It's Time to Make a Decision

"Boss!" Uchiha Takuto, at the head of the group, slapped a wad of bills onto the counter. "We're not open for business today. We're renting the whole place."

The tavern owner came over with a grin, wiped his hands on his apron, and took the money.

After counting it, he asked, "What would you gentlemen like to eat?"

Uchiha Masao, the short, stocky man standing behind Uchiha Takuto, said, "Set up a hot pot and bring us a few fish. The fatter and bigger, the better. Add plenty of tofu, and bring some side dishes too..."

"Yes, of course."

The owner turned and went to work in the kitchen. Before long, he brought out a large pot and set it on the table.

The group gathered around and sat down.

Uchiha Takuto stopped Uchiha Inabi from ordering another drink.

"Hey, don't drown your sorrows. What do you think about what I said?"

"Not much." Uchiha Inabi set down his cup and shook his head. "It seems Senior Setsuna doesn't think much of us."

"Why not?" Uchiha Takuto couldn't understand. "Fine, maybe he doesn't think much of us. We don't exactly have much to show for ourselves. But what about you? Why doesn't he think much of you, either?"

Uchiha Inabi said nothing, only shaking his head.

Uchiha Takuto grew impatient and slapped the table. "Come on, say something! What do you mean by shaking your head?"

"It means," Uchiha Inabi said, lifting his cup and draining it, "that Senior Setsuna doesn't want to see anyone right now. Not just you lot—even if Lord Fugaku went to see him, he might not give him the time of day."

"This..."

The men exchanged uncertain looks.

Uchiha Masao scratched his head and asked cautiously, "I heard Senior Setsuna hasn't left the house since returning from the Southern Border. He didn't even attend the celebrations... Was he badly injured?"

"Injured?" Uchiha Inabi slowly shook his head. "I'm no medical ninja, but it's clearly not that."

"Then what is it?"

"How should I know!"

Uchiha Inabi poured himself another drink.

He remembered visiting Naka River a few days ago to see Uchiha Setsuna.

The old man, with his graying hair in disarray, sat on a tree root in front of the wooden cabin, polishing the long blade in his hands. Sunlight filtered through the branches, casting dappled shadows across his face.

"Senior Setsuna." He stepped forward and bowed.

Uchiha Setsuna didn't look up, continuing with what he was doing.

"Inabi, you're here. Sit down."

He sat nearby and hesitated for a long time before speaking. "Senior, many people in the clan are waiting for you to come back..."

"Come back?" Uchiha Setsuna finally raised his head and glanced at him.

His Three-Tomoe Sharingan was still sharp, but deep in his eyes lay something Inabi couldn't understand.

"What would I come back for?" Uchiha Setsuna looked away and resumed polishing his blade. "I'm old. The fact that I made it back alive means the heavens were kind to me. What happens next is for you young people to handle."

"But..."

"No buts." Uchiha Setsuna cut him off. "Inabi, go back. I don't want to get involved in what happens from now on."

With that, he stood up, took his blade, walked back into the cabin, and shut the door.

And so, Inabi had been turned away without getting a straight answer from Uchiha Setsuna.

Uchiha Takuto slapped the table and said, "If Senior Setsuna won't help us, then we'll do it ourselves!"

"Can we really manage on our own?" someone asked doubtfully.

"Why couldn't we? A single spark can start a bonfire. We're a lot stronger than sparks, aren't we? Besides, surely someone in the clan will support us."

"Who?"

"Tekka. He supports us!"

"Why?"

"He's long been fed up with Clan Head Fugaku acting like a doormat for the Third Hokage!"

Uchiha Masao set down his chopsticks and said seriously, "With Tekka's support, plenty of our comrades in the Operations Bureau will come over to our side."

The men fell silent for a moment, exchanging glances.

Uchiha Inabi poured himself a drink. He lifted the cup but didn't take a sip, his gaze fixed on the ripples across the surface.

"Takuto," he said slowly, "what are you really trying to do?"

Uchiha Takuto met his gaze without flinching. "What am I trying to do? I want to stop the Uchiha Clan from being treated like a bunch of monkeys by that old Third Hokage!"

"Given our achievements, any one of us could be Hokage. But look at us now—we can't even get into the upper ranks. For years, they've thought they could buy us off with a few crumbs."

"Dream on!"

Seeing that Uchiha Inabi remained unmoved, Uchiha Takuto pleaded with him.

"Inabi, what are you still thinking about?"

"It's been so long since the night of the Nine-Tails Incident. Other people might not know what Clan Head Fugaku is like, but you were there. Don't you?"

"If no one gives him a push, sooner or later the Third Hokage will boil us like frogs in warm water!"

Uchiha Inabi remained silent as he drained his cup. The fiery liquor slid down his throat and kindled a blaze in his stomach.

"Takuto, what do you plan to do?"

"This won't be hard to pull off."

Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed on his pipe as he read the intelligence in his hands from Kirigakure.

"But most people wouldn't dare do something like this... Karatachi Yagura really is audacious!"

Mitokado Homura said with some frustration, "He fooled everyone. Even Shinnosuke and the others were taken in."

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. "There's no need to make excuses for him. Rather than saying Karatachi Yagura fooled him, it would be more accurate to say he fooled himself, blinded by his own impressive military achievements."

"Uh..." Mitokado Homura looked a little awkward. "There's no need to be so hard on Shinnosuke. He's done quite well."

"I'm not blaming him."

Without dwelling on the subject, Mitokado Homura continued, "In that case, Hiruzen, how likely do you think Karatachi Yagura is to succeed?"

"If he wants to become Mizukage, he'll first have to become the strongest. But he isn't the strongest in Kirigakure yet. We'll see. I don't think his chances are small."

Mitokado Homura nodded.

"By the way, should we take advantage of the chaos in Kirigakure and make some preparations in advance?"

"Yes." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. "We'll need the intelligence on Kirigakure sooner or later."

Their conversation came to an end. Mitokado Homura picked up the documents on the desk and started to leave, but paused and sat back down.

"Hiruzen, it's time to make a decision. Whatever happens, we can't keep putting off the matter with Orochimaru."

At the mention of Orochimaru, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression turned somber.

He had learned about Orochimaru's human experiments before the Nine-Tails Incident, and he also knew Danzo had been involved.

At first, he had thought he could simply pretend not to know about it. But later, during Konoha's reconstruction, several abandoned laboratories were discovered on the outskirts of the village. Among the people found there were many who had previously been reported to the Police Force but never located.

Now that the matter had come to light, he was powerless to cover it up, even if he wanted to.

Though he had regained power for a second time and seemed to hold absolute authority, he alone knew how precarious his position was. He was in no shape to weather a crisis.