บท 126: Chapter 126
When Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived on the scene with his team, his face wore a grim expression.
His response had been swift; almost as soon as he had sensed that dreadful surge of chakra, he had dispatched ninjas to investigate what was happening.
Not only him, but from all directions, various ninjas were rushing towards the location.
After Hiruzen and his group arrived, hundreds more ninjas arrived in succession.
However, when they arrived and saw the situation, their expressions were no different from Hiruzen's. Some even held a hint of fear.
A vast empty space had appeared in the large Eastern Training Forest. The lush trees had been completely severed, and the broken branches were nowhere to be seen.
On the ground lay countless shattered body parts, the fresh blood staining the fallen snow red. Amid the snow were long, deep trenches.
Hiruzen stood silently on a rock, staring at the devastated landscape. His face was somber, lost in thought.
"Lord Hokage, the investigation report is ready."
At this moment, a silver-haired member of the Anbu approached Hiruzen. With a glance, Hiruzen recognized him as Kakashi.
"Let's hear it. What exactly have you found?"
Hiruzen took a deep breath. Despite already having a possible answer in his mind, he decided to confirm a few things.
He needed to understand whether this was an intentional act, or merely a coincidental conflict with these individuals.
If it was the former, then the situation was serious because it indicated that those damned Uchiha might have left people behind in his proximity.
This was something Hiruzen could not tolerate, as the thing he hated most was betrayal.
As for the possibility of bankruptcy or even being caught off guard by the Uchiha, he wasn't too concerned about that now; he didn't have the time.
If it was the latter, then everything was still tolerable. After all, the Uchiha controlled the guard department, so they naturally would know the location of these people.
Moreover, there was already deep-seated hatred between the Uchiha and the Root. For Uchiha Kaito to come looking for trouble, that was to be expected.
"Lord Hokage, according to the reports from the Anbu on guard here, the person who acted was Uchiha Kaito."
Kakashi answered calmly, his head lowered. Yet, inside, he was anything but calm.
He had never dreamt that, right after he had given the information to Kaito, he would act on it the same day. This had caught him off guard.
However, on his way here, after some thought, he had somewhat understood Kaito's thought process.
Perhaps Kaito was not clear about who had given him the information and couldn't verify its authenticity, which is why he chose to act swiftly to eliminate potential troubles.
This approach wasn't wrong, considering the remnants of the Root were seeking revenge. However, this course of action made things difficult for Kakashi since he was the one who had provided the information.
Now, he had to find a way to divert Hiruzen's attention away from himself while framing this incident as 'Kaito's personal action'.
"However, the ANBU members also reported that Uchiha Kaito didn't strike first. It was they who initiated the conflict, only to face retaliation.
But Uchiha Kaito was exceptionally ruthless when he retaliated, he used the same technique that killed Lord Danzo.
With a single strike, he wiped everyone out. They also noted that the 'giant' this time looked different from before.
This time, the giant was covered in a layer of armor, its power even more formidable. The scars on the ground were the result of its attack," Kakashi explained objectively, stressing on the fact that Kaito didn't initiate the fight. This was a small part of his efforts.
However, Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't too concerned about these details; his focus was on the fact that Kaito had used Susano'o.
This, combined with its changed appearance, was the crux of the matter.
Because Sarutobi Hiruzen could feel that the power Kaito demonstrated this time was more terrifying than the last.
He had been wondering if Kaito's power had increased, and now he could confirm it.
Upon realizing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen was once again filled with awe.
It was clear that the young Uchiha's power had improved yet again. But how old was he? Could his talent truly be so extraordinary?
Sarutobi Hiruzen was sure that at Kaito's age, he himself did not possess such power.
Even Uchiha Kagami, who was from the same clan, had not reached this level. In fact, Kagami had never even awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan!
"This kid is unexpectedly terrifying!" Sarutobi Hiruzen thought to himself. Just a few months ago, he had witnessed Kaito's power, a force he believed he could confront at his best.
But the cost would be devastating, probably leading to his certain death. He was well aware of this.
He was growing old. Even with his status as a Shinobi, he couldn't resist the ravages of time. To deal with Kaito, he would probably need to resort to forbidden techniques.
If he could be twenty years younger, no, just ten, he had the confidence to beat Uchiha Kaito, instead of considering mutual destruction.
But soon, Sarutobi Hiruzen breathed a slight sigh of relief.
As the Hokage, he had access to a multitude of intelligence reports, including information on the Mangekyou Sharingan.
