Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its character belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 46: Threatened
---Hiruzen POV---
"Raiken, bring this corpse to the Anbu Department," ordered Hiruzen.
"No, Hokage-sama. We will investigate the corpse ourselves," replied Raiken.
Hiruzen was too shocked by Raiken rejection. For a moment, he even asked himself if he had misheard. His two friends, Koharu and Homura, were tongue-tied, unable to say a word.
"What do you mean by investigate it yourself?" asked Hiruzen.
"We cannot trust Konoha's investigation," Raiken answered simply.
"Do you mean we are not trustworthy?" Koharu snarled.
"Yes," Raiken replied, his voice firm and serious.
The three of them were stunned into silence, glancing at Lady Mito and the Senju elders for some support.
Finally, Homura spoke up. "This is a Konoha matter. The corpse belongs to the First Hokage cells."
When he said this, Raiken almost laughed but held it back.
"Can you promise that this corpse belongs to the First Hokage?" Raiken asked coldly.
Hearing this, even Hiruzen finally realized that the Uzumaki Clan suspected Konoha. His two advisors also faltered, unable to respond.
"No, we do not know for certain yet," admitted Hiruzen. "But only the First Hokage possessed Wood Style kekkei genkai. So we suspect someone illegally obtained his cells and conducted experiments."
Once again, Hiruzen misspoke.
"Do you mean you let the most precious kekkei genkai run loose?" Raiken accused. The temperature in the room dropped.
"No... we did keep it safe." Yet even as Hiruzen said this, he did not believe his own words. Deep down, he suspected this corpse was the result of Danzo experiments and he needed to reclaim it before things spiraled out of control.
"So that means this intruder was not from Konoha," Raiken continued. "It is a new enemy targeting the Uzumaki Clan."
"Then we need to help," Hiruzen said quickly, seeking ground to stand on. "Let the Anbu investigate it." He looked at his two comrades for support.
"The Hokage is right," Koharu added. "If this concerns the Uzumaki Clan, with our expertise, we can help."
"I'm sorry, but I don't believe in Konoha investigations anymore," Raiken replied flatly.
That answer left the three of them stunned again.
"Why?" Homura asked, almost desperate.
"Because we manage to detect an enemies a hundred kilometers away, across the Land of Fire. Yet just ten kilometers from the Uzumaki compound, Konoha failed to detect an intruder. We trust our methods more than yours," Raiken replied.
The Hokage and his advisors were left speechless. Hiruzen cursed Danzo silently... he had called for him, yet there was still no sign of him coming. Normally, it would take Danzo five minutes at most to arrive. Now it had been fifteen minutes and still nothing.
At this time, the advisors were not yet the cunning veterans they would become in the future. They were still too young around 30s Koharu, frustrated, turned her gaze toward Senju Ren, hoping for support.
"Raiken, just give half of the corpse to the Anbu," Senju Ren advised.
"There is no reason to hand it over to Konoha," Raiken shot back. "First, because Konoha failed to detect the intruder who managed to sneak in. Second, because our Uzumaki shinobi are more competent than your investigators. Unless, of course, this corpse truly belongs to the First Hokage cells." He then turned to look directly at Lady Mito.
Noticing Raiken gaze, Mito finally spoke. "Hiruzen, this corpse does not belong to the First Hokage. Raiken summoned us here to verify whether this was a failed experiment of Konoha or not, and we can confirm.... it is another person entirely who possessed Wood Style."
Her words shook the room. Until now, they had thought this was Danzo failure. But Lady Mito herself was declaring it neither Konoha's nor the First Hokage's.
"Lady Mito, how do you know?" asked Hiruzen.
"When Tobirama experimented with Wood Style, even in the smallest trace we could still detect Hashirama's chakra. This time, not once did we sense his chakra in this body," Mito explained. "So we know this is an enemy, and it does not belong to the First Hokage."
Their faces tightened at her conclusion. Hiruzen turned toward Senju Ren.
Ren nodded before declaring, "We have verified that this corpse is neither a failed nor successful experiment of the First Hokage's cells."
Relief washed over Hiruzen. If it did not belong to the First Hokage, then it was no longer their fault, instead it was a study material he needed to secure.
"Raiken, I am sorry, but we need to take this corpse," Hiruzen pressed again.
"I am sorry as well," Raiken replied firmly, "but this corpse stays here. We must find out who our enemy truly is, who dared attack us. We want the mastermind revealed."
Hiruzen eye twitched. Koharu spoke sharply, "Raiken, you are now a citizen of Konoha. It is your duty to listen to the Hokage."
Raiken did not answer. The silence was heavy.
"Is this truly your answer, Hokage-sama?" Raiken asked at last.
Hiruzen hesitated, then finally nodded.
"Then we will leave Konoha and stay at Mount Myoboku," Raiken declared.
The room went silent again, save for Raiken side. Even the Senju elders shifted uneasily, their faces changing. Only Lady Mito wore an expression of grim understanding, for she too had heard her clan whisper suspicions about Konoha.
[DING! 1000 Stars Donated]
[Fight the hypocrite Hiruzen!]
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[I didn't expect the host to really deny Hiruzen any face!]
Internally, Raiken smiled. The donations poured in faster and faster, but outwardly he kept his composure, resisting the urge to laugh.
"You… you want to leave Konoha?" Koharu asked in disbelief.
"Yes," Raiken answered. "If you insist on taking the corpse that belongs to our enemy, while refusing us the right to investigate, then Uzumaki Clan is not safe here. The only way for us to survive is to move to Mount Myoboku. There, the clan will be safe. The toads will never allow shinobi to storm their grounds and wreak havoc."
The three of them exchanged worried glances. They could not allow the Uzumaki Clan to leave Konoha. In such a short time, the Uzumaki had already created sealing techniques and top-tier healing scrolls, and even managed to detect an intruder Konoha had completely missed.
Losing them would be a disaster. Yet at this moment, there was nothing they could do. If it were a meeting with all the clans, they might have been able to pressure the Uzumaki. But now, with only the three of them present and Lady Mito silent, they had no leverage.
Author Notes - To read advanced chapter you can go to my patreon.
Chapter 74: The Chain Of Corruption
Chapter 75: Police Reform
Chapter 76: Civillian
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