It's Time to Make Up Your Mind

"Boss!" Uchiha Takuto, the leader, slammed a stack of bills onto the counter. "We're closing the place down for the day. We've booked the whole shop."

The tavern owner beamed, wiped his hands on his apron, and took the money.

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

Uchiha Masao, a short and stout man standing behind Uchiha Takuto, spoke up: "Set up a hot pot and bring us some fish. Make sure they're fat and large. Add plenty of tofu and some side dishes..."

"Yes, yes."

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

The group sat down around the table.

Uchiha Takuto stopped Uchiha Inabi from pouring another drink.

"Hey, stop drinking your sorrows away. What do you think about what I said?"

"Not much." Uchiha Inabi set down his glass and shook his head. "Uchiha Setsuna doesn't seem to think much of us."

"Why?" Uchiha Takuto couldn't understand. "It's one thing if he looks down on us—we aren't exactly impressive—but you? Why would he look down on you too?"

Uchiha Inabi didn't speak, only shook his head.

Uchiha Takuto grew impatient and slammed his hand on the table. "Say something! What is that head-shaking supposed to mean?"

"It means," Uchiha Inabi picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp, "that Uchiha Setsuna doesn't want to see anyone right now. Never mind you lot; even if Fugaku himself went, he might not give him the time of day."

"This..."

The men looked at each other in silence.

Uchiha Masao scratched his head and asked cautiously, "I heard Uchiha Setsuna hasn't stepped out since he returned from the Southern Border. He didn't even attend the festival... Is he badly wounded?"

"Wounded?" Uchiha Inabi shook his head slowly. "I'm no medical ninja, but that is clearly not the case with Uchiha Setsuna."

"Then why?"

"How should I know!"

Uchiha Inabi poured himself another drink.

He recalled the scene from a few days ago when he went to the Naka River to visit Uchiha Setsuna.

The old man with messy, graying hair sat on a tree root in front of his wooden cabin, polishing a long blade. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled light and shadows across his face.

"Uchiha Setsuna." He stepped forward and bowed.

Uchiha Setsuna didn't look up, remaining focused on his task.

"Inabi is here. Sit."

He sat to the side and hesitated for a long time before speaking: "Senior, many in the clan are waiting for your return..."

"Return?" Uchiha Setsuna finally looked up and glanced at him.

Those Three-Tomoe Sharingan were still sharp, but deep within them lay something he couldn't decipher.

"Return for what?" Uchiha Setsuna withdrew his gaze and continued polishing the blade. "I am old. Being able to return alive is already a blessing from the heavens. Future matters are for you young ones."

"But..."

"There are no 'buts'." Uchiha Setsuna cut him off. "Inabi, go back. I don't want to concern myself with the future anymore."

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

And just like that, he was turned away, failing to get a straight answer from Uchiha Setsuna.

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

"Can we really pull it off?" someone questioned.

"Why not? A single spark can ignite a bonfire, and we are far more than just sparks. Besides, do you really think there's no one in the clan who will support us?"

"Who?"

"Tekka! He supports us!"

"Why?"

"He's long been sick of the way Clan Head Fugaku kowtows to the Third Hokage!"

Uchiha Masao set down his chopsticks and said sternly, "With Tekka's support, many of our comrades in the Operations Bureau will surely rally to our side."

The group fell silent for a moment, exchanging glances.

Uchiha Inabi poured himself a drink but didn't drink it, his gaze fixed on the fine ripples forming on the surface of the liquid.

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

Uchiha Takuto met his gaze without flinching. "What am I trying to do? I want the Uchiha clan to stop being treated like monkeys by that old man, the Third Hokage!"

"Our achievements alone are enough to qualify us for the position of Hokage, yet look at us now! We can't even break into the upper echelons. How many years has it been? They always think they can buy us off with petty favors."

"In their dreams!"

Seeing Uchiha Inabi remained unmoved, Uchiha Takuto pleaded.

"Inabi, what are you still thinking about?"

"So much time has passed since the Nine-Tails Incident. If others don't understand what kind of person Clan Leader Fugaku is, how could you, who were there on the scene, not know?"

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

Uchiha Inabi remained silent, downing the wine in his cup in one gulp. The pungent liquid slid down his throat, igniting a fire in his stomach.

"Takuto, what do you want to do?"

"This matter isn't difficult to pull off."

Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, staring at the intelligence report from Kirigakure in his hands.

"However, an ordinary person wouldn't dare to do this... This Karatachi Yagura is truly audacious!"

Mitokado Homura said with some frustration, "He deceived everyone; even Shinnosuke and the others were fooled."

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. "There's no need to save face for him. Rather than saying Karatachi Yagura fooled him, it's more accurate to say he fooled himself, blinded by the lure of great military merit."

"Uh..." Mitokado Homura felt a bit awkward. "There's no need to be so harsh on Shinnosuke; he did quite well."

"I'm not blaming him."

Not dwelling on the topic, Mitokado Homura shifted gears. "Looking at it this way, Hiruzen, what do you think the success rate for Karatachi Yagura will be?"

"If he wants to be Mizukage, he must first become the strongest. He isn't the strongest in Kirigakure yet, but let's see—I think the probability is quite high."

Mitokado Homura nodded.

"Right, should we take advantage of the chaos in Kirigakure to lay out our plans in advance?"

"Yes!" Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. "We will need intelligence on Kirigakure sooner or later."

Their conversation concluded. Mitokado Homura picked up the documents on the desk and prepared to leave, but he paused and sat back down.

"Hiruzen, it is time to make a decision. No matter what, the matter regarding Orochimaru cannot be dragged out any longer."

At the mention of Orochimaru, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression grew slightly desolate.

Long before the Nine-Tails Incident, he had learned that Orochimaru was conducting experiments on living people and that Danzo was involved.

He had originally intended to turn a blind eye, but who would have thought that during the reconstruction of Konoha, several abandoned laboratories would be discovered on the outskirts of the village, containing many of the people the Police Force had filed cases for but never found.

Now that the matter had been exposed, even if he wanted to cover it up, he lacked the strength to do so.

Having ascended to power for a second time, he appeared to hold the reins, but only he knew how hollow his position truly was; he was in no state to fight an uphill battle.