"Mist ninja or Rain ninja?"
Hearing the Anbu's report, the Third Hokage naturally narrowed it down to two possibilities. He looked at Sogen and asked, "Sogen-kun, which do you think the attackers might be?"
"Mist ninja, probably," Sogen said casually.
"Oh? Why's that? Why not Rain ninja?"
"If Rain ninja had the guts to pull off an attack this big in Konoha, they'd already be the sixth major ninja village. Plus, that self-destructing sealing technique? Only those cold-blooded lunatics from the Mist would come up with something like that. Either complete the mission and go home alive, or fail and die without a trace."
Sogen lied through his teeth without batting an eye.
Lying? Psh, everyone's doing it. It's just a matter of who's got the better game. Right now, it looked like the old man Third was ready to pin the blame on the Mist. How he planned to shift that onto the Uchiha was still unclear, but no need to rush. Patience was key.
"That does sound like the Mist's style," the Third nodded, seeming to agree.
Just then, another Anbu reported in. They'd found a small base in the forest, filled with standard Mist ninja kunai and gear, confirming the attackers were Mist spies. On top of that, they'd uncovered a ton of intel on [Flame Demon] Uchiha Sogen. It seemed likely the Mist spies were targeting him.
As for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? Probably just caught in the crossfire.
Sogen caught the implication and raised an eyebrow. So *that's* the angle they're playing—using Naruto to accuse the Uchiha of failing to protect him? He glanced at Naruto, surrounded by a group of medical ninja who were poking and prodding the poor kid from head to toe. They even pulled down his pants to check his backside. After some heated discussion, one of them broke off and hurried to the Third.
"How's Naruto?" the Third asked, pausing his questions about the Mist to focus on the medical ninja.
"Lord Hokage, we found no external injuries on the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. It seems he was hit with some kind of mental attack, which is why he's still unconscious. Thankfully, the seal is still intact, so there's no risk of anything going wrong."
"And Naruto himself? Is *he* okay?"
"It's hard to say. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is too young, and mental injuries are tricky to treat. Often, it's up to the patient to recover on their own… We'll need to keep a close eye on him."
The Third's face darkened.
*Professional! Oscar-worthy acting! No wonder he's the longest-serving Hokage!* Sogen thought, watching coldly from the sidelines.
He knew exactly what was up with Naruto. The kid had just been hit with the Mind Body Switch Technique—nothing as dramatic as this medical ninja was making it sound. Heck, Sogen had been ready to wake Naruto up for a chat earlier. But if they wanted to put on a show, fine. Let's see how far they'd take it.
Then came the attack.
"Uchiha Sogen!"
Elder Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses, his icy glare locking onto Sogen. "Is *this* how you protect the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? A mental injury? If that damages the seal and unleashes the Nine-Tails, can you take responsibility for that?"
"Why should *I* take responsibility?" Sogen feigned shock. "Mist ninja infiltrated the village and attacked. Isn't that the Anbu's failure? I took down the attackers. If anything, I deserve a pat on the back!"
"They came for *you*. The fact that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki got hurt because of you is your fault." Homura's accusation was blunt, his voice dripping with anger. The Anbu around them kept working, unfazed, though their sidelong glances lingered on Uchiha Ranzan and the others.
Uchiha Akutaro's face flushed with anger.
Luckily, Uchiha Ranzan grabbed Uchiha Hokuto before he could charge forward. Compared to the carefree Akutaro, fourteen-year-old Hokuto was the quintessential Uchiha—proud to his core. That pride made him impulsive and hotheaded.
"Hokuto, Akutaro, stand down. Sogen hasn't given any orders. No one moves. Chihaya, Futaba, Jun—you too," Ranzan commanded, his authority as the eldest kicking in. His scarlet Sharingan swept over the group, and the troublemakers settled down. Ranzan let out a silent sigh of relief. Good thing they didn't start a fight. He could handle one or two, but if all of them went wild… he wasn't beating five of them.
"…My fault?" Sogen stared at Homura, sounding stunned. "The Mist targeted me because I killed too many of them on the battlefield. If being hated by the Mist for that is my fault… Lord Hokage, is Elder Homura saying we shouldn't fight for the village? That defending Konoha and earning the enemy's wrath is somehow *my* problem?"
His voice rose sharply at the end, his eyes flashing scarlet with emotion. He looked at the Third, his face a mix of anger and hurt.
Homura froze, then exploded with rage. This little punk dared to twist his words! He'd meant that Sogen shouldn't have been near the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, putting him in danger. Since when did it become about abandoning heroes who fought for the village?
"Homura, it was just a slip of the tongue. Don't argue with the young ones. Be the bigger man," the Third interjected, stopping Homura's outburst. Then he turned to Sogen. "Sogen-kun, Elder Homura was just worried about Naruto's safety and spoke out of turn. I hope you can forgive him. But you need to understand—people like you and me are often targets for enemies. Bringing Naruto along was a lapse in judgment. Try to think things through more in the future."
With a few light words, he smoothed over Homura's mess and pinned the blame squarely on Sogen.
No chance for Sogen to argue back—the matter was settled.
*Classic Hokage move…*
Sogen dropped the angry, wronged act and didn't bother defending himself. As long as no actual punishment was named, he didn't care about taking some blame. The Hokage held all the power; finding fault with him was easy as pie.
So, no real consequences? Pile on the blame. Didn't matter.
Heck, it might even help him rally the clan.
"Saru, you're too soft. If you don't punish mistakes, how will you lead the village?" This time, it was Elder Koharu Utatane speaking up, her sixty-something voice brimming with righteous indignation at the Third's "leniency."
The Third frowned, looking conflicted.
Sogen's left hand, hanging by his side, clenched into a fist. Ranzan and the others stepped forward, their three-tomoe Sharingan flaring to life. They stood behind Sogen, issuing a silent warning. The Anbu, busy with their tasks, froze, hands poised, ready to act but not jumping in just yet.
Then—
"Lord Hokage, this isn't Sogen's fault."
The one who spoke?
Uchiha Shisui.
He stepped up beside Sogen, facing the Third and the two elders. "Forget whether the attackers were really Mist ninja. The village has no rule banning anyone from being near Naruto. Everything Sogen did was within Konoha's regulations. He had no way of knowing Mist ninja would attack. Punishing him for that? That's just nitpicking."
Shisui's unexpected stand caught Sogen off guard. His eyebrow twitched in surprise, then a grin crept into his eyes.
*Well, damn!*
Finally, Shisui figured out which side his butt belonged on. What he said? Didn't matter much. The real win was Shisui's shift in attitude. That gave Sogen a lot more confidence in pulling off the next steps of his plan.
(End of Chapter)