Chapter 178 - Treasure - Part 02

Hokage's Office.

Hiruzen was relaxing in his chair, smoking his pipe in comfort when he heard knocks coming from the window. He looked to the side and saw a ninja dog and immediately recognized it as one of Kakashi's.

'Kakashi wouldn't send his summon unless something happened…'

There was a worry in Hiruzen's heart that the team might have encountered dangerous enemies. He made a small gesture with his hand and one of the hidden guards opened the window to the office. The ninja dog jumped inside and hopped up onto the desk.

Guruko took the scroll and placed it on the table. "Lord Hokage, Kakashi tasked me with delivering this directly to you. He says it's important and I'm to wait for your response."

Hiruzen nodded, took the scroll and began reading its contents. As he went through each line his eyebrows began to rise. And as he reached the end of the scroll he was completely shocked. "You've got to be kidding me…"

The Hokage groaned thinking about the headache that will certainly arise when the other Kages and Feudal lords are made aware of the situation. 'They were supposed to be on a simple tracking mission… But now…'

"Is everything alright Lord Hokage?" The Hokage's guard Special Jonin Genma appeared kneeling and asked.

"It seems Kakashi and young Daichi have encountered something that will definitely spark an international incident…"

"Sir?" Genma and the hidden guards in the room were surprised at how a routine Genin mission could turn into something of such magnitude.

"Genma! It seems I will need to make a trip to the capital. Most probably early tomorrow morning. I need you to make the arrangements." The old Kage gave the order.

"Yes sir."

"And summon Akai Hyuga and Nomoru Nara."

Genma nodded and vanished. The Hokage then turned his attention to Guruko. "Tell Kakashi to stay the course. Since he and Daichi have found the identity of the culprit we can't let this opportunity pass by. Tell him I'll be sending a Hyuga to help with the mission. He will be at the capital at the Inn by tonight. And also inform Kakashi that I will be there by noon tomorrow."

Kakashi's summon nodded its head and quickly left the office.

Hiruzen sighed and leaned back in his chair. He thought about the conditions placed by the other Kages and Feudal lords when the information on the mysterious thief was shared.

'Whoever finds the thief or his stolen items will get 10% of the total value of everything that's found. The other kages placed that condition in the hopes that if one of their ninja finds the stolen treasure then the money they get would be diverted to the village. That's a lot of money. Enough to finance several dangerous missions. And that's just one of the conditions placed… This needs to be handled diplomatically.'

He let out a breath and stood from his chair. He paced in his office thinking the best move forward. He slowly came near the window and stopped. 'I can't believe this whole time that Kiyoto Inagi was the thief. But that doesn't make any sense… He certainly wasn't in need of any money. And even though I've only met the man on a couple occasions I'm certain he didn't possess the skills to commit these acts… So how…? Is there an accomplice? Or was the innocent man I met just a facade…'

At that moment someone knocked on his door.

"Come in."

Two people entered the room. Both wearing a Jonin vest. One had distinctive white eyes indicating that he was from the Hyuga clan and the other had the Nara clan symbol etched on his shoulder.

"Akai, Nomoru. You two are here. Good. There is an urgent matter that needs to be discussed."

Both ninjas straightened and had their full attention on their kage.

"Akai. I need you to travel to the Fire capital and meet up with Kakashi and his student. Your task is to help them with their C Rank mission. This is a priority mission with great implications. And the sooner you reach the location the better. Kakashi will fill you in on the mission details. Go."

The Hyuga nodded in seriousness and vanished using the body flicker jutsu.

The Hokage then turned to the Nara in the room.

"Nomoru, you'll be accompanying me to the Fire capital tomorrow. I need you to prepare for a coming meeting with the diplomats from the other 4 nations. There was an incident and once the news reaches the other nations the Kages will definitely send their diplomats to the capital. I need you to prepare."

Nomoru nodded. "Lord Hokage, what's this about?" He then asked.

