Over five minutes passed without a word being spoken. Finally, Shikaku said, "There is no point in wasting time here. Let's just continue the investigation. If we receive more information, then we could understand the picture better. If we don't then we will have to plant a bait and hope the culprits fall for it. Otherwise, the only option is waiting until they attack again."
Everyone nodded. Hiruzen said, "Alright, this meeting ends here. I'll assign all available Hyuga, Inuzuka, Yamanaka and Aburame ninjas to do a blanket search of the entire village. I'll call the Clan Leaders here and inform them of the situation. Even clan compounds will be investigated. Does anyone have an issue?"
No one had an issue. Hiruzen looked at Fujin and said, "Those ninjas won't be able to detect any new structures hidden with the help of high-level seals. Though I can dispatch other Grandmasters, their numbers aren't high. Can your clones search through the entire village?"
Everyone else in the room was surprised by Hiruzen's question. Apart from Shikaku and Fujin, worry appeared on their faces. That also included the Anbu Guards. However, before anyone could say anything, Fujin nodded and answered, "Sure."
Hiruzen replied, "Good. Map out every location that is hidden with the help of seals inside the village. Also, inspect abandoned bases. Keep your main body nearby. I'll inform you when clan compounds can be inspected as well. If possible, inspect a few kilometers outside the Village Walls as well."
Fujin nodded and said, "Alright, I'll begin."
Fujin opened the door and disappeared from the room. Hiruzen looked at Shikaku and instructed, "Shikaku, stay in my office. You'll be analyzing all the new information that comes here."
He looked at his old friends and said, "You three can look over the investigation conducted by the ninjas I will dispatch and ensure that nothing is missed."
They nodded and left the room as well, leaving only Shikaku and Hiruzen in the room. The two of them will have to soon pass a lot of orders.
Fujin appeared on top of the Hokage Building. Though his expression was plain, he was still feeling very weird. He thought, 'When I decided to kill a few Root ninjas to trouble Danzo, I never expected that I would be asked to speculate about the matter and be given the most important task of investigation…
It's like a judge asking a murderer who he thought was the murderer and then ordering the murderer to find the murder weapon and check the places he could be hiding in. The situation is so freaking amusing and yet I can't laugh…'
Fujin could only shake his head in disbelief. Though his plan was good, it wasn't supposed to be this good. Even he couldn't understand how things reached this stage.
In an instant, 48 Shadow Clones appeared around Fujin. All instantly dispersed. While Fujin had done plenty of crazy things in the Ninja World, be it the riot he caused in the Land of Wind, forcing Roshi to transform, slaughtering Iwa Jounins or killing Juzo, this was the first time he would be doing something crazy openly in Konoha and allow everyone to know that it was his action.
Hiruzen had asked Fujin to investigate every single secret base inside Konoha. That included Anbu bases, Root bases, secret bases created by the ninja clans and anything else that existed inside and just outside the village.
It displayed two things. The first was Hiruzen's trust in Fujin. After today, there will be very little that is hidden from Fujin in the village. That is why everyone in Hiruzen's office was surprised and worried. Danzo for one didn't want Fujin to gain so much authority. Unfortunately for him, the situation didn't allow him to speak as it was his Root facing the losses.
Allowing Fujin to do this displayed how much Hiruzen trusted Fujin. Everyone in Konoha will become aware of this trust. While Hiruzen had planned to let Fujin inspect Konoha earlier, he wasn't planning to let him investigate clan compounds.
He changed his mind after Fujin's words helped him realize that Danzo might have been the one behind the entire incident. In a way, it was Fujin's reward. That said, if Hiruzen knew that Fujin was the one behind the incident, who knew what expression he would show!
The second aspect that it displayed was Fujin's might. To be able to search through the entire village himself wasn't something an ordinary ninja could do. And, considering what he was investigating, everyone in the village would know that Fujin is a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu from that day onwards!
