Mukai wasn't exactly a paragon of justice, so he did feel a bit tempted by the Sharingan. But after hearing Kyoichi's words, he hesitated for a moment before giving a slight nod.
The Sharingan...
With Kyoichi's strength, even Uchiha Ki was cornered. And yet, a few others mysteriously vanished. No matter what excuse they offered, it would be hard to convince the public.
Normally, that wouldn't matter.
Being criticized a little wasn't a big deal—at least not for Mukai. But right now, the timing was critical—
They were about to move against Danzō. And their justification hinged on the persecution of village children, secret support of illegal experiments, and more.
So...
If any blemish emerged at this point, it could become a convenient excuse for someone to muddle the issue and attack their cause.
Kyoichi, still carrying Itachi, felt a hint of regret.
Both Madara and Black Zetsu were just too slippery.
At the critical moment, they'd simply thrown Itachi away. And if Kyoichi hadn't acted to save him, the collapsing rocks would've buried the boy alive. Unless he chose to stand by and watch someone die...
He had no choice but to let Black Zetsu go and rescue Itachi.
Of course...
Even if he had given chase, there was no guarantee he could have caught Black Zetsu.
As a Yin-Yang Release construct, Black Zetsu was extremely stealthy—ordinary sensing techniques were useless against him. On top of that, it was difficult for Kyoichi to gauge the full extent of his ability to possess and manipulate others.
What if he followed too deep and ended up walking into a trap?
Weighing all these factors, Kyoichi had no choice but to abandon the chase. Madara, on the other hand, was just as decisive—turning Uchiha Ki into a suicide bomber without hesitation.
"By the way, milord, earlier when I used Gentle Fist to seal his chakra points, a strange chakra emerged from his body. My Gentle Fist had no effect at all," Mukai said, feeling it necessary to explain.
Kyoichi gave him a glance and replied, "Don't worry. I don't blame you for letting him escape. That guy is far from ordinary. I'd hoped to capture him alive too... but it couldn't be helped."
"Yes, milord," Mukai responded, feeling slightly ashamed. His little hesitation clearly hadn't escaped Kyoichi's notice.
Kyoichi paused in thought and then said, "Use your Byakugan. See if there's any trace of that unusual chakra."
"Yes!"
Mukai activated his Byakugan.
But after an extended search, he found no residual signs of White Zetsu's tissue. The body had been completely incinerated—no trace left at all.
Not even from Uchiha Ki himself.
Madara was ruthless.
Kyoichi felt a bit unsatisfied.
He hadn't lost...
But he hadn't won either.
It was as if both sides walked away empty-handed.
Then again...
It wasn't entirely fruitless.
At the very least, this fiasco utterly tanked Fugaku's reputation within the clan. While he probably wouldn't lose the position of clan head, with a bit of maneuvering, Shisui would gain much greater influence among the more moderate faction of the Uchiha.
In a way...
That was a win.
"Go check the situation on Danzō's side. If we act today, Root might be on high alert... If anything's changed, we need to strike fast and hard," Kyoichi instructed.
Danzō was an old fox.
So far, he had been waiting patiently. Even yesterday, he'd only made brief contact with Nono, without pushing her to return to Root. However...
The old man was clearly starting to take an interest in those children.
With the Uchiha making their move, Danzō would either fish in troubled waters—or slip away amidst the chaos.
If it was the former, it wasn't too concerning.
But if it was the latter... things could get very complicated.
"Yes, milord!"
Mukai nodded and vanished with a flicker.
In the distance, an ANBU squad was already closing in.
They'd arrive in under thirty seconds. But with Kyoichi's strength, there was no need to worry about his safety. In the current shinobi world, the number of people who could genuinely threaten him could be counted on one hand.
Rather than worrying about Kyoichi...
They should be worrying about Danzō. If that old snake slipped away, things could get ugly.
Mukai had never had strong feelings about Danzō.
Whether he lived or died wasn't Mukai's concern—after all, he hadn't been one of the victims. But since Kyoichi wanted him dead...
Then Mukai sincerely hoped Danzō would just die already.
---
"Tora-sama…"
"Mm. Take these people back. Search their memories. What's the situation over there?"
Kyoichi gave his orders methodically.
Only then did he inquire about the Uchiha.
Gekkō Hayate responded immediately, "I came to support you, milord, so I didn't get a clear look. But according to our sensory intel, the fighting's still ongoing."
"Looks like Uchiha Ki managed to rally quite a few people."
Kyoichi chuckled.
