A Konoha ninja had died, likely at the hands of an enemy who cleverly used wild animals to cover up the crime.
The scene was a mess, with wolf tracks scattered around, a lingering stench of blood, torn clothing, leftover bones, and the animal masks of the ANBU agents.
"You stay here and gather information. I'll return to the village and report this to Lord Hokage," the ANBU agent codenamed "Black Hawk" said before opening the barrier and heading back to the village as quickly as possible, racing toward the Hokage's office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, had only just laid down after working late into the night when he was abruptly woken up. Groaning, he pulled on his robes and got out of bed.
"Hokage-sama."
Black Hawk knelt on one knee as Hiruzen rubbed his aching temples, his voice raspy from fatigue. "What is it?"
"Sir," Black Hawk began, recounting everything. "On our way back from a mission, my partner and I discovered the remains of fellow ANBU near one of the hidden exits. Their bodies had been mauled by wild animals, but there are plenty of tracks. They were dressed in standard ANBU gear, complete with masks."
"What?"
The shocking news instantly cleared the Hokage's fatigue. He felt as though someone had just slapped him across the face.
ANBU agents, killed right near the village's outskirts, with wild animals used to destroy the evidence? This was not only an insult to Konoha but a direct affront to him, the Hokage. ANBU was his personal unit, under his direct command.
"Find out their identities immediately. Summon all ANBU operatives and launch a full investigation. Bring the barrier squad leader to me as well," Hiruzen ordered, his voice sharp.
The fact that the attack occurred so close to one of the barrier's hidden exits meant the enemy knew of its location. In addition to investigating the deaths, the exit would need to be relocated to prevent further infiltration.
With the Hokage's orders, Konoha's ANBU leaped into action. Even those monitoring and guarding Kushina Uzumaki were called back, highlighting just how seriously the Third Hokage was taking this.
A massive investigation began.
Meanwhile, elders Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were quickly roused from their beds, hurrying to the Hokage's office after receiving the news.
"Hiruzen, what's going on? Why have all the ANBU been mobilized?" Koharu asked as soon as they walked in, her voice tense.
"Take a look for yourselves," Hiruzen replied, handing over the initial report. His expression was grim.
The first piece of information to come in was regarding the identities of the dead. They weren't ANBU.
They were dressed in ANBU gear, wearing ANBU masks, but the actual ANBU had no record of these two individuals. Which left only one possibility: they were from Root.
"The nerve of them," Homura growled, slamming his hand on the desk. "We must get to the bottom of this. Whoever was responsible for this not only found the hidden ANBU exit but had the audacity to attack so close to the village. We can't afford to take this lightly."
As far as the identities of the dead went, Koharu and Homura didn't care much. Whether Root or ANBU, they were all Konoha's shinobi. The priority now was finding out who was responsible.
The sound of hurried footsteps and a cane striking the floor echoed down the hall. Hiruzen's eyebrows knitted together as he sensed the approaching chakra.
Sure enough, moments later, Danzo arrived.
Danzo had been resting in the hospital, but something had felt off—his neck had tingled, and a chill had settled over him. Then, the bad news came: the operatives he had sent out were dead, and the cargo was missing.
Danzo had nearly leaped out of bed the moment he heard. Ignoring Tsunade's orders to stay in the hospital, he rushed straight to the Hokage's office. The amount of chakra metal at stake was too much to ignore.
"Hiruzen, have you found any leads on the culprits?" Danzo demanded as he entered.
"Danzo, you should be resting in the hospital, not involving yourself in these matters," Hiruzen replied, unfazed by Danzo's sudden appearance. He was long used to Danzo showing up at just the right moment. What bothered him was that Danzo wasn't taking care of himself and was, instead, running around sending Root operatives on questionable missions.
Given that it was Root agents who had been killed, it wasn't surprising that Danzo couldn't sit still.
"If this isn't dealt with immediately, do you think I'll be able to rest in the hospital?" Danzo shot back coldly.
"..." Hiruzen sighed inwardly. His well-meaning advice had only earned him a sharp retort.
Seeing that Danzo had no intention of leaving and had already pulled up a chair, Hiruzen decided to let him stay. The ANBU report should be coming in soon, and once they had more information, he'd send Danzo back to the hospital.
Glancing at Danzo's expressionless face, Hiruzen made a mental note to remind Tsunade to keep a closer eye on his recovery.
"Hokage-sama."
An ANBU agent entered the room, and Hiruzen raised a hand to signal him to speak. But before he could, Danzo, clearly impatient, cut in, "Have you found anything of value?"
"..."
The ANBU agent hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. This wasn't going to be good news.
Just from the agent's tone, Hiruzen could tell they hadn't uncovered anything useful. He lowered his hand and coughed softly, giving Danzo a look that told him to hold his horses.
"Go ahead," Hiruzen said.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," the ANBU agent bowed respectfully before continuing. "We've cordoned off the area and conducted a thorough search, but the scene is chaotic. The bodies were partially eaten by wild animals. Aside from a pack of wolves, there's been no other useful evidence uncovered."
Hiruzen frowned. It was indeed bad news.
"Useless!" Danzo bellowed, slamming a fist on the table in frustration.
The ANBU agent immediately lowered his head, not daring to meet Danzo's eyes. He had no choice but to endure Danzo's outburst.
"That's enough, Danzo!" Hiruzen snapped. "This is the Hokage's office, not the Root headquarters."
"Humph." Danzo, realizing he'd overstepped, grunted in annoyance and turned away, falling silent.
"Continue," Hiruzen prompted.
"Yes, sir," the ANBU agent said, composing himself before pressing on. "Based on our findings, we suspect the issue lies within our own ranks. It's likely that whoever did this is someone from inside the village. Outsiders wouldn't have known about the hidden exit."
An inside job.
It was likely a spy, someone embedded within their own ranks. With no concrete evidence left at the scene, it was possible the killer had returned to the village using the very same hidden exit. In that case, any investigation outside the village would be futile.
This was turning into a real headache.
After a moment of silence, Hiruzen waved his hand. "Thank you for your work. You're dismissed."
The ANBU bowed and vanished.
"What do you think?" Hiruzen asked, lighting his pipe. Thick smoke swirled in the air, filling the office.
Koharu's face was stern as she responded, "Hiruzen, if this really is an internal issue, then we have a serious problem on our hands."
"If the enemy has access to our barrier's nodes, they can move in and out of the village freely. We can't allow that to happen."
Homura sighed deeply. Trouble seemed to be piling up one issue after another.
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