"The identity of the Legendary Phantom Thief has finally been revealed." The Hokage replied after a couple seconds.

The Nara's eyes widened in shock. He now understood the magnitude of the events taking place.

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Near the Fire Capital. A short while later.

"So that's what the Hokage said huh."

Guruko nodded his head.

"Thank you for the assistance. Here." Kakashi gave his summon some treats and moments later the ninja dog vanished.

The Leaf Jonin met the other two and informed them of their journey back to the capital.

Daichi placed the teapot into a scroll and secured it.

Soon the trio was making their way back to the capital. Daichi only took Kenichi's heirloom with him and the rest were kept in the hidden room. Before long they reached the gates of the capital.

Kakashi turned to look at Hirohito. "I'm sure you're aware that what you have learned today must be kept secret, don't you? If there is any information leak before the matter is resolved by the Daimyo then it will bring trouble for you and your family. So for the moment just stay at this inn." The young lord nodded seriously. Kakashi gave the man an address and soon the two ninjas parted ways with the man.

Daichi and Kakashi made their way to their temporary residence.

"Daichi, we really should just hand over that teapot to our client and finish this mission." Kakashi advised his student.

"Please, not yet sensei. I want to examine this. I'm sure this holds some valuable secrets."

The silver haired ninja just sighed. "Daichi, we don't need to do that. Our goal was to find it and return it. We found it. Now we just need to return it."

Daichi was calm on the outside but he was getting slightly anxious. He needed to examine the heirloom and find out its secrets. "A day. Just give me a day. I did crack one of the biggest cases of the century. Kenichi waited about a year for this. I'm sure he won't mind waiting for one more day."

Kakashi was surprised at Daichi's request. "Why are you so adamant about this? What secrets do you imagine this heirloom holds "

"I don't know what, but I know it does. Don't you think it's strange? There were never any incidents reported that matched the Thief's style other than the 40 Thefts and the one at Kenichi's house. And in the 40 thefts he left his mark, the red crane on the scene but at Kenichi's house, nothing. And that robbery was almost a decade after he disappeared… So there must be something he wanted. Something important." Daichi tried to come up with a logical explanation for his desire to examine the heirloom.

"And you think whatever that is, is hidden on that?"

The boy nodded his head. Kakashi looked at his student and sighed again. "Fine. We'll do it your way. But how exactly are you going to find out what you're looking for?"

Daichi just smirked at that question. "I have my methods. But first I need to get a few things." With that Daichi took a storage scroll and left the room.

Kakashi looked around and just left out a small tired breath. 'Guess there's nothing to do but wait.' He took out his favorite reading material and just got comfortable.

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Daichi looked around in his room in Kensei's apartment in the capital. During his time as Lady Tsunade's apprentice she would often task him with identifying, examining and making notes on various materials. Organic and non organic.

'Where the heck is it? I know it's here somewhere…Aha! Found you.'

Daichi held a microscope in his hands and carefully placed it in the storage scroll. 'The technology in this world is really bizarre. There are advanced tech in medicinal field but cars and cell phones don't exist yet?'

He also took several other objects that would help him with his examination. Once he had everything he wanted he sealed them in his scroll and headed back to Kakashi's place.

Once Daichi returned he saw his sensei with his nose buried in his trashy book. The young Genin didn't mind and welcomed the quiet atmosphere. Daichi set up his equipment and was finally ready to solve the mystery.

'Time to begin my experiments. The information on 'Observe' said that the guy went to an artist to help him hide his secret. So it must have something to do with paint… Or maybe ink. I need to focus on foreign material added to this in the last decade.'

Daichi placed both hands above the teapot and they started glowing green. 'A scanning jutsu created with a standard technique from Lady Tsunade and combining the gamer powers. Perfect for all occasions.  But still, I never thought I'd use this to examine a teapot of all things.'

As he made notes on the minerals in the teapot, a few stood out. 'Gold, silver, and several precious elements present. But the one that was added later was Phosphorous. And it's mixed with some other chemicals.'

