Yamanaka Haichi was numb.
Completely numb.
Damn it.
The Sarutobi clan's incident hadn't even been dealt with yet, and now both elders had been assassinated.
...
His mind went blank.
Cold sweat poured down his forehead as his thoughts froze in place.
This was no longer just "trouble."
Things had truly spiraled out of control.
Worse still—
He was the person directly responsible.
What should he do?
His brain began working frantically, but no matter how hard he thought, there was no solution.
In the end, he took a deep breath.
He looked seriously at the two ANBU kneeling in front of him and spoke in a heavy voice.
"You two—move immediately."
"Seal off the Yamanaka clan, the Sarutobi clan, and the Mito clan."
"Completely."
"No one is allowed to enter without my order."
"No onlookers, no interference."
"Anyone who disobeys will be arrested on the spot."
"The scenes must be preserved."
"No damage is permitted."
"Go."
The orders were issued one after another.
Yes.
Even though Yamanaka Haichi was panicking inside, he didn't dare show it.
At this moment, he was the supreme commander.
If even he lost composure, the people below him would collapse completely.
So—
Even in confusion, he had to act decisively.
Even if he couldn't solve the case immediately, at the very least, he could prevent the situation from worsening.
As for the rest—
There was only one option left.
Inform Sarutobi Hiruzen first, then let the Hokage and Nara Shikaku decide what to do.
After the two ANBU vanished, Yamanaka Haichi took another deep breath.
He fell silent for a moment, then grit his teeth and began drafting a report for Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But—
He wrote for a long time, only to feel something was wrong.
So he crumpled the paper and threw it aside.
Then rewrote it.
Again and again.
Each time, it felt inadequate.
In the end, utterly helpless, he could only head to the Nara clan.
To find Nara Nanase—the one temporarily presiding over clan affairs after Nara Shikaku left with the Hokage.
After listening, Nara Nanase shook his head.
"This is simple."
"There's no need to agonize over wording in a situation like this."
"And there's no need to overthink it."
"Just make the situation clear in a few lines."
He paused, then waved his hand.
"But forget it."
"I'll write it for you."
He understood.
The situation was urgent, and the Yamanaka clan had never been good at this kind of thing.
So without wasting time, he took pen and paper and finished the letter in less than two minutes.
After all—
Ino–Shika–Chō were bound together.
One body, one fate.
Helping each other was only natural.
Yamanaka Haichi didn't bother with formalities.
He took the paper and read it carefully.
One page.
Three short sentences.
The Sarutobi clan has suffered heavy casualties. Elders Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura are dead.
The exact circumstances are unclear and are under investigation.
Reply immediately.
Yes.
Perfect.
Clear, concise, and straight to the point.
Not only did it explain the situation, it also conveyed the urgency.
Yamanaka Haichi immediately looked up.
"Nanase, thank you."
"There's too much going on—I won't stay."
"When this is over, I'll treat you to a drink."
Nara Nanase nodded.
Though he rarely involved himself deeply in Ino–Shika–Chō affairs, his relationship with Yamanaka Haichi was good.
"I'll hold you to that," Nanase said calmly.
"Let me give you one piece of advice."
"The more you do, the more mistakes you make."
"Do less, and you'll make fewer mistakes."
"Do nothing wrong, and you make none at all."
"The relationship between the Ino–Shika–Chō alliance and the Hokage faction is already ambiguous."
"Sarutobi Hiruzen doesn't fully trust us."
"So don't work too hard."
"Just do enough to get by."
"When Shikaku returns, let him handle the rest."
Yamanaka Haichi nodded thoughtfully.
After expressing his understanding, he took his leave at once.
Nara Nanase didn't detain him.
He knew Haichi was already buried under pressure.
Ten minutes later.
Back in his office, Yamanaka Haichi copied Nara Nanase's words exactly and sent the message to Sarutobi Hiruzen using a summoning technique.
...
Land of Iron.
Inside the inn.
Unlike Konoha's chaos, the heavy snowfall here made everything seem unnaturally peaceful.
Morning.
Kai was still lying in bed when he was dragged up by Namikaze Minato.
"Brother Minato, what are you doing?" Kai frowned.
"It's not a good habit to disturb someone's dreams early in the morning."
"Besides," he muttered, turning over,
"Don't we still need to wait until Nara Shikaku finishes negotiations before leaving the day after tomorrow?"
"There's nothing to do today."
"Let me sleep a little longer."
Yes.
Kai was annoyed.
Unless he was on the battlefield, he became extremely lazy.
Sleeping until he woke naturally—
That was his life philosophy.
Not to mention—
The weather in the Land of Iron made crawling back into bed far too tempting.
But Minato's expression was unusually serious.
He stared at Kai, half exasperated.
Honestly—
This level of laziness was outrageous.
Still, remembering what Nara Shikaku had told him earlier, Minato spoke in a low voice.
"Kai, stop fooling around."
"Something big has happened in the village."
"The Hokage has ordered an immediate return."
"Nara Shikaku has already gone to negotiate urgently with the other four villages."
"At most half an hour."
"We're going back."
"And this time—"
"We'll be using the Flying Thunder God."
Hiss.
Kai's eyes snapped open.
He was fully awake now.
Good grief.
Judging by Minato's expression—
Danzo had finally moved.
The only question was—
Had the Uchiha's plan succeeded?
Or failed?
Kai sat up at once.
"Brother Minato, what happened?"
"If there's any gossip, can you share a bit?"
"Danzo made his move?"
"What was his target?"
Minato froze.
He looked at Kai in shock.
"How did you know it was Danzo?"
Kai rolled his eyes.
"How is that surprising?"
"During the jōnin meeting two days ago, Danzo, the two elders, and Orochimaru all refused to attend the Five Kage Summit."
"Anyone with a functioning brain could tell something was coming."
"Before I left, the Uchiha even held a special meeting about this."
"The only unknown was who Danzo planned to target."
Kai's gaze sharpened.
"Do you remember what the Hokage asked you before we left?"
"He asked whether you'd buried Flying Thunder God markers outside the village."
"Why ask that?"
"Because he was afraid something huge would happen."
"That Konoha might be completely sealed off—"
"And your Flying Thunder God rendered useless."
"So we'd still have a way back."
He looked straight at Minato.
"So—"
"Brother Minato."
"Who do you think Danzo is really aiming at?"
Kai's lips curved slightly.
"I'm very curious."
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