He was afraid that the four elders would dye Itachi with other colors, breaking free from Fugaku's control as a father.
Itachi's talent was too outstanding.
So much so that Fugaku had to keep Itachi firmly in his grasp, allowing no one else to touch him.
"Is that so? It seems he's already truly mastered most of the Uchiha's powers. He doesn't even regard you anymore."
Rika's tone was full of acidity.
After working for so many years, he was just an intelligence chief, while others were already prestigious clan leaders.
He felt that in the future, he wouldn't be able to continue as the intelligence chief of the Uchiha.
All details regarding the four elders might be blocked.
Fugaku, that guy, what an awful person. Rika complained in his heart.
He knew Fugaku wasn't targeting him, but was too afraid of the four elders, also worried about the backlash from the radicals.
"Not only that, there are Anbu lurking around the mansion."
"Huh?"
Rika was stunned, Anbu?
"Rika, how long has it been since you last fought? Your vigilance has become so weak."
"Sorry. Maybe it's because I had diarrhea this morning."
Rika scratched his head awkwardly.
Over the years, he indeed had become a bit rusty, never even going to the battlefield, just idling around the clan, going out for walks, or fishing when he had nothing to do.
He felt like he had become an idle old man just like the four elders.
But what he didn't expect was that the aged and frail four elders, whose physical reflexes had declined to this extent, still had such sharp Sharingan.
◎
Two days later, Kakashi returned to Konoha.
He was brought back by a team of Anbu, and it's said that when they found Kakashi, he was already on the brink of death, covered in wounds, collapsed in some forest, almost being eaten by passing beasts.
Fortunately, the Anbu arrived in time, killed the beasts, and let the accompanying medical ninja stabilize Kakashi's injuries, finally ensuring a safe return to the Konoha Hospital for treatment.
This news allowed both the Third Hokage and the Fourth Hokage to discreetly breathe a sigh of relief.
If Kakashi had been sacrificed, it would have been an immense loss for Konoha.
With Kakashi's talent, becoming one of Konoha's pillars was only a matter of time.
Moreover, being able to stand out in critical moments to protect his teammates and save one of the Sannin, Jiraiya, even the Jonin who previously held prejudice against Kakashi couldn't help but see him in a new light.
Before entering Minato's Class, Kakashi was a cold-blooded ninja who regarded missions as the highest priority, ignoring the lives of his companions.
This also showed the educational prowess of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
No matter what, Kakashi had made a significant contribution this time.
All those Konoha Ninja who had followed Jiraiya on the battlefield expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Kakashi.
Both the Third and Fourth Hokage came together to express their condolences to Kakashi.
Everyone could foresee that, having received the high recognition from the two Hokage, Kakashi's future in Konoha would be a smooth one, with no obstacles whatsoever.
This was the almost unanimous affirmation from all the high-ranking officials of Konoha to Kakashi.
After staying with Kakashi for two hours, Minato left.
He still had a lot of work to deal with, but before leaving, he asked the medical staff to take good care of Kakashi's body, so Kakashi could focus on recovering from his injuries, without needing to rush the Anbu's work.
Although he didn't ask Kakashi for the specific details of how he escaped from the Nokizaru Group, his miserable injuries, messy hair, and emaciated body made everyone understand that these days Kakashi must have been living in fear under the Nokizaru Group's pursuit.
Returning to his office in the Hokage Building, he hadn't sat for long before someone came to see him.
Seeing the visitor, Minato was slightly surprised.
"Tsunade-sama, what brings you here? Is it that the previously allocated research funds are insufficient?"
Tsunade had been researching a new drug targeting the Nokizaru Group's explosive insects, and now that Tsunade came to find him, Minato thought the research funds were insufficient.
"No, the drug research is almost complete. Even without me, they will finish it soon."
This seemed like a farewell declaration.
"Then you are..."
"I want to leave the village for a while."
Tsunade took a deep breath, her face showing a resolute decision.
Minato looked at Tsunade seriously and eventually recalled something, saying nothing, directly approved the task document and handed it to Tsunade.
"Thank you, Minato."
"It's okay. If Tsunade-sama is doing this, you must have your reasons, and I won't interfere. But I hope Tsunade-sama can return soon, as Konoha can't do without you."
"Don't worry, I'm just going out to relax and handle some matters. Once everything is settled, I'll be back."
Seeing Tsunade's promise, Minato discreetly breathed a sigh of relief.
Since Tsunade promised to return to Konoha soon, then there was no problem.
"By the way, there's something I need to remind you of."
Before leaving, Tsunade seemed to remember something, stopped in her tracks.
"Please, Tsunade-sama."
"Be cautious of Chiba Hakushi."
Upon hearing this name, Minato subconsciously shivered.
A dull pain arose in his chest.
The unpleasant memories of death made him remember the events of that night vividly.
Tsunade knew Minato had a significant psychological shadow regarding Hakushi, after all, having died once at the other's hands, even Minato couldn't completely escape that fear.
But she knew, if Minato was the Child of Prophecy, then Hakushi, who also knew about the Child of Prophecy from Katsuyu, might very likely target Minato again.