Chapter Eleven: Youhu Was a Good Kid

"Come in!"

Hearing the knock at the door, the Third Hokage set down the files in his hands and called for the visitor to come in.

He had been looking through Uchiha Youhu's personal records.

Uchiha Youhu had lost both his parents at a young age. They had died on the battlefield during the Ninja World War.

Youhu had graduated from the Ninja School at twelve. Three years later, he had passed the Chunin Ninja Exams and become a Chunin. He had joined the Konoha Guard Division, where he had worked ever since.

In his daily work, Youhu had obeyed the law and never abused his position. He also often helped ordinary villagers.

He was a levelheaded Uchiha with the Will of Fire.

His only shortcoming was his lack of strength. At seventeen, he had only just managed to awaken his Sharingan. He was considered a decent Chunin, but among the Uchiha as a whole, he was remarkably mediocre.

If Shisui hadn't mentioned Youhu in his report yesterday, the Third Hokage wouldn't have noticed him at all.

And even after learning that Youhu had smeared him at the Uchiha Clan Meeting, the Third Hokage hadn't taken it particularly seriously. But that afternoon, one of his Anbu had come to report that rumors about him and Fugaku had spread through nearly half of Konoha, and seemed to be growing more widespread by the hour.

A powerful sense of crisis welled up in the Third Hokage, leaving him no choice but to summon Youhu.

Pulling his wandering thoughts back, the Third Hokage studied the young man before him. Youhu seemed a little ill at ease, his youthful face still full of innocence. He looked like a boy who had done something wrong and was waiting to be punished.

As the Third Hokage studied Youhu, Youhu studied him in turn.

The Third Hokage was a thin, elderly man. No wonder he had been nicknamed "Monkey" in his youth. But Youhu knew that beneath that gaunt exterior lay a truly fearsome power.

During Nine-Tails Night, the old man had gone straight at the Nine-Tails with nothing but a staff, fighting it in close combat.

Judging by that kind of strength, Youhu would have little chance against him unless he activated Susanoo.

After watching each other for a few seconds, the Third Hokage spoke first. "Uchiha Youhu, do you know why I called you here today?"

Before the Third Hokage could say anything else, Youhu said nervously,

"It's because of what happened at the clan meeting last night. I was in a bad mood, and I'd had a little to drink, so I made up that rumor about you and the Clan Head. I said there was something wrong with your sexual orientation..."

"Hokage, I really didn't mean to. I was just angry about some of the things people said at the clan meeting, so I blurted it out."

The Third Hokage was taken aback when Youhu openly admitted to spreading the slander and even brought up what had happened at the Uchiha Clan Meeting himself.

In his eyes, most Uchiha Ninja resented and opposed the Hokage Building.

And yet Youhu had brought up the clan meeting on his own.

That made the Third Hokage all the more interested in this seemingly ordinary Uchiha boy. "Youhu, I didn't call you here because of the clan meeting. The Uchiha's internal affairs are for the Uchiha to handle."

"But what did you mean by slander just now? And by saying there's something wrong with my sexual orientation?"

I'm done for. The Hokage didn't know about it?

I shouldn't have said anything...

Youhu looked deeply regretful before asking, "Hokage, you really didn't call me here because of the clan meeting?"

"Of course not. I called you here because I want to improve relations between the village and the Uchiha."

The Third Hokage nodded, then continued, "You should know that relations between the Uchiha and the village aren't good right now. I've been trying to find a way to improve the situation."

"You said some of the things at the clan meeting made you angry. What exactly were they?"

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

Youhu listed the names of the Uchiha Hawks' clan elders. The Third Hokage knew the name, too. Yachiyo was a powerful Uchiha Jonin who had been his Junior back in the day.

After listening to Youhu's full account, the Third Hokage became even more curious about him.

Comparing Youhu's account with the information he'd received from Shisui, he could tell Youhu wasn't lying. He had repeated everything that had happened at the clan meeting. Within the Uchiha, such behavior could be considered betraying the clan.

Why had Youhu chosen to stand with the village?

The Third Hokage wanted to hear what he thought.

"Youhu, what do you think about Uchiha Yachiyo and the others wanting to stage a coup? What impact do you think a coup would have on the village?"

The Third Hokage's bluntness left Youhu silent for a moment. He hesitated before saying, "Hokage, I'm not sure I dare to speak freely. Is this room soundproof?"

The Third Hokage nodded. "Don't worry. No one else will hear this conversation."

Youhu thought it over, then imitated Shisui's tone.

"I think a coup would spell certain death for the clan. The village would also suffer heavy casualties putting down the clan, leaving it severely weakened. The other Major Ninja Villages would take the opportunity to invade."

"The village could end up in a hopeless situation."

Realizing the Third Hokage wasn't planning to do anything to him, Youhu decided to follow Shisui's Path and leave Shisui nowhere to go. Wasn't that just joining the Hokage Faction and becoming a double agent?

Anyone could do that.

This boy reminds me of Shisui. He's worth cultivating.

The Third Hokage thought to himself that Youhu reminded him of Shisui. When Shisui had joined the Anbu, he had given a similar answer.

Shisui had been influenced by Kagami, who had always worked to help the Uchiha become part of Konoha.

After becoming Hokage, he had also wanted Kagami to serve as Hokage Assistant, filling the Uchiha's vacant place among the High Officials.

Unfortunately, Kagami and his squad had been killed during a mission. His body had never been found, and the incident had become an Unsolved Mystery within the village.

If Youhu could join the Anbu and become one of his subordinates, too...

Perhaps a third or even a fourth Uchiha who yearned to belong would emerge. The conflict between the village and the Uchiha might then disappear.

But first, he had to put the Uchiha boy before him to the test.

He needed to find out whether Youhu was loyal to Konoha, like Shisui, or secretly scheming—trying to win his favor by professing loyalty while quietly passing information to the Uchiha.

With that in mind, the Third Hokage spoke slowly:

"Youhu, you can see what the consequences of a Uchiha Coup would be, and you're willing to consider things from the village's perspective instead of simply venting your anger and resentment. You've already surpassed most Uchiha. I'm very pleased."

"But..."

The Third Hokage changed tack and fixed his gaze on Youhu. "If the village and your clan ever truly came into conflict, which side would you choose?"

Meeting the Third Hokage's eyes, Youhu answered without hesitation:

"I won't abandon either the village or my clan. I won't let that day come."