章節 22: Who has done this?
Hiruzen rushed through the forest, moonlight falling onto his eyes, as a unit of Anbu followed closely behind. Kakashi was leading in the front, scanning the surroundings with his Sharingan. A few hours ago, some civilians had stumbled upon signs of a battlefield really close to the village.
It was quite mysterious, considering that they haven't heard or felt any presence in the vicinity, and by the civilians' words, the battlefield seemed quite grand. However, what made Hiruzen depart immediately was the fact that Zeus had not come back yet. Fearing the worst, Hiruzen increased his speed.
Eventually, the smell of blood entered his nostrils and he saw some change in proximity. Signaling everyone to stop and come down, Hiruzen appeared beneath them, staring at the ground. "There was a barrier placed here before. Inspect and tell me what kind it was." Hiruzen said, leaving two Anbu members behind while continuing to travel forth.
Before he even realized it, Hiruzen felt his feet getting soaked. Glancing down, Hiruzen frowned upon seeing an ever-extending river of blood. It was everywhere: beneath him, on the trees...and all over the few bodies in the distance.
Disappearing from the spot, Hiruzen loomed over the bodies, his eyes flickering toward their faces. He hadn't recognized them, but the headband with Iwakugare's sign on it told him enough. However, what made Hiruzen frown even further were the distinctive injuries on their bodies.
All of them were struck with lightning, judging from theIR burns. A few moments later, Kakashi and other Anbu members brought even more bodies into the pile. Some of them were missing their heads, some were struck with lightning, while others were simply left to bleed out.
Hiruzen opened his mouth slightly, seeing the massacre that took place here, undoubtedly caused by one single person. Kakashi ducked down, sliding his index finger along one's man's injuries. His deep voice resounded throughout the forest. "Zeus was, without a doubt, the one who caused all of this."
Hiruzen frowned deeply, staring over the horizon, searching for something irregular. However, besides the blood and signs of battle, nothing stood out. "Search the entire forest. Try to find Zeus!" Hiruzen shouted as all the Anbu members disappeared.
Hiruzen himself walked forward, following the trail of blood. The image of the battle presented itself within his mind. There were at least fifty people who had attacked Zeus, each of them having the ability to cast different techniques, judging from the burns on the ground.
Zeus fought his way through, creating an explosion with some unknown jutsu, but was eventually forced to fight again after understanding that a barrier was put up. This entire battle didn't make a lot of sense, especially considering that they were Iwakugare shinobi. They specialized in stone techniques, yet there were barely any of them used during the battle.
Instead, there was an abundance of fire jutsu. As if answering his thoughts, Kakashi appeared in front of Hiruzen, holding another body in his hands. This was someone that Hiruzen recognized immediately, for it was one of the most respected Uchiha clan members.
However, now he was dead, killed with a precise cut to the neck, which left some residual burns. This was undoubtedly Zeus's work. Hiruzen scowled as he had never before, thinking back to Danzo's words and how he always warned that the Uchiha clan was hazardous. Without a doubt, this was all orchestrated by the Uchiha. Stone Village had no reason to attack them, especially considering their current situation.
"Kakashi, don't stop searching. Perhaps there is more to this than we may understand. I don't want to jump to conclusions." Hiruzen said in a cold voice, sending Kakashi away. He glanced down at the burns on the ground, anger clear in his eyes. Zeus's smiling face popped into his mind, causing a few veins to pop on his face.
Was Danzo right all along? Had he been too indecisive? Had his lack of actions resulted in Zeus's abduction, or even worse, death? Anger at both the Uchiha and himself clouded his mind, but he didn't act immediately, instead waiting for the Anbu to come back.
Eventually, they did, bringing no more news. Hiruzen glanced down at his own hands. Now the decision was up to him. Should they rush into the Uchiha territory, demanding and perhaps finding Zeus still alive, or should they wait until things get clearer, but probably no longer finding any traces of his adopted son?
"I have made a decision," Hiruzen stated, his voice stone cold. However, just when he was about to finish his sentence, a strange sound resounded throughout the forest. Hiruzen looked to the south immediately, seeing a part of a tree flying away. And then, a figure came out from the inside of the tree. It was a kid, a bit younger than Zeus.
Hiruzen recognized the kid, for it was Fugaku's first son Itachi. Instead of immediately pressuring the kid to talk, Hiruzen commanded the Anbu to stay still. All because of a single reason - Itachi was holding onto Minato's kunai, the one that has been gifted to Zeus before his death.
Itachi moved his eyes through the proximity, eventually settling on Hiruzen and nodding. He moved closer, standing before the Hokage without shuddering or stumbling. Falling to one knee, Itachi said. "It's nice to see you, Hokage."
"Have you been hiding here the entire time? Did you see what happened to Zeus, Itachi Uchiha?" Hiruzen got down to business immediately, his eyes glittering with killing intent. "A lot of things depend on your answer."
"Sir Hokage, I have indeed been here throughout the entire battle. I noticed a barrier put up when I was walking back home, and I managed to slip through by using my Sharingan. I comprehended that a battle was taking place and hid inside a tree, eventually understanding that it was Zeus who was battling against numerous figures." Itachi talked unlike a kid should. "The battle was too overwhelming and I was unable to help out in any way. However, I have seen the one who has caused all of this."
Itachi took out a mask from behind his back. "I have stolen this in order to prove my words. The ones who fought against Zeus were Root members, and Danzo was present to oversee the completion of their task."
Hiruzen listened intently, grabbing onto the mask and scanning it with widened eyes. His eyes shone with killing intent as his mind went through a thousand possibilities until he eventually glanced toward one particular figure present in his Anbu team. However, Hiruzen instantly understood that it was just but a substitute.
It seemed like they had indeed found the one that has caused all of this. Hiruzen glanced toward Kakashi. "Don't let him get away and inform Danzo. Killing is permitted."
Kakashi nodded and rushed into the forest, followed by a few more figures. The mask in Hiruzen's hand broke apart in his hands as he once again glimpsed down at Itachi. "Is Zeus dead?"
"No, it seemed like killing him was never the goal. Instead, Zeus was taken away by another unknown figure. Unfortunately, I was not close enough to remember the man's features." Itachi answered, keeping his head when he suddenly felt Hiruzen's hand fall on top of his head.
"You have done well anyway. Your actions today might have just saved your entire clan, so be optimistic." Hiruzen said with an indifferent expression. "However, I have another task for you. Could you go back to your clan and inform Fugaku that the village might need assistance in subduing a traitor?"
Itachi nodded, rushing away immediately.
Left alone with his thoughts, Hiruzen glanced upwards at the shining moon, his face filled with rage. "Oh... Danzo, just what have you done? Have you completely lost your Will of Fire in these dark times?"
Hiruzen turned his hands into fists.
This was not the moment to feel any pity.
It was time to suppress the betrayer and hope that Zeus is still somewhere not far away, waiting for rescue.
***
Gif: Caught Lacking
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