I Ignite Your Regret, Konoha's Little Elder

Inside the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage sat in his office, puffing on his pipe while frowning at the secret intelligence report on his desk.

The spacious office was silent, save for the sound of him sucking on the mouthpiece and the rustle of turning pages.

Rapid footsteps echoed outside the door. Danzo, wrapped in bandages and leaning on a cane, entered with a dark, gloomy gaze and an overbearing aura.

It was as if he were the true master of this building.

"Shisui, promoted to Special Jonin at eleven, the greatest genius of the Uchiha. Such a piece must be held firmly in one's hand. I request that he be transferred to the Root!"

His voice preceded his arrival.

Danzo pushed the door open with a "bang" and strode into the Hokage's office, his face set in its perpetual, sour scowl.

The Third frowned at Danzo and took a few deep drags from his pipe.

"Shisui is working for me in the Anbu. It is not your place to interfere."

Danzo's eyes, hidden beneath the bandages, narrowed into a cold sneer.

"The Anbu! Can the Anbu truly control Shisui?"

"The Uchiha clan has carried the blood of rebellion since birth. The Police Force overstepping their authority, the radical faction's mutiny, and the Nine-Tails incident! You know it in your heart: the Uchiha will rebel sooner or later!"

A sharp glint appeared in his eyes. "Hand Shisui over to me. I will temper his capacity. I will make him the sharpest sword in Konoha, one that will pierce the very heart of the Uchiha!"

The Third exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, his voice rising two octaves.

"Absurd! Do you take the Uchiha for fools? Do you think they are unaware of the Root's methods? Would they stand by and let you ruin the most brilliant genius of their clan? Or do you think I would allow you to run wild in Konoha?!"

Danzo stepped forward, refusing to yield.

"For the inherently evil Uchiha, one must use brainwashing and control to ensure unconditional obedience. I do this for the sake of Konoha!"

To be more persuasive, Danzo pointed toward the Hokage Rock, his voice suddenly growing high and fervent.

"Lord Tobirama reached the conclusion long ago: the Uchiha are a cursed clan that must be kept under control!"

"Shisui is a genius of the Uchiha. As long as he enters the Root, I have the confidence to turn him into the sharpest blade in my possession—one that can both suppress the Uchiha completely and resolve all unstable factors for Konoha!"

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan beneath Danzo's bandages rotated slowly. Having successfully transplanted the eye, he hungered even more for the power of the Uchiha clan.

If he could only force Shisui into the Root, he would have the chance to use this top-tier genius to access the secret ninjutsu of the Uchiha and grasp power equal to that of Uchiha Madara!

When that time came, all of Konoha's problems would cease to be problems.

Under his wise leadership, Konoha would be great once again!

"Enough!"

The Third Hokage slammed his hand on the desk, trembling with rage.

"The Cloud Village is Konoha's greatest enemy. There is constant friction at the borders of our two nations. Do not forget, the war is not yet over!"

"The Cloud Village has already expressed an interest in peace talks; the war will end eventually. One must settle internal affairs before resisting external aggression. The Uchiha are our true heart-disease!"

Danzo did not back down, his tone grim.

Their philosophies were fundamentally different. Seeing that neither could convince the other, the Third, in a fit of anger, played his final trump card.

"Enough! I am the Hokage!"

"I will never agree to drafting an Uchiha genius into the Root during such a sensitive period! We need the strength of the Uchiha clan to end this war!"

Faced with the Third's highly effective attack, Danzo was so furious he began to tremble.

The Third simply did not understand him. He failed to grasp that everything he did was for the sake of their Konoha—he was unworthy of being Hokage!

Short-sighted! A fool not worth conspiring with!

"Hiruzen, you will regret this!"

Bang!

He turned around in a fury, slammed the door, and strode away.

Beneath Konoha, in the secret base of the Root, the corridors were narrow and dim, with only cold, white candlelight reflecting off the patterns on the stone walls.