Both his teacher, the Second Hokage, and that damn traitor, Uchiha Itachi, had left him a lot of information.
This gave him a wealth of knowledge that others didn't have. He couldn't help but be slightly moved by the fact that the Mangekyou Sharingan was more rapidly exhausted with increased usage.
"Uchiha Kaito, you're courting death."
To Sarutobi Hiruzen, such unrestrained use of the Mangekyou Sharingan's power was like drinking poison to quench thirst.
The more one uses it, the more intense the immediate gratification. But eventually, there would be nothing but tears.
However, Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly put aside such thoughts, at least until Uchiha Kaito is no longer capable, he dare not be careless. Because Kaito's power is still at its peak, the might he displays is truly chilling. Additionally, aside from him, there exist two other pairs of Mangekyou Sharingan in the Uchiha clan! An era where the entire Uchiha clan unites, and three pairs of Mangekyou emerge, encountering such a thing, Sarutobi feels he is truly unfortunate.
"But it is precisely because they are too dominant, that I must think of ways to curb and weaken them! Otherwise, if a person like Uchiha Madara emerges again, the whole Konoha will suffer unimaginable catastrophe..." Sarutobi murmured to himself, then he turned his gaze towards Kakashi.
Kakashi was now incredibly anxious. After he finished speaking, he found the Third Hokage silently standing there without a word. This behavior made Kakashi feel as if his heart was leaping into his throat, suspecting that the Third Hokage might be beginning to doubt the leak of information.
He doesn't regret passing on the information to Kaito, at least for Konoha, for the sake of Obito, he is willing to do so. What he regrets now is that he should have explicitly given Kaito a sense of security, to prevent him from acting recklessly like this.
"I see, where is Uchiha Kaito?" Sarutobi Hiruzen, unaware of Kakashi's anxiety, directly asked.
"Over there, he has stayed at the scene and hasn't left." Kakashi lowered his head and spoke. He didn't dare to look at Sarutobi now.
Indeed, Kaito had never left. This matter was not a big deal for him. He was in the right, why should he leave?
Sarutobi guessed Kaito's thoughts - since those guys started it first, they deserved death naturally. Just thinking about it made him feel more frustrated.
Kaito's reckless behavior complied with all procedures, which made Sarutobi feel suffocated. But what he needed to do now was to probe what exactly Kaito was thinking. Had he received some news which made him act this way, or did he just want to cause trouble for these guys?
"Take me to him, I want to meet him."
Sarutobi spoke directly to Kakashi, which made Kakashi instantly feel awkward.
What does this mean? The whistleblower is going to see the one who started the fight, and he, the whistleblower, has to accompany them, yet the one who started the fight does not know who the whistleblower is? What a chaotic mess!
However, Kakashi dared not express any opinion. He obediently led Sarutobi toward where Kaito was.
Before long, they saw Kaito sitting on a rock with no one else around. The regular shinobi were busy examining the crack caused by the heaven-like force, and the Anbu had not disclosed who was behind it.
Even if someone suspected it might be Kaito, they could only speculate, daring not to openly question. But the fact that the Anbu didn't dare to appear in this vicinity spoke volumes, perhaps the Anbu members were worried and hesitant themselves.
"Clan Head Kaito, it's been quite a while."
Sarutobi Hiruzen walked straight up to Kaito with Kakashi, opening his mouth to speak without waiting for Kakashi to withdraw.
Kaito raised an eyebrow, then straightforwardly revealed a smile.
"Hokage-sama, long time no see. I wonder what business Hokage-sama has with me?"
"Hokage-sama, Clan Head Kaito, since you two have matters to discuss, I will take my leave."
Seeing the two had begun to converse, Kakashi could envision what the upcoming scene might be like. Although there was no sign of conflict yet, he was keen to stay and clarify certain matters. However, he knew his presence here was inappropriate.
Therefore, he made such a decision to leave, but to his surprise, as he prepared to leave, Kaito spoke.
"There's no need to leave. After all, I have a clear conscience regarding my actions."
Kaito, with a smile, looked at the downcast Kakashi, then shifted his gaze to Sarutobi.
"Hokage-sama, what do you think?"
"Hmph, I naturally have no objections!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen huffed and directly decided to keep Kakashi around. What they didn't know was that Kakashi had already turned pale...
...
Kakashi truly felt his emotions were extremely complex at this moment.
Being retained, he could judge the situation according to what unfolded. He feared Kaito might expose the fact he received information, thus putting him in potential danger.
