Chapter 38: Another Case...

After returning to Konoha, Uchiha Itachi did not hurry back to the Uchiha compound; instead, he went straight to the Hokage Residence.

He first sought out the Third Hokage.

Knock, knock, knock—

When Itachi rapped on the office door, a weary voice—Hiruzen Sarutobi's—answered from inside: "Come in." Itachi pushed the door open and entered with his two subordinates.

"Hokage-sama."

Hands at his sides, Itachi reported in a solemn tone: "The mission you assigned has been successfully completed. Uchiha Itachi, Hyūga Ōsawa, and Sarutobi Yuwa have returned to the Anbu."

"…Ah, Itachi."

Hiruzen lifted his head slightly, trying to muster a smile, but could not manage it.

"You brought back your whole team without a single casualty—well done."

Itachi's sharp instincts told him something was off; the Hokage's mood felt strange.

"Hokage-sama, has something happened in the village?"

He asked proactively.

Hiruzen fell silent for a long moment, then said, "The funeral for Shinnosuke and a number of Anbu operatives will be held this afternoon. Itachi, Ōsawa, Yuwa—you've come back just in time. If you wish to attend, change into appropriate attire first, then assemble at Konoha's cemetery."

He did not spell out what had occurred, but the weight of that statement stunned Itachi.

Shinnosuke… a funeral for many Anbu…

The first name rang vaguely familiar; the second implied something grave enough to claim numerous Anbu lives.

Itachi thought it over, then chose not to press further. If the Hokage would not say more, there had to be a reason.

"I'll take my leave, Hokage-sama," Itachi said.

"Mm."

…

After leaving the Hokage Residence, Itachi headed toward the Uchiha compound.

On the way, he overheard people talking and quietly drew closer.

A few snippets were enough for him to understand the Hokage's gloom—and why "Shinnosuke" had sounded so familiar: Shinnosuke was the Hokage's eldest son.

"Uchiha Chizumi killed a lot of Anbu—and killed the Hokage's eldest son, too. It all started because Shinnosuke‑senpai did a lot of things he shouldn't have… And Uchiha Chizumi is not someone who tolerates that kind of 'wrong.'"

Itachi fell silent.

Uchiha Chizumi…

The name stirred unpleasant memories. This man, once praised alongside Shisui as one of the Uchiha "Twin Prodigies," had a reputation equal to Shisui's even on the Third Shinobi World‑War battlefield—yet he seemed out of place in both the Uchiha clan and all of Konoha.

At first, Itachi had thought Chizumi was like himself, another outsider.

But—

"You and I are not the same. Between humans and beasts stands an insurmountable wall, Uchiha Itachi."

That cold remark from Chizumi surfaced in Itachi's mind.

"Shisui, if you protect him, you'll regret it."

Those were Chizumi's words after Shisui had saved Itachi when Chizumi nearly killed him.

A flicker of complexity passed through Itachi's calm eyes. Of all the Uchiha, the one he understood least might be Uchiha Chizumi.

…

Elsewhere in Konoha:

"Chizumi-sama, we've got a case! Meow!" The ninja‑cat Jujiro crouched and sprang onto Izumi's head. After licking a paw, he addressed Uchiha Chizumi: "My kittens found something incredible in the village sewers, meow!"

Izumi weakly raised a hand in protest. "Jujiro‑senpai, could you please stop jumping on my head when reporting to Chizumi-sama…?"

"Meow, rookie, I'm testing your reflexes! Dodge me someday and you'll at least be jōnin material!"

Chizumi, expressionless, cut the banter short: "Details. And lead the way."

While guiding them, Jujiro hurriedly explained: "It's human bones, meow—badly fragmented, and only a small portion. By my reckoning, it's a piece of a human jaw."

"My kittens searched the sewer and found another bone elsewhere—also part of a body—likely the same victim, meow."

"But we couldn't find more. It might've washed away, or been hidden."

Izumi shuddered. "D‑dismemberment?!"

Gathering herself, she ventured, "If it's already bare bone, the death must be long ago. Could it be wartime debris—a foreign ninja's remains? Maybe the village never had time to retrieve the body if it fell into the sewers?"

"Oh? You're learning to analyze, rookie!" Jujiro patted her head. "Progress!"

"We'll know once we're down there," Chizumi said coolly.

Soon the ninja‑cat led Chizumi and Izumi to a secluded street inside Konoha. Leaping from Izumi's head, Jujiro allowed her to smooth her mussed hair.

"Right here," he said, pointing at an open manhole. Two other ninja‑cats stood guard beside it.

"Chizumi-sama! Jujiro-sama!" the cats greeted in human speech.

"Shall I have my kittens bring up the bone—huh?" Jujiro stopped mid‑sentence as Chizumi wordlessly jumped down.

"Wait for me, Chizumi-sama! Meow!" He followed at once.

"Ah—Chizumi-sama, wait!" Izumi hurried after them.

…

"…The smell is awful." The instant Izumi landed, she regretted it. The stench was indescribable, and the darkness so deep she couldn't see her hand before her face.

Suddenly, a blaze of light flared—filling her vision. Chizumi's hand had turned into molten lava, its glow illuminating the tunnel.

"Chizumi-sama, over here," Jujiro said. Izumi hurried closer and saw a palm‑sized bone fragment placed on the cleanest patch of ground. Chizumi picked it up.

"Time of death: no more than five years ago," he said evenly. "Nothing to do with the war. This is a murder‑and‑dismemberment case, committed three to five years ago."

~~~

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