The Hokage's Compromise

At just ten years old, Ensei Uchiha was arguing with Konoha's Hokage, the two of them discussing all manner of interests with clashing intensity.

Standing beside Ensei was the Uchiha Clan's strongest member, along with its clan head. Both of them were playing ostrich, wishing they could bury their heads in the sand.

For the two of them, perhaps this was the best possible outcome.

Of course, Shimura Danzō was silent as well.

At that moment, Shimura Danzō looked utterly wretched. He had lost his right hand and right eye, and was covered in tiny wounds. The bleeding had stopped, but the pain that flared up from time to time was still hard to bear.

What made Shimura Danzō even angrier, though, were Hiruzen Sarutobi and Ensei Uchiha.

In just a few words, the two of them were reshaping the entire structure of Konoha. Every so often, they would even get into heated arguments over minor details.

At that moment, it was as if Ensei had never doubted whether Hiruzen would keep his promises. It was also as if Hiruzen had never doubted whether Ensei could represent the entire Uchiha Clan.

All in all, the scene had a strangely harmonious feel to it.

Their discussion continued until late into the night.

Only then did Ensei and the other two finally leave the Hokage Office.

The once-bustling village of Konoha had grown quiet. Beneath the dim streetlights, the three figures' shadows stretched long.

"I never thought Lord Hokage would agree to all your demands."

"Ensei, this should ease tensions between us and the village quite a bit, shouldn't it?"

Once they reached a deserted spot, Shisui Uchiha finally couldn't hold back and spoke.

At his words, Fugaku Uchiha seemed to recall something, and a bitter smile crossed his face.

Ensei glanced sideways at Fugaku before replying, "No!"

"Our relationship with the village has gotten worse. We're practically mortal enemies now."

"Unless the Uchiha Clan can maintain overwhelming strength forever, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō will keep testing and targeting us as long as they're alive, until we're completely wiped out."

Shisui Uchiha couldn't accept those words, and didn't believe them at all.

"No! That can't be true. You're just imagining things, right? How could Lord Hokage possibly..."

In truth, Shisui had sensed something was wrong. Otherwise, he wouldn't have awakened those eyes.

Unfortunately, those eyes had appeared to bring about change, but their owner had aimed that change in a different direction.

"Next, Hiruzen Sarutobi will probably try to win you and Itachi Uchiha over. I don't know what he'll say to either of you, but I hope neither of you is stupid enough to betray your clan."

"If I find out you have, I won't show mercy."

Ensei didn't explain himself. He didn't truly know the future, and those so-called plotlines were no longer much of a guide.

But it didn't matter. With enough power, every scheme was just a paper tiger.

"Shisui, leave the clan's affairs to Ensei. I'll announce that Ensei is becoming a new elder. Once he comes of age, he'll succeed me as clan head."

Fugaku Uchiha suddenly spoke, though no one knew what he was thinking.

Ensei didn't refuse.

He didn't want to manage things, but the title of elder would help him deal with quite a few problems.

After Ensei and the others left, a repair crew that had been waiting for some time hurried to work on the Hokage Office under Anbu supervision.

As for Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō, after leaving the Hokage Building, they went to a very ordinary house in the village and stayed there for quite a while.

This unremarkable residence was home to two Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, as well as the Fourth Hokage, who was still unconscious.

After Hiruzen Sarutobi received enough information from Kushina Uzumaki, he finally took a firmer stance and forced Shimura Danzō to hand over Root's personnel roster and experiment records.

But after reading only two pages about the cruel human experiments, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't bear to read any further.

The matter sparked a fierce argument between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō.

In the end, however, Hiruzen Sarutobi chose to keep avoiding the issue. He merely restricted some of Root's operations. As for the innocent people who had died at the hands of Root's shinobi, no one cared.

It should be understood that Root didn't just target ordinary people. Plenty of Konoha's own shinobi were among its victims.

Even Root shinobi who had devoted their lives to Konoha were dealt with without question if there was even the slightest possibility they might defect.

They forced others to make sacrifices in the name of nobility.

That was Konoha's Root: convinced they were nourishing the great tree of Konoha, when in truth they were constantly devouring its strength.

And the Hokage, who should have put a stop to all this, compromised every time.

The next day, the entire structure of Konoha changed.

Some of the Uchiha Clan's duties were revised, and the overdue compensation for relocating the clan compound finally arrived in full.

At the same time, many of the Uchiha Clan's powerful shinobi who had been sitting idle were assigned throughout Konoha to begin taking on missions.

Some time later, the entire Shinobi World once again witnessed the Uchiha Clan's power. The other villages began sending spies to Konoha, hoping to learn what had caused the Uchiha Clan's change in attitude.

Meanwhile, the Uchiha Clan revived a tradition from the Warring States Period and established a Purge Squad made up of Three-Tomoe Sharingan users.

The squad's targets were, naturally, any organizations coveting the power of the Sharingan.

The squad had only ten members, but with the power of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, they feared no organization in the world.

Yes, that's right. Even against the Five Great Shinobi Villages, ten powerful Three-Tomoe Sharingan users were enough to pose a considerable threat.

On the battlefield, it took at least three opponents of equal strength to ensure victory over any Uchiha Clan member with a Sharingan.

This small squad was the cream of the Uchiha Clan's elite, and no force dared underestimate its combat strength.

This squad, which concentrated nearly half the Uchiha Clan's power, had once been the foundation of the clan's dominance across the Shinobi World during the Warring States Period.

Now, it gave them the confidence to openly hold Konoha in check.

To that end, Ensei revealed a portion of his strength, became the squad's captain, and sent it out of Konoha to carry out missions openly.

Ordinary shinobi who took on missions without permission would be treated as missing-nin.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi acted as though he hadn't noticed any of the Uchiha Clan's actions, continuing to work hard to maintain that false peace.

Unfortunately, he could endure it, but some people couldn't.