Konoha's elite shinobi gathered before the Hokage's residence.
After finishing the Uchiha affair and arranging for Sasuke to be admitted to Konoha Hospital, Sarutobi Hiruzen hurried over.
At this moment, he radiated a heavy aura of authority—stern, commanding, and intimidating. Kakashi and the others were shaken.
For in their memories, the Third Hokage had always been a kindly old man.
This was the first time many of them had seen this side of Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Lord Hokage, in the end…"
Kakashi was the first to speak.
He was the strongest among the gathered shinobi.
With the Sannin long absent from the village, the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato dead, and Danzō's ambitions collapsed into mediocrity, Kakashi—at the very peak of Jōnin and already brushing the threshold of Kage-level—was the most powerful shinobi in Konoha besides Sarutobi himself.
It was a sad truth: the vast village of Konoha now had only one true Kage-level shinobi.
Even Shisui, once a shining hope, had perished.
Having lost his own son and daughter-in-law, Sarutobi could no longer maintain the gentle façade of the past.
His voice, cold and desolate, informed the assembly of Uchiha Itachi's massacre and Uchiha Kenya's betrayal—
including, to their shock, the deaths of his own son and daughter-in-law.
Of course, his words strayed far from the truth of the incident.
"Wh-what!? The Uchiha clan… they're gone!?"
"Uchiha Itachi… has he gone mad?"
"I heard Uchiha Kenya only just reached Jōnin rank… could he really do something like this?"
The gathered shinobi could hardly believe their ears.
The annihilation of the Uchiha clan, and the death of the Hokage's eldest son—
either alone would have shaken the village, even the entire shinobi world.
But now, in one breath, two S-rank rogues had emerged!
Kakashi frowned. With his insight, he noticed something didn't fit.
He had once been on missions with Itachi and never felt the man capable of such cruelty.
And Kenya, though talented, didn't seem strong enough to accomplish this either.
Still, he said nothing further and instead pressed, "Lord Hokage, we should immediately issue wanted orders for both men and assemble a pursuit team."
Sarutobi nodded. "I have already dispatched Anbu to track their movements. But I also require your help.
And remember—keep the truth of the Uchiha incident to yourselves. Too much talk will harm young Sasuke's growth. He is the only survivor."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
"Hokage-sama is truly compassionate, even thinking of that child now."
"The traitors must be brought back at once!"
Many felt admiration for the Hokage's so-called kindness.
It was the same performance he and Danzō had perfected over the years—one playing the benevolent face, the other the ruthless hand.
In truth, Danzō was the "Hokage of the shadows," carrying much of the blame while Sarutobi maintained the image of a leader as radiant as Hashirama.
But Danzō himself was wretched, unworthy of sympathy. After all—one was willing to wield the blade, the other to wear the mask.
Before dawn, Konoha organized its hunting unit.
Their mission: pursue Uchiha Kenya and Uchiha Itachi.
But in reality, Itachi would never be found.
He had almost certainly already joined Akatsuki.
And more importantly—Sarutobi had no intention of truly hunting him.
Thus, the full weight of pursuit fell upon Kenya.
The first light of morning pierced the clouds.
At the mansion of the Fire Daimyō, Sarutobi Asuma and Chiriku—both members of the Twelve Guardian Ninja—emerged from their quarters to begin the day's patrol.
Suddenly, a Konoha shinobi rushed toward them in haste.
"Lord Asuma, urgent orders!"
Asuma, his beard still short and scruffy, frowned and took the sealed letter.
He unrolled it.
At the very first line, his hands trembled and the scroll slipped to the ground.
His elder brother and sister-in-law were dead.
"L-Lord Hokage requests your immediate return to Konoha… to attend the funeral of Lord Shinnosuke and Lady."
The messenger's voice quivered.
Asuma's anger swelled, words caught in his throat.
Veins bulged across his face and arms as his chakra surged, before he finally burst into motion, tearing across the land back toward Konoha.
Duties to the Daimyō forgotten—his only thought was home.
Two days later, the funeral of Sarutobi Shinnosuke and his wife was held.
Konohamaru, barely four years old, could not yet comprehend death. He only knew his parents would never return—and so he cried ceaselessly.
When Asuma returned and saw his brother's headless remains, the rage in his chest nearly consumed him.
He longed to draw his twin blades, Feiyan, and carve Uchiha Kenya into pieces.
The remains of the Uchiha clan were buried without ceremony.
After all, only Sasuke was left.
"Lord Hokage! We have located Uchiha Kenya!"
At the funeral's end, Yamato appeared in a mask, kneeling before Sarutobi and his son Asuma.
"Where!?" father and son demanded in unison.
Yamato's voice was solemn. "According to our intelligence, his last sighting was at a black market on the western border of the Fire Country. He exchanged Lord Shinnosuke's head for a bounty—fifty million."
At those words, Sarutobi staggered, nearly collapsing.
Asuma's fists clenched, his eyes blazing with fury.
Sensing his youngest son's impulse, Sarutobi barked harshly, "Do not act recklessly, Asuma! With your strength, you cannot defeat Uchiha Kenya."
Asuma's skill was only just at elite Jōnin level—
while Kenya, who had slain Shinnosuke, stood at the very pinnacle of Jōnin.
He was far beyond Asuma's reach.
"Tch!"
Asuma snarled and stormed away without looking back.