Uchiha Fugaku stood silently while Mizuki continued explaining his deduction. The more he listened, the more shocked he became. Mizuki, who used to be dismissed as weak and unreliable, was now showing surprising talent. Even if he never reached the level of a Jōnin, Mizuki's ability to analyze situations could greatly strengthen the Konoha Police Force.
Fugaku found himself thinking:
How in the world did Souji find someone like this? How did I not notice this man's talent before?
But Fugaku did not interrupt. He simply watched quietly, waiting for Mizuki to find the clue he was certain Souji must have left behind.
Fugaku was determined to uncover the truth. If someone dared to provoke the Uchiha, they deserved to suffer the wrath known as "Konoha's Pink-Eyed Epidemic"—the legendary fury of the Uchiha clan.
Mizuki searched every corner of the yard. He even opened the front gate and checked the edges of the courtyard. After scanning the bushes and the walkway, his eyes suddenly stopped.
There, sitting calmly in the yard, was a small teapot.
Mizuki hurried over, picked up the pot, and poured some of its contents into a cup. A strange black liquid bubbled softly inside.
He smiled in relief.
"Found it. Just as I thought."
He held the cup high and called out:
"Lord Fugaku! Please take a look at this!"
Fugaku rushed over. In the dim light, he stared at the teacup, confused.
"What… is this?"
Mizuki explained proudly:
"This is Souji's special drink. He calls it 'Happy Water of the Fat House.' When he drinks it, he says it makes him happy."
Fugaku blinked. "Happy… what?"
But Mizuki wasn't done.
"Now we need a ninja dog. Does our clan still have one available?"
He then explained the three types of dogs in the shinobi world:
1. Summoning Dogs, extremely intelligent and often able to speak.
2. Ninja Dogs, with chakra in their bodies, stronger and smarter than normal animals.
3. Ordinary Dogs, which could do nothing but bark and chase things.
He continued, "Normally, I wouldn't use dogs for tracking here. This is the Uchiha district, and Souji walks around here every day. If we let a dog sniff the area without a precise scent, it would lead us to places Souji often visits—like his training ground or Ichiraku Ramen. We need a direct scent to trace."
That was why Mizuki felt so excited when he discovered Souji's "Happy Water."
It carried Souji's scent perfectly.
Fugaku's eyes lit up.
"Bring Senju-maru here! Quickly!"
Upon hearing that name, Mizuki stiffened.
"Senju… Maru??"
Fugaku, misunderstanding the reaction, waved his hand.
"Oh, relax. My son is Sasuke. The Third Hokage's father was Sarutobi Sasuke. So of course, I am his grandfather. Nothing strange about that."
Mizuki broke into a cold sweat.
Sir… please don't say such dangerous things out loud. I'm afraid I'll be silenced if anyone else hears.
---
Meanwhile – Souji and Mamoi's Chaotic Journey
Far away from the Uchiha district, Uchiha Souji let out another loud hiccup.
Mamoi, who was escorting him, looked like he wanted to punch Souji in the stomach just to make the noise stop. If Souji had not been so cooperative so far, Mamoi would have done exactly that.
What Mamoi never expected was that the Uchiha search teams were closing in on them using the scent of Souji's hiccups. The noise echoed through the forest like a beacon. Each hiccup acted like a flare guiding the Uchiha.
After about ten minutes, Mamoi and Souji reached a hidden training field near the far edge of Konoha. It was a small forest area that Konoha never bothered to develop.
As they entered, Souji spotted a wounded Jōnin leaning against a tree, holding a large sack over his shoulder. The man's face was twisted into an ugly expression filled with frustration and rage.
Souji could tell instantly:
This man wanted to kill something—anything.
The Jōnin glanced at Souji's Uchiha crest and seemed to calm down slightly.
"There are pursuers behind us," the man said quickly. "We need to move. Now!"
He slapped the sack on his shoulder and sprinted deeper into the forest without waiting for Mamoi's response.
Mamoi froze.
"Konoha is supposed to be one of the strongest villages. How is it that two Chūnin and one Jōnin can't even carry out a simple plan without everything going wrong?!"
Originally, Mamoi planned everything perfectly:
Bring Souji to the hidden location
Wait a few minutes
Give Souji the antidote to stop the hiccups
Sneak quietly back to the hotel
Pretend everything was normal
And later accuse the Hokage of wrongdoing
But instead?
They somehow ended up kidnapping Hyūga Hinata, a precious clan heiress.
And they were chased all the way out of Konoha's inner districts…
With only two dead Chūnin to show for their trouble.
Mamoi felt like crying.
Is there no justice in this world? Is there some kind of debuff on Konoha territory? They don't fight like this on the battlefield!
Souji watched Mamoi's expression twist in pain and confusion.
It reminded him almost exactly of how people looked at him when they were betrayed.
He smirked.
Watching someone else get stabbed in the back felt strangely satisfying.
"Konoha is too strong," Souji said casually.
"So strong that outsiders believe no one dares fight them. That's how they lower their guard."
Mamoi grumbled. "This is not the time for admiration."
Souji shrugged.
"Actually, this isn't your first time doing something like this, is it?"
Mamoi blinked. "What do you mean?"
Souji smiled.
"When your village kidnapped the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki years ago—Uzumaki Kushina. If your team had gotten proper support, you might have succeeded."
Mamoi's jaw dropped.
He had never expected Souji to bring up that event so casually.
Cloud Shinobi had a habit of kidnapping Konoha's important people.
And they had succeeded more than once.
Mamoi suddenly felt like fate was laughing at him.
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