"Could this be the work of a wandering ninja?"
A large man, whose body shape was quite unusual among ninjas, spoke up.
He had bright red hair, wore sling-style armor, and had the kanji for "food" emblazoned on his chest.
This was Akimichi Chōza, the head of the Akimichi clan. Although all members of the family were on the heavier side, they were the "butterfly" in the renowned Ino-Shika-Chō trio.
"No," Nara Shikaku shook his head, "though there are wandering ninjas in the Land of Fire, they are generally weak. There are only a few jonin among them. To ambush and kill a team consisting of an elite jonin and two jonin, you'd need at least two elite jonin leading the attack. It's impossible for a wandering ninja to manage that."
"Among the rogue ninjas, there are many who have the strength of elite jonin," Aburame Shibi chimed in. "Could it have been a rogue ninja?"
"It's hard to say," Shikaku replied. "Rogue ninjas typically avoid attacking shinobi from other villages unless there's a bounty on the black market. Then, it becomes more likely."
He turned his gaze to a man with long blond hair.
"Inoichi, is there any bounty on Shimura Ryoma on the black market?"
Yamanaka Inoichi, the head of the Yamanaka clan, whose family specialized in intelligence and communication techniques, responded quickly. "No, as far as I know, there's no bounty on Shimura Ryoma in the black market."
Shikaku sighed. "Then we can rule out rogue ninjas for now. That leaves us with the possibility that this was done by another ninja village."
"This seems the most likely explanation. Only other villages could deploy a team of two elite jonin and several others without much difficulty," Shikaku added, his tone more serious.
"The death of Ryoma and his team, which included an elite jonin and two jonin, is a significant loss for Konoha, the worst since the end of the Third Great Ninja War."
Danzo Shimura, sitting with a stern expression, addressed the Third Hokage. "We must investigate this quickly and determine who is responsible. If we fail to respond, it will damage Konoha's reputation."
Danzo's concern was less for the village and more for the fact that the dead were from his Shimura clan. He wouldn't have cared as much if they were from any other family. But the Shimura clan was his own, and their loss was personal. He pressed for a swift investigation.
"You're right," the Third Hokage nodded, fully aware of Danzo's motivations. Nonetheless, Danzo was correct about one thing: Konoha's reputation was on the line. This matter had to be handled delicately and swiftly.
The Third Hokage began issuing orders. "Yamanaka Inoichi, contact our spies hidden in the other four major villages. Have them investigate the movements of elite jonin from those villages in recent days.
"Inuzuka Tsume, send out a team of trackers from your clan to assist in searching for the enemy's trail.
"Hiashi, send a team from the Hyuga clan to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. We need to know if any ninja crossed the border recently."
One by one, the major clans of Konoha were tasked with parts of the investigation, from tracking the enemy to gathering intelligence.
However, there was one notable exception. The Uchiha clan received no orders, which was not entirely surprising. The Third Hokage had long been attempting to distance and isolate the Uchiha clan from village matters.
Uchiha Fugaku was well aware of this growing isolation. For some time now, the village leaders had been leaving the Uchiha out of critical matters, ensuring their role in the village diminished.
"If it were me in the past," Fugaku thought, "I would remain silent. But now, I will not stand idle."
He stood up. "Hokage-sama, Lord Danzo, I speak on behalf of the Uchiha clan when I say that we deeply mourn the loss of Shimura Ryoma and his comrades. We wish to contribute to the investigation and would like to send personnel to assist."
The Third Hokage raised an eyebrow, surprised. Uchiha Fugaku, who usually remained silent, was now breaking the status quo. However, the Hokage had no intention of letting the Uchiha clan involve themselves.
"I appreciate your concern, Fugaku-san," Hiruzen said, "but the Uchiha clan is responsible for maintaining law and order within the village. Especially in times like these, we cannot reduce the number of patrols."
Fugaku did not give up easily. "We can shift to a two-shift system instead of three. Although it would be more strenuous, I believe the Uchiha can handle it for the sake of the village and in honor of the fallen."
The Third Hokage's smile did not falter. "The village is not in a state where we need to exhaust all resources just yet, but I understand your willingness to help."
After a pause, Hiruzen continued, "I will allow Uchiha Shisui to represent the Uchiha clan in this investigation. Does that seem fair?"
Fugaku nodded, knowing full well that Shisui had already sided with the Hokage's office. However, this small victory was still important. As long as Shisui represented the Uchiha, it would still be perceived as clan involvement, even if the Hokage believed he was controlling him.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama. We will follow your orders," Fugaku said, bowing.
Danzo Shimura glanced at Fugaku with reluctant appreciation. He was no friend of the Uchiha clan, and their relationship with his Shimura clan had always been hostile. Fugaku's act of offering help seemed disingenuous, merely a tool to break the Uchiha clan's isolation. Still, Shimura Ryoma's death gave Fugaku the perfect excuse.
"Thank you, Fugaku-san," Danzo muttered, his gratitude obviously forced.
"No need to thank me," Fugaku replied. "We are all part of the same village, after all."
As the meeting concluded, and the clan heads left the conference room, Nara Shikaku lingered for a moment, deep in thought. There was another possibility he hadn't mentioned—the idea that Shimura Ryoma and his team were killed by another clan within Konoha itself.
But without concrete evidence, voicing such an idea would cause unnecessary strife. Suspicion between clans could lead to more chaos. For now, it was best to stay silent.
**(End of Chapter)**
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