With Shisui of the Body Flicker taking action, the attacker had no chance of escaping.
Shisui quickly pinned both his hands and dragged him before Arashi.
‘I can’t believe someone really was plotting against me.’
Even Arashi found the situation amusing.
He had merely wanted to punish a few unruly villagers, yet somehow stumbled upon a genuine threat.
Inabi had already been taken to the medical ward, while Tekka restrained the villagers who had shouted the loudest.
Duy and Guy remained beside Arashi as guards.
Naturally, a large crowd had gathered around them, pointing and whispering among themselves.
“Shisui, control him with your Sharingan and make him reveal who sent him.”
Arashi issued the order calmly.
“…Yes.”
The request was not particularly reasonable.
Interrogation was normally handled by a specialized ANBU division.
The Yamanaka clan, the “Ino” of the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, specialized in such work.
Even when the Uchiha conducted interrogations, they would never do it in the middle of a street before a crowd of civilians.
Shinobi were supposed to protect their village and nation silently from the shadows, not put on a public spectacle.
However, after hesitating briefly, Shisui still obeyed.
His earlier kindness had allowed a clansman to be injured and nearly let the spy escape.
For someone as responsible as Shisui, that failure had struck him hard.
He feared that refusing again might cause him to miss crucial information simply because he failed to understand Arashi’s foresight.
Having mastered Kotoamatsukami, even Shisui’s ordinary genjutsu was beyond what an average shinobi could resist.
The attacker’s eyes instantly became vacant.
“Speak.
Who sent you?”
Shisui’s voice turned cold.
“I…
I was sent by—Aghhh!”
The man had barely begun speaking when his entire body stiffened.
Two black patterns spread from his tongue and bound his whole body.
He could no longer speak, and even blinking had become impossible.
“W-What is that?!”
Duy and Guy, who specialized solely in taijutsu, stared in astonishment.
“It appears to be some kind of sealing technique…”
Shisui narrowed his eyes and tried to identify it.
Arashi’s voice rang out beside him.
“That is the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, a curse mark used specifically by Root.”
“Anyone bearing it will become completely paralyzed if they try to speak about certain matters.”
“It appears Danzo personally placed it on him.”
“Advisor Kaeda…”
Shisui’s eyes widened.
“That is an extremely serious accusation.
Are you certain?”
“I’m absolutely certain.”
Arashi made no effort to lower his voice.
In fact, he deliberately spoke louder so everyone nearby could hear him.
“This proves Danzo was trying to kill me!”
At this point in the timeline, only Danzo and members of Root should have known about the seal.
Unfortunately for them, Arashi was a transmigrator.
Sai had possessed the same mark on his tongue in the original story, and its pattern was extremely distinctive.
The Self-Cursing Seal later used to restrain Sasuke bore a similar design.
It was practically Danzo’s signature and had likely been learned from Orochimaru.
Since Danzo had chosen to target him, Arashi would not let him escape unscathed.
These Konoha villagers loved to gossip, didn’t they?
Then he would give them a truly exciting subject.
“Then…
what should we do?”
Had the captive been an enemy from another village, Shisui would never have hesitated like this.
However, he was far too gentle toward his own people and had never seriously considered the possibility of internal conflict.
“It’s simple.”
Arashi smiled.
“We’ll take him to the Third Hokage and complain.”
“Advisor-sama, the Third Shinobi World War only recently ended.”
Shisui could not help objecting.
“Starting an internal conflict now might lead to—”
“So you want me to endure it quietly?”
Arashi gave him a half-smile.
“Sorry, but I have a bad temper.”
“I’m not the kind of man who gets punched on the left cheek, smiles, and then offers the right one.”
He turned toward Duy and Guy.
“Duy-san, Guy, this incident will bring hostility from Danzo and Root.”
“You should return home for now.”
Might Duy was the key instructor who would teach Arashi the Eight Gates.
Arashi did not want him dragged into political trouble.
Duy and Guy only needed to focus on their training.
To his surprise, Duy thought for a moment before speaking firmly.
“No, Advisor Kaeda!
Guy and I will accompany you as witnesses!”