At this moment, he was incredibly anxious. The situation among the three of them was excessively complicated. Neither Kaito nor Sarutobi knew that he was the informant, and he could not reveal himself to either party.
All he could do was watch closely what the two would say, what they would do, even guess what they might think, and accordingly make certain judgments.
To tell the truth, such a situation was extremely uncomfortable. Kakashi sighed inwardly. He was truly stuck in a very uncomfortable middle ground.
"Uchiha Kaito, I ask you, why did you do this?"
As Kakashi was struggling internally, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already started speaking. He stared at Kaito, his tone slightly displeased.
Despite his evident displeasure, his eyes remained clear. He intently gazed into Kaito's eyes, observing the shifts in his mood.
He even used his peripheral vision to watch Kaito's movements, judging Kaito's current state and thoughts. However, to his slight disappointment, Kaito's expression was extremely calm, seemingly no different from usual.
"Did your subordinates not tell you why I did what I did?"
Kaito calmly looked at Sarutobi, then shook his head dismissively, his expression seemingly a bit mocking.
"Publicly attacking the Konoha Guard's Minister, a Konoha Jonin and also the Uchiha Clan's leader, do I have a reason not to retaliate?"
"I'm not asking about that, Uchiha Kaito, you should know what I mean!"
Sarutobi pressured again, his stare fixated on Kaito, his voice deepening.
"They were all members of Root, don't you know what you could become in their presence?
Moreover, I was recruiting them, they were going to serve Konoha for the rest of their lives, but all of this was ruined by you, because you killed them all!
What are you trying to imply, Uchiha Kaito?"
"My intention is very clear, Hokage-sama."
Looking at Sarutobi's state made Kaito slightly amused. He knew this man was probing him.
As for what exactly he was probing, there was no way to know. Maybe the intelligence report was real, and Sarutobi was starting to worry.
Or maybe it was because of something else, such as genuinely wanting to understand why Kaito acted as he did.
Regardless, what Kaito wanted to do was quite simple; to have a good time with Sarutobi.
He could entirely assume the report was true, thereby reacting and making certain judgments. He could even probe the Hokage further.
"They were, after all, remnants of Root. I don't recall ever promising that I would let them go?
Moreover, I told you, they were the first to attack. I came here merely to assess the situation of these guys."
At this point, Kaito paused slightly, and then, with an amused expression, looked at Sarutobi.
"Of course, I didn't forget to have a good time with them, like mocking them for not dying alongside their master who betrayed Konoha.
Surprisingly, they reacted so intensely and chose to fight upon disagreement."
Kaito's words made Sarutobi feel like his blood pressure had risen. The person Kaito referred to as betraying Konoha was Danzo.
And why Danzo earned the reputation of betraying Konoha, didn't you damn well know it?
But before he could speak, Kaito, with a smile on his face, spoke again, and this time, the playful look on his face became even more pronounced.
"Of course, I admit one thing: I intentionally provoked them into action. My grudge with Root is not so easily resolved.
And, if you look at it strictly, Hokage-sama, you should really be thanking me.
You wanted to recruit them into the Anbu, and Anbu ninja must obey strict orders, strictly follow commands.
I used my safety as the price, personally helping Hokage-sama to test their limits. If they had not reacted, it would mean they could be recruited.
If they couldn't do it, then I helped Hokage-sama clear up these remnants, ensuring a clean environment for the Anbu. Isn't that a good thing?"
A good thing?
Sarutobi, looking at Kaito's smug expression, had begun to tighten his fist hidden in his sleeve.
If this is a good thing, what evil exists in this world?
Sarutobi realized he had truly underestimated this brat. It wasn't about strength - Sarutobi fully recognized Kaito's power.
He underestimated Kaito's sharp thinking and debating abilities.
How could a regular Uchiha babble on about such things like he could? They usually couldn't be bothered to explain, what's done is done, what's not done is not done.
This is also why Sarutobi chose to believe not long after Kaito presented the video material and told him that the masked guy was the one who killed his wife eight years ago.
Because the Uchiha indeed have a straight-talking nature, their pride does not allow them to lie.
Over the years, the Uchiha have never acknowledged that incident, something he knew and believed from the very beginning.
It's just that for the sake of Konoha's stability, he chose to selectively ignore these voices.
Kaito's performance really differs greatly from his understanding of the Uchiha. He had heard that this boy had always not acted like a real Uchiha.
He didn't believe it before, but now he had no choice but to believe it. This guy is indeed different from the average Uchiha.
