âItâs like Tobirama Sensei had said. The Uchiha never concidered themselves as part of Konoha!â Koharu said coldly.
âItâs too early to make conclusions, Koharu. Sakumo just mentioned now that this was nothing but a frustrated response. There is no proof of an organized coup dâétat plan!â
âHiruzen, youâre always too naïve! If the idea wasnât there in the minds of the Uchiha clan, why would a coup dâétat be suggested in such a great meeting? And how would so many agree?â Homura insisted on the Uchiha being guilty.
âHomura is right! The Uchiha have always had ill intentions. I think that the Anbu must be sent immediâ¦.â
âENOUGH!â This quarrel annoyed Sakumo, pushing him to interrupt Koharu.
âHomaru dono, the Uchiha would never let an outsider enter their meeting. How did you get this information? Donât think that just your analysis would get me on board with your idea. And Koharu san, donât think that your comments will define what will happen next: I am the one in the post of Hokage right now, and none of you will ever be making my decisions for me!â
Sakumoâs words stunned and angered the two councilors, and the mood immediately became suffocating.
The 3rd immediately tried to calm everyone down: âSakumo, please donât get angry. Koharu is just concerned about Konoha. As for Homura, Iâm sure that heâs more than willing to tell you about his source. Right?â said the 3rd as he turned to his old pal.
Sakumo sighed: âWell, Homura dono, go ahead and tell me. Otherwise, none of what youâre saying holds any credibility.â
âMy source is an Uchiha, both you and Hiruzen should know him: Uchiha Maan. If you still donât believe me, check with him yourselves.â
âMaan? The one who was under Ryoâs command during the war, Protecting the Medical Force?â The 3rd asked.
âYes, thatâs him. Although he is an Uchiha, heâs most loyal to Konoha, and he knows how much blood would be spilt if the Uchiha launch a coup dâétat, and how harmful that would be to the village. Therefore, he told me about everything.â Homura answered.
âSakumo, I know the kid, heâ¦â The 3rd muttered.
âYou donât have to tell me, Sandaime. I know him as well, and heâs credible indeed. Heâs also the one to tell me about all of this.â
âThe Uchiha are the largest clan in Konoha, and they have been in charge of Konohaâs security for far too long. They know too many of Konohaâs secrets. They are numerous and very powerful. Sakumo, you need to be careful. Any direct clash between them and the village would have consequences that we do not even want to imagine!â
âDo not worry, Sandaime. Now, I would like to thank the two councilors for the information they gave me. I have things to do now, and Iâll be dealing with this matter properly.â After finishing his words, Sakumo left Homuraâs place.
After thinking matters through, he became determined to get to the truth of the matter, and immediately asked the Anbu on his side: âGo and find out about the tasks performed by Uchiha Maan recently.â
After a while, the Anbu returned with the information, among which there was the thing that Sakumo had expected. Learning about this, his face turned gloomy, and then he asked the Anbu who delivered the information to find Kakashi for him.
Soon after, Kakashi was in the office: âYou were looking for me?â
âYes! Kakashi, I have a task for you. I want you to go to this location and bring me Uchiha Maan. Also, I want to make sure no one notices either of you.â
âYes, Hokage sama!â
Kakashi set out immediately, rushing to the destination that his father had mentioned.
Meanwhile, in the Water Country, Ryo was surprised by how different everything was from the last time he was here.
Today, the port was full of ships, and people were going in and out of the country with various goods, and the country seemed to be alive again.
This further affirmed Ryoâs earlier speculations: this must be the work of Mei!
Leaving the port, Ryo rushed straight towards the Mist Village.
On his way, he noticed that the Mist Ninjas around were much more scarce. Still, security overall remained tighter than that of the Fire Country.
As he approached the gate of the village, he masked his Chakra, and then went into disguise as a civilian, walking towards the village.
After a rigorous inspection, the guards found no anomalies with him. They recorded his name, the time of his entrance and details about his physical features on a scroll, and then handed that to the Anbu before allowing him in.
Ryo toured around the village, then found himself a restaurant and sat down.
Inside, there were many merchants and Ninjas, and Ryo could grasp many details from their conversations.
While most of what he caught was trivial, it still allowed him figure out what was happening in the village.
After filling up, Ryo left the restaurant. He planned to continue going around the village, when he felt two people following him closely!
âWas I discovered?â He frowned. Then, he began to speed up as he walked around, and the two followed.
âThe level of Ninjas in this village is truly surprising!â Ryo muttered, before disappearing all of a sudden.
This changed the faces of the two following him. They looked around without being able to catch his trace, so they eventually realized that things might not be so simple. One stayed behind to monitor the area, while the other went straight to Mei to report the situation.
âSuddenly disappeared? And there was no trace of him after that? Are you sure?â She asked in surprise.
âI am sure. Mei sama, do you want us to send more people to investigate?â
Mei thought for a moment, then waved and said: âNo need. You get back to your usual chores, and I will personally deal with this matter.â
After the Ninja left, Mei turned to Ao on the side: âSomeone disappearing like that, theyâre probably using a space-time Ninjutsu.â
âMei san, what do you mean?â
âWell, Iâm guessing this Ryo Yamanaka. Yagura remembers things, back when he was controlled; he left control for an instant and found Ryo Yamanaka before him. It seems like he confronted the one who controlled him. Well, Ao, we need to meet him. Iâm pretty sure heâs still in the village!â
âMei san, are you sure? Itâs Ryo Yamanaka!â