The Might father and son were passionate and straightforward.
Arashi had saved their lives and treated them with respect, so they naturally intended to stand beside him now.
A warrior would die for the person who recognized his worth.
Duy’s feelings were not far from that.
His intentions were sincere, but Arashi did not know whether to laugh or sigh.
He had no intention of completely falling out with Danzo yet.
Otherwise, he would have gone straight to Minato instead of seeking Hiruzen.
Duy did not understand those political twists and probably assumed Arashi was preparing for a fight.
“Don’t worry, Duy-san.
You too, Guy.”
Slightly moved, Arashi patted both of them on the shoulder.
“Danzo-sama is still a member of Konoha.
Perhaps we merely disagree rather than being mortal enemies.”
“I’ll do my best to settle this peacefully.
There won’t be a real battle.”
The simple father and son finally relaxed.
They nodded and left together.
Shisui also released a quiet breath.
Following Arashi’s orders, he dragged the Root operative toward the Sarutobi clan compound.
Arashi’s accusation had been so shocking that Shisui only realized something after they reached Hiruzen’s door.
“Advisor Kaeda, why are we visiting Hiruzen-sama?”
“Shouldn’t we report this to the Fourth Hokage?”
Arashi gave him a meaningful look.
“Didn’t I say I wanted to settle this as peacefully as possible?”
“If I went to the Fourth Hokage now, this really would become a fight to the death.”
Shisui frowned.
Despite his maturity, he was still only a teenager.
The Uchiha had also been excluded from the village’s highest levels for years, leaving him with little exposure to the ugliness of politics.
No matter how composed he was, he did not yet understand how power truly worked.
Arashi respectfully knocked on the door.
“Third Hokage-sama, Kaeda Arashi requests an audience.”
The door soon opened.
Hiruzen’s wife, Sarutobi Biwako, led the three of them inside, including the captive Shisui was holding.
Hiruzen was already seated and calmly puffing on his pipe.
Clearly, he had already heard what happened.
“Third Hokage-sama.”
Arashi sat directly across from him without unnecessary courtesy.
“It seems Danzo-sama is rather dissatisfied with me.”
Hiruzen took a deep pull from his pipe and looked toward Shisui.
“Shisui, leave us for a moment.
Arashi and I have matters to discuss—”
Before Shisui could answer, Arashi waved dismissively.
“Shisui is my guard.”
“Today, he isn’t going anywhere.
He’ll remain here.”
Hiruzen frowned.
Arashi pointed toward the Root operative, whose tongue was still covered in the curse mark.
“Unless I’m mistaken, this boy belongs to the Nara clan.”
“He used the Shadow Possession Technique to briefly restrain Inabi.
That was why Inabi failed to avoid the blade.”
Arashi had detected it at the time through his sensory abilities.
The threat hidden in his words was obvious.
If he continued making trouble, Danzo would not be the only person affected.
Although the man had joined Root, he was still a Nara who had helped attack an Uchiha.
No matter how patient Fugaku was, he would have to demand an explanation.
If he remained silent even after this, anyone could trample over the Uchiha without consequence.
The Nara clan could not afford to appear weak either, or they would lose face among Konoha’s great clans.
At worst, the conflict could trigger a struggle between the two clans.
“Arashi, Danzo was indeed wrong this time.”
In front of Shisui, Hiruzen could not reveal too much.
He still needed to maintain his image as a kind and fair elder.
“I will demand an explanation from him.”
“However, the war has only recently ended.
The village cannot afford internal conflict.”
“If our enemies exploit the situation, the consequences will be disastrous.”
It was the same speech Hiruzen would later use during the Uchiha crisis.
Unfortunately, Arashi had no interest in accepting it.
“That has nothing to do with me, Third Hokage-sama.”
“You should know that I dislike lies…
and pointless nonsense.”
Shisui frowned again.
Previously, Arashi had seemed like a blade hidden within its sheath, concealing his edge so completely that no one could understand his intentions.
Now, that blade had been fully drawn.
Worse, it felt like a cursed sword that wounded both its enemy and its wielder.
