Bab 54: Chapter:54
That afternoon, Uchiha Fugaku returned from his duties at the Konoha Police Force.
"I'm back," he announced.
Uchiha Mikoto stepped forward to greet him, gently helping him remove his coat. Her long black hair was tied up, and she wore a dark dress that complemented her calm and gentle temperament. Her smile was bright, her demeanor cheerful, a clear sign that she was in a good mood.
"What's got you so happy?" Fugaku asked curiously.
"Itachi just received his mission pay, and he treated Sasuke and me to lunch at a restaurant today. It's too bad you were busy at the Police Force, or we could have gone together as a family," Mikoto replied.
"That is unfortunate," Fugaku said, though his face showed only a hint of regret. Deep down, he wasn't particularly fond of Itachi's presence, so he often avoided spending time with him when possible.
"Where are Itachi and Sasuke now?" he inquired.
"Sasuke is in the backyard, practicing. Itachi received another mission this afternoon and has already left," Mikoto answered.
"I see," Fugaku responded briefly before heading to the backyard.
There, he found Sasuke, diligently practicing his kunai-throwing technique. Despite his young age, Sasuke had already developed a fluidity in his movements, and his skill with hidden weapons was impressive. Nearly every kunai hit its mark, with nine out of ten landing on the bullseye.
"Excellent," Fugaku muttered to himself, nodding in approval. For someone Sasuke's age, his talent was remarkable. Recognizing Sasuke's potential early on, Fugaku had made sure to never ease up on his training and supervision, and it had clearly paid off. Sasuke's progress had far outpaced that of his peers.
Without disturbing Sasuke's practice, Fugaku quietly slipped back into the house, heading straight for his study. As he stepped inside, something caught his eye. He paused, his pupils narrowing as he focused on the bookcase against the wall.
A single hair—nearly invisible—was lying on the wooden floor beside the bookcase. It had likely been stuck under the leg of the bookcase but had now been dislodged.
This could only mean one thing: the bookcase had been moved.
There were two possibilities. Either Mikoto had moved the bookcase while cleaning, or someone had snuck into the house and accessed the secret room hidden behind it.
Fugaku immediately moved the bookcase aside and lifted the floorboards, revealing the stairway that led to the secret room below. Lighting a lantern, he descended into the hidden space.
His eyes scanned the room quickly. To his left, three chakra-infused ninja swords sat quietly on the weapons rack, undisturbed. He walked over to the bookshelves on the right, which were filled with scrolls—each one containing powerful ninjutsu unique to the Uchiha clan. He carefully inspected each scroll but found that none were missing.
"Could it be that Mikoto moved the bookcase while cleaning?" Fugaku murmured to himself.
Since none of the scrolls or weapons had been taken, the most likely explanation was that Mikoto had accidentally shifted the bookcase during her cleaning. Still, something didn't sit right with him.
"Sharingan!" Fugaku activated his Sharingan, using its enhanced perception to scan the room more thoroughly.
Suddenly, he saw it. The dust on one of the scrolls was noticeably thinner than on the others, and faint fingerprints were visible on its surface.
"Someone's been here," Fugaku whispered, his eyes narrowing. He picked up the scroll and examined it closely. It was the Sharingan Secret Techniques scroll, a document detailing advanced techniques unique to the Uchiha's dojutsu.
The seal on the scroll was still intact, but Fugaku knew better than to trust appearances. The sealing technique he had placed on it wasn't particularly advanced, meaning someone with enough skill could have broken it and resealed the scroll without leaving any trace. Based on what he had observed, that's exactly what had happened.
"It must have been someone from the Uchiha clan," Fugaku concluded.
The Sharingan Secret Techniques were exclusive to those who possessed the Sharingan. While outsiders might have an interest in such techniques, the likelihood of an Uchiha seeking this knowledge was far higher.
Fugaku replayed the events of the day in his mind. "Itachi treated Mikoto and Sasuke to lunch outside today..."
The timing seemed too convenient. With no one home, it would have been the perfect opportunity for someone to infiltrate the secret room and access the scrolls. While Uchiha Mikoto had retired from active duty as a ninja, she was still a Jōnin. Sneaking into the house undetected while she was present would have been nearly impossible.
This meant that whoever had entered the secret room had likely done so while the house was empty, during the lunch outing.
"What a coincidence," Fugaku muttered sarcastically. He didn't believe in coincidences. To him, it was clear: the lunch outing and the break-in were connected.
Fugaku's eyes darkened as a realization formed in his mind. "If the thief had Uchiha Itachi's assistance, then the thief must be Uchiha Shisui."
The more Fugaku thought about it, the clearer the picture became. Shisui and Itachi were close, both sharing a similar ideology when it came to the Uchiha clan's future. Shisui, an Anbu member, had the skills to carry out such an infiltration. And Itachi, by inviting his family out for lunch, had created the perfect distraction.
"What's more, Shisui must have been targeting the Sharingan Secret Techniques from the start."
However, there was one question that nagged at Fugaku. "How did Shisui know about the secret techniques in the first place?"
Only a few people within the clan even knew of the existence of the Sharingan Secret Techniques. Aside from himself, only the three elders of the clan had access to that information.
"The elders wouldn't have told him," Fugaku reasoned. "So how did Shisui learn about it?"
A possibility crossed his mind. The Third Hokage had been a disciple of the Second Hokage, who had spent much of his life studying the Uchiha clan. It was possible that the Third Hokage knew about the secret techniques and had informed Shisui of their existence.
"Is the Hokage interested in the Uchiha clan's secrets?" Fugaku mused. "If so, then perhaps I should take an interest in the Sealed Book as well."
A cold light flickered in Fugaku's eyes as the pieces of the puzzle came together.
(End of Chapter).
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