You Know Too Much

Shiro Uchiha murmured, "If Nawaki Senju died in front of Orochimaru, could it only be because Orochimaru wanted Nawaki Senju to die?"

This realization struck Shiro Uchiha like a bolt of lightning.

Indeed, he had been blinded by the promises of that high-ranking official; how could his own schemes possibly deceive a powerhouse like Orochimaru?

Zhong Uchiha, who had defected to the side of Danzō Shimura, was a true genius, and the clan had hoped he would serve as a bridge between the Uchiha and the village leadership, which was why Shiro Uchiha had trusted him so easily.

Zhong Uchiha was the nephew of Kagami Uchiha and possessed talent no less than his uncle's.

When he claimed that Advisor Danzō intended to conspire with the Uchiha Clan to assassinate Nawaki Senju, Shiro Uchiha felt the potential gains were too great to pass up, so he cooperated with Zhong Uchiha.

Zhong Uchiha had promised he would personally cast a genjutsu on Nawaki Senju, ensuring the boy would have no way to dodge the trap of Explosive Tags.

Three hours ago, Zhong Uchiha had found him to report that the mission had failed; a two-tomoe Uchiha had interfered with his genjutsu, leaving Nawaki Senju severely wounded but alive.

That two-tomoe Uchiha was none other than Kawadera Uchiha.

Realizing that Advisor Danzō and Zhong Uchiha had been playing him for a fool, a chill ran down Shiro Uchiha's spine.

Advisor Danzō didn't just want Nawaki Senju dead; he wanted to pin the blame for the assassination squarely on the Uchiha Clan!

The evidence... the evidence was Orochimaru himself!

Zhong Uchiha was strong, but what right did he have to commit murder in front of Orochimaru? Was it really because of what Zhong Uchiha had said—that Root had long since gathered all intelligence on Orochimaru and could surely handle him?

What a joke; that was Orochimaru, the apple of Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's eye.

Shiro Uchiha was now more inclined to believe Kawadera Uchiha; the crime of assassinating Nawaki Senju was too grave, and a scapegoat was required, with the Uchiha Clan clearly being the perfect candidate to take the fall.

The look he gave Kawadera Uchiha became filled with admiration.

He hadn't expected this kid to be the one to uncover the truth and prevent Danzō Shimura's conspiracy from succeeding.

"You've done well, Kawadera Uchiha. You've done very well."

Kawadera Uchiha, who had been preparing to continue his excuses, was caught off guard by the sudden praise.

"You are the most outstanding spy our clan has seen in years. You discovered Zhong Uchiha's conspiracy, and I will send word to the clan to ensure the Clan Head remembers your contribution!"

"Hm?"

Kawadera Uchiha was bewildered. How had he suddenly become an outstanding spy? And who was this Zhong Uchiha?

Upon closer recollection, he seemed to be some sort of nephew of his.

The age hierarchy within the Uchiha Clan was a mess; someone might be his nephew but older than him, while another might be of his grandfather's generation but just starting at the Ninja Academy.

This was an inevitable problem for many great clans with long histories.

Shiro Uchiha patted Kawadera Uchiha on the shoulder and left the public restroom.

Kawadera Uchiha walked out of the restroom with a head full of confusion, thinking to himself that it didn't matter how he had managed to fool Shiro Uchiha; what mattered was that he was safe for the time being.

The next day, Shiro Uchiha stepped out of his squad's tent, rubbing his eyes as if the sunlight were blinding, though he was actually busy gathering intelligence.

Scanning the state of the main camp, he roughly estimated the percentage of ninjas currently out on missions.

In the absence of large-scale decisive battles, most Konoha squads took turns executing reconnaissance or probing missions.

At this moment, about 15% to 20% of the Konoha ninjas were away from the camp.

This was a very healthy ratio, proving that the recent period had been relatively calm.

Suddenly, he spotted a secret signal near the ground of a tent.

That signal...

He immediately accepted a mission and led his squad out of the main camp.

While the other team members were resting halfway, Shiro Uchiha arrived at the location marked by the signal.

Seeing a cloaked figure in the distance, Shiro Uchiha said, "Zhong Uchiha, I didn't expect you to still be here."

"Why would I run?"

Zhong Uchiha turned his head, revealing scarlet Sharingan eyes beneath his hood.

Shiro Uchiha hurriedly checked to see if he had been caught in a genjutsu, and only after confirming everything was normal did he speak:

"Aren't you afraid that Orochimaru will track you down?"

Zhong Uchiha said coldly, "For the sake of Konoha, everyone can be sacrificed."

"The growth of Nawaki Senju would only lead to the Senju Clan continuing to be a cancer on the village."

"The Senju Clan's influence on the village is too great, and they still harbor delusions of monopolizing the position of Hokage forever."

"The village is always greater than any single ninja clan, and the village is always greater than any individual. This is the philosophy of the Lord, and it is my philosophy as well."

Shiro Uchiha had no desire to debate values with Zhong Uchiha; Zhong Uchiha had chosen to follow in the footsteps of Kagami Uchiha—what a pity, especially since the Clan Head had once hoped Zhong Uchiha would become the channel for communication between the clan and the high-ranking officials.

Shiro Uchiha asked, "I still want to ask you: why did you join hands with Orochimaru to frame the Uchiha Clan?"

Zhong Uchiha replied, "Isn't the death of Nawaki Senju a great thing for the Uchiha Clan as well? That is why I sought to cooperate with you."

"A great thing?" Shiro Uchiha retorted. "Orochimaru had long since discovered you; he watched coldly as you used your Sharingan genjutsu to kill Nawaki Senju."

"If you had actually succeeded, the blame for assassinating Nawaki Senju would have fallen squarely on the shoulders of my Uchiha Clan."

"The people in the village have no idea that you are loyal to Shimura Danzō, and that you severed ties with the clan long ago."

Zhong Uchiha looked at Shiro Uchiha coldly and said:

"I will emphasize this one last time: your judgments are nothing but your own delusions.

Lord Danzō will never permit any individual or ninja clan to stand above the village; Nawaki Senju must die.

This is the scroll containing our next operational plan. Take a look and see if you are still willing to cooperate."

Seeing the scroll fly toward him, Shiro Uchiha thought, Does Shimura Danzō really not allow anyone or any clan to stand above the village? Or is it that he doesn't allow anyone to stand above him?

Everything for the sake of the village—this was the filthiest trash can in Konoha, a place where all sins could be dumped.

Taking the scroll, Shiro Uchiha opened it.

BOOM!

The Explosive Tag inside the scroll detonated!

Zhong Uchiha was blown out of the thick smoke; his hand was a mangled mess of flesh and blood, and his face was covered in charred, bloody streaks.

"You!..."

Several Root ninjas rushed out. After a brief and intense skirmish, Shiro Uchiha fell backward, a kunai driven into each of his eyes.

He was indeed inferior to Zhong Uchiha; he had been inferior to this genius since they were children...

Zhong Uchiha stared coldly at Shiro Uchiha's corpse and said, "You were actually right about a few things. Of course I fear Orochimaru's investigation, so... since you know too much, you have to die."

The Root ninjas disposed of Shiro Uchiha's body, while Zhong Uchiha opened an Assassination Manual that resembled a notebook.

Inside were the personal profiles of various ninjas—some from other villages, others from Konoha—with the majority belonging to the Senju Clan.

A new name had been added to the final page: Kawadera Uchiha.

In the photograph, Kawadera Uchiha was smiling brilliantly.

Zhong Uchiha crossed out Shiro Uchiha's name and then scrutinized the intelligence on Kawadera Uchiha.

"An illusion-type ninja, huh..."