Refutation

After leaving the meeting room, the Third Hokage returned to the Hokage's office.

Two masked Anbu ninja, one tall and one short, were waiting there. They were Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi.

"Hokage."

Upon seeing the Third Hokage, the two immediately addressed him respectfully.

Their gazes carried respect and admiration, while their bearing radiated heartfelt reverence.

"Mm."

The Third Hokage was quite satisfied by their expressions.

Through propaganda and guidance, he had acquired the title of "the strongest Hokage of all generations."

But he knew very well that his strength was far inferior to that of the First Hokage Hashirama Senju.

Still, he had things of his own to take pride in.

In terms of strength, he was inferior to the First Hokage Hashirama Senju.

In terms of schemes and intrigues, he was inferior to the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju.

But in terms of brainwashing ability, he had undoubtedly surpassed them both.

His brainwashing of Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi was sufficient proof of that.

"Both of you, take off your masks."

He gave the order.

"Yes."

Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi respectfully removed the masks from their faces, revealing their true appearances.

"The reason I had you remove your masks is because the mission you will carry out next requires you to act as ordinary ninja."

The Third Hokage gave a brief explanation, then turned his gaze toward Uchiha Shisui.

"Shisui, you have presumably heard about the deaths of Shimura Ryoma, Sousuke Shimura, and Ichiro Shimura?"

"Yes, I heard about it from my seniors in the Anbu."

"Good. You will participate in the investigation into this matter."

The Third Hokage said.

"Yes, Itachi and I will certainly devote ourselves fully to the investigation."

Uchiha Shisui hurriedly said.

"No. It will be enough for you to participate in the investigation. I have other arrangements for Itachi."

The Third Hokage looked toward Uchiha Itachi.

"Itachi, your mission is to remain within the Uchiha Clan and monitor the Uchiha Clan's movements."

"Monitor the Uchiha Clan?"

Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui beside him were both startled upon learning the details of the mission.

Though both had completely sided with the Third Hokage, hearing that he had ordered them to monitor the Uchiha Clan still came as a great shock.

"Hokage, may I know why we are to monitor the Uchiha Clan?"

His expression changing slightly, Uchiha Shisui asked.

Though Uchiha Itachi did not ask, he too could not help but stare intently at the Third Hokage.

"A few days ago, the Uchiha Clan held a clan meeting. During that meeting, the Uchiha Clan Head voiced his support for a Coup d'état."

Facing Uchiha Shisui's question, the Third Hokage spoke slowly.

"What? The Clan Head actually supports a Coup d'état?"

"How... could that be?"

Extreme shock appeared on the faces of Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi.

They knew that there had always been voices within the Uchiha Clan calling for a Coup d'état, and they had reported this matter to the Third Hokage without concealing anything.

However, the Clan Head had always been a staunch opponent of a Coup d'état, doing everything he could to oppose it.

They had never expected the Clan Head's attitude to change so drastically, becoming an outspoken supporter of a Coup d'état.

"Hokage, could this information be mistaken?"

Uchiha Itachi hurriedly asked.

"The source of this information is extremely reliable. There can be no mistake."

The Third Hokage shook his head.

Successfully brainwashing Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi was his proudest accomplishment, but that did not mean they were the only members of the Uchiha Clan he had successfully brainwashed.

In fact, apart from them, there were others within the Uchiha Clan whom he had successfully brainwashed.

"There are clan members besides us who have secretly joined the Hokage's side!"

Having guessed the source of the Third Hokage's information, Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi were both astonished.

They had not expected that, besides the two of them, others in the Uchiha Clan had secretly joined the Hokage's camp.

"Since the Fourth Hokage's death, the other four great shinobi villages have always coveted Konoha."

"Once a Coup d'état and rebellion arise within the village, the other shinobi villages may seize the opportunity to invade, causing matters to develop into the Fourth Shinobi World War."

Standing on the moral high ground, the Third Hokage spoke with the air of someone grieving for the world.

He never considered that the reason voices calling for a Coup d'état had arisen within the Uchiha Clan was the repeated oppression of the Uchiha Clan by the Konoha High Command led by him.

It was the pressure from the Konoha High Command that had caused support for a Coup d'état within the Uchiha Clan to grow stronger.

Even if he had considered it, he would not have changed anything because of it.

After all, suppressing the Uchiha Clan had been one of the most important policies ever since the Second Hokage.

"Become the fuse that ignites the Fourth Shinobi World War?"

Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi both felt their hearts tighten.

Uchiha Shisui had been on the battlefield and witnessed the brutality of the Third Shinobi World War.

Although Uchiha Itachi had been too young to participate at the time, he had witnessed the horrors of war.

During that period, ninja corpses were constantly sent back to Konoha, and funerals were constantly held.

They absolutely could not allow such things to happen again.

Both of them could not help but develop a deep disgust toward their clan.

Why were the other clan members so narrow-minded, limiting their vision to the clan rather than elevating it to the level of the village?

Why were they so foolish that they actually wanted to launch a Coup d'état?

"You must stop the Uchiha Clan's Coup d'état. Itachi, this monitoring mission can only be entrusted to you."

The Third Hokage said solemnly.

"I understand."

Uchiha Itachi nodded heavily.

For peace, for the village, he would never allow the clan to become the fuse that ignited the Fourth Shinobi World War.

For that, even destroying the clan would be worth it.

For the first time, such a terrifying thought arose within him.

And once that thought emerged, it could not help but take root and sprout in his heart.

He felt an impulse to destroy the Uchiha Clan and prevent the Uchiha Clan from launching a Coup d'état.

"Where Konoha's leaves dance, fire lives on without end. Very good. You have not disappointed me."

A gratified look appeared in the Third Hokage's eyes.

And upon seeing that look, Uchiha Itachi's resolve grew even firmer.

A long while later, Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi walked out of the Hokage's office with resolute steps.

The road ahead was difficult, but the faith in their hearts remained unwavering.

For the sake of the faith in their hearts, even if they had to betray their clan and be shattered to pieces, they would not hesitate.

The office door closed. The Third Hokage's kind, world-weary expression vanished, replaced by something dark and profound.

No matter how talented they were, they were merely two children in their teens, their minds still immature.

Though they possessed lofty awareness, their understanding was one-sided, and they had easily fallen into the righteousness he had woven.

Which was more important, the clan or the village? That should originally have been a question open to refutation.

Only because clans existed did villages come to exist.

And it was precisely because villages existed that clans were protected.

He had deliberately emphasized the importance of the village while diminishing the importance of the clan, and the two had clearly failed to notice it.