Taking a deep breath, Sarutobi struggled to control his emotions. Finally, he snorted coldly before speaking.
"Hmph, if that's the case, then I should indeed thank you, Kaito!"
"Sure, after all, Hokage-sama has provided us with many benefits. I'm quite willing to help Hokage-sama."
At this moment, Kaito also revealed a smile, but quickly, he appeared very puzzled.
"But Hokage-sama, considering the matter at hand, I've done so much this time, don't you have some sort of acknowledgment?"
Acknowledgment?
At this moment, Sarutobi really felt like he couldn't control his blood pressure. He had seen shameless people, but this level of shamelessness was a first for him.
He didn't think about whether Kaito really had obtained any intelligence or not. Right now, this guy had truly angered him to the point of irritation.
But Sarutobi was, after all, Sarutobi. In an instant, he calmed down and quietly watched Kaito, his mind spinning rapidly.
He suddenly realized that this was also an excellent opportunity to test this guy.
After a moment of internal hesitation, his expression still full of anger, he questioned with resentment.
"I told you not to overdo it. Haven't you got enough already? What more do you want, Kaito?"
"Do you remember, Hokage-sama, that I once discussed the matter of the Guard Division with you?"
Kaito didn't mind Sarutobi's expression at all. He spread his hands helplessly, then spoke in a low voice.
"But the situation in the Guard Division is not good right now. We are short of personnel, but for various reasons, we can't recruit any.
Plus, we're out of money. Is the money provided by the finance department too little? It's making it impossible for us to get anything done.
Hokage-sama, the Guard Division is also Konoha's Guard Division, isn't it? Are you planning to treat us differently?"
As Kaito finished speaking, Kakashi, who was by his side, stiffened. He slightly raised his head, the eyes under his mask looking at Kaito filled with bewilderment and confusion.
What did Kaito mean? Did he not trust the information he provided?
But Kakashi was also smart. He quickly perceived some unusual implications. He felt that Kaito was doing this on purpose, or perhaps, he had other ideas in mind.
Meanwhile, countless thoughts rapidly spun in Sarutobi's mind. He felt he had obtained an important piece of information.
"This brat wants me to give him money, and also recruit people for him?"
Sarutobi felt quite baffled. Wasn't this part of his plan?
Now he was doubting whether he had misunderstood something. Did this boy really not know what he was planning?
A normal person, upon finding out someone plans to scheme against him, would probably not rush in blindly.
Of course, it can't be ruled out that some would use the scheme to their advantage.
But as he thought about it, Sarutobi felt his plan was to eradicate the Uchiha clan's control over the Guard Division from its roots.
Even if the Uchihas were fools, they wouldn't do such a thing, would they?
After giving it much thought, Sarutobi felt that his plan was not exposed. This damned Uchiha Kaito was simply here to annoy him.
He intended to kill these people from Root and then negotiate conditions with him. Why else would he use such terrifying power? It was clearly a demonstration!
With this realization, Sarutobi saw through it. This brat wanted to use his own power to threaten and inform him.
He couldn't stop what he intended to do, and he could also use such power to get what he wanted from him!
Such a threat naturally filled Sarutobi with dissatisfaction and anger. When had he ever encountered such a thing?
Perhaps only the damned Cloud ninja had managed to do something like this a few years ago. But at that time, Konoha was too weak, and he reluctantly compromised in order not to drag Konoha back into the gloom of war.
But now...
Looking at the young face before him, Sarutobi quietly took a deep breath inside. He already knew what he was going to do.
He clenched his fist, then with a face full of anger, he gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Good, very good! Uchiha Kaito, you're really something!"
"You flatter me, Hokage-sama. I wonder what you propose?" Kaito still had a smile on his face, a smile that seemed utterly harmless.
"If you want money, there is none. Even Konoha is in difficulty."
Sarutobi looked very hesitant. He pondered seriously for a long time before finally sighing.
"I can't help you if you need personnel. I can't go against the will of the people. But I can help you with publicity. The rest is up to you!"
"Is that all?" Kaito frowned, then his smile faded, looking somewhat dissatisfied: "Well, it's okay, but I must say, Hokage-sama, I am a little disappointed."
"I've told you, Uchiha Kaito." Sarutobi spoke as if he had suffered a great loss, gritting his teeth, "Don't push it too far!"
Kakashi watched the two of them, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Now, he felt relieved that he hadn't exposed anything.
But while he was at ease, there was one thought running back and forth in his mind: these two had some incredible talent for acting, didn't they?
//
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