Nearly ten hours later, Tahara Rokuro and Mitarashi Anko finally reached the gates of Konoha.
Anko was gasping for breath, unable to speak, while Rokuro beside her looked perfectly calm—his breathing steady, as if he hadn't just crossed half the Land of Fire at full speed.
"Anko-senpai, can't you move a little faster?"
"Ugh—my lungs are about to burst! This is my fastest!"
Anko barked back irritably, then doubled over coughing, proving she wasn't exaggerating.
The two Uchiha guards at the gate gave them strange looks, clearly unsure what sort of act these two were putting on.
Rokuro checked his watch and nodded slightly.
"So, even at full speed without conserving stamina, it still takes around ten hours to get from Konoha to Iwami Mountain."
"Haa… what are you trying to say?"
Anko snatched a water bottle from one of the guards, uncapped it, and chugged it down in one go.
"I'm saying," Rokuro replied, "that whoever tipped off the bandits must have used space–time ninjutsu or a summoning beast to deliver the message. There's no way they could've done it just by running."
"Well… that makes sense," Anko said between breaths. "But space–time ninjutsu is extremely difficult. There are fewer than five people in Konoha who can use it fluently—let alone over long distances. I can't imagine a ninja of that caliber stooping to warn bandits."
"So, Anko-senpai thinks it's a summoning beast?"
Anko nodded slowly. "Most likely. But for a summoning beast to transmit messages effectively, it has to be part of a clan—a whole species with a communication network. Only that kind of group could maintain a relay system."
Rokuro grinned. "Exactly, Anko-senpai. And only a high-level ninja could form a contract with a summoning clan like that, right?"
Anko suddenly went pale as realization struck her.
"Rokuro… what are you planning to do? I think we should report this to Orochimaru-sensei and let him coordinate with the Hokage!"
Rokuro turned toward her, his tone calm but cold.
"On the way back, I thought it over. Whoever orchestrated this wasn't targeting you—they were targeting me."
"Why? Orochimaru-sensei has plenty of enemies! I'm his direct disciple, so maybe—"
Rokuro shook his head.
"Possible, yes—but unlikely. First, most of Orochimaru-sensei's enemies are from other villages, not from within Konoha. Second, with his personality, anyone who touched his people would face tenfold retaliation. If the enemy truly wanted to strike at him, they wouldn't just aim at his disciple—they'd go straight for him."
His tone hardened.
"If I were Orochimaru's enemy, I'd strike directly, use all my strength, and make sure he never had the chance to fight back."
Anko shivered at the seriousness in his voice. She thought about it and realized he was right. Giving Orochimaru even the smallest chance to retaliate was a death wish.
"But with me, it's different," Rokuro continued. "I've only been under Orochimaru for six months—I'm nowhere near his inner circle. Targeting me wouldn't provoke much of a response. And on top of that, I'm an Uchiha. The real target might not be Orochimaru at all, but my clan."
"Why would they target you of all people? There are so many Uchiha—oh… I get it."
She stopped mid-sentence as the realization dawned.
Kakuzu was a jōnin-level missing-ninja—ten of her couldn't defeat him together. Yet Rokuro had killed him in direct combat.
He was only seven years old.
A seven-year-old who could take down a jōnin head-on was no ordinary Uchiha. He was a potential threat.
"Rokuro, did something else happen out there? What did you mean just now?"
The Uchiha guards exchanged glances. They didn't know Rokuro well, but ever since the clan relocation, his family had become somewhat known within the Uchiha district. Hearing that conversation, both guards sensed that something big was brewing.
"Senpai," Rokuro said sharply, "I'm going straight to the Hokage's office to make this public. The Uchiha don't take hits quietly and pretend nothing happened!"
His last words came out as a roar—loud enough for everyone near the gate to hear. Heads turned. The two guards stiffened.
Anko sighed, realizing the situation had already spiraled beyond control. She summoned a small snake to send a message to Orochimaru.
The aftermath of the Nine-Tails' attack had left Konoha without its Fourth Hokage and Jinchūriki. To save face, the village had been overextending itself—taking on mission after mission to project strength despite the losses.
Meanwhile, the other Hidden Villages had begun stirring—especially Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning.
During the Third Great Ninja War, although they'd lost the Third Raikage, their overall casualties had been the lowest among the Five Great Villages. The Third Raikage had sacrificed himself precisely to preserve their military power.
When the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails' host tried to invade the Land of Fire, Minato Namikaze stopped them in their tracks—preventing a full-scale battle.
Now that Minato was gone, Kumogakure was testing the waters again, provoking Konoha at every turn.
With both external pressure and internal strain, Konoha was forced to take as many missions as possible, even offering discounts to attract clients. The Hokage himself—Sarutobi Hiruzen—personally greeted high-value patrons.
And in the midst of this fragile peace
Rokuro kicked open the door to the mission reception office.
He strode in carrying Kakuzu's corpse by the collar and slammed it onto the front desk.
"You leeching traitors! If I don't get an explanation today, I'll tear this place apart! Let's see how you like crossing the Uchiha!"
He amplified his voice with chakra—the shout reverberated through the entire Hokage building, echoing across half the village.
The two receptionists froze, their faces blank.
It took them several seconds to process what they were seeing.
"Tahara Rokuro, are you trying to start a rebellion?! What are you doing!?"
"Me, rebel?" Rokuro sneered. "No—you're the ones rebelling! You sold out your own village for money, didn't you? Explain this to me: why did a simple B-rank mission to clear out bandits turn into an ambush by an S-rank missing-nin? How did they know our exact movements? Don't tell me it wasn't you who leaked it!"
In a blur, Rokuro vanished from where he stood—reappearing before the receptionists.
He grabbed both by the throat and lifted them off the ground.
Just then, a masked ANBU burst out of the shadows, driving a kunai toward Rokuro's back.
Without even turning his head, Rokuro raised his right leg and kicked him square in the chest.
The ANBU was sent flying, slamming into the corner wall.
Before he could even stand, Rokuro was already there—his heel crashing down onto the masked man's face.
END OF CHAPTER
35 CHAPTERS AHEAD!!
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