Daichi took a blacklight from the storage scroll and shined it on the teapot. He sighed as he looked at the result. 'Nothing. I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. I thought for sure it was invisible ink. Alright, time to get some physical samples. But I have to make sure not to damage it...'

Daichi took a needle and scraped a minute sample from several sides. He took several samples and soon had them ready to be examined under a microscope.

Time slowly went by as Daichi examined different slides and noted the materials present on the teapot. He made sure to take samples from even the inside and the bottom of the teapot.

Kakashi glanced at his student from time to time but didn't say anything. 'Its quite something watching him work… I wonder what he'll dig up now?'

Hours went by and Daichi was finally done. He had made a list of all foreign chemicals and minerals that was later added to the object.

Daichi looked at the chemicals used and frowned. 'This combination of chemicals… Its definitely used in the creation of invisible ink. But when I used a blacklight earlier it didn't show anything?'

Daichi sat back down and thought it through. 'Its some kind of invisible ink. I'm sure of that. He wrote the information and hid it in plain view. But what kind of information? And how do I see it?... I need to get some air.'

Daichi stood and went to the balcony outside the room. 'What am I missing?' He looked ahead at the disappearing sun and suddenly had an idea.

He quickly returned to his room and opened the blacklight to look at its insides. 'Just as I thought.' Daichi made a few modifications to the device. He took out a pair of large black sunglasses and put them over the ones he already had on. He let out a breath and then shined the light over the black teapot.

The result took Daichi's breath away.

At that moment Kakashi spoke up from his spot. "Daichi, you've been silent for a long time and not that I don't mind the quietness but should I be concerned?"

Daichi quietly took off the large sunglasses and started chuckling.

"Hihihihi…. HAHAHAHAHA…." Daichi's soft chuckle turned into full blown laughter. "Sensei! Prepare to prostrate, be humbled and weep at the magnificence of my intellect. Hahaha…."

Kakashi just looked on as his student laughed like a loon. 'Nope. I was wrong. It was better before.'

At that moment both of them were taken out of their thoughts by the knock on the door. Daichi sensed a strong chakra presence behind the door and became serious.

'That must be the Hyuga Lord Hokage sent.' Kakashi opened the door and he was right. "Come in."

Akai Hyuga stepped forward and looked at the two occupants of the room. He noticed the delicate equipment set up in the place. 'Were they doing some kind of experiment?'

"Hello. I'm Akai Hyuga. Special Jonin. I'm here to assist you with your mission." The man introduced himself.

"Kakashi Hatake and that's my student Daichi Hekima. We were just about to discuss some information my student had discovered."

Kakashi then turned towards Daichi. "Well, Daichi… The floor is yours."

"Yes but before that, since a Hyuga is here…" Daichi took hold of the teapot. "Can you please use the Byakugan and see if there is anything hidden in this?"

Akai looked sideways at Kakashi and the Jonin just shrugged. The Hyuga made a seal and the veins around his eyes immediately bulged. The Hyuga looked at the Teapot and carefully examined every inch. After a few moments he let go of his visual jutsu.

"No. I can't find anything. There isn't anything hidden in it." Akai said.

But despite what the Jonin said Kakashi had his doubts. He knew Daichi was brilliant and had found something. So he paid close attention to his student.

Daichi smiled hearing that reply. "Just as I thought. With the trace amounts used even the Byakugan couldn't find it."

"What is it? What did you find?"  Kakashi asked. The Jonin Akai was also curious. 'Something my eyes missed?'

"What do you know about the electromagnetic spectrum?" Daichi asked the two. Kakashi looked at Akai and the Hyuga just shrugged indicating he didn't know what Daichi was talking about.

"It's some kind of wave right. That carries signals?" Kakashi said recalling the limited information he knew about the subject.

