Youhu is a Good Boy

"Come in!"

After hearing the knock at the door, the Third Hokage set down the file in his hand and gave permission to enter.

Just now, he had been browsing through the specific records of Uchiha Youhu.

Uchiha Youhu was orphaned at a young age; his parents had sacrificed their lives on the battlefield of the Ninja World War.

Youhu graduated from the Ninja School at twelve, successfully became a Chunin three years later during the Chunin Exam, and joined the Konoha Guard Division, where he had been working ever since.

In his daily work, Youhu was law-abiding, never used his position to bully others, and often helped ordinary villagers.

He was an emotionally stable Uchiha who possessed the Will of Fire.

The only shortcoming was his lack of strength. At seventeen, he had only just barely awakened the Sharingan. His strength was decent for a Chunin, but among the Uchiha as a whole, he appeared quite mediocre.

If Shisui's report hadn't mentioned Youhu yesterday, he would never have noticed this person's existence.

Furthermore, even though he knew Youhu had slandered him at the clan meeting, the Third Hokage hadn't actually taken it to heart. However, this afternoon, one of his Anbu subordinates came to report.

The report stated that the rumors about him and Fugaku had already spread through nearly half of Konoha and were showing a trend of spreading uncontrollably.

This caused a strong sense of crisis to well up in the Third Hokage's heart, leaving him no choice but to summon Youhu.

Pulling back his wandering thoughts, the Third Hokage looked at the Youhu standing before him. Youhu appeared somewhat reserved, his face still full of youthful innocence; he looked just like a teenager waiting for punishment after doing something wrong.

While the Third Hokage was looking at Youhu, Youhu was also observing the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage was just a thin, scrawny old man—it was no wonder he had the nickname "Monkey" in his youth. Yet, Youhu knew that beneath this scrawny exterior, the Third Hokage hid terrifying power.

During the Nine-Tails Night, this old man had gone up and engaged in close combat with the Nine-Tails with nothing but a staff.

Judging by that level of power, if he didn't activate his Susanoo, he would find it hard to put up a fight.

After the two stared at each other for a few seconds, the Third Hokage took the initiative to speak: "Uchiha Youhu, do you know why I asked you here today?"

Without waiting for the Third Hokage to continue, Youhu said with an apprehensive expression:

"Is it because of what happened at the clan meeting last night? I was in a bad mood at the meeting yesterday and had a bit to drink, so I fabricated that scandal about you and the Clan Head, saying that your sexual orientation was... problematic..."

"Hokage-sama, I really didn't mean it. I was just upset by some of the speeches at the clan meeting, so I was just talking nonsense."

Seeing Youhu calmly admit to the slander while proactively mentioning what had happened at the Uchiha clan meeting, the Third Hokage was incredibly surprised.

In his eyes, the vast majority of Uchiha ninjas were resistant and hostile toward the Hokage Building.

He hadn't expected Youhu to proactively bring up the events of the clan meeting.

This made the Third Hokage grow even more interested in this seemingly ordinary Uchiha youth. "Youhu, I didn't call you here for matters regarding the clan meeting. You Uchiha can handle your own internal affairs."

"However, what did you mean by the slander you mentioned earlier? And saying that there was something wrong with my sexual orientation?"

It's over. Does the Hokage not actually know?

If I had known, I wouldn't have said it...

Youhu revealed a look of deep regret and then said, "Hokage-sama, are you really not looking for me because of the clan meeting?"

"Of course not. I called you here this time because I want to bridge the gap between the village and the Uchiha..."

The Third Hokage nodded slightly, then continued, "You should also know that the relationship between the Uchiha and the village is currently not harmonious. I have been trying to find ways to improve this situation."

"You mentioned earlier that there were some speeches at the clan meeting that made you feel indignant. What exactly were you referring to?"

"It was Elder Yachiyo and the others..."

Youhu reported the names of the Uchiha Hawks' elders to the Third Hokage. The Third Hokage was not unfamiliar with these names; they were very capable Uchiha Jonin, and back in the day, they were considered his juniors.

After listening to Youhu's report, which was delivered all at once, the Third Hokage became even more curious about him.

Comparing this to the intelligence obtained from Shisui, Youhu was not deceiving him. He had relayed the contents of the clan meeting entirely. Within the Uchiha, such behavior could be considered betraying the clan.

Why exactly would Youhu stand on the side of the village?

The Third Hokage wanted to hear Youhu's perspective.

"Youhu, what is your take on the coup that Uchiha Yachiyo and the others are planning? What kind of impact do you think a coup would have on the village's situation?"

The Third Hokage's bluntness caused Youhu to fall silent. He hesitated and said, "Hokage-sama, I'm a bit afraid to speak. Is the soundproofing here good?"

The Third Hokage nodded slightly. "Rest assured, no third person will know about the conversation between you and me."

Youhu thought for a moment, then imitated Shisui's tone as he spoke:

"I believe that if the clan attempts to launch a coup, it will be a dead end. The village would suffer heavy casualties and be severely weakened in order to suppress the clan, and the other major ninja villages would take the opportunity to invade."

"The village would very likely fall into an irreparable situation."

Realizing that the Third Hokage had no intention of acting against him, Youhu decided to walk Shisui's path and leave Shisui with nowhere to go. Isn't it just about defecting to the Hokage faction and becoming a double agent?

Who couldn't do that?

This child is similar to Shisui and has value for cultivation.

The Third Hokage thought to himself. He saw Shisui's shadow in Youhu. When Shisui first joined the Anbu, he had received a similar answer.

Shisui had been influenced by Kagami, who had spent his life dedicated to integrating the Uchiha into Konoha.

After becoming Hokage, he had also wanted Kagami to serve as his Hokage Assistant to fill the vacancy in the high-level positions of the Uchiha.

Unfortunately, during a mission later on, Kagami Uchiha and his squad were sacrificed. To this day, their bodies remain missing, becoming an unsolved mystery within the village.

If he could also have Youhu join the Anbu and become his subordinate...

Perhaps a third or fourth Uchiha who yearns for such an existence would emerge within the clan, and the conflict between the village and the Uchiha would be resolved as a result.

However, before that, he had to test this Uchiha youth standing before him.

He needed to see if he was truly loyal to Konoha like Shisui, or if he was harboring malicious intent, seeking to gain his favor by pledging loyalty in order to secretly pass intelligence to the Uchiha.

Thinking of this, the Third Hokage spoke slowly:

"Youhu, the fact that you can foresee the consequences of an Uchiha coup and are willing to think from the village's perspective, rather than simply venting anger and complaining, means you have already surpassed most of the Uchiha clan members. I am very satisfied."

"But..."

The Third Hokage changed his tone, suddenly staring at Youhu as he said, "If one day a conflict truly breaks out between the village and the clan, which side will you stand on?"

Youhu met the Third Hokage's gaze and replied without hesitation:

"Regardless of whether it is the village or the clan, I will not give up on either. I will not let that day come to pass."