"Uchiha?"
Nekomata raised its head and thought for a moment. "Recently, Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned the Uchiha clan leader twice. Does that count?"
This was because Nekomata, who followed along with Kagetsu, was well aware of Konoha's upper echelon's fear and rejection of the Uchiha. Unless it was a Jonin council meeting, they rarely took the initiative to summon anyone from the Uchiha clan.
"I need more detailed information." Kagetsu locked eyes with Nekomata.
"I can try to dig around, but those cats and dogs are pretty dumb. If they can't get the job done, I'll have to handle it myself." Nekomata turned its head after staring at Kagetsu for a moment, sighing with a hint of helplessness.
Its current life was quite comfortable. With Orochimaru and Kagetsu helping to cover for it, as long as it didn't cause trouble, it could roam freely in Konoha, doing whatever it wanted.
Although those cats and dogs were stupid, they treated it as their boss and even offered tributes.
This was a treatment Nekomata had never experienced before.
Its true form once looked down on these weak and foolish creatures.
While it still didn't trust humans, it held a bit of goodwill toward Kagetsu, who coexisted with it instead of imprisoning it within a body.
Nekomata couldn't bring itself to refuse Kagetsu's requests. Besides, Kagetsu had promised it a secluded land suited to its current abilities where no one would bother it.
Poof!
Kagetsu dispelled the summoning technique, and Nekomata vanished in a puff of smoke, returning to its designated summoning location.
That location was none other than Konoha's Technology Development Department.
It didn't take long for Nekomata to return. Just two hours later, when Kagetsu summoned it again, it began to spill everything it had learned, as if emptying a bamboo tube full of beans.
"I went to the Uchiha clan's territory and met with the clan leader. Currently, the Uchiha ninja who stayed in the village and didn't join the war are being closely monitored by Root and Anbu operatives."
The reason was that Shimura Danzo had obtained some intelligence from an unknown source, suspecting that someone in the Uchiha clan was leaking Konoha's secrets to other villages.
The issue started when he encountered a ninja outside the village who could use Wood Release and saw an organization that seemed to have been founded by Uchiha Madara.
Fugaku tried to send a message to Orochimaru using ninja cats, but the Root was monitoring him closely. It seemed like the Root had a deep understanding of the Uchiha's methods.
Nekomata explained everything Fugaku had told it in the simplest way possible. However, when it mentioned Uchiha Madara, its body instinctively shrank a little.
As one of the nine Tailed Beasts, it and its siblings were like brothers from the same source. But for nearly a century, two men had beaten them into submission without fail.
These two men were closely connected to Konoha.
One was Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage of Konoha. The other was Uchiha Madara, a man who recklessly abused his ocular powers.
Madara's ocular power was so strong that even Kurama, the Nine-Tails, who had the most chakra and the greatest strength among the Tailed Beasts, fell under his control.
Although Nekomata was just a fragment of consciousness of the Two-Tails, and thanks to Kagetsu's help and modifications, it had practically become a new entity.
It didn't mean it couldn't recall or feel the deep impressions left by those memories.
Hearing that Madara might still be alive made it restless. It was even more shaken than when the Rinnegan appeared.
After all, the Rinnegan didn't really concern it. That was something its original body, the Two-Tails, needed to worry about. Strictly speaking, it had now been reshaped almost entirely in Kagetsu's image.
A ferryman of shadows and souls—
That was its primary power now.
"Oh, right," Nekomata added after a moment of thought. "Fugaku said that Shimura Danzo already knows that Shisui has awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and suspects he has connections with Uchiha Madara. Also, the external organization's technology might have originated from Konoha."
After finishing, Nekomata thought for a moment and added,
"Does he plan to drag the Technology Development Department into this mess during such a critical time in the war? That's definitely something Danzo would do."
Kagetsu immediately understood Danzo's motive.
While targeting the Uchiha clan, he also intended to throw dirt on the Technology Development Department.
It was likely that Danzo hadn't gotten enough evidence from Fugaku, so he was trying to break through using Shisui.
Does Shisui Have Secrets?
He absolutely does.
Over the years, Orochimaru has never avoided discussing matters with Shisui and Anko.
Simple inquiries from the Hokage's Anbu never concerned Kagetsu or Orochimaru much because the Third Hokage prioritized stability.
Out of respect for Orochimaru, any investigation would merely be a routine formality.
However, Danzo's reputation and character were a different story—representing ruthlessness and a complete lack of moral boundaries. He was a true ninja of the shadows and darkness.
"Hey, hey, hey! Is now really the time to worry about that guy Danzo?" Nekomata leaped onto Kagetsu's shoulder, kneading his shoulder blade with its paws before settling into a comfortable position.
Tilting its head, it muttered, "Shouldn't we be more concerned about the fact that Uchiha Madara is still alive?"
"Even if he's alive, at his current age, how much fighting strength can he still have?" Kagetsu wasn't particularly afraid of the present-day Madara.
In fact, he could already guess that the Wood Style ninja working with Danzo was none other than Zetsu.
Aside from the Technology Development Department—or, more specifically, Orochimaru and himself—the only other organization capable of using Wood Style belonged to Uchiha Madara's subordinate, White Zetsu.
Kagetsu had secretly hunted down several of White Zetsu's clones. While small numbers went unnoticed, capturing too many would undoubtedly draw Black Zetsu's attention.
Without Nagato and the Akatsuki to serve as pawns for their plans, Madara and Black Zetsu's current forces—unless Black Zetsu were to mobilize the White Zetsu Army—would be insufficient to challenge the Hidden Leaf Village.
Even if they added an old and frail Madara to their ranks, it wouldn't tip the balance.
Otherwise, with Madara's personality, he wouldn't bother working with someone like Danzo or taking the initiative to contact him.
"That's good! Anyway, I'd rather not deal with that troublesome guy!" Nekomata licked its paw like a real feline before suddenly lowering it. Its ears twitched as it alerted Kagetsu.
"Someone's coming."
With that, Nekomata dispelled its summoning, returning to the Technology Development Department in the Hidden Leaf. Of course, if needed, it could also return to the "cage" inside Kagetsu's body.
A burly Leaf ninja arrived, bringing Kagetsu and Anko a new mission from the camp.
"There's suspicious movement from the Mist ninja. We need to send a ten-man squad to support a nearby supply point."
Kagetsu and Anko exchanged glances and nodded slowly.
****
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