Sarutobi Hiruzen's Schemes

"Greetings, Hokage-sama!"

Uchiha Shūichi bowed respectfully. The old man wearing a hat was none other than the current Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Shūichi, you're here! You've worked hard lately."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was short, and at that moment he looked kind and benevolent. It was hard to imagine that he was the Hokage who wielded the greatest force in the Shinobi World.

But Uchiha Shūichi wouldn't underestimate the old man before him. Of all the Hokage throughout history, the Third Hokage might have ranked near the bottom in terms of strength. But when it came to cunning, in some respects, he could be called the strongest Hokage of all.

The fact that the Third Hokage had managed to keep Konoha stable for so many years was proof enough of his methods.

Maintaining stability while a ninja village was thriving was easy enough. But keeping one stable when it was in decline was no simple feat.

Empress Dowager Cixi had sold out her country and was forever branded with the shame of history, yet even she had managed to keep the dying Qing Dynasty barely afloat—a feat that was hardly within the reach of an ordinary person.

In short, you could call people like that wicked, but you could never call them incompetent! And you certainly couldn't call them stupid or lacking in brains!

All this time, the opponent who had put the most pressure on Uchiha Shūichi while he was in disguise had been the Third Hokage.

"It hasn't been hard... But, Hokage-sama, do you know anything about Shisui?"

A hint of apprehension crossed Uchiha Shūichi's face as he asked. At his words, the Third Hokage furrowed his brow and took another puff from his pipe.

"Shisui... That's a very sad matter, but I really don't know what happened to him."

It was obviously a lie. Uchiha Shūichi saw through it almost instantly.

Uchiha Shisui had revealed his Kotoamatsukami ability to the Third Hokage. Then he had suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a suicide note. Anyone could figure out that something must have happened to him.

Apart from Hiruzen Sarutobi, only Shimura Danzō knew about Uchiha Shisui's Kotoamatsukami. Even if Hiruzen hadn't known about Shimura Danzō's actions beforehand, he should have had a good idea of what happened after Uchiha Shisui's death.

But in reality, how could Hiruzen Sarutobi have known nothing about Shimura Danzō's actions?

Knowing his old comrade as well as he did, could Hiruzen really not have guessed what Shimura Danzō would do after learning about Kotoamatsukami? Perhaps Hiruzen had even tacitly approved of Shimura Danzō's actions!

"Is that so? So even you don't know, Hokage-sama! Never mind... Did you call me here for something?"

The Third Hokage opened his mouth, then fell silent for a moment. He had actually summoned Uchiha Shūichi to ask about Uchiha Shisui.

The Third Hokage did know what had happened to Uchiha Shisui. He even knew that Shimura Danzō hadn't killed him—he had only taken one of his Mangekyo Sharingan.

But had Uchiha Shisui, after losing his Mangekyo, really died as his suicide note claimed? That was something the Third Hokage didn't know.

Even if Uchiha Shisui had died, where had his Mangekyo ended up? The Third Hokage didn't believe that someone like Uchiha Shisui would waste such a powerful Mangekyo Sharingan with its Kotoamatsukami ability.

If Uchiha Shisui had entrusted someone with a contingency plan, the most likely candidates were Uchiha Shūichi and Uchiha Itachi. That was why he had come to sound him out.

But Uchiha Shūichi had turned around and asked him instead, leaving the Hokage at a loss for words.

After a brief pause, the Third Hokage simply changed the subject.

"Shūichi, I'd like to know what was discussed at yesterday's Uchiha Clan meeting."

"Same as always. They complained about the village and talked about staging a coup. But Shisui's suicide seems to have scared them, so they won't be taking any action for now.

"Still, the Uchiha Clan all believe that Shisui died because of Konoha. So although the coup has been called off, their hatred of Konoha may have grown even stronger."

The Third Hokage nodded in understanding. He already knew what had been discussed at the Uchiha Clan meeting. Asking Uchiha Shūichi about it had merely been a test of his loyalty.

It seemed that Uchiha Shūichi hadn't hidden anything. He had revealed everything that had happened at the clan meeting.

That wasn't enough to clear Uchiha Shūichi of all suspicion, but it did lessen the Third Hokage's doubts somewhat.

"Sigh... The Uchiha are still members of Konoha, after all. Shūichi, you don't need to be so hostile toward them."

"Yes, I understand, Hokage-sama."

Uchiha Shūichi agreed, but his expression suggested he didn't entirely mean it. That only made the Third Hokage trust him more.

As for why the Third Hokage trusted Uchiha Shūichi so much, it all came down to Shūichi's parents.

Uchiha Shūichi's parents had died during the Nine-Tails Night. As everyone knew, when the Nine-Tails broke free of its seal, its eyes had borne the pattern of the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.

The shinobi of Konoha had suspected that the Nine-Tails' escape was a plot by the Uchiha Clan. Uchiha Shūichi had seized on this and acted especially vehemently in front of the Third Hokage, claiming the Uchiha Clan had killed his parents. Naturally, this had earned him the Third Hokage's trust.

The Third Hokage couldn't help but trust him. Other things could be faked, but the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan couldn't!

Of all the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai, the hardest part was awakening the Sharingan for the first time; it required an immense emotional shock. Awakening the second and third tomoe, by contrast, was much easier.

Uchiha Shūichi had awakened his Sharingan because of his parents' deaths. That showed how deep his bond with them must have been, and how much he must have hated the Uchiha Clan for causing their deaths.

Otherwise, an old fox like the Third Hokage wouldn't have trusted someone so easily.

After a brief silence, the Third Hokage spoke again, his expression serious.

"Shūichi, I suspect someone else may have been behind Uchiha Shisui's situation. I want you to keep an eye on the Uchiha Clan for me."

"Do you suspect the Uchiha Clan, Hokage-sama? As far as I know, Uchiha Shisui had awakened the Mangekyo. If someone was capable of killing him, they must have been an Uchiha who had also awakened the Mangekyo. It might even have been the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Night!"

The Third Hokage knew full well how Uchiha Shisui had died, but he couldn't reveal any of that information.

And seeing how agitated Uchiha Shūichi was, he felt that this might work out well. Shūichi could help him investigate more effectively.