At the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage sat in his office, puffing away as he studied the secret intelligence on his desk, his brows furrowed.
Apart from the sound of him drawing on his pipe and turning pages, the spacious office was silent.
Hurried footsteps sounded outside the door. Wrapped in bandages and leaning on a cane, Danzo strode in with a gloomy, sinister look and an air of authority.
He looked as though he were the master of this building.
"Shisui became a Special Jōnin at eleven. He's the Uchiha Clan's greatest prodigy. A pawn like that must be firmly in our grasp. I'm requesting that he be assigned to Root!"
Before he appeared, his voice had already announced him.
Danzo shoved the door open with a bang and strode into the Hokage Office, wearing the same shabby expression he always did.
The Third Hokage frowned at Danzo, held down his pipe, and took several deep draws.
"Shisui works for me in Anbu. It's not your place to interfere."
The eyes beneath Danzo's bandages narrowed, and he sneered.
"Anbu! Can Anbu control Shisui?"
"The Uchiha Clan has had the blood of rebellion flowing through its veins since birth. The Military Police Force overstepped its authority, the radicals rebelled, and then there was the Nine-Tails Incident! You know it yourself: it's only a matter of time before the Uchiha turn against us!"
His eyes gleamed. "Hand Shisui over to me. I'll hone his potential and make him Konoha's sharpest sword, one that pierces the Uchiha's heart!"
The Third Hokage blew out a cloud of smoke, his voice rising two octaves.
"Ridiculous! Do you think the Uchiha Clan are all fools? Don't they know Root's methods? Will they let you ruin the most talented prodigy in their clan? Or do you think I'll let you run wild in Konoha?!"
Danzo stepped forward, refusing to back down.
"The Uchiha are born evil. They must be brainwashed and controlled, made to obey orders without question. I'm doing this for Konoha!"
To make his argument more convincing, Danzo pointed toward Kage Rock, his voice suddenly rising.
"Lord Tobirama reached his conclusion long ago: the Uchiha are a cursed clan and must be kept under control!"
"Shisui is a genius of the Uchiha Clan. If I can get him into Root, I'm confident I can turn him into the sharpest weapon in my hands. He'll let us subdue the Uchiha once and for all and resolve every threat to Konoha!"
The Three-Tomoe Sharingan beneath Danzo's bandages slowly rotated. Having successfully transplanted a Sharingan had only made him crave the Uchiha Clan's power even more.
If he could get Shisui into Root, he would have a chance to use the clan's greatest prodigy to learn the Uchiha's secret jutsu and gain power like Uchiha Madara's!
Then none of Konoha's problems would be problems anymore.
Under his brilliant leadership, Konoha would be great again!
"That's enough!"
The Third Hokage slammed his hand on the desk, furious.
"Cloud Village is Konoha's greatest enemy. There's been constant friction along the border between our two countries. Don't forget, the war isn't over yet!"
"Cloud Village has already shown an interest in peace talks. The war will end someday. We must secure our home before dealing with threats abroad. The Uchiha are the real danger within our walls!"
Danzo refused to back down, his voice dark.
They had different beliefs, and neither could convince the other. Enraged, the Third Hokage got angry for a moment and brought out his final weapon.
"That's enough! I'm the Hokage!"
"I will never agree to assigning an Uchiha prodigy to Root at such a sensitive time! We need the Uchiha Clan's strength to end the war!"
Faced with the Third Hokage's devastating argument, Danzo was shaking with rage.
The Third Hokage didn't understand him at all. He couldn't see that everything Danzo did was for their Konoha. He was unworthy of being Hokage!
Shortsighted fool! He was impossible to work with!
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
Bang!
He spun around in a fury, slammed the door, and strode away.
Deep beneath Konoha, the secret Root base lay along a narrow, shadowy passageway. Cold white candlelight fell across the markings on the stone walls.
Danzo strode down the corridor, then sat on the underground throne reserved for him alone.
"Sir."
Two Root shinobi knelt on one knee and presented him with a sealed report. Then they fell silent, their faces expressionless, like stone statues.
Danzo took the report and ran a finger over the sealing wax. Inside was a detailed account of Uchiha Shisui's recent movements—
[Uchiha Shisui, 12 years old, Special Jōnin, has awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Known specialties: Body Flicker Technique, proficient in Fire Release, Wind Release, Lightning Release, Sharingan Genjutsu, Shadow Clone, Multiple Shadow Clone...
Has never lost a recorded fight against a Jonin. True strength: Jonin.
Main locations: Uchiha Clan Compound, Konoha, Hokage Building.
September 3: On Anbu duty, patrolling the village's defensive outposts...
September 12: Injured on a mission; went to the Uchiha Medical Clinic to recuperate and receive psychological counseling.
September 14: ...Went to the Uchiha Medical Clinic for psychological treatment.
October 3: ...Psychological treatment.
Has attended multiple meetings of the Uchiha leadership, but has not expressed a clear position. His loyalties remain uncertain. He is close to clan head Fugaku.
Has completed 21 A-Rank Missions and 52 B-Rank Missions...]
"An Uchiha prodigy and Jonin, yet still mild-mannered after awakening his Sharingan. His potential is... unimaginable."
Danzo rubbed his finger over the words "Three-Tomoe Sharingan," greed gleaming in the eye beneath his bandages.
The Three-Tomoe Sharingan wasn't the limit.
A prodigy like this had to be brought into Root!
"Who's providing his psychological treatment?"
"Uchiha Eri's son, Uchiha Kazuhiko. He's a Genin who hasn't awakened his Sharingan and has no special talents. The psychological treatment he leads consists of shallow hypnosis followed by talk therapy."
"Talk therapy..." Danzo scoffed, closed the report, and shut his eyes in thought.
Clearly, an Uchiha Genin who only knew talk therapy wasn't worth his attention.
"Contact Uchiha Shisui and persuade him to join Root."
The Anbu Ninja lifted his head. His gaze was calm behind his mask.
"Sir, the Third Hokage has explicitly refused to let Uchiha shinobi join Root. If we approach him in secret, might that anger the Hokage?"
"Anger the Hokage?"
Danzo sneered, slowly tightening his grip on his cane.
"He's Konoha basking in the sunlight. I'm the Root in the darkness!"
He rose and looked toward Konoha above the Root base, his voice impassioned.
"What right does he have to be Hokage? Konoha's two divisions and thirteen clans rest on my shoulders. He, Sarutobi, has no claim to the Will of Fire!"
After a pause, his eyes grew even more sinister.
"Tell Shisui that I've recognized his talent, but the Konoha High Command is wary of the Uchiha. Caught between the Uchiha and Konoha, he'll eventually become a casualty of their struggle."
"If he joins Root, he'll gain real power. I'll support him without reservation instead of treating him with suspicion."
"Also, tell him the truth. The High Command has already been making secret plans to weaken the Uchiha's influence in Anbu."
"An Uchiha leaving the Military Police Force to join Anbu won't be something everyone can ignore. If he keeps working himself to death for the Third Hokage, he won't even know how he died. Go."
"Yes." The two Root shinobi made no unnecessary movements. They turned and melted into the shadows of the passageway, as if they had never been there.
Danzo stood alone beside the candlelight. The report on the stone table rustled in the wind.
"Keep an eye on the Uchiha Clinic. Find out what Uchiha Eri is planning."
"Yes."
The underground cavern fell into absolute silence. Danzo gazed up at Konoha, his eyes shifting between light and shadow.
"Sarutobi, you're too soft. You don't understand the Uchiha at all. The Uchiha are born evil, and I'm the one who has to control them!"
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