"That's how it happened, Lord Hokage. That's all."
After Shisui had finished recounting all the information Kaito had told him, he silently retreated to Kaito's side and said no more.
Hiruzen Sarutobi now truly felt a bit of a headache. This matter really was as he had suspected, and what was crucial was that Danzō Shimura was indeed a little clumsy this time.
Perhaps he was indeed well-intentioned. After all, any Uchiha approaching the Nine-Tails would alert any of them.
The events that occurred eight years ago still seemed vivid as if they happened yesterday. The Sharingan in the eyes of the Nine-Tails still seemed incredibly clear.
No one hoped that the Uchiha would have any contact with the Nine-Tails again. No one wanted another Nine-Tails incident to occur within Konoha!
However, their methods of dealing with such things were different.
If it were Hiruzen Sarutobi, they would slowly observe, then find a way to let the village know that the Sharingan could control the Nine-Tails.
This could effectively make people even more afraid of the Uchiha, at the same time growing more resentful of the Uchiha, even more suspicious of them!
But Danzō did not. He saw this as an opportunity, a chance that could very likely drive the Uchiha to extremes, so he acted without hesitation.
However, it's a pity that Danzō failed, which made Hiruzen Sarutobi very passive.
"It seems that everyone has underestimated this Uchiha Kaito, underestimated this genius who was once on par with Shisui."
Glancing silently at Kaito, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He also hadn't expected Kaito's strength to be so formidable.
More than a dozen Root ninjas were all dismembered by him. You must understand, these were the elite of Root!
Originally, he was considering using the relationship between Shisui and Kaito to see if he could plant another line within the Uchiha.
After all, Kaito's past performance was truly excellent. However, now, after Danzō's maneuver, he felt that this possibility probably didn't exist anymore.
"I understand."
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi felt quite uncomfortable inside, he still maintained a stern demeanor. He looked at Kaito and then asked seriously,
"Is everything that Shisui said true, Kaito Jonin?"
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Since he was asked, Kaito also stepped forward decisively. He nodded and then said solemnly,
"Everything Shisui said is true. Moreover, the bodies of those guys are right here. Lord Hokage, you can remove their masks to check if they are members of the Anbu, or..."
At this point, Kaito suddenly showed a hint of anger, though, of course, this was just for Hiruzen Sarutobi to see.
"Or we could ask the Yamanaka clan elders to examine the memories in these guys' heads.
Since everyone is here now, this can also validate what I've said and let me know exactly which filthy rat is plotting against me."
Once Kaito finished speaking, he was laughing internally. He was obviously taking this opportunity to deliberately make Danzō uncomfortable.
Sure enough, a slight change came over Danzō's face at this time.
Even if these Root ninjas were dead, this would make the information in their brains less, and Danzō didn't even give them too many secrets.
Their membership in Root itself was the biggest secret!
If this is publicly exposed, the trouble would be significant indeed.
Hiruzen Sarutobi also stiffened slightly when he heard Kaito's proposal, but he was the Hokage, and he would not lose his composure under any circumstances.
After a brief moment of thought, he knew what to do.
"The investigation is a must. If what you're saying is correct, then these guys are probably not the ninjas from our village.
Their ability to freely enter the village certainly involves many issues. We need to carefully investigate this, and it's not something to be taken lightly."
Hiruzen Sarutobi defined the matter with a simple sentence. His words were watertight. He first acknowledged Kaito's argument and then negated Kaito's suggestion.
However, after saying these words, Hiruzen Sarutobi seriously looked at Kaito, as if the shift between kindness and severity was just a thought away for him.
"But Kaito, I remember that you've already been a Jōnin for a year.
I understand that you are furious about what has happened. However, as a Jōnin, when you encounter an enemy, especially one that has infiltrated our village.
You actually didn't leave a single one alive, and you not only killed them all but also destroyed the bodies in this manner. Do you know how much trouble this has caused us in investigating where these enemies actually came from?
Though the dead can provide us with intelligence, it's nowhere near as useful as a live person!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's words were resounding and forceful, leaving Kaito dumbstruck.
Sometimes, Kaito thought he was shameless enough, but compared to Hiruzen Sarutobi, he realized he was still quite naive.
The practice of giving a date and then immediately striking with a stick was quite common.
But the key point was, Hiruzen Sarutobi managed to turn the tables with just a few words and swing the stick at Kaito, which was truly impressive.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's words also caused the surrounding Konoha ninjas to nod in agreement, indeed they thought that Kaito's actions were too excessive.
Even though you are a genius of the Uchiha, even though you are incredibly skilled, wouldn't it be better to leave one alive rather than reducing the bodies to such a state?
Kaito could fully imagine that, with Hiruzen Sarutobi's narrative, the Uchiha clan might gain yet another label of 'brutality'.
"I'm very sorry, Lord Hokage, my swordsmanship is newly learned and not yet well-controlled, causing everyone inconvenience."
Facing this situation, all Kaito could do was to sincerely apologize, but he made a mental note of this incident.
Kaito hoped that when he confronted Danzo in the future, the old man would still respond to him with the same tone.
"Given that, everyone can disperse. The Anbu will take over the remaining tasks."
How could Hiruzen Sarutobi not see that Kaito's apology lacked any sincerity? However, he was not in the mood to quibble about this right now.
His gaze lingered on Danzo for a while, but in the end, he left without saying another word.
With Hiruzen Sarutobi's departure, the other Konoha ninjas also left the scene one after another.
Even Fugaku Uchiha, after casting a glance at Kaito and the others, turned and left the area.
Only Kaito and Shisui, as well as a few Anbu members in charge of collecting the bodies, were left behind.
Seeing this, Kaito naturally saw no need to stay any longer. After all, he had achieved what he wanted, so he directly led Shisui outside.
After this event, neither Kaito nor Shisui felt like training anymore, and Shisui was full of doubts.
When they had walked far enough away, Shisui suddenly asked in a low voice, "Were they Danzo's people?"
"Mm, if there's no mistake, they were his people," Kaito nodded. "But besides you, no one knows that I am aware of his existence, so I can act as I please."
"I see, but after all, they were also Konoha ninjas." Shisui breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Kaito's words, but he quickly shook his head.
"That's right, they were Konoha ninjas," Kaito could only nod to Shisui's comment, but then he suddenly counter-asked, "So, have you considered what would happen to the Uchiha if they had succeeded?"
//
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