Naruto: I am Uchiha Fugaku

"Clan Head, according to our investigation, the Shimura Clan hasn't made any large financial transactions during this period," Uchiha Yakumi reported to Fugaku.

"No transactions?" Fugaku was surprised.

By his reasoning, the most likely party to place the bounty on the Uchiha Clan wasn't the Third Hokage, but rather the Shimura Clan.

His reasoning was simple: the Third Hokage still controlled the remnants of the Anbu and Root divisions, meaning he wouldn't need to resort to hiring mercenaries through a bounty.

On the other hand, with Shimura Danzō dead and Root disbanded, the Shimura Clan no longer had the strength to act directly against the Uchiha.

For them, issuing a bounty would have been the only viable option.

Yet, unexpectedly, the Shimura Clan showed no significant financial activity in recent times. Which meant… perhaps it wasn't them.

Could it really have been the Third Hokage who placed the bounty?

"I've thoroughly investigated the entire period following Shimura Danzō's death. There's no sign of the Shimura Clan transferring a large sum of money," Yakumi affirmed confidently.

Fugaku tapped his fingers lightly on his desk, deep in thought. After a moment of silence, he raised his head and asked,

"Were there any unusual movements from the Shimura Clan during this time?"

"Unusual movements…" Yakumi thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Nothing out of the ordinary… Oh, wait!"

Something suddenly came to mind, and he added,

"A few days ago, Shimura Naoya, the clan head, left the village briefly."

"He left the village?" Fugaku frowned.

Ever since the threat of the Wood Release bloodline limit appeared, Shimura Naoya hadn't left Konoha for a long time. Why would he suddenly venture out?

And the timing… it happened to coincide with when the bounty against the Uchiha Clan was posted on the black market.

He made a quick assessment:

"Even though there were no financial transactions, the Shimura Clan is still highly suspicious."

"I understand. I'll continue the investigation," Yakumi responded immediately, trusting his clan head's judgment.

If money didn't leave a trail, then he'd investigate other areas.

"No, I'll handle the next step myself," Fugaku said, raising a hand to stop him.

"A conventional investigation won't uncover anything. I'll personally infiltrate the Shimura residence."

"You'll infiltrate the Shimura residence yourself?" Yakumi was startled and a little concerned.

"The Shimura Clan's defenses aren't weak. Wouldn't that risk exposing yourself?"

"Don't worry. I'm confident they won't detect me." Fugaku shook his head.

If Danzō were still alive, Fugaku might have hesitated.

But with no Kage-level figure overseeing the clan now, Fugaku was confident he could infiltrate unnoticed using the Mayfly Technique.

Evening, Shimura Residence.

Utilizing the Mayfly Technique, Fugaku silently infiltrated the Shimura estate.

After some searching, he located Shimura Naoya's residence, which was well-guarded, and slipped inside.

There, he found Shimura Naoya, wearing a dark gray kimono adorned with the Shimura Clan crest, his face troubled with worry.

Since Danzō's death, life hadn't been kind to the Shimura Clan head.

In the room was another man, a middle-aged individual.

Based on Yakumi's intel, this was Shimura Atsushi, Naoya's trusted aide, who had been his right hand ever since Naoya became clan head.

"Clan Head, the Aburame Clan has refused to continue cooperating with the Shimura Clan," Shimura Atsushi reported, his voice filled with frustration.

"The Aburame Clan too?" Naoya's face darkened, his hands clenching in anger.

After Danzō's assassination, many families that once aligned with the Shimura Clan began cutting ties and ending business relationships.

Now, even the Aburame Clan—the Shimura Clan's closest allies—had severed ties.

"Yes, the Aburame Clan has also refused further cooperation," Atsushi said grimly.

Not only had the Aburame Clan rejected their continued partnership, but they had also shown outright hostility toward him, treating the Shimura Clan with contempt.

Thinking back to when Danzō was alive and these same clans bowed and scraped before them, the contrast filled Atsushi with rage.

"Heh… the Shimura Clan..."

Hidden underground with the Mayfly Technique, Fugaku heard the conversation and let out a cold chuckle.

Seeing the Shimura Clan reduced to such a miserable state was incredibly satisfying—like a long-held grudge finally easing.

For years, under Danzō's leadership, the Shimura Clan had suppressed and oppressed the Uchiha relentlessly.

And now, seeing their downfall brought him no small amount of pleasure.

The room fell into heavy silence.

After a long pause, Naoya sighed, resigned, and waved Atsushi away.

"I understand. You may go."

Since Danzō's disappearance, Naoya had anticipated this outcome.

But even with preparation, experiencing the reality still filled him with frustration and helplessness.

Atsushi sighed and stood up, taking his leave.

Fugaku glanced at Naoya, who remained seated, then at Atsushi as he exited the room.

After a moment's hesitation, Fugaku decided to follow Atsushi.

His goal in infiltrating the Shimura residence was to gather intelligence—to confirm whether the bounty against the Uchiha had been issued by the Shimura Clan.

But their earlier conversation had only covered business matters, with no mention of the bounty.

Continuing to eavesdrop seemed unlikely to yield answers.

If eavesdropping wouldn't work, then he'd have to resort to hypnotism and force the truth out.

The ideal target was Shimura Naoya.

As the clan's leader, if anyone had authorized a bounty against the Uchiha, it would be him.

But Naoya was an elite jonin. Hypnotizing him without alerting him would be extremely difficult.

Atsushi, on the other hand, was only a jonin. Fugaku was confident he could hypnotize him without being detected.

Later, at Atsushi's Residence.

Atsushi sighed again as he returned home, greeting his worried wife before heading straight to the bath.

He intended to take a soak and wash away the day's exhaustion.

"So… is Lord Danzō really dead?"

Soaking in the hot water, he muttered to himself.

The Shimura Clan's dire situation was all because of Danzō's disappearance.

If Danzō could somehow return to Konoha, everything would be solved. Atsushi still hoped against hope that Danzō was alive somewhere.

But so much time had passed. With no sign of Danzō, the odds of his survival were slim.

Step.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a footstep in the bathroom.

His body tensed. He whipped his head toward the sound—and met a pair of blood-red eyes.

Eyes swirling with complex, pitch-black patterns, radiating a mysterious, eerie power.

In that instant, his mind went blank, his consciousness slipping away.