Chapter 135.2 : Inquiry!!

The two Root ninjas were sacrificial pawns Danzo had offered as a test.

If one of them truly acquired the Wood Release kekkei genkai, it would confirm that Zetsu's group indeed possessed a method to grant such power. These operatives might even bring back valuable intelligence about their mysterious techniques.

But if it turned out to be a deception, Danzo would merely lose two capable subordinates. At least it would expose the malicious intentions of the strange figure before him and the so-called "Uchiha Madara" behind him toward Konoha and himself.

"Deal. And as a bonus, I'll share a secret about the Uchiha clan: Uchiha Shisui has already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."

Zetsu glanced at the two masked, silent Root operatives who followed Danzo's orders and stepped in front of him. As his body merged with the ground along with the two operatives, he delivered his parting words.

With the disappearance of the Four Violet Flames Formation, Zetsu and the two Root operatives vanished into the earth.

Looking at the ground where the three had disappeared, Danzo's expression was uncertain. Whether it was the forbidden technique Izanagi or Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan, both things made his mood uneasy.

Danzo didn't think the other party would lie about these two pieces of information because at least one of them could be verified.

For example, Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan?

Why did the Uchiha clan hide this pair of eyes?

And Uchiha Shisui's relationship with the Uchiha clan, as well as his closeness with Orochimaru, was something Danzo did not want to see.

...

In the office of the Hokage Building.

Uchiha Fugaku, who had been urgently summoned by the Anbu, originally thought it was due to the worsening war situation, and the village's high-ranking officials needed the Uchiha clan to deploy their full force to prepare for war. But when he arrived, the Third Hokage did not give such orders.

What made Uchiha Fugaku feel even more uneasy were the gloomy faces of the three advisors, led by Danzo, and the tense atmosphere in the room.

"Uchiha Fugaku, I need you to answer two questions, and there must be no concealment or lies in your response!" Danzo broke the silence, speaking harshly.

Uchiha Fugaku's eyes flashed with dissatisfaction at Danzo's aggressive tone. However, after glancing at the situation and the silent Hokage and other advisors, he chose to show a certain level of compliance.

"Does the Uchiha clan have the forbidden technique Izanagi?" Danzo's voice rang loudly in the office again, asking without any courtesy.

Uchiha Fugaku suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with shock as he stared at Danzo. After observing the serious expressions of Danzo and the others, Fugaku's expression changed for a moment, before he nodded and replied.

"There is indeed a forbidden technique called Izanagi recorded in the Uchiha clan's techniques."

"Can it really reverse the boundary between life and death at the cost of a Sharingan?" Danzo asked again, his voice demanding an answer.

At this moment, Uchiha Fugaku's mind was not just filled with confusion, but shock. Forbidden jutsu were called forbidden for a reason—they carried great danger, heavy costs, and were known only to a few.

Especially Izanagi. 

Its appearance had caused the Uchiha clan immense losses. Now, only a handful of people in the Uchiha clan knew of its existence! 

Aside from Fugaku, the clan leader, it was only a few of the Uchiha elders.

From Danzo's description, it was clear that he didn't just know the name of this forbidden jutsu, but even understood its effects!

This meant that there might be spies within the Uchiha elders, possibly even high-ranking figures likely under Danzo.

With this thought, sweat started to bead on Fugaku's back. This meant that what was discussed at the clan meetings was likely known to the Hokage and other high-ranking members of the village.

Fugaku, who had never missed a clan meeting, knew all too well how reckless some of his clan members could be in private.

What was said behind closed doors might seem like harmless complaints or mere expectations, but if it leaked out and reached the ears of the higher-ups in Konoha, the consequences were unpredictable.

"The records do mention the effects of the forbidden jutsu, but this jutsu is forbidden for the Uchiha clan to learn," Fugaku answered in a deep voice.

Fugaku's response caused a complex, unreadable expression to appear on the faces of the four Konoha high-ranking officials present.

"The second question—Uchiha Shisui activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. As the clan leader, you should be aware of this, right?"

Danzo had originally intended to question Fugaku about why Shisui didn't report the activation of his Mangekyo to Konoha's high ranks, but then his words changed.

If Uchiha Shisui were standing here, Danzo would have asked the question directly, given that Shisui had once trained in both ROOT and the ANBU. 

Even now, Shisui was still part of the ANBU, but his assignment had been shifted under Orochimaru.

With this connection, Danzo had already considered Shisui's failure to report the activation of his Mangekyo Sharingan a complete betrayal. Any intelligence Shisui had provided before was now viewed with suspicion.

"I don't know!" Fugaku responded firmly, shaking his head in denial.

"You're lying! As the head of the Uchiha clan, how could you not know?!" Danzo scolded.

"Even if Shisui opened the Mangekyō Sharingan, why does it have to be something I must know?" Uchiha Fugaku retorted. 

"This is his own destiny! Even if he truly opened it, whether he reveals it or not is his choice. No one can force him. Not even me, as the clan leader!"

If it weren't inappropriate, Uchiha Fugaku would have ended his sentence by mentioning the Hyūga clan leader. It is well-known that the Hyūga clan has a clear distinction between the main family and the branch family, with the main family controlling all the branch families.

However, the Uchiha clan didn't have any caged bird seals, and even Fugaku, as the clan leader, faced opposition and dissent within the clan.

It was his alliance with Orochimaru and his ambition and possiblity to become the future Hokage that kept the more militant members of the clan from voicing their dissatisfaction with the Hokage and the higher-ups, leading to a more unified view. 

This made Fugaku's position as clan leader a bit easier.

If it were any other Uchiha who had opened the Mangekyō, they might have already exposed their eyes at the clan meeting out of impatience.

But Shisui was different.

Compared to other Uchiha, he was more calm and composed. 

Sometimes, even Fugaku himself found it difficult to guess what was going on inside Shisui's mind.

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