CHAPTER 352: CHAPTER 249.1 : MEETING!!

"Something feels off..."

Kagetsu, who had just finished clearing out the White Zetsu army alongside Shisui, felt a strange unease in his heart.

Although collecting hundreds of White Zetsu specimens was a huge and unexpected bonus, the strength of the attack left a hollow impression.

They had been so aggressive and reckless at first, but right after breaking through the barrier—something they had struggled to do—they suddenly gave up and started retreating.

That abrupt shift in momentum left everyone present with the same sense of incompleteness.

All the Konoha shinobi felt it.

When the White Zetsu army began retreating, many had thought it was just another ploy—perhaps a trick to lure them into a trap.

But not long after, following careful sensory checks and confirmation from multiple sources, they came to realize the truth:

The White Zetsu forces were genuinely retreating.

A desperate, all-out retreat.

Suddenly, Kagetsu’s expression shifted.

A small white snake slipped out from his sleeve and coiled delicately around his finger. It opened its mouth and gently bit into his skin.

In an instant, a surge of chakra pulsed from the snake’s body, clashing with Kagetsu’s own chakra.

...

Konoha Prison

Uchiha Fugaku arrived swiftly with several members of the Uchiha Police Force, joined by new recruits from the Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame clans.

They moved with urgency.

Konoha’s prison was located on the outskirts of the village.

By the time they arrived, nearly all the prison guards had been wiped out.

The only ones left inside were the prisoners—now released and causing complete chaos.

Among them were not just Konoha’s own criminals, but also a large number of missing-nin from other villages.

Many of these were ones that Kakuzu had brought from Amegakure in exchange for money.

Normally, low-bounty targets like these weren’t even worth Kakuzu’s time. But Konoha had a habit of collecting such criminals in large numbers over the years.

To replace his damaged hearts and boost his strength, Kakuzu had struck a deal with Kagetsu.

After that, he occasionally helped out—capturing rogue ninja, binding them, and delivering them to Konoha for cash.

The first batch had included Ame-nin loyal to Hanzō of the Salamander.

Rather than wasting manpower and resources to keep them locked up himself, Kakuzu found it much more worthwhile to turn them over to Konoha in exchange for ryo.

That was his simplest logic.

With a reckless Amekage constantly stirring trouble, Kakuzu—now the Minister of Finance for both the Land of Rain and Amegakure—no longer just liked money. He became obsessed with it.

The nobles of the Land of Rain had already been squeezed dry by him, again and again.

They couldn’t compare to the lords of the Five Great Nations, but the money he drained from them was enough to temporarily patch the financial holes in Amegakure.

It was a pity Konoha didn’t accept these nobles.

Otherwise, sending them off together with the rogue ninja to earn some money would have been a great deal.

Kakuzu sighed slightly, feeling like he had lost out on too much profit.

The rogue ninja and wandering ninja captured through various outside channels were all treated as experimental materials for Orochimaru and the Technology Development Department.

Of course, in general, these "materials" were reused repeatedly. They wouldn’t be disposed of so easily.

Thanks to Tsunade’s Medical Division, even those on the brink of death could be brought back.

Aside from these rogue ninjas, there were also cloned bodies created by the Medical Division, using cloning techniques based on these experimental subjects.

In short, the prisoners in Konoha’s prison were no longer just burdens being locked away. They had become a valuable asset to the village.

So when chaos broke out in the prison, and who knew how many prisoners had already escaped, Uchiha Fugaku’s face turned completely dark the moment he arrived.

After all, strictly speaking, prison security fell under the jurisdiction of the Police Force.

While the Anbu could step in, that was only under special circumstances.

Although the Police Force no longer consisted solely of Uchiha clan members, at this moment, Fugaku was still temporarily serving as its head.

Now that the prison had fallen into such disorder, his fury was hard to contain.

A cold and overwhelming surge of chakra erupted from Fugaku’s body.

In the midst of the fervent gazes from the Uchiha and the mixed expressions of other clans, a giant skeletal frame materialized around him.

"Drive them all back into the prison! If they resist, and their strength poses no real threat—take them back alive and intact, as much as possible!" Fugaku growled through gritted teeth.

The Konoha Police Force members who followed behind him immediately spread out, charging toward the rampaging prisoners.

Dawn was just beginning to break.

While the villagers of Konoha were getting ready to start another busy day, the chaos hidden in the shadows of the village had finally come to a temporary end.

Both locations prepared for Kushina’s delivery had been attacked by White Zetsu.

The one outside the village was subdued by Shisui and Nara Kagetsu, along with a squad of Anbu.

The one inside the village was defended by the Third Hokage and his Anbu team. Only the surrounding buildings had been damaged.

Fortunately, the place chosen within the village had been far from any residential area, in a rather remote location. Because of that, there were no civilian casualties.

A few stray White Zetsu did cause minor disturbances inside the village, but they were swiftly taken care of by the united efforts of the various shinobi clans.

All things considered, there were losses—but nothing so severe that the village couldn’t bear.

In the meeting room of the Hokage Tower...

Orochimaru, who hadn’t rested the entire night, was now gathering and organizing all the intelligence they had.

Tsunade hadn’t come to the meeting. Instead, she stayed with Biwako—Hiruzen’s wife—by Kushina’s side.

They were both there to care for and protect her after the delivery.

Thankfully, the Uzumaki clan’s unique physique was strong.

With some nourishing food and proper care, Kushina’s condition had recovered quickly after childbirth.

The meeting included not just the clan heads of the various shinobi clans in the village, but also the Third Hokage and the two former advisors.

After taking over from Nara Shikakichi, who had successfully retired as planned, Nara Kagetsu—now the captain of the Jonin Squad—returned to his seat after delivering his report in the meeting room. He had just finished presenting the intelligence and losses they had gathered.

"It’s the Uchiha clan’s fault!" Fugaku stood up under everyone’s gaze, his head lowered in shame.

"As the head of the Police Force, I failed in my duty. I’m willing to accept any punishment from Lord Hokage."

"Uchiha Setsuna? That name..." Orochimaru gestured for Fugaku, who had admitted fault, to sit down. His eyes drifted toward the elders—especially the Third Hokage and the others—whose expressions had visibly changed at the mention of that name.

****

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