"Uchiha Kai, stop talking nonsense! When did I allow the Mist Ninja to attack the Rear Camp?" Facing the gazes of the crowd, Mitokado Shogo felt uneasy in his heart and immediately retorted.
Seeing Mitokado Shogo trying to defend himself, Uchiha Kai couldn't hide his amusement.
"You didn't allow the Mist Ninja? If it wasn't you, then who can tell me where your squad was when the Mist Ninja attacked the Rear Camp yesterday?"
"Exactly, why didn't the Rear Camp squad show up yesterday? Aren't the guards supposed to be closest to the Rear Camp?"
Originally, everyone only considered that Uchiha's rescue was not timely, but now, after being reminded, they recalled the issue of the guards.
Someone whispered quietly but was shot a fierce glance by Utatane Kaori.
"Uchiha Kai, don't try to shift the blame."
"Shut up! What are you? The lack of defense at the Rear Camp led to so many comrades dying in the camp, and you can't escape responsibility either!"
As the Three Tomoe spun, a cold gaze swept toward Utatane Kaori. The fear ruled by the Sharingan immediately appeared, and Utatane Kaori repeatedly tried to speak but couldn't utter a word.
What a waste.
Uchiha Kai didn't use much Chakra, nor did he unleash his eye power. Nara Suzaku watched closely; since Kai didn't truly resort to violence, he naturally couldn't blame him.
As a Jonin of the Uchiha clan, the wielder of the Three Tomoe, it is not an exaggeration to say that among those present, apart from Uchiha Shisui, no one was a match for Uchiha Kai.
"Now, I ask Jonin Shogo to answer my question: Where was the Rear Camp squad when the Mist Ninja attacked?"
Uchiha Kai's gaze was dismissive, equally contemptuous of everyone present.
Mitokado Shogo's face turned pale. Uchiha Kai was only in his twenties, yet he dared to look down on his elder. He glanced at Nara Suzaku, but seeing him unmoved, he could only brace himself to explain.
"The Rear Camp squad was executing a special mission yesterday."
"What mission?"
"I already said it was a special mission. Uchiha Kai, mind your identity; you have no right to know."
"Haha, hahaha~"
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Kai threw his head back and laughed uncontrollably, leaving the others exchanging puzzled glances.
"Special mission, did you all hear that? He, Mitokado Shogo, actually took the guards to execute a special mission. This is hilarious!
We've been fighting this war for over a year, right? When did the guards ever carry out a mission? When did you, Mitokado Shogo, ever go to the Front Line?
Now that the war is over, you suddenly want to execute a mission, and then the Mist Ninja showed up, leading to the attack on the Rear Camp?"
Uchiha Kai's expression grew increasingly ferocious as he spoke, his momentum gradually rising, stirring the emotions of the crowd and creating an unsettling feeling among them.
"Mission? Bullshit mission! I see you're clearly guilty of treason, betraying your comrades!"
Treason, betrayal!
When did he ever betray the village? This could at most be considered negligence!
"Yeah, what kind of mission does a guard squad need to do that requires leaving the Rear Camp?"
"Exactly! Why was he off on a mission when the Mist Ninja showed up?"
"What kind of mission requires the entire guard to be mobilized?"
"Dozens of people broke through the guard's defenses and entered the Rear Camp, and he didn't notice anything at all."
Among the more than twenty people present, over half were civilian Jonin. The more they thought about it, the worse their expressions became, fixating their stares on Mitokado Shogo, expecting him to provide an explanation.
The remaining few remained silent, but their gazes were similarly directed at Mitokado Shogo.
"I—"
Mitokado Shogo's face changed drastically. He certainly couldn't say that he had gathered the guards to intercept the Mist Ninja, as that would be a confession of guilt.
"What's wrong? It seems you have nothing to say now; you truly are a traitor!"
Uchiha Kai's momentum surged, and a murderous intent emerged, causing everyone in the camp to instinctively react, but their focus was directed at Mitokado Shogo.
The intimidation from the killing intent threw Mitokado Shogo into chaos.
"Uchiha Kai, don't slander me without proof. You're the one who is a traitor!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Nara Suzaku let out a sigh, cursing him silently.
As expected, the crowd's gazes shifted from suspicion to certainty, their eyes filled with hostility as they fixated on Mitokado Shogo.
"Hmph, evil Mitokado clan member, betraying the village and your comrades, I will take matters into my own hands—"
"Wait!"
Seeing that things were about to escalate, Nara Suzaku immediately raised his hand to intervene. As the commander of the Eastern Front, he held significant authority, and the crowd gradually calmed down at his gesture. Even Uchiha Kai halted his actions, though his eyes remained unfriendly.
"Shisui Jonin, how do you think we should handle this matter?"
Shisui's expression was calm, but he held deep admiration for his sensei; everything happening before him was within his sensei's expectations.
"He needs to give the village an explanation, and an explanation to the comrades who died at Rear Camp!"
The crowd was moved. They hadn't expected that the reliable Uchiha on the battlefield would also be reliable off the battlefield.
Nara Suzaku was surprised; he had not anticipated that someone like Shisui could emerge from the Uchiha Clan.
Seeing the agitated crowd, he realized a decision had to be made; otherwise, this battle would be for nothing.
After a moment of contemplation, Nara Suzaku looked at Mitokado Shogo and spoke in a cold tone, "Shogo Jonin, by the authority of the Eastern Front commander, I relieve you of all your duties.
From this moment on, you have the right to remain silent, and I will transfer you to the Third Hokage for investigation."
At this moment, being relieved of his duties meant that his year of effort had been in vain, and this war would have nothing to do with him.
However, upon hearing that he would be transferred to the Third Hokage, he still remained silent.
"What's there to investigate about this rogue ninja? Just kill him!" Uchiha Kai muttered loudly, and Nara Suzaku could only helplessly pretend he didn't hear.
"And what about that other person? How should we handle them?"
Seeing this, Uchiha Kai shot a sidelong glance at Utatane Kaori. Although he didn't mention her name, everyone knew who he was referring to.
"I will bring this matter to Lord Third and let him decide," Nara Suzaku responded lightly, as he had anticipated this.
Utatane Kaori let out a cold huff, her face dark as she turned to leave.
"Huh? Is that it?" Uchiha Kai was dissatisfied and wanted to say more, but Shisui stopped him and left together.
"Shisui, why did you stop me just now? Didn't you see how arrogant that bitch was? Why not take the opportunity to bring her down too?"
Once outside the tent, Uchiha Kai's face was flushed with excitement. He was experiencing for the first time the feeling of pressuring someone without using force, but he was still somewhat dissatisfied that he couldn't finish the job.
Shisui wore a smile, equally happy but much more restrained.
"She's of no concern; she fulfilled her duties, and we can't touch her."
Does Utatane Kaori need to take responsibility?
Of course not. She organized the resistance during the attack on Rear Camp and coordinated the breakthrough. As a medical Squad Captain, she did well enough.
Her only flaw was her attitude, which was so obvious that everyone present could tell she had issues, but that was all there was to it.
"She has been targeting us since yesterday; she must be in cahoots with Mitokado."
Of course, they were in cahoots.
Shisui felt helpless; from her surname, he had known she would be problematic, but what could he do?
"She hasn't done anything that affects everyone, so even if everyone notices she has issues, we still can't do anything without evidence."
Uchiha Kai frowned in confusion. If everyone knows she has issues, why can't they do anything about it?
However, since it was Shisui who said it, he was still willing to believe him.
"Shisui, it seems you've become exceptionally smart since this morning; you can even see through things like this?"
"Eh?"