While Fujin loved keeping his abilities a secret, too many people already knew about his accomplishments in Fuinjutsu. So, there wasn't any loss in making it public. It also allowed him to establish his prestige and deter anyone like Katsuhiro from making a move against him just for his seat on the council.
As his clones moved, Fujin thought, 'This wasn't the conclusion I had planned for dealing with Katsuhiro. Then again, it isn't bad either. Oh well, whatever. I don't care. If he becomes too much of a problem, I can eliminate him as well. However, I need to be more careful.
Once Danzo meets him, he'll know that the Root ninjas were eliminated shortly after our meeting. If I kill Katsuhiro inside Konoha, then it'll raise suspicions. However, if I do it outside Konoha, I can remove all traces of his body. Since he suddenly went missing, he could be made a scapegoat to put the current situation's blame on. After all, though Lightning isn't his main element, it is still his second strongest one.'
While Fujin was making even more devious plans, an angry and frustrated Danzo reached the Root base. Though nothing could be seen on his face, his mood was terrible. He cursed internally, 'First I lost more than a third of my subordinates. Then, Suzuki Fujin eliminated my opportunity to take back my old subordinates. The situation is terrible no matter how I look at it.'
He looked at the Root ninja next to him and instructed, "Ask Katsuhiro to meet me in my office immediately."
The Root ninja quickly left. Danzo cursed, 'That useless fellow. It has been over a month since I gave him the idea to go against Fujin. However, he still hasn't done anything despite the suggestion I planted in him. When did he become so useless? Now that Hiruzen has given Fujin such a responsibility, removing him from the council would be ten times more difficult!'
Minutes later, Katsuhiro reached the Root base and met Danzo. Before he could say anything, Danzo asked, "Have you put forth the proposal?"
Katsuhiro was annoyed, 'First, he made me come here without any notice and now he demands answers from me? Though I need his help, I am not his subordinate.'
Though Danzo had influenced Katsuhiro's thoughts with Shisui's Mangekyou Sharingan, he only utilized Katsuhiro's arrogance and belief that he was the best person to represent civilian ninjas and put him against Fujin. He didn't use the Mangekyou to make Katsuhiro loyal to him as it would have raised suspicions.
So, Katsuhiro wasn't loyal to Danzo nor was he his subordinate. Danzo was using his wit to keep him in line. Unfortunately, Danzo's situation had become very bad, forcing him to lose patience.
Katsuhiro replied, "I met with Fujin yesterday and put forth the proposal. He has asked me to draft the proposal and he will present it to the council while giving me the credit. I am currently working on it.
The boy is still too green. You don't need to worry too much about him or make complicated schemes. I'll take his seat in the Council in no time."
As he said, Katsuhiro thought, 'I still need his vote for joining the council. I'll endure this attitude for now.'
Unlike Katsuhiro, Danzo's thoughts were the exact opposite. He was stunned to hear what Katsuhiro had said. He thought, 'He gave him credit so easily? No, it isn't right. How can someone Hiruzen chose to join the council so early be so open-minded?
He must have seen through my scheme. As long as he says that this proposal was put forth by Katsuhiro and doesn't try to force it on the council, the clan leaders will be vigilant against Katsuhiro and not Fujin. They will have no reason to vote him out. And, since he isn't stealing any credit, I can't defame him. Such a crafty kid!
The only thing I can do is ruin his reputation among civilian ninjas. That said, will he be affected by public opinion?'
Danzo couldn't be sure. Fujin openly hung around and guided someone like Naruto who was a social pariah and probably the most disliked person in Konoha. It showed that Fujin didn't care much about his reputation. Seeing that Danzo was lost in thought, Katsuhiro asked, "Why did you call me here?"
Danzo looked at it and replied, "Just to ask for your progress with the proposal. You can leave."
Katsuhiro was annoyed at being called for such a small matter. He left the Root base without exchanging any pleasantries.
Danzo didn't mind that. He had more important things to think about. He thought, 'Suzuki Fujin… Something about this boy is awfully off… But I can't put my finger on what exactly is off.'
