Tsunade, Third Hokage, You're Doing It Wrong

Tsunade heard this and felt a touch of irritation.

"What exactly did Uchiha Yuan write during his time at the Ninja Academy?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed with a bitter smile, then unsealed the scroll to reveal the collection of short essays.

Neatly arranged, the essays appeared before Tsunade's eyes.

"See for yourself..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone was low and helpless.

Tsunade scanned the pages with a grave expression, but the very first article she laid eyes on made her demeanor turn subtle.

The title was: The Uchiha, Too, Possess Great Love.

"What a strange structure for a title..."

She read it word for word, her expression growing increasingly complex with every line.

Although the prose in this academy assignment was immature, the lines revealed a maturity of thought and a breadth of vision far beyond the author's years.

In an exceptionally gentle tone, Uchiha Yuan elaborated on the misunderstandings and estrangement between the Uchiha Clan and the village.

He proposed that as long as the Konoha leadership could guide the Uchiha with a more open attitude and more effective communication, the contradictions between the two sides were not irreconcilable; on the contrary, peaceful coexistence, or even harmonious integration, was entirely possible.

After finishing the first piece, Tsunade sighed deeply: "Such thoughts are not only far from extreme, one could even say they are remarkably correct."

"A young child was able to offer such profound and wise suggestions—why didn't you take them seriously at the time?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes slightly, his expression heavy and weary: "At the time, Uchiha Yuan was just an unremarkable child in the Uchiha Clan, not even having awakened the basic Sharingan."

"To be honest, I didn't pay much attention to his words... I even intentionally ignored them."

At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated before saying: "So later on, as he wrote more and more, I had Shisui go and investigate him..."

Tsunade frowned: "Why send Uchiha Shisui to investigate? Was a child's opinion really enough to warrant such a drastic reaction?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and spoke slowly: "You may not understand, but the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and the village was already highly volatile back then."

"The Uchiha are naturally intense and sensitive by nature. While Yuan's words seemed rational and gentle, I feared they might be misinterpreted or exploited by those unstable clansmen, further intensifying internal conflicts."

"If I had let him continue, a riot might have broken out within the Uchiha Clan prematurely."

Was it really that serious?

I suspect it was arrogance—the belief that a mere child had no right to meddle in the affairs between the Uchiha Clan and the Konoha leadership.

Hearing this, Tsunade still could not fully accept such a handling of the situation.

She understood in her heart that this approach had, in effect, invisibly crushed an opportunity that could have improved the relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan.

"And the result?"

"Shisui engaged in a heated debate with Yuan, and in the end, Shisui warned him that such behavior violated the rules of the village."

"You threatened and warned a child who had no power to resist?"

Tsunade's tone carried undisguised regret and reproach.

"Have you ever considered what that meant to that child?"

"And why did Uchiha Shisui have such a strong reaction?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face grew even more guilty and bitter, his voice filled with an indescribable weight.

"Shisui... felt that he was being manipulated... that his thinking had become problematic. After all, who would believe a child could write such things?"

And what about Uchiha Itachi?

Why did you trust him so much...

Isn't it just because you thought he was a genius and the eldest son of the Uchiha clan head...

Tsunade didn't say it aloud, but her eyes made it perfectly clear.

"At the time, I did indeed overlook that point... I was merely acting on the instinct to stabilize the situation, never seriously considering how much of an impact this would have on that child..."

Tsunade shook her head gently and let out a long sigh: "Old man, perhaps you were truly acting out of concern for the village's stability, but for Uchiha Yuan, this was undoubtedly a fatal blow..."

As she spoke, her heart grew even heavier.

A youth originally full of passion and goodwill had been pushed to the extreme by the coldness and threats of the leadership.

This outcome, she had to admit, filled her with deep regret and helplessness.

After a moment of silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi said softly: "I know, Uchiha Yuan's original ideas might have truly been able to change the relationship between the Uchiha and the village..."

"It is a pity that at the time, we did not give him that chance."

Tsunade turned her gaze back to the scroll, flipping through the essays line by line. The sincerity and urgency flowing through the immature text caused a sharp, indescribable pain in her heart.

Every article was filled with genuine concern for the future of the village and a profound insight into the fate of the Uchiha Clan.

It was a pity that this pure heart and anxiety were never truly valued by the village leadership.

As she turned page after page, she saw Uchiha Yuan's repeated attempts to offer counsel, followed by his frustration and anxiety after each futile effort.

This anxiety became increasingly apparent as time passed, eventually revealing a faint sense of despair and helplessness.

Tsunade's brows furrowed tightly, the emotions deep within her heart becoming increasingly complex and difficult to articulate.

"The thoughts and concerns of this child are by no means mere ramblings; they far exceed the maturity and depth of his peers... How did Shisui evaluate him back then?"

Hiruzen sighed softly, his expression a mixture of helplessness and bitterness: "Although Shisui once told me that the way Uchiha Yuan thinks about problems is completely different from ordinary people..."

"He even worried that Uchiha Yuan's way of thinking might cause deeper chaos and misunderstanding among the Uchiha clan. Therefore, he suggested that the Anbu arrest and vet him to prevent him from doing anything even more extreme."

"Arrest and vet?"

There was undisguised shock in Tsunade's tone...

"Every sentence in these articles I've seen stems from a passionate concern for the village; there isn't the slightest hint of extremism or danger. He is even more worried and anxious than anyone else. Why would Shisui make such an evaluation?"

Hearing this, Hiruzen remained silent for a moment, his eyes deep and complex: "I am not entirely clear on what exactly happened between Shisui and Uchiha Yuan. Perhaps Shisui had his own judgment and considerations..."

Shisui had shown a clear dislike for Uchiha Yuan at the time...

"I did not agree to his request for an arrest and vetting."

Tsunade breathed a slight sigh of relief, but soon after, she heard Hiruzen continue: "But at the time, I made another decision... I gave him a failing grade, which caused him to fail his graduation that year, preventing him from becoming a ninja, and then..."

And then he was never allowed to attend school again...

Furthermore, Uchiha Yuan never proactively applied... He must have been disheartened...

Tsunade was stunned, a surge of intense sorrow and powerlessness welling up within her.

"Old man, how is what you did... any different from an arrest and vetting?"

Tsunade's tone was low: "For a child full of passion who wanted to contribute his strength to the village, such treatment is likely even more cruel than an arrest..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not defend himself, his expression merely turning dim.

If only he had known, he should have treated Uchiha Yuan properly back then...