Chapter 92: A Seemingly Unprofitable Operation
Uchiha Sasuke received very generous New Year's gifts. The Fugaku couple doted on their youngest son, and Itachi, the brother-con, goes without saying. Even Kitahara gave him a gift.
It was the Kusanagi sword found in Orochimaru's shed snakeskin. Kitahara had specially asked Itachi to help tie a bright red bow on the scabbard... So pretty...
On the first day of the New Year, Uchiha Itachi took Sasuke to participate in the clan's hatsumōde. The little cub's fortune slip had two words that even Itachi found puzzling: Dǐ Shí. (Whetstone)
It didn't sound like a very good word...
The erudite and talented old father must have known what it meant.
After Fugaku learned of Sasuke's fortune slip, his gaze towards his youngest son was rather complicated. Words like "spare the rod, spoil the child" had been circling in Fugaku's mind since the first day of the New Year.
Forget it, it's the New Year, better not to mention this matter.
Besides, since his eldest son had joined ANBU, he had become busier and busier, and his youngest son spent more and more time with Mikoto. If he were to mention being strict with Sasuke now, it would make his wife unhappy.
Anyway, after the New Year, the three-year-old Uchiha Sasuke would start practicing shuriken and taijutsu. When he really became lazy, it wouldn't be too late to take action then.
By that time, Fugaku would discover that the little cub's fortune slip was its literal meaning.
Sasuke was not the sharp blade that needed a whetstone for sharpening. Compared to his exceptionally talented older brother, the younger brother was that very dull whetstone.
In the afternoon, Uchiha Shisui came to visit with a New Year's gift and also brought a piece of news. He and Itachi would go to the biological laboratory to take over guard and surveillance duties from Kakashi Hatake.
"How does Shisui know this news? And why would Root suddenly take over today?" Uchiha Itachi was currently struggling to get free from his younger brother, who was扑 (pū - pouncing/throwing himself) onto him.
"I've already been seconded to Root." Uchiha Shisui chuckled lightly, helping Itachi straighten his slightly messy uniform, "As for our mission, it was personally requested by Lord Danzo. It should be out of concern that the defenses might be lacking during the New Year. The Third Hokage has already agreed. Later, we'll go with the others from the Root squad to relieve Senior Kakashi."
"So, I'll be on duty with Shisui this afternoon?" Uchiha Itachi was somewhat delighted. He had wanted to have a good chat with Shisui during the New Year's free time.
"Yeah, this mission won't be too boring!" Uchiha Shisui was also in a good mood, even having the leisure to tease the little cub, "Sasuke, I'm borrowing your big brother for some help!"
The little cub pouted. He already knew his brother had a mission this afternoon and was already unhappy. Now, knowing Shisui could be on a mission with his brother, it would be strange if his expression was good!
"Sasuke has to go with Mom and Dad to give gifts to the clan members this afternoon. You must be good!" Uchiha Itachi stretched out his finger and flicked the little cub's forehead.
After a smile returned to Sasuke's face, Itachi glanced at Kitahara, who wanted to go back to the room to sleep, and felt it was too lonely for it to be home alone, "Does Kitahara want to come along?"
"Caw!"
Kitahara shook its head. It was going to take another nap.
Kitahara didn't know if Danzo Shimura wanted to guard the granary he was robbing or wanted to prove his innocence. But as long as Danzo took over this matter, he was destined to get some dirt on him...
In fact, Lord Root Leader just felt that his authority was being questioned.
The Konoha Biological Laboratory had been tacitly considered Root's private domain before Orochimaru's defection. After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi was unwilling to be tainted by human experimentation.
ANBU ninjas had no holidays during the New Year. Root ninjas were even more diligent than ANBU, with internal personnel working a "007" (non-stop) schedule year-round. The person responsible for monitoring Kakashi Hatake discovered that he actually didn't go home to pay respects to his ancestors on New Year's morning!
Kakashi has a mission?
He only returned to the village on the last day before the year's end, what mission could he have?
Danzo Shimura quickly found out that Hiruzen Sarutobi had issued a warrant for free access to the Konoha Biological Laboratory. This old rival... what did he mean by this?
Although I know I'm not trustworthy, I've already cleaned up the tail end of the biological experiments after Orochimaru's defection! I kindly lied to you, yet you don't believe me?
To prevent matters from becoming more complicated, while dispatching a Root squad to accompany the surveillance to declare sovereignty over the biological laboratory, Danzo Shimura didn't want to make things too tense and even considerately sent the sand that the Third Hokage had mixed into ANBU to handle it.
Uchiha Shisui.
As the junior of their common old friend, Kagami Uchiha, Danzo Shimura couldn't complain about Hiruzen Sarutobi transferring him to Root. In fact, he was happy to see it... A Sharingan and a powerful worker delivered to his door, not to covet it would be base!
After Uchiha Fugaku's entire family left.
A pitch-black crow struggled out from the bedding. The moment it landed, its figure gradually transformed into the strange appearance of Zetsu's Venus flytrap... I didn't expect that even for a winter afternoon nap, getting out of bed would be this difficult!
It sat cross-legged, gathering all known intelligence and its next course of action.
First, the identity issue. Apart from Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki, the only Flying Thunder God user currently rumored in the ninja world was the Konoha rogue ninja, Zetsu... Hmm, Zetsu definitely couldn't use it, but it was the designated scapegoat Kitahara used when it acted from the shadows.
Second, the relationship issue. From the intelligence of Konoha's leadership, Orochimaru, Zetsu, and Uchiha Obito were definitely a group. What could three publicly known Konoha rogue ninjas do when gathered together? Of course, they would try to find ways to retaliate against Konoha!
Third, the objective of the action. Ever since the news of Uchiha Obito being alive was exposed, the relationship between the Uchiha clan and Konoha had gradually become subtle. Since the suspicion of the Nine-Tails rampage was cleared, although conflicts remained, there was a great degree of easing.
However, if the Uchiha clan's demands were not met, the conflict would erupt sooner or later. Konoha couldn't possibly let things get to the worst-case scenario, and as a hardliner, Danzo couldn't possibly ignore the threat posed by the Uchiha.
Since Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan had already been awakened, the time for the conflict between the two to erupt would only come sooner... With Shisui's talent, awakening a second pair of Mangekyo was only a matter of time.
Danzo Shimura had very likely already set his sights on its own cub's Mangekyo. That strange feeling of being watched yesterday... even the super perception enhanced by sage art couldn't find the person monitoring them. It must have been the Byakugan.
The Hyuga clan wouldn't spy on them for no reason, and the only other ones with Byakugan subordinates were the two armed forces of ANBU and Root.
Logically, Uchiha Itachi temporarily belonged to the Hokage faction, so Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't create extra trouble... Then it could only be Danzo Shimura's Root.
What it had to do now was to take a stroll in the Konoha Biological Laboratory. If there were Hashirama cells, it would steal them. If not, it had to find a way to splash some dirty water on Root. At the very least, it had to make people connect Danzo Shimura with Konoha's rogue ninjas...
Kitahara thought to itself, if it could become a ninja, it would definitely be an even more qualified ANBU member than Kakashi.
Just as the Third Hokage was looking for an excuse to suppress Root, news suddenly spread in the village that the Root leader was secretly colluding with Konoha's rogue ninjas... Thinking of this, Kitahara suddenly felt it was too much like doing free labor for Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Not even hearing a word of thanks, wasn't that... a bit of a loss!
Kitahara unaccustomedly clicked its teeth.
(End of this chapter)
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