At Night on Konoha
Under the cover of darkness, a man cloaked in a black robe patterned with red clouds and wearing a spiraling mask approached the Hokage Tower in silence.
His presence was so well-concealed that even sensory-type ninja could only detect him at an extremely close range.
This man disguised as Uchiha Obito was none other than Uchiha Fugaku himself.
As a Kage-level shinobi, he already possessed exceptional skill in suppressing his chakra. After assimilating the corpse of White Zetsu, who specialized in information gathering and concealment, his ability to hide his presence had grown even more formidable.
Earlier that day, someone had infiltrated his secret chamber. Though enraged, he quickly realized that this presented an unexpected opportunity—to steal the Scroll of Seals.
Who would suspect that after discovering the breach in his secret chamber, he wouldn't investigate, but instead slip into the Hokage Tower to commit theft?
At the tower's entrance, four ninja stood guard.
But even with a sensory-type among them, none noticed Uchiha Fugaku's approach—so skillfully did he suppress his aura.
It wasn't until he was within twenty meters that the sensory ninja finally detected him.
"Who's there—?"
The sensor barely began to raise the alarm when—
"Temple of Nirvana Technique."
Forming hand seals, Uchiha Fugaku released a genjutsu. In the darkness, white feathers seemed to drift from the sky.
All four guards, including the sensor, felt their consciousness slip away and collapsed to the ground.
The Temple of Nirvana Technique—an advanced genjutsu capable of targeting multiple individuals simultaneously. While it wasn't particularly powerful in itself, in the hands of a genjutsu expert like Fugaku, it became devastating.
Though the guards were all special jōnin, none of them could resist the illusion.
As they dropped, Fugaku swiftly moved in, catching each one and gently lowering them to the ground.
He then slipped through the entrance into the Hokage Tower.
Having visited the tower many times before, he knew the Scroll of Seals was stored on the top floor. Without a sound, he ascended the stairs.
At the second-floor landing, an ANBU was concealed in the shadows, standing guard—an elite shinobi, seasoned by countless covert missions.
Suddenly, the ANBU felt a chill of foreboding. His instincts, honed through years of life-and-death combat, warned him of impending danger.
Though he heard no sound, he trusted his sixth sense—it had saved his life more than once.
Whoosh—
His eyes snapped to the stairwell—and there he saw a man in a spiral mask.
What startled him even more was the man's exposed right eye—it was blood-red.
"A Sharingan..."
Panic flashed through the ANBU's mind. He instinctively tried to avert his gaze.
As an ANBU, he knew all too well that eye contact with a Sharingan could trigger a genjutsu. He had to avoid it.
But it was already too late.
The illusion activated the moment their eyes met.
His mind clouded, his body gave out, and he began to fall.
Smack.
Before he hit the ground, Uchiha Fugaku caught him and carefully laid him down.
Without pause, he continued upward.
He hadn't killed a single one of the guards—not the four at the entrance, nor this ANBU.
His mission was infiltration. Silence and stealth were paramount.
Blood would leave a scent—one that could easily be picked up by sharp-nosed ninja. That would risk early detection.
Step by step, he ascended the tower. With each floor, he encountered more ANBU, hidden in the dark.
But with the piercing insight of his Sharingan, Fugaku always spotted them first—and silently neutralized each with genjutsu before they could react.
The Hokage Tower's defense was intense. By the time he reached the top floor, he had already subdued more than ten ANBU.
If it had been anyone else—even an elite jōnin—failure would have been almost certain.
At the top floor, he soundlessly made his way to the scroll room.
More guards lay in wait along the way, but he dealt with them one by one.
Finally, he stood outside the scroll chamber—a room sealed by powerful barriers, its walls reinforced against elemental jutsu like Earth Style.
There was only one way in: either unlock the door or break through it—though the latter would make too much noise.
He pressed his ear to the door, straining his hearing to the limit.
"…Breathing."
There was someone inside.
Apart from the Scroll of Seals, the chamber contained numerous other classified scrolls. The Third Hokage had clearly stationed ANBU inside for protection.
"This complicates things. If I try to pick the lock, they'll hear it."
Fugaku frowned. He could pick locks—easily, in fact. Even though the scroll room's lock was far more complex than a normal one, he was confident he could crack it.
But no matter how careful he was, there would be noise—and even a slight sound could alert the ANBU within. They'd raise the alarm.
It was a dilemma: if he didn't pick the lock, he couldn't get in. If he did, he'd be exposed.
"The door's made of wood..."
Suddenly, an idea came to him.
After fusing with White Zetsu's remains, he'd inherited a faint trace of Wood Release—though the concentration was too weak for him to use actual Wood-Style jutsu.
Even so, it gave him a certain affinity—he could exert subtle control over natural wood.
The door, being made of wood, might be susceptible.
Placing a hand against it, he channeled the power of his Wood Release.
Silently, the wooden door began to hollow—forming a person-sized opening.
Thanks to the darkness, the ninja inside didn't notice the hole immediately.
Whoosh!
Fugaku slipped through the opening and entered the scroll chamber.
"Wha—?"
The ANBU inside finally sensed something amiss, just as he tried to shout.
"Sharingan Genjutsu."
Fugaku locked eyes with him. The ANBU's mind went blank, and he crumpled.
Once again, Fugaku caught him mid-fall and laid him down gently.
Then he turned and looked around.
The chamber spanned several hundred square meters. Multiple bookshelves lined the room, with a central platform holding a single, massive scroll.
Fugaku's gaze locked onto it—unable to look away.
That enormous scroll was the Scroll of Seals.
A forbidden artifact that contained countless powerful and dangerous jutsu.
"Intruder alert!"
Suddenly, a voice rang out from within the Hokage Tower.