Arashi gave the impression that anyone who harmed him would have chunks of flesh torn away, even if he died in the process.
Shisui did not know that Arashi was deliberately acting like a reckless young man.
Hiruzen sighed inwardly.
A young man was still a young man.
Arashi might have been exceptionally intelligent, but he lacked experience and immediately bared his fangs when someone targeted him.
Looking back, Arashi had also seemed delighted after receiving a few small benefits during their previous meeting.
Perhaps the deep, calculating side he had displayed was not actually as difficult to understand as Hiruzen once believed.
He was roughly Minato’s age, after all.
Could a young man still be called young if he lacked hot blood and arrogance?
Hiruzen had originally hoped to educate Arashi into a proper inheritor of the Will of Fire, someone worthy of carrying on his legacy.
It now appeared that the boy still required considerable polishing.
“I will make Danzo apologize and reduce some of Root’s influence.”
Hiruzen finally offered his answer.
“I will also approve the proposal in your reform plan concerning the removal of unnecessary middle-level positions.”
“That settles it.”
Arashi instantly returned to his usual narrow-eyed smile.
“I’m not an unreasonable person.
I merely wanted justice.”
“As long as Danzo lowers his head, I’m willing to let the matter end here.”
“However, didn’t you previously state that Konoha’s finances were strained?”
Arashi knew perfectly well that financial pressure was the exact reason those useless positions should be removed.
Nevertheless, he acted as though he did not understand.
“There’s no need to trouble yourself by approving that proposal.
Shinobi need to eat too.”
“As compensation, how about having Danzo introduce me to Orochimaru-sama?”
Shisui did not understand the political exchange, but Fugaku had already mentioned using Orochimaru to treat Obito.
Shisui would eventually need to supervise the treatment with his Sharingan.
Now that Arashi had raised the subject, realization dawned on him.
‘So Advisor Kaeda acted this way to help Obito…
to help the Uchiha.’
Shisui remained somewhat confused by Arashi’s methods, but his opinion of him still improved.
He was an Uchiha as well, after all.
“That should be possible, but Orochimaru himself—”
“I will naturally speak with Orochimaru personally.”
Arashi smiled.
“There is one more matter, Third Hokage-sama.”
“This only restores the justice owed to me.
A young Uchiha was also injured, so his clan deserves compensation.”
Arashi smoothly presented another proposal.
“First, Root will cover all of Inabi’s medical expenses.”
“Second, I believe Fugaku would be an excellent recorder for our advisory meetings.”
“Of course, he would possess no right to vote or make decisions.
His duty would be limited strictly to recording the proceedings.”
Hiruzen fell silent for several seconds.
He already knew that Arashi had become involved with the Uchiha.
He simply had not expected the young man to demand benefits for them so openly.
However, Danzo was clearly at fault in this incident.
Although Hiruzen often opposed him, he still needed to protect Danzo now.
Root carried much of Konoha’s darkness, and many unpleasant matters would become difficult to handle without it.
Besides, a recorder without voting rights could accomplish very little.
By exposing Root in the street, Arashi had already offended Danzo beyond repair.
Since the two could no longer cooperate, granting Arashi this small benefit would cause little harm.
It would also allow Hiruzen to use the Uchiha to restrain Danzo.
Ever since Orochimaru failed to become Hokage, the old man had grown increasingly reckless in his anger.
Having reached his decision, Hiruzen slowly nodded.
“The advisory council will vote on the matter tomorrow.”
“However, Fugaku’s records must be reviewed by me before they are placed in the archives.”
Arashi immediately clarified his position.
“He will only possess the authority to record them in the first place.”
Arashi had never needed Fugaku to gain genuine power among Konoha’s leaders.
He only needed Fugaku to believe that Arashi was the Uchiha clan’s benefactor.
“Then there should be no problem.”
Hiruzen’s answer meant he had already agreed.
The so-called vote would be nothing more than a formality.
“This is wonderful.”
Arashi’s eyes narrowed into a cheerful smile.
“We’ve prevented internal conflict while ensuring the guilty receive proper punishment.”
“Third Hokage-sama, you truly are the foundation supporting our village.”
…