What Should I Do?

After a moment of silence, Hatake Sakumo suddenly spoke. "Kō, what should I do? Should I tell Lord Hokage?"

Uchiha Kō shook his head. "There's no need. Lord Hokage was the one who gave you the order. It's good to have a mind of your own, but if you tell Lord Hokage now, you'll be forcing him to go back on his word."

"Even if you mean well, that could make the Hokage resent you. Better to... play along. Leave tonight and go to the location marked on the map, then..."

He whispered the last few words into Hatake Sakumo's ear. Sakumo nodded. "I understand, Kō!"

Uchiha Kō glanced out the window. The moon shone brightly in the starless sky, and a cool breeze blew in, making him shiver. He sighed. "Let's pretend I never came tonight. Oh, and one more thing, Lord Sakumo: the tallest tree catches the wind. Remember to conceal your strength. Konoha isn't as simple as you think."

With that, Uchiha Kō rose and walked out of the study. He reached the door, gripped the handle, and pressed down. The door opened.

Uchiha Kō looked up in surprise. Madam Meiko was standing guard by the entrance, looking quite intent.

When Meiko saw the study door open and Uchiha Kō emerge, she gave him a formal smile, then opened the front door.

Uchiha Kō nodded and left the Hatake Clan compound. He had guessed who was behind this, but it wasn't appropriate to tell Hatake Sakumo. The more you knew, the more exhausted you became.

Hatake Sakumo was a sharp blade, so sharp that even the person wielding it had to handle it with care. Any mission he was sent on was completed flawlessly.

It was precisely because of his immense talent and his failure to keep it in check that the Third Hokage feared him and Shimura Danzō envied him. In the end, Sakumo couldn't live with himself and took his own life.

Though the Third Hokage knew in his later years that Sakumo was a loyal and outstanding shinobi, he didn't dare take the risk. What if, one day, Sakumo's supporters encouraged him to challenge the Hokage? Would his position still be secure?

After all, Sarutobi Hiruzen became obsessed with power and held on to it until the moment he died. What about the Fourth Hokage, you ask?

The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, was indeed a civilian-born shinobi. He was Jiraiya's student and Sarutobi Hiruzen's grandstudent. After becoming Hokage, he didn't build his own faction, out of respect for his master's master.

He consulted the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, about everything. This greatly satisfied Hiruzen's desire to control power. In other words, the Fourth Hokage was Hiruzen's puppet.

Fugaku had even gone to see Namikaze Minato and hinted at it repeatedly, both directly and indirectly. Minato only talked about the weather and scenery, never politics, leaving Uchiha Fugaku deeply worried.

The other clans were watching, too. After all, compared with Sarutobi Hiruzen, they preferred the politically inexperienced, mild-mannered Namikaze Minato.

The Uchiha's failure to get through to him also led the other clans to give up on their own ideas and stop visiting Namikaze Minato.

But I digress. Let's get back to the point.

This time, Uchiha Kō had arranged for Hatake Sakumo to deliberately fail his mission, and he'd also prepared all sorts of excuses for him. The rest was up to Sakumo.

He'd said what needed to be said. Whether Sakumo listened was up to him. Being an undefeated general sounded impressive, but it could easily make a ruler suspicious.

Powerful enough to threaten the ruler—that wasn't just a saying.

Just as Uchiha Kō stepped out of the Hatake Clan compound, five Uchiha shinobi appeared before him.

They knelt together. "Sixth Elder, the clan head ordered us to bring you to a meeting."

Uchiha Kō paused, then smiled. "All right, get up. We're all members of the same clan. Don't kneel at the drop of a hat. A man's knees are worth their weight in gold. From now on, you don't need to kneel when you see me. Lead the way."

Uchiha Kō's remark about a man's knees being worth their weight in gold made the Uchiha shinobi pause. Something stirred in their hearts. None of the other elders had ever said such a thing.

Even the Fourth Elder of the Dove Faction, though gentle in manner, still carried the air of an elder's superiority. But Uchiha Kō didn't. They could feel that he meant what he said.

The others looked to the shinobi at the head of the group. After a moment's thought, he said, "Everyone, do as the Sixth Elder says. Get up first!"

Then he introduced himself. "Sixth Elder, I'm Uchiha Don. Please follow me."

Uchiha Kō nodded. "All right. I'll remember you, Don."

"Yes!" Uchiha Don nodded, then led the other four shinobi on ahead. Uchiha Kō smiled faintly and followed.

Ding! Congratulations, host, on giving Nawaki the 2090 Blast-Proof Suit. Rewards will be issued after the battle with Sunagakure.

Ding! Congratulations, host, on slightly changing Hatake Sakumo's thinking. Reward: 5,000 points and the Body Flicker Technique.

The chakra circulation path for the Body Flicker Technique appeared in Uchiha Kō's mind in an instant. Smiling, he looked at the shinobi up ahead and circulated his chakra without forming Hand Seals.

In an instant, Uchiha Kō flickered forward several times and drew level with the shinobi. "Hey, Don, I'll wait for you at the entrance to the clan compound!" With that, Uchiha Kō flickered forward again and again.

The five Uchiha shinobi gaped. They'd seen the Body Flicker Technique before, but never one performed so smoothly. And it consumed a lot of chakra—how did Uchiha Kō seem to have an endless supply?

The five shinobi exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and began forming Hand Seals to use the Body Flicker Technique. Even so, they couldn't catch up with Uchiha Kō as he continued flickering ahead.

A short while later, Uchiha Kō appeared at the entrance to the clan compound. The Uchiha guards on watch hurriedly bowed to him. "Sixth Elder, please come in. The clan head is organizing the meeting."

Uchiha Kō shook his head. "I'll wait. There are still people who haven't arrived." His voice carried a hint of amusement.

Still not here? The guard looked confused, but didn't dare ask. He returned to his post and stood motionless, guarding the entrance to the compound.

About three minutes later, Uchiha Kō looked back the way he'd come, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth. The five youngsters had finally arrived. He waved. "Hey! You finally made it!"

Uchiha Don and the others had run the last stretch instead of using the Body Flicker Technique. Good grief, it consumed far too much chakra. If they used it one more time, they might run out completely!

Struggling through the exhaustion from their depleted chakra, they ran up beside Uchiha Kō. They noticed he wasn't even breathing hard and was still smiling at them.

As expected of the youngest elder, the Sixth Elder truly lived up to his reputation. They were convinced.

Uchiha Kō chuckled. "You young people need more exercise." He patted Uchiha Don on the shoulder.

Uchiha Don's face was red, and he spoke haltingly. "E-Elder... you're... so strong! We... we can't... can't compare to you!"

Uchiha Kō shook his head. "Want to rest for a bit?" Seeing Uchiha Don like that made him feel a little guilty. He'd gotten carried away and forgotten to think about the others.

Uchiha Don shook his head, took a deep breath, and forced himself to rally. "Please, Elder, follow me." He led the way, trembling.