That actually made things easier—a whole group of militant hardliners had just outed themselves. Taking action from now on would be much simpler. And with Fugaku having taken such a major blow this time...
There was no way his authority within the clan would remain what it once was.
"Milord, what about Uchiha Ki?"
"He self-immolated. Covered himself in exploding tags. All that's left are some bone fragments—bring them back to the Uchiha as well. That'll prevent them from suspecting we tampered with the body."
"Yes!"
Gekkō Hayate quickly passed down the order.
As he carefully surveyed the scene, his brow furrowed sharply.
What… is this?
"Milord, was he… strange? It looked like he was completely intent on dying in the end."
"The Uchiha run deep," Kyoichi nodded.
There were many things he couldn't openly say. But the available evidence already pointed to someone manipulating events from behind the scenes. The only thing people hadn't realized was—
That it was Uchiha Madara.
Gekkō Hayate was deeply shaken.
This was a clan elder of the Uchiha!
Even after the police force was restructured and began engaging with Uchiha Ki, it had only been less than half a month.
Not to mention how he made contact in the first place...
The reorganization of the police force hadn't even been widely known among Konoha's own shinobi and civilians. How would an outside organization know?
After years in ANBU, Gekkō Hayate had sharp instincts. He quickly picked up on all the strange details, and it left him stunned at the opponent's capabilities.
Kyoichi thought for a moment and said, "Remember that kid from Kirigakure? The one under genjutsu influence and control?"
"Of course," Gekkō replied, frowning.
Kirigakure...
Could they really pull that off?
It wasn't that he underestimated the Kiri—they did have a formidable assassination corps—but Konoha's ANBU wasn't a bunch of amateurs either.
If it had been Kirigakure, the Byakugan would've already spotted them.
"The enemy has a unique ability that renders them undetectable. I only acted because I sensed Itachi's chakra vanish. Verifying it has been very difficult," Kyoichi said, sighing.
This matter…
Was a mixed bag.
The good news was that Madara's current power and condition had clearly deteriorated badly.
The most he could do was manipulate things with talismans, genjutsu, and ocular control.
Beyond that, unless Kyoichi entered his domain directly, Madara couldn't really do anything to him—so personal safety wasn't a concern.
Also...
Having suffered a loss this time, Madara would surely be much more cautious.
Unless absolutely confident, he wouldn't risk exposing himself again.
The bad news?
Kyoichi still hadn't found a surefire way to counter Black Zetsu. Even if he encountered him face-to-face, capturing him would still be incredibly difficult. As for sealing techniques...
He wasn't sure they'd work at all.
At that moment...
Gekkō Hayate and the others had almost finished cleaning up the battlefield—and Mikoto arrived in a rush.
Before marrying Fugaku, Uchiha Mikoto had been a capable kunoichi in her own right.
But clearly...
A peaceful life had dulled her edge considerably.
When she saw Itachi, she rushed over immediately. After checking him over carefully, she bowed repeatedly and said with deep gratitude, "Thank you, milord. Thank you! If not for you, I… I don't know what I would've done."
"He's fine. But I can't say for sure whether there will be any psychological effects. Once he wakes up, I suggest you observe him closely."
"I'll be taking these Uchiha back with me. The Yamanaka will perform memory searches. When your captain returns, you'll be given a full explanation."
Kyoichi's tone was calm, and Mikoto nodded repeatedly.
These Uchiha nearly got Itachi killed—she felt no sympathy for them. Let them be captured. Why would she want them back?
As for Fugaku…
She couldn't care less what he thought!
Besides...
What other choice did the Uchiha have now?
They'd been beaten down to the point of needing help from the village. Her son had almost died. The shame was unbearable. She suspected there'd be some fallout within the police force too.
Mikoto sighed to herself.
Then, looking at the still-unconscious Itachi, her heart ached again.
She didn't understand any grand philosophies.
As long as her child was safe—that was all that mattered to Mikoto.
Kyoichi glanced at her and paused, slightly surprised.
Uchiha Mikoto...
That chakra signature—was she about to awaken the Mangekyō?
He observed carefully but didn't see any change in her eyes. Still the same three tomoe pattern. But from the chakra alone, it seemed her ocular power had increased.
If Itachi had truly died, she might've awakened the Mangekyō on the spot.
If he had deceived her just now...
Uh...
Forget it. He'd rather act like a decent human being. Besides, one more Mangekyō in the Uchiha clan wasn't necessarily a good thing anyway.
Kyoichi led the others toward the Uchiha compound.
The rebellion...
Was over.
Any more chaos would benefit neither Konoha nor the Uchiha.
***************************
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