"It's much more than that. Electromagnetic spectrum is the range of all types of EM radiation. Now Radiation is energy that travels and spreads out as it goes. Now there are seven types of radiation that make up the electromagnetic spectrum. Radio wave, Microwave, Infra-red, Visible light, Ultraviolet, X-ray and Gamma rays. Among these, the visible light is the only one we humans can detect without special abilities or gadgets."

The two Jonin nodded as they listened to Daichi's every word. Since they never studied such subjects this was new information for them and it sounded fascinating. But Kakashi didn't understand what significance this information had to do with their situation. "What does this have to do with the Teapot?"

"Everything. The normal human eyes will only detect visible light. The light that's reflected off an object's surface. Now we as humans are a crafty bunch. We came up with means to send messages that escape unwanted eyes." Daichi said with a smirk.

"You're talking about invisible ink aren't you?" Kakashi asked.

Daichi nodded.

"But Daichi, you used a blacklight earlier. I noticed. Nothing showed up."

Daichi agreed with his sensei. "Yes. It's true. If the person had used a normal invisible ink it would have appeared as soon as I had shone the blacklight above it. A standard blacklight emits Ultraviolet rays between 320nm(nanometers) and 400nm. A normal invisible ink will be cooked and become visible if placed under this spectrum of UV rays."

Kakashi stayed silent as he listened to his student.

"But what if it was a special ink that was used to write the secret message? An ink that would only be visible under a certain condition. Under a very specific wavelength of rays…"

The two Jonin were starting to get what the Genin was saying.

Daichi continued. "The special fluorescent phosphors ink was made by mixing very specific chemicals. To create this ink is no easy stuff. Now the materials used are inorganic compounds. So this ink is sunlight stable, heat stable and will last a long time. This ink will become only visible under UV shortwave lengths."

"UV shortwaves? What's that?" Akai asked.

"The Ultraviolet rays are separated according to their wavelength. Just as the visible lights are separated into seven colors the Ultraviolet rays are categorized into three. UV longwave 320nm to 400nm, UV medium wave 280nm to 320nm and UV shortwave 280nm to 100nm. Now almost all invisible inks appear when UV long waves fall on them. But this ink…"

"It would only show up if shortwave UV light is used…" Kakashi said.

Daichi nodded his head. "Almost all blacklights that are available uses longwave UV rays. So you wouldn't have found it under normal methods."

"Can we see…" Kakashi was now more than curious about the message hidden in the heirloom.

Daichi nodded and took out two pairs of sunglasses and handed them to the two older ninjas. "To protect your eyes." He put on his pair and turned on the modified blacklight over the teapot. He flipped the pot upside down and underneath it were several instructions shining in bright orange color.

"It's a cypher." Kakashi immediately recognized it.

Daichi nodded his head. "Yeah. And without the key we won't be able to unlock it."

"So who has the key?" Akai asked.

The young Genin smiled. "Who else? Our client of course?"

Kakashi thought about that possibility and he couldn't rule it out. "What do you think these instructions are for?" He asked his student. He was looking to hear Daichi's theory.

"It's no coincidence that the Phantom thief would come and steal this item after so many years.  There is only one reason he would do something like that. I believe these are instructions left by Kenichi's father that will lead to Phantom's hidden treasure." Daichi said.

The Jonin was surprised. "Do you mean the items missing from that hidden room?"

"Yes."

"How can you be certain of that?" Akai asked the kid.

Daichi was silent for a few moments before answering. "Its just an illogical gut feeling. But this is the story that makes sense." 'And it's also based on every heist movie, Sherlock stories and detective novels I read in my previous life… This has to be it. Now the whole pieces connect.'

Daichi then looked up to his sensei. "So teach… What's our next move?"

The silver haired ninja just closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A few seconds later he made a decision.

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Author’s Note:

Another rare long chapter.

This arc is taking a lot longer to complete than I first thought. I hope you guys are enjoying it.

If you enjoyed the chapter hit the little ❤ ️button… see ya.