
"No need."
With that, Shisui used his Body Flicker Technique and left.
It was clear Shisui was in a foul mood, departing abruptly.
Kagaya bit his lip but said nothing, soon falling asleep.
The next day.
In the Hokage's office, Danzō arrived with two bodies covered in white cloth and confronted the Third Hokage.
"Hiruzen, last night, Uchiha Kagaya of the Uchiha clan attacked and killed my Root members without reason, using brutal methods. I demand the immediate arrest of Uchiha Kagaya and his family for questioning!"
The Third Hokage looked at Danzō in disbelief. Just yesterday, he had told Danzō not to touch Kagaya, and now, first thing in the morning, Danzō was accusing Kagaya. The Third knew it was highly likely Danzō who had struck first.
But this was the Third's weakness. Even knowing Danzō was likely behind it, faced with two undeniable corpses, he couldn't outright dismiss Danzō.
"Danzō, arresting them outright is too extreme. Besides, are you sure it was Kagaya who killed them?"
Danzō sneered.
"There's no doubt Uchiha Kagaya did it. And I believe immediate arrest is necessary. The Uchiha already harbor rebellious intentions, and now they dare attack Root. We must use decisive measures to deter them!"
The Third countered.
"Where's your evidence? Without proof that Kagaya did it, we can't arrest him."
Danzō lifted the white cloth, pointing to a charred body.
"This was caused by a Great Fireball Technique, a move commonly used by the Uchiha. Uchiha Kagaya knows that technique."
Then he pointed to the other body, its throat pierced.
"This is a kunai wound, delivered with expert precision. Coincidentally, Uchiha Kagaya is highly skilled with kunai. Based on these points, I'm certain it was him."
The Third was furious.
"Kagaya had no reason to attack Root. But you, Danzō—aren't you the one who struck first?"
Danzō replied coldly.
"Why would I target a child? As for why Uchiha Kagaya attacked Root, I don't know. That's why we need to arrest and interrogate him. If he's innocent, we can release him later. But for now, he must be arrested immediately!"
This was the Third's inclination to maintain stability. Even if he knew the truth deep down, with seemingly solid evidence before him, the stability-seeking Third had to act.
After some investigation, an Anbu even claimed to have witnessed Kagaya's attack. Under these circumstances, the Third reluctantly ordered the arrest of Uchiha Kagaya.
*****
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