Kenji continued his performance perfectly. He was Kageyama-sensei, a strict but fair teacher. He taught the children the importance of observation, how a single leaf falling in the wrong place could be the sign of a trap. "A shinobi," he told them, "doesn't just fight with ninjutsu. He fights with his brain."
All the while, he knew the Uchiha's shadows were always there, watching him, analyzing his every word. He let them watch. Because Minato was right—an empty hand is the hardest to read.
The false peace was shattered one evening. An Anbu member suddenly appeared before him in a puff of white smoke. "Kageyama-dono, the Hokage summons you immediately. There has been an incident at the Archives."
The Konoha Archives was where all the village's records, classified documents, and ninjutsu scrolls were stored. It was protected by layers of seals and the most elite Anbu squads. A break-in there wasn't just a crime. It was an act of defiance against the entire village.
When Kenji arrived, the area had been sealed off. The air was thick with tension. The Third Hokage stood there, his expression grim. Uchiha Fugaku and a team of Military Police were also present, Fugaku's face an icy mask. And in a corner, Namikaze Minato was silently examining a wall, his blue eyes alight with deep analysis.
"Kenji," the Hokage said as soon as he saw him. "I want you to examine the scene. With your experience and observational skills, perhaps you will see things that others have missed."
It was a show of trust, but also a test. Fugaku glanced at Kenji, his suspicion unconcealed. Why would the Hokage summon an Academy teacher to a top-secret crime scene like this?
Kenji nodded and began his work. He didn't rush. He walked a full circle around the compromised room. The thief had bypassed a high-level seal, a skill very few in the village possessed. Their target was clear: the filing cabinet storing A-rank and S-rank missions from the past three months. A few scrolls were scattered messily on the floor.
Fugaku spoke up. "The thief was clearly looking for something specific. Perhaps information about our activities on the border."
"Or to erase traces," Minato said nonchalantly, his eyes still fixed on the wall.
Kenji didn't join the conversation. He knelt, examining the smallest details. The dust on the floor, a scratch on the filing cabinet. He could feel a very faint, residual chakra. A cold, emotionless type of chakra, trained to suppress all personal traces.
And then he saw it.
Something everyone else had missed. Stuck to the edge of a scroll thrown under the desk was a minuscule speck of dust. It wasn't ordinary dust. It was darker in color, and when Kenji lightly touched it with a chakra-coated fingertip, he felt a bone-deep chill.
He knew this type of dust. This was a special clay found only in the deep, sunless tunnels underground. The place where Danzō's Root had its base.
Furthermore, as he focused his senses, he detected a residual chakra imprint within the speck. A tiny imprint of a curse mark jutsu. The kind of cursed seal placed on the tongues of Root members to prevent them from revealing Danzō's secrets.
Kenji stood up, his face an unreadable mask. He had his answer. The intruder wasn't from the Stone Village, nor was it the Uchiha.
It was one of Danzō's people.
The old man was trying to erase all official records related to his and Naoki's mission. He wanted to bury the truth that the traitor was an Uchiha, perhaps so he could freely "deal with" Naoki and have total control of the narrative.
This was earth-shattering information. He couldn't say it here. To do so would be to ignite a civil war. Accusing Danzō in front of Fugaku would be a catastrophe.
"Well, Kenji?" the Hokage asked. "Do you see anything?"
Kenji shook his head. "No, my lord. The intruder was too professional. They left no trace that I can recognize."
Fugaku snorted in contempt.
Only Minato, still standing in the corner, glanced at Kenji for a brief moment. Their eyes met. Minato said nothing, but Kenji knew. He understood.
That night, Kenji left his apartment through a secret exit. He met Minato on top of the Hokage Monument, where they could watch over the entire sleeping village.
No greeting was needed. Kenji simply held out his hand. In his palm, enveloped in a thin layer of chakra, was the cold speck of clay dust.
"It was Root," Kenji said. "I'm sure of it."
Minato looked at the speck of dust, his face becoming more serious than ever before. His usual gentle demeanor was gone, replaced by the steel of a leader about to face a storm.
"I understand," Minato said, his voice low. "Danzō-sama is trying to dictate history himself. He wants to bury the truth."
He looked up at the starry night sky. "If he wants to erase the past..."
Minato turned back to Kenji, his blue eyes blazing with a powerful will.
"...Then our mission is to ensure that truth has a future."
The game had entered a new stage. Now, their opponent was not just the suspicion of the Uchiha, but the dark machinations of the man known as the "Darkness of the Shinobi."