Ever since Shin'nosuke Sarutobi took over as supreme commander of the defenses around the Land of Lightning, barely two months of peace had passed before trouble rose again.
March! Five months had now passed since the Nine-Tails' Rampage in October last year.
At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.
"Brother Yoru." Before a small waterfall, Uchiha Shisui wore a grave expression.
Seeing this, Uchiha Yoru could not help marveling that the Land of Fire truly deserved to be called the richest land in the Shinobi World. Every kind of resource was so abundant it seemed practically free, especially these towering ancient-forest-like trees and the waterfalls scattered everywhere.
Who knew whether the Uchiha had some inseparable bond with waterfalls? Madara Uchiha had been stabbed at the Valley of the End; Sasuke Uchiha had gotten beaten up twice before the waterfall there; Uchiha Itachi had even entertained thoughts of suicide before a waterfall as a child. It seemed only one person had actually tried to kill himself from a waterfall.
Thinking of that strange bond, Uchiha Yoru looked at Shisui oddly. It seemed the only Uchiha to die beneath a waterfall was you, Body Flicker Shisui.
Shisui, meanwhile, had no idea what Yoru was thinking. Even if he had known, he would not have had the mind to care.
"Brother Yoru, word came from the village that they are preparing to recall Lord Orochimaru. The defenses around the Land of Water will be handled separately by the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan."
Shisui spoke gravely of something the village had been preparing in secret. Uchiha Yoru was genuinely shocked upon hearing it; he was not putting on an act. After all, Old Thief Kishimoto had never described these events in detail.
From the Nine-Tails' Rampage to the beginning of the story, only the Anbu Arc and the Uchiha Clan Downfall Arc involving Kakashi had been covered. There was no Orochimaru's Biography.
"Brother Yoru?"
Seeing Uchiha Yoru staring blankly, Shisui frowned and called out to him. Yoru snapped back to his senses, his face full of confusion. "Shisui, why would the village suddenly recall Teacher Orochimaru when things are going so well?"
He was truly baffled. While he kept analyzing the situation, Uchiha Shisui shook his head with an ugly expression and sighed. "Brother Yoru, some people in the village have led the Will of Fire astray and fallen into darkness."
Well, damn. Uchiha Yoru was stunned by those words. He looked at Shisui as though asking, Is that something you should be saying? Aren't you supposed to be the Will of Fire's most loyal believer?
Shisui sighed faintly, his expression complicated. Though he was only fourteen this year, he now seemed like an adult.
"Brother Yoru, some people in the village do not want Lord Orochimaru to earn too much merit, so they want to recall him. They want our Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan to replace Lord Orochimaru in the Land of Water. Their intentions are truly vile!"
By the latter half, Uchiha Shisui was clearly filled with fury. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Certain people are secretly trying to drive a wedge between the Uchiha Clan, the Hyuga Clan, and Lord Orochimaru!"
Clearly, the current Shisui had already strayed from the original story. Ever since his worldview had been opened to another perspective, he saw Orochimaru as someone who carried darkness and pressed onward for Konoha's Will of Fire—a true inheritor of the Will of Fire.
But certain people, for some unspeakable purpose, had begun targeting the future Hokage in his heart. That was unforgivable.
Seeing Shisui like this, Uchiha Yoru was dumbfounded. He had never expected such a drastic change. Stunned, he asked, "Shisui, what exactly is going on? Tell me properly."
He was genuinely confused. What exactly was Shisui thinking? What had happened? Had the world developed too quickly for him to keep up, or had Shisui changed too quickly?
Uchiha Shisui said angrily, "Brother Yoru, do you know? Some Sarutobi Clan shinobi in the village keep stirring things up, asking why Lord Orochimaru was absent on Nine-Tails Night. They say that if Lord Orochimaru had been there, the Fourth Hokage would never have died."
"And some people are even secretly claiming that Lord Orochimaru has long maintained close cooperation with the Uchiha. They are using some vile conspiracy to slander Lord Orochimaru, saying the Nine-Tails' Rampage might have been orchestrated by the Uchiha and Lord Orochimaru together, all for the position of Hokage."
Well, damn. After hearing Shisui's analysis, Uchiha Yoru's eyes widened. Was this Shisui, who kept calling him Lord Orochimaru, really the Body Flicker Shisui he knew?
"No, Shisui, calm down first. You can't say things like that carelessly. How could the Sarutobi Clan possibly do such a thing? The Third would never stand by and watch."
Uchiha Yoru's thoughts seemed unable to keep up. He looked eagerly at Shisui. Let's not get worked up. Explain it properly and let me sort this out.
But Shisui had clearly touched upon the Will of Fire, the pain in his heart. His face darkened as he said, "Brother Yoru, I saw it with my own eyes when I returned to the village to escort supplies. There was also news from within the village. Although the Third has already stopped these rumors from spreading, but... but the Third still wants to recall Lord Orochimaru!"
The area around the Land of Lightning had only just stabilized. The merit was practically theirs for the taking, yet Shin'nosuke Sarutobi had come to pick the peaches. Now the Land of Water was about to stabilize as well, and Orochimaru's hard-earned merit was about to vanish again, all because of a despicable scheme to sow discord.
They wanted the Uchiha Clan and Hyuga Clan to become the ones picking the peaches. Wasn't that obviously meant to drive a wedge between the two clans and Orochimaru?
In Shisui's eyes, this action was truly chilling, especially after the Uchiha Clan had made so much effort. One transfer order from the village could render all of the Uchiha's contributions meaningless.
If, in the original story, the Third had represented the goodwill extended by the Hokage Faction in Shisui's eyes, then now the Hokage Faction was constantly provoking the Uchiha. Naturally, dissatisfaction began to rise in Shisui's heart.
At that moment, Uchiha Yoru finally understood. Someone in the village did not want Orochimaru returning with such overwhelming merit. Otherwise, based on the achievements of pacifying the border, once he returned, all it would take was for someone with ulterior motives to raise their voice, and they would be nominating the Fifth Generation.
After figuring it out, Uchiha Yoru looked again at the indignant Shisui beside him. He immediately put on a bitter smile and shook his head. "Shisui, don't overthink it. The Third merely inherited the Second Hokage's will to guard against us Uchiha, but he is absolutely a Hokage who inherited the Will of Fire. He would never do such a thing."
In short, Shisui had started suspecting the Third, but Yoru would deliberately take the opposite approach. What would make someone lose faith in the Third completely?
He was truly going to great lengths. Before Shisui, he had to establish himself as someone unwaveringly faithful to the village and the Third, so that Shisui could gradually discover certain things and turn around to persuade him, rather than having him persuade Shisui.
Looking at Uchiha Yoru's unwavering conviction, Shisui hesitated to speak. In the end, he swallowed down his dissatisfaction and suspicion toward the village's Sarutobi Clan.
Once vented, those emotions became lighter. But when they were stifled and buried inside, they would ferment until they finally exploded.
Thank you, brothers, for your support. The trial promotion is here. Thank you.
Before you continue