The Hokage Building,
"Fugaku Uchiha is no longer the head of the Uchiha Clan, and Uchiha Sōken has become the new clan head... Kakashi, are you sure this isn't a joke?" The Third, who had been up all night, widened his eyes and stared in disbelief at Kakashi, who was kneeling before his desk.
"Yes. Fugaku Uchiha told me so himself. More than a hundred Uchiha Clan members from the Police Force were there at the time, so I doubt he was joking."
Kakashi dutifully reported what he had seen and heard on his visit.
To be honest,
if he hadn't experienced it firsthand, he would have found it unbelievable too. In fact, even as someone who had witnessed it himself, he'd been full of doubts at the time—and they still hadn't gone away.
The Third questioned him repeatedly, and finally confirmed that Kakashi wasn't lying and showed no signs of being under Genjutsu... In other words, the Uchiha Clan really had undergone a dramatic change. The seasoned Fugaku Uchiha had stepped down, replaced as clan head by the mere fifteen-year-old Uchiha Sōken.
"...This... really isn't good news!"
The Third's head began to ache, the veins near his temples throbbing.
To be honest, Fugaku Uchiha had always looked like a terrifying brute, but once you understood how he operated, he wasn't difficult to deal with. Now, though, he'd been replaced by that Uchiha Sōken... Recalling their recent clash in the Forest, the boy had been young, but he was even harder to fool than Fugaku Uchiha.
And this,
was the best proof of all: the Resignation Letter Kakashi had brought back.
Uchiha Shisui... He was Kagami's descendant. The Third had planned to bring the boy over to his side, but unfortunately, Shisui had never managed to break free of his clan identity. Though he cared about the village, he couldn't abandon his clan either, leaving the Third deeply disappointed.
Fortunately, he'd later discovered another boy named Itachi.
His talent and intelligence were no less than Shisui's, and his understanding of the Will of Fire was clearly deeper. He was just a little younger, so it would probably be a few more years before he could be put to use.
To be honest, the Third wasn't too concerned about whether Uchiha Shisui would leave the Anbu. Though Shisui hadn't managed to transcend his clan's limitations, the Third still believed he was unlikely to turn against the village. There was no need to be overly wary of someone like him.
By comparison,
he was more concerned about what new moves Uchiha Sōken, that troublesome boy, might make. He had a feeling the boy was nothing like the obedient Fugaku Uchiha. Once he had secured his positions as head of the Uchiha Clan and director of the Police Force, he would definitely cause the Third a great deal of trouble.
"No, I can't just sit by and do nothing... A fifteen-year-old boy leading a clan is absurd..."
The Third furrowed his brow.
He began to consider the matter in secret. He absolutely couldn't just let this go. He had to find a way to deal with Uchiha Sōken, that troublesome brat. Even if he couldn't kill him, he had to find a way to drive him from his position as head of the Uchiha Clan.
But he couldn't accomplish this alone.
Interfering in a clan's internal affairs was a grave taboo. Even though the Uchiha were unpopular, he needed to win over as many supporters as possible first—especially the Hyuga and Aburame Clans. Fortunately, the Uchiha weren't well liked in the village, and given their history with the Nine-Tails' Rampage, it wouldn't be hard to secure the support of the other clans.
"Kakashi!"
The Third called out to the boy, who was kneeling silently before his desk like a scarecrow.
"Go find the two Elder Advisors and tell them I have urgent business to discuss. Ask them to come to my office as soon as possible."
"Yes, Hokage."
Kakashi took his leave.
The Third called over an Anbu member as well and gave him a similar order, except this time he replaced the two Elder Advisors with the Hokage's aide—that is, that fellow Danzo.
Time flew by. Before long, the sun had set, and the eastern sky had begun to lighten. Without anyone noticing, the sun leaped above the horizon, its dazzling rays driving away the last traces of night and awakening the village from its sleep.
"Morning, Chihaya."
Sōken was retying his loosened belt when Uchiha Chihaya came through the door. He greeted her.
"You're already up!"
Uchiha Chihaya glanced regretfully at the long sofa, still marked with the traces of someone having slept on it.
"I'm not a little kid anymore!"
Sōken shook his head helplessly.
When he was little, perhaps because his body hadn't fully developed yet, or for some other reason, he'd found it especially hard to get up. No matter the season, every morning he'd stayed curled up in bed, unable to drag himself out. Luckily, he'd had a childhood friend who loved waking him up. She'd come over early every morning to rouse him, treating the whole thing like a game.
"Is Shisui up yet?"
They'd all stayed at the Police Force headquarters last night instead of going home to the clan compound. Sōken had made do with a little sleep on the sofa in the office, which now belonged to him. As for Shisui... A place as large as the Police Force headquarters naturally had more than one sofa.
"I don't know!"
Uchiha Chihaya replied without hesitation.
She only liked waking Sōken up. It was a habit she'd had since childhood. As for anyone else... that had nothing to do with her.
"You don't know... Sigh! All right. Chihaya, get me some breakfast. I'll go brush my teeth and wash my face."
Sōken picked up a new toothbrush, toothpaste, and towel and went to wash up.
He quickly cleaned himself up. When he returned to the office, he found breakfast laid out on his desk: two slices of golden-brown toast, a strip of fried bacon, a round fried egg, and a steaming cup of milk. Shisui was sitting on the sofa, munching on a slice of bread.
"Shisui, how was sleeping on the sofa?"
"Pretty good. It was definitely better than the tents we slept in on the battlefield."
"True enough."
Sōken chuckled. Honestly, after going to war, most hardships didn't seem that hard anymore. Back on the battlefield, they'd slept with one eye open, their hands gripping their weapons, always ready to fight.
"By the way, where's Chihaya? Have you seen her?"
"She went out to practice her swordsmanship."
"She really is diligent. She doesn't take a single day off!"
"Sōken, are we setting out as soon as we've eaten?"
Shisui chewed his bread as he spoke. His words were a little muffled, but Sōken could still understand him.
"Yeah. The sooner we go and come back, the sooner we can deal with this problem. That'll put my mind at ease..."
Sōken took his seat at the desk and began devouring the breakfast on his plate.
Before you continue