Danzo walked down the long hall and sat upon the underground throne that belonged only to him.

"My lord."

Two Root ninja knelt on one knee, presented a sealed report, and then fell into a silent, expressionless state, as if they were carved from stone.

Danzo took the report and ran his fingertip over the wax seal. Inside, it recorded the detailed recent movements of Uchiha Shisui—

[Uchiha Shisui, 12 years old, Special Jonin, has awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Known ninjutsu: Body Flicker Technique, Fire Release mastery, Wind Release, Lightning Release, Sharingan Genjutsu, Shadow Clone, Multiple Shadow Clone...

No record of failure in combat against Jonin. Actual strength: Jonin.

Primary activity trajectory: Uchiha compound, Konoha village, Hokage Building.

September 3rd, Anbu duty, patrolling the village's defensive outposts...]

September 12th, injured on a mission, went to the Uchiha Medical Clinic for recuperation and to receive psychological counseling.

September 14th, ...went to the Uchiha Medical Clinic for psychological therapy.

October 3rd, ...psychological therapy.

The subject has participated in high-level Uchiha meetings multiple times, has not expressed a clear stance, his position remains questionable, and he maintains a close relationship with the clan head, Fugaku.

Executed 21 A-rank missions, 52 B-rank missions...]

"Uchiha genius Jonin, personality remains gentle even after awakening the eyes, potential... beyond imagination."

Danzo's fingertips rubbed against the words "Three-Tomoe Sharingan," and a greedy light flashed in the eye hidden beneath his bandages.

The Three-Tomoe is by no means the limit of the Sharingan.

Such a genius must be grasped by the Root organization!

"Who is providing him with psychological therapy?"

"Eri Uchiha's son, Kazuhiko Uchiha, Genin, has not awakened the Sharingan, no special talents. The psychological therapy he leads is merely talk therapy following shallow hypnosis of the target."

"Talk therapy..." Danzo sneered, closed the report, and shut his eyes in contemplation.

Clearly, an Uchiha Genin who only knows how to perform talk therapy is not worth his attention at all.

"Make contact with Uchiha Shisui, persuade him to join Root."

The Anbu ninja looked up, his gaze beneath the mask calm and rippleless:

"Lord, the Third Hokage has explicitly refused to let Uchiha ninjas join Root. If we make contact in private, will it provoke the Hokage?"

"Provoke the Hokage?"

Danzo let out a cold laugh, his hand gripping his cane slowly tightening.

"He is the Konoha bathed in sunlight, while I am the Root in the darkness!"

He stood up, looking toward the Konoha above the Root organization, his tone impassioned:

"What right does he have to be Hokage! The two departments and thirteen clans of Konoha rest upon my shoulders; the words 'Will of Fire' are not for him, Sarutobi, to speak!"

He paused, his eyes becoming even more sinister.

"Tell Shisui that I have seen his talent, but the Konoha high command harbors wariness toward the Uchiha. Caught between the Uchiha and Konoha, he will sooner or later become a sacrifice in the struggle between the two sides."

"Join Root, and he will obtain true power. I will support him without reservation, rather than making him an object of suspicion."

"Additionally, tell him the truth: the high command has already secretly laid out plans to weaken the Uchiha's strength within the Anbu."

"An Uchiha who goes to the Anbu instead of the Military Police Force—not everyone will sit by and watch that happen. If he continues to throw his life away for the Third, he won't even know how he died. Go."

"Yes." The two Root ninjas made no unnecessary movements, turning and melting into the shadows of the corridor as if they had never appeared.

Danzo stood alone by the candlelight, the report on the stone table rustling in the wind.

"Keep an eye on the Uchiha Clinic and see what Eri Uchiha is planning."

"Yes."

The entire underground cavern fell into a deathly silence. He gazed at the Konoha above, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.

"Sarutobi, you are too soft; you don't understand the Uchiha at all. The inherently evil Uchiha must be controlled by me!"