"Itachi, I never expected you to work here in your spare time..."
Youhu found a place to sit. Looking at Itachi, who was staring at the screen, he continued, "No wonder people in the clan are always complaining that you refuse to share information. You can't gather much information here, either."
"I'll tell Clan Head about it one of these days. It's not an attitude problem—you're simply not capable enough."
"..."
Itachi slowly turned around. After shifting his gaze to Youhu, he turned back to the surveillance monitors.
Before yesterday, Itachi had been unfamiliar with the name Youhu. He only knew that there was such a clan brother among the Uchiha—usually sunny and cheerful, but not particularly strong.
He had only awakened the Sharingan in his teens, and had shown nothing noteworthy in the Chunin Ninja Exams.
But what had happened yesterday had made him remember the name Youhu very firmly. He could not forget the rumors Youhu had spread, nor could he forget how Youhu had made his parents divorce and made his father marry the Third Hokage.
This was simply nonsense, destroying the already precarious relationship between the clan and the village.
Third Hokage had no idea what he was thinking. Why would he let someone like this join the Anbu? Did Third Hokage believe that Youhu was also an Uchiha who leaned toward the village?
Itachi really could not understand it. Even with his "Hokage Mindset," he still could not understand.
Seeing that Senju Itachi was unwilling to answer, Youhu grew more and more interested. He leaned over to the former and said:
"Itachi, why aren't you saying anything? Have you started looking down on your Youhu-ge?"
"Listen, when it comes to work, don't take it too seriously. Any credit we earn by working overtime belongs to Captain Kakashi. Only slacking off truly belongs to us."
"What's there to monitor in the clan compound? Isn't Hokage afraid of a Clan Coup? With Hokage's strength, stopping the Uchiha Coup would be easy. At worst, the village would fall into Civil War."
What are you talking about? Can you just say something like a coup whenever you want?
Faced with Youhu's shocking words, even the normally calm Uchiha Itachi could not help being moved. He frowned and said:
"Youhu-ge, this is the Anbu. Please stop talking nonsense. There has never been any talk of a coup within the clan. Our work is simply to protect the village's safety."
"All right, all right. I know we need to keep it confidential. After all, you're also my Anbu senior."
Youhu's tone was extremely perfunctory, but he showed no sign of stopping. "After Shisui rescued me before, he put on that same stern expression. The clan members don't really want a coup, either. They're only venting at clan meetings."
"We Must Believe in the Hokage's far-sightedness. Under Hokage's leadership, no one will want a coup."
Uchiha Itachi's brows drew tightly together. He felt that Youhu was not quite right. What did Youhu think a coup was—a little squabble between students at the Ninja School?
If a coup really happened, the village's current peace would vanish completely.
Thinking of this, Uchiha Itachi lowered his voice. "Youhu-ge, please be serious. Otherwise, I'll apply to the higher-ups to stop being assigned to the same squad as you. Do you even have the clan and the village in your eyes anymore?"
Youhu's gaze shifted, and his voice changed from cheerful to serious.
"Itachi, do you really think I don't know about the conflict between the clan and the village? Do you really think I don't know what consequences a Clan Coup would bring? Third Lord wouldn't casually plant an Uchiha in the Anbu."
"But what good does knowing all that do? Can you Save The Clan and the village?"
"The clan is quietly purchasing military supplies. Are you going to report it or not? If you do, the High Officials will decide to deal with the Uchiha. If you hide it, the clan members' ambitions will continue to swell until they devour the entire Uchiha clan."
"You and Shisui have endured humiliation while staying at Hokage's side. Have you actually changed anything?"
Hearing this, Uchiha Itachi felt as though he had been struck by thunder. Up to now, it seemed that nothing he and Shisui had done had achieved any effect. They had not even managed to suppress the clan members' talk of a coup.
Instead, Youhu had accidentally used an utterly absurd lie to divert the clan members' attention, shifting the clan's focus from the coup to digging up Scandalous Information about Hokage.
In this regard, he and Shisui were far inferior to Youhu.
Seeing Uchiha Itachi fall silent, Youhu continued, "Itachi, I know you have a problem with me, but do you still think my suggestion is wrong?"
"Making your parents divorce and having your father marry Third Hokage is the best way to stop the clan members from launching a coup."
"It would satisfy the clan members' wish to have a Hokage Husband, while also elevating your status. Perhaps you could even become Konoha's Hokage in the future."
"All you need to do is persuade your parents to make a small sacrifice."
"Otherwise, there is only one other way to Save The Clan and the village."
As he said this, Youhu's gaze sharpened. He whispered like a Demon:
"The head of the Uchiha Clan is Fugaku, and Fugaku Clan Head is also at the core of the coup."
"As long as you can kill your father and defect, you can likewise divert the conflict within the clan. This is also a form of sacrifice. By sacrificing your father's life, you can save the village from the brink of disaster."
"You don't want to cause trouble for Hokage, do you?"
After saying this, Youhu returned to his joking tone and said with a grin, "Everything above was made up by me. Just listen casually, Itachi. The clan and the village are flourishing; it's only a small misunderstanding."
"As long as we work together, the clan will eventually integrate into the village."
"I won't attack clan members for no reason. And you're Fugaku Clan Head's good son, so how could you ever attack your own family? At least as far as I'm concerned, I wouldn't be willing to sacrifice one person to Save The Clan."
"After all, who knows whether the next person sacrificed might be me?"
"Youhu-ge, don't make jokes like that anymore..."
Itachi said with lingering fear. He felt that Youhu was a Demon who could toy with people's hearts at will. The only thing worth celebrating was that this Demon favored both the clan and the village, and at most would only make some rather vicious jokes.
But that might not remain true in the future. For the sake of the village's peace, he would have to keep an eye on Youhu.
At that moment, Youhu, who was watching the screen, noticed a black dot flash past near the Konoha Barrier. He called out to Itachi:
"Itachi, rewind the surveillance feed on your right by five seconds. Someone crossed the Konoha Barrier."
Itachi paused slightly. Following Youhu's instructions, he rewound the surveillance footage by a few seconds. After focusing on it, he indeed saw an inconspicuous black dot in the image.
After enlarging the black dot, they saw a blurry humanoid figure. The indistinct figure had crossed the Konoha Barrier without triggering any alarm.
The next moment, that figure vanished into a vortex and never appeared again.
Seeing this, Itachi fell into deep silence. He felt that this person looked vaguely familiar.
Before you continue