Chapter 293: Flaws and Traps

Chapter 293: Chapter 293: Flaws and Traps

The attacker’s entire body was wrapped in mud, and it was tightening around him more and more. His hands had also been forcibly separated. Forget forming hand seals—even an ordinary gripping motion was impossible.

But the Third Hokage did not let his guard down.

He knew very well that if this really was Shisui, then this Clay Binding Technique, derived from the Earth Clone Technique, would never be enough to restrain someone who possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Therefore, even as he approached, the Third remained secretly on guard against the genjutsu of the attacker’s Mangekyo Sharingan, as well as the rumored ultimate ocular technique of the Uchiha Clan—Susanoo.

Suddenly, the attacker whipped his head around and glared at the Third.

The Third’s gaze sharpened.

"He’s going to use genjutsu?!"

There were many ways to counter genjutsu. As the renowned Professor of Ninjutsu, whose name resounded throughout the shinobi world, the Third Hokage knew countless simple yet effective methods for resisting genjutsu.

As long as he was prepared beforehand, ordinary genjutsu would have absolutely no effect on him.

However, the genjutsu attack he had anticipated never came.

All the Third saw was a gaze filled with bitter hatred!

Just as the Third Hokage was caught off guard by this, the Clay Binding Technique restraining the attacker suddenly lost its cohesion in an instant, crumbling into scattered chunks of mud.

At the same time, the attacker merely gave a slight struggle, instantly shattering the loose chunks of mud clinging to his body. Then, right before everyone’s eyes, he smashed through the window and disappeared into the night.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Without needing an order from the Third Hokage, a large group of ANBU immediately gave chase, vanishing into the darkness after him.

At that moment, Koharu Utatane spoke to the Third Hokage while using medical ninjutsu on Homura Mitokado.

"Hiruzen, we can’t hesitate any longer. We have to act immediately, or the consequences will be unimaginable!"

The Third Hokage nodded lightly, then raised a hand.

In an instant, an ANBU landed before him and crouched on one knee.

"Lord Hokage, what are your orders?"

The Third casually picked up his pipe from the table and said, "In the name of the Hokage, I hereby declare that, effective immediately, the entire village is under a state of emergency. Summon every jonin to assemble at the Hokage Building!"

"Yes!"

The ANBU acknowledged the order and immediately went to relay the Third Hokage’s command.

The Third then turned to the captain of the Hokage Guard Platoon beside him and ordered, "Take the Hokage Guard Platoon and rendezvous with Team 11. Confirm whether Shisui is actually with them. If Shisui makes any suspicious move, notify Danzo and Kakashi and work together to restrain him!"

The captain of the Hokage Guard Platoon hesitated.

"Lord Hokage, but your safety..."

The Hokage had just been attacked right under the noses of the Hokage Guard Platoon. Every single member present was under immense pressure because of it, so they were deeply worried that the Third Hokage might be attacked again.

The Third waved his hand. "Go. There’s no need to worry about me!"

Seeing that the Third Hokage was insistent, the captain of the Hokage Guard Platoon had no choice but to lead his men out of the Hokage Building.

Only after the Third had finished making his arrangements did Koharu Utatane frown and ask, "Hiruzen, you don’t think the attacker just now was Uchiha Shisui?"

From the Third Hokage’s arrangements just now, Koharu could clearly tell that he still held a certain degree of trust in Uchiha Shisui.

The Third Hokage did not deny it. Instead, he calmly placed his pipe between his lips.

Koharu looked puzzled. "Why?"

Among the Uchiha Clan, there was only one person whose build, appearance, and speed matched the attacker—Uchiha Shisui.

Koharu had already gone over this point repeatedly in her mind, so she was somewhat puzzled by the Third’s judgment.

Homura Mitokado, meanwhile, had not allowed himself to become consumed by anger over being injured in the attack. By now, he had already regained his composure.

"Hiruzen, did you notice something?"

Recalling the attacker’s eyes just before he escaped—that gaze filled with bitter hatred as it fell upon him—the Third Hokage slowly said, "His eyes were wrong. Even if Shisui chose his clan and betrayed the village, he would never look at me with eyes like that!"

The Third Hokage could deeply sense that the final look the attacker had given him was an expression of genuine emotion, not a deliberate act meant to deceive him.

That hatred seemed to have been carved into his very bones!

Without a doubt, the attacker’s performance throughout the entire encounter had been nearly flawless. Even the Third had, for a time, believed that the attacker truly was Uchiha Shisui.

Yet ironically, it was that final glance—when the attacker had inadvertently revealed his genuine emotions—that exposed a flaw and caused the Third to sense the unmistakable scent of a conspiracy.

......

Within the Uchiha Clan compound.

An Uchiha jonin hurriedly barged into the clan head’s residence and reported to Fugaku, who was still dressed in his nightclothes, "Clan Head, we just received word that the Third has declared a state of emergency throughout the village and is currently summoning every jonin!"

Fugaku was instantly startled awake, every trace of sleepiness vanishing from his face.

"What happened? Has another village declared war on us? Is it Kumogakure or Iwagakure?"

For the Hokage to suddenly summon every jonin in the village in the middle of the night was practically equivalent to a wartime mobilization.

Naturally, Fugaku’s first thought was that another shinobi village had launched a war against Konoha.

"We’re not entirely sure either!" The Uchiha jonin shook his head before continuing, "But what’s strange is that the Third never notified the Police Force. The summons for the jonin wasn’t sent to us either!"

"Gather the clan immediately!"

Fugaku frowned and instantly realized that something was wrong.

If the village truly faced the threat of war, then the Hokage would undoubtedly notify the Police Force responsible for maintaining security within the village. Likewise, the jonin mobilization order would inevitably be delivered to the Uchiha Clan, which possessed the largest number of jonin in the entire village.

But right now, it was as though the Hokage had deliberately forgotten about the Uchiha Clan.

That was far too abnormal.

And there was only one explanation—

This time, the Uchiha Clan itself was the Hokage’s target.

"I’ll gather the clan immediately!"

The Uchiha jonin who had come to deliver the news acknowledged the order and hurriedly departed.

Fugaku immediately removed his nightclothes and, with a grave expression, began putting on his combat gear.

Just then, Itachi rushed over.

"Father, what happened? Why is it so noisy outside?"

Fugaku instructed him, "Stay at home and take care of your little brother!"

Itachi nodded, but just as he was about to ask another question—

Whoosh...

Before Itachi could speak, the fully armed Fugaku used the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared from the courtyard.

Gazing up at the deep darkness of the night sky and listening to the chaotic commotion coming from beyond the courtyard, Itachi suddenly felt an indescribable sense of oppression weighing upon him.

Although he knew very little about what had happened, with his keen instincts, he could still sense that something was probably going to happen tonight...

......

Outside Konoha.

Kakashi and Shisui, along with Shisui’s Shadow Clone that had transformed into Hyuga Kagami’s appearance, all came to a stop.

Not far away, Naruto had his hands and feet bound and his mouth gagged. He was squirming beneath a large tree, letting out muffled grunts as he desperately tried to break free from his restraints.

Kakashi did not immediately rush forward to rescue Naruto. Instead, he cautiously scanned their surroundings.

"Could this be a trap? Kagami, have you noticed anything?"