"This is... incredible!"
Seated next to Tsunade was a one-eyed man dressed in black, clutching a staff. He had remained silent until now.
Upon hearing Tsunade's words, a spark of brilliance flashed in the shadowy gaze concealed beneath his slightly lowered eyelids.
"The Uchiha Clan is part of Konoha. With such a formidable enemy now emerging, we must bolster our defenses."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, seated in the Hokage's chair, took a drag from his pipe, his brows furrowed deeply.
"If that Uchiha Mumei truly is the culprit behind the Nine-Tails incident..."
"Hold on a second."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's words were interrupted by Tsunade.
Her phoenix-like eyes swept over the man beside her, and she spoke at a leisurely pace:
"According to the records, that Uchiha Mumei is a woman."
"And based on what Kakashi, Might Guy, and Uchiha Fugaku disclosed a few days ago, the individual calling himself Uchiha Madara is undeniably a man."
"From the information Uchiha Fugaku provided, Uchiha Mumei harbors a deep hatred for the Uchiha Clan."
"There's no way she would disguise herself as someone from the Uchiha Clan."
"Of course, there could be an intent to shift the blame elsewhere."
"But if the goal was to divert suspicion, she would have disguised herself as Uchiha Fugaku, not Uchiha Madara."
Tsunade spoke casually, as if interrupting the Hokage mid-sentence was nothing out of the ordinary for her.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in agreement. In his worry, he had subconsciously overlooked this detail.
Uchiha Mumei. Uchiha Madara.
These two names pressed down on Hiruzen Sarutobi like immense mountains.
The former was a figure from centuries ago who had mastered four Mangekyō Sharingan techniques, single-handedly facing off against the elite shinobi of the Senju, Uzumaki, and Sarutobi Clans.
The latter was someone who could even rival Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi—a true asura of the ninja world who made the entire shinobi realm tremble.
No matter which identity the mysterious masked man held, it exerted tremendous pressure on Hiruzen Sarutobi.
All the current clues pointed toward the former.
Uchiha Mumei.
That Uchiha powerhouse from five hundred years ago.
"Do you want to go check it out?"
"The sealing site of Uchiha Mumei."
At that moment, an abrupt voice cut in, hoarse and laced with gloom.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up.
Danzo Shimura.
His lifelong friend and rival.
"Uchiha Mumei, as someone once persecuted by the Uchiha, is undoubtedly a dangerous element for Konoha."
"We need to confirm whether she's broken free of the seal."
Danzo Shimura spoke slowly and deliberately, his gaze fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Their eyes met in the air, and Hiruzen Sarutobi regarded his old friend.
After decades of knowing each other, he understood Danzo Shimura all too well.
Danzo Shimura claimed to have inherited the will of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, and had always seen the Uchiha as a thorn in his side.
During the Nine-Tails incident, it was Danzo Shimura who had prevented the Uchiha Clan from heading to the battlefield.
Hiruzen Sarutobi knew about this.
But... the Fourth Hokage was dead, and Konoha couldn't afford any internal upheaval or persecution.
If this matter spread and everyone learned that the Uchiha Clan had been blocked by Root, preventing them from aiding the Fourth Hokage, the repercussions would be enough to shake Konoha to its core.
Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi had suppressed the issue.
He wasn't sure if his decision was right or wrong, but he knew that Konoha needed Danzo Shimura and his Root organization right now.
"I'll handle this matter."
"But preparations must be made."
"During this time, access to the libraries of the Sarutobi, Senju, Uchiha, and all major ninja clans will be restricted to clan heads only—no one else is permitted entry."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Danzo Shimura and stated each word clearly.
"Hiruzen!"
Danzo Shimura stood up immediately upon hearing this, his single exposed eye staring intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
What was he doing!
Was he guarding against him?
Did he really distrust Danzo Shimura that much?
The current heads of the Senju and Sarutobi Clans were right here in this office, and infiltrating the Uchiha Clan's library was nearly impossible for him.
Even if he could enter the Uchiha library, he wouldn't find the exact location of Uchiha Mumei's seal; otherwise, why would Uchiha Fugaku have asked Hiruzen Sarutobi? He could have just organized his own clan members to search.
As for the Uzumaki Clan, it had been utterly dismantled by the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Mist Villages decades ago.
So, the only places with information on the precise location of Uchiha Mumei's sealing site were the Senju and Sarutobi Clan libraries.
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
Seeing no sign of wavering from Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura gritted his teeth and spat out the words.
"I am the Hokage, Danzo."
Hiruzen Sarutobi had long grown accustomed to his old friend's discontent.
Bang!
With a heavy slam of the door, Danzo Shimura stormed out of the Hokage's office, fuming with rage.
"So, you really don't plan to search for it?"
"Old man."
Tsunade, who had enjoyed the spectacle, now looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a teasing smile.
"Of course I have to search."
"But it can't be Danzo doing the searching—otherwise, even if Uchiha Mumei hasn't broken the seal, Danzo will find a way to make her emerge."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, feeling a bit exasperated by his old friend.
"Then who are you sending?"
Tsunade yawned as she asked Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hearing her question, Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at her impassively.
If possible, Tsunade and Jiraiya would be the ideal choices.
But... Jiraiya could be summoned back at any time.
As for Tsunade... "Once Kakashi has fully recovered, I'll have Jiraiya lead the team, along with Shibi and Hizashi, forming a four-person squad."
Jiraiya's strength was beyond question; he was undoubtedly Konoha's top combatant aside from Hiruzen Sarutobi himself.
Shibi Aburame was the head of the Aburame Clan and had been a longtime teammate of Minato Namikaze. His power was formidable, arguably the pinnacle among jonin.
And Hizashi Hyuga was a top expert of the Hyuga Clan, with a highly developed Byakugan. Even under the constraints of the Caged Bird Seal, his detection range extended to a full eight kilometers in radius.
Among them, Kakashi had the least strength, experience, and knowledge.
Pairing these individuals with Kakashi was less about completing the mission and more about passing on experience to him.
However, this also demonstrated Hiruzen Sarutobi's current high regard for Kakashi, this rising star.
"In that case, old man, you take care of it."
"I'll head out in a couple of days once the hospital quiets down."
Tsunade glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi, then stood up and left.
Watching Tsunade's retreating figure, Hiruzen Sarutobi subconsciously reached out, wanting to ask her to stay in Konoha, but the words lingered on the tip of his tongue, unspoken.