Three weeks passed in a terrifying silence. The Leaf Village was still functioning, but no one could ignore the tension thick in the air. The Fourth Hokage's inauguration ceremony was solemn yet rushed, lacking the usual grand celebrations. Minato Namikaze had officially become the village's leader, and the weight of his burden was immediately apparent.
Kenji, from a distant rooftop, observed it all. He saw his master's smile, a smile for the villagers, but he also saw the anxiety in his eyes.
That evening, Kenji received the first secret order of his new role. Not by paper, not by a messenger. Just a single leaf, carrying a special chakra seal, silently fell beside him. The signal for a meeting.
He arrived at the meeting point, an abandoned training ground. Minato was already there, not in his Hokage cloak, but in his familiar Jounin attire.
"Hello, Kenji," Minato said, his voice low. "Or perhaps I should call you by another name."
"Just call me Kenji, Hokage-sama. There's no need for aliases between us."
Minato nodded, a sad smile flashing across his face. "I need you to do something. I've tried to talk to Fugaku, but he has closed every door. He believes the village has betrayed the Uchiha, and only decisive action can restore their honor. Words are useless now. I need proof."
He looked directly at Kenji. "I need concrete evidence of their plan. The location of their weapon caches, a list of the teams that will act, the projected timeline. I need something I can put on the table, to force Fugaku to face it and give me one last chance to stop this war without bloodshed."
Kenji understood. This was an intelligence mission of the highest level. "Where is the target?"
"The Military Police Force headquarters," Minato replied. "Their archives room. It will be guarded by the Uchiha's best. No one can infiltrate it without being detected."
"I'll get in," Kenji said decisively.
It was a near-suicidal mission, even for him. But this was why he existed.
The next night, Kenji made his move. He created no disturbances, no diversions. He used the very skills of a shadow. He observed for hours, memorizing every gap in the patrol schedules, every blind spot of the Sharingan eyes.
He moved like a wisp of smoke, his body almost one with the darkness. He slipped inside the headquarters, an extraordinary feat. The archives room was sealed with a complex sealing jutsu. Kenji, with his knowledge, slowly neutralized it.
He had very little time. He quickly searched for documents stamped "Top Secret." He found them. A scroll detailing the mobilization plan, a map marking secret weapon caches. Minato was right. Everything was ready.
But as he was about to retreat, he found something else. A thin file, hidden very carefully. It wasn't related to the coup d'état. It was the Military Police's surveillance report on... Danzō Shimura and the members of Root.
Fugaku wasn't just preparing for a coup. He was also investigating the one he suspected of manipulating everything.
And in that file, Kenji saw a detail that sent a chill down his spine. A report about Root members frequenting an area near where Kushina was to give birth.
Not a coincidence. The thought flashed through Kenji's mind. Naoki's death. The break-in at the Archives Library. And now this. Danzō wasn't just manipulating. He might be directly involved in the Nine-Tails' attack.
It was a horrifying speculation, a truth even more terrible than the coup plot.
Just then, he heard footsteps. Someone was coming.
Kenji quickly copied the most critical information with a high-level memory technique, put everything back as it was, and prepared to withdraw.
But it was too late. The door burst open.
Uchiha Fugaku and two of his officers stood there. The Sharingan in all three of their eyes were glowing in the dark.
"I knew there was a rat," Fugaku said, his voice as cold as ice. "I just didn't expect this rat to be so bold."
Kenji was cornered, deep in enemy territory, facing the strongest of opponents. His silent war was now about to become a real one.