The Unbreakable Bond Between Uchiha and the Waterfall

Since Shin'nosuke Sarutobi took over as general commander of the Land of Lightning region's defenses, barely two months of peace had passed before new waves stirred.

March. Five months had passed since the Nine-Tails' Rampage last October.

The Land of Fire's border region along the Land of Water.

"Brother Yoru." Uchiha Shisui stood before a small waterfall, his face full of gravity.

Seeing this, Uchiha Yoru couldn't help but marvel that the Land of Fire truly deserved its reputation as the most prosperous territory in the Shinobi World—resources so abundant they seemed free for the taking, especially these ancient forest-like towering trees and waterfalls visible everywhere.

He wondered if the Uchiha had some inexplicable bond with waterfalls. Madara Uchiha got stabbed at the Valley of the End, Sasuke Uchiha got beaten up twice before the waterfall there, Uchiha Itachi once contemplated suicide by a waterfall as a child, and it seemed only one person had actually died by jumping off one.

Thinking of this strange connection, Uchiha Yoru looked at Shisui with an odd expression—it seemed the only Uchiha to die beneath a waterfall was you, Body Flicker Shisui.

At that moment, Shisui had no idea what Yoru was thinking, but even if he did, he wouldn't have the heart to dwell on it.

"Brother Yoru, the village sent word that they're planning to recall Lord Orochimaru, and the Land of Water's defenses will be handled by the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans separately."

Shisui spoke gravely, revealing a secret plan brewing in the village. Uchiha Yoru was genuinely startled—this wasn't an act, since Old Thief Kishimoto had never detailed these events.

From the Nine-Tails' Rampage to the start of the plot, only Kakashi's Anbu Arc and the Uchiha Clan Downfall Arc were described, with no Orochimaru's Biography.

"Brother Yoru?"

Seeing Uchiha Yoru lost in thought, Shisui frowned and called out. Yoru snapped back, looking puzzled. "Shisui, why would the village recall Teacher Orochimaru out of nowhere?"

He was truly baffled. As he kept analyzing, Uchiha Shisui shook his head with a grim sigh. "Brother Yoru, some people in the village have twisted the Will of Fire and fallen into darkness."

Good grief. Hearing this, Uchiha Yoru was stunned, staring at Shisui as if to say, Is that something you should be saying? Aren't you supposed to be the most loyal embodiment of the Will of Fire?

Shisui let out a complex, quiet sigh. He was only fourteen this year, yet he already seemed like an adult.

"Brother Yoru, there are people in the village who don't want Lord Orochimaru to earn too much merit, so they're trying to recall him. Using us Uchiha and the Hyuga to replace him in the Land of Water—their intentions are despicable!"

By the second half of his sentence, Shisui was clearly furious, gritting his teeth. "This is someone secretly stirring up conflict between the Uchiha, the Hyuga, and Lord Orochimaru!"

Clearly, Shisui had diverged from the original story. Since gaining a new worldview, he saw Lord Orochimaru as someone who bore darkness for the sake of Konoha's Will of Fire, a true heir to it.

But certain people, for some hidden agenda, were targeting his envisioned future Hokage—this was unforgivable.

Seeing Shisui like this, Uchiha Yoru was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected such a drastic change. "Shisui, what exactly is going on? Tell me clearly?"

He was genuinely lost. What's gotten into Shisui? What happened? Is the world moving too fast for me to keep up, or has Shisui changed too quickly?

Shisui spoke with indignation. "Brother Yoru, do you know? Some ninja from the Sarutobi Clan in the village keep stirring things up, saying why wasn't Lord Orochimaru there on the Nine-Tails Night? If he had been, the Fourth Hokage wouldn't have died."

"And some are secretly claiming that Lord Orochimaru has long had close ties with the Uchiha. Others even slander him with some evil conspiracy, saying the Nine-Tails' Rampage might have been orchestrated by the Uchiha and Lord Orochimaru together, all for the Hokage seat."

Good grief. Hearing Shisui's analysis, Uchiha Yoru's eyes went wide. Is this Shisui, constantly talking about Lord Orochimaru, really the Body Flicker Shisui I know?

"No, Shisui, calm down. You can't just say things like that. How could the Sarutobi Clan act this way? The Third Hokage would never stand by."

Uchiha Yoru's mind seemed to lag, and he stared at Shisui blankly. Let's not get worked up. Talk slowly, and let me sort this out.

Shisui, clearly pained by the topic of the Will of Fire, grimaced. "Brother Yoru, I saw this with my own eyes when I went back to the village to escort supplies, along with news from the village. The Third Hokage has stopped those rumors from spreading, but... but he's actually recalling Lord Orochimaru!"

The Land of Lightning region had just stabilized, and just as credit was within reach, Shin'nosuke Sarutobi came to take the harvest. Now the Land of Water region was also stabilizing, and Lord Orochimaru's hard-earned merit was about to vanish again, sabotaged by such underhanded schemes.

Making the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans the ones to take that credit—wasn't that clearly provoking conflict between the two clans and Lord Orochimaru?

In Shisui's eyes, this move was deeply disheartening. Especially after the Uchiha Clan had put in so much effort, a single order could render all their contributions meaningless.

If in the original story, Shisui saw the Third Hokage as a gesture of goodwill from the Hokage Faction, now it felt like the Hokage Faction was constantly provoking the Uchiha. Naturally, resentment began to brew in Shisui's heart.

At that moment, Uchiha Yoru finally understood. Someone in the village didn't want Lord Orochimaru to return with such immense achievements. Otherwise, with the merit of pacifying the borders, anyone with an agenda could rally support to nominate him as the Fifth Generation.

Realizing this, Uchiha Yoru looked at the indignant Shisui and put on a bitter smile, shaking his head. "Shisui, don't overthink it. The Third Hokage may have inherited the Second Hokage's wariness of the Uchiha, but he's definitely a Hokage who upholds the Will of Fire. He wouldn't do this."

In other words, You're starting to doubt the Third Hokage, but I'll take the opposite stance. What makes someone firmly lose faith in the Third?

He was putting in real effort here. He had to present himself to Shisui as someone who steadfastly believed in the village and the Third Hokage, letting Shisui slowly uncover things on his own, so that Shisui would end up trying to convince him, not the other way around.

At this, Shisui looked at Uchiha Yoru's unwavering conviction, opened his mouth as if to speak, then swallowed his dissatisfaction and suspicion toward the Sarutobi Clan back into his gut.

Once vented, it lightened; but bottled up inside, it would ferment until it finally exploded.

Thanks for the support, brothers. The trial push has arrived—much appreciated.