Everything is for Konoha

"Yes, Your Majesty the Hokage. For the sake of Konoha, the Uchiha will not shirk our duty! I will certainly convey your message to Clan Head Fugaku." Uchiha Shisui spoke with a look of pride. Although the wars in the Ninja World caused children to mature early, this maturity was relative. To the children in the ivory towers of modern society, the children of the Ninja World were indeed precocious, but to the adults of this world, they were still just children—at most, dangerous ones.

Great aggression does not equate to intellectual maturity. The notion that a young child could possess the "Hokage mindset" was merely a way of flattering them. At that age, they likely couldn't even grasp the situation in the Ninja World, the global landscape, or why villages were at war, let alone talk about a "Hokage mindset." It was no different from telling a child they were a man now and should learn to dress and feed themselves.

Watching Uchiha Shisui turn and leave, Hiruzen Sarutobi curled his lips into a smile. If only the other Uchiha clansmen were like this child, how wonderful that would be!

In the core district of Konoha, the Uchiha clan grounds! Unlike the original timeline, due to Uchiha Gen's intervention, his hardline stance, and the strength he possessed to dominate Konoha, the "conspiracy theory" regarding the mastermind behind the scenes—proposed by the Konoha higher-ups—was crushed by Uchiha Gen before it could even take root. Naturally, the Uchiha did not need to relocate from the core district.

Knock, knock.

"Is Lord Fugaku home? Uchiha Shisui is here to visit!" The eleven-year-old Shisui knocked on Uchiha Fugaku's door with a posture of feigned maturity.

With a creak, the door opened, and a small head poked out from the gap to inspect Uchiha Shisui. Was this the genius Shisui that everyone in the clan talked about?

"Hello, Senior Shisui. I—I am Uchiha Itachi. Father is home, please come in!" Uchiha Itachi said with a touch of shyness. His demeanor was a world apart from the future clan-slayer!

"Sorry to intrude." Uchiha Shisui stepped inside and followed Itachi further in. As the head of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Fugaku's home was quite luxurious. In the original story, even after the clan had been relocated, Uchiha Sasuke still had a private training ground. In a place like Konoha where land was worth its weight in gold, owning such a large mansion showed just how wealthy this "rich dog" Uchiha Fugaku was. No wonder he had so much money to "pay-to-win" and boost his ocular power!

"Good afternoon, Lord Fugaku. Please forgive my abrupt visit." Uchiha Shisui's social graces were impeccable; he looked every bit the polite child.

Looking at the Uchiha Shisui before him, Fugaku nodded inwardly. This is the poise and breeding our Uchiha clan should have! This kid is not bad; I might be able to mentor him more in the future. But he seems to be getting a bit too close to that group of politicians around the Third Hokage.

"Shisui, what brings you here today? Is the subsidy issued by the clan not enough?" Uchiha Fugaku didn't think there was any major business between him and Shisui—at most, some trivial matters. But Shisui wasn't the type to visit without cause; had he truly encountered a difficulty?

"Lord Fugaku, I just came from the Hokage's office. I am here to pass on a message to you on his behalf!" Uchiha Shisui replied respectfully.

"Oh? The Hokage? Asking you to pass a message? Is there something Minato couldn't just send an Anbu to notify me about? But if he sent you, it shouldn't be anything major. Speak your mind!" Uchiha Fugaku looked puzzled.

"It is not the Fourth, but the Third who wishes to issue an order to you! Because Konoha is currently at war with both Kumogakure and Kirigakure, the front lines are in dire need of reinforcements. Therefore, the Third hopes that Lord Fugaku will dispatch some Uchiha forces to support the Kirigakure Front." Noticing Fugaku's face darkening, Uchiha Shisui's tone gradually grew weaker.

"Shisui, let me ask you: who is the current Hokage?" Uchiha Fugaku asked, suppressing his anger.

"It is the Fourth, but the Third..."

"Enough, say no more. You know full well that the Fourth is in power! What is the Third's intention in bypassing the Fourth like this? Is the Fourth just a figurehead? Or is he, Hiruzen Sarutobi, so attached to power that he wants to sideline the Fourth?" Uchiha Fugaku cut off Shisui's defense. In the past, everyone had turned a blind eye to the fact that the Third was the actual power-holder, and given Fugaku's personality, he wouldn't have cared.

But the problem was that Fugaku had been "paying to win" for some time now. His ocular power was, in his own estimation, not a whit inferior to Madara Uchiha at his peak. This had caused Uchiha Fugaku to become severely inflated—he was, after all, Sasuke's father! With his Mangekyo upgraded to +99 and having never been beaten down, who else would be inflated if not him?

Uchiha Gen, you stand up first; everyone else here in Konoha is trash. This was the most honest monologue in Uchiha Fugaku's heart right now.

What kind of nonsense is the Third? Are you trying to teach me how to do my job? Have you heard of a 200-meter Susanoo? Do you believe that with one swing of my blade, the entire Sarutobi clan would be finished?

"Shisui, one must have their own judgment. Don't just do whatever the Third says. You aren't a child anymore; you should know better!" Uchiha Fugaku looked at the boy before him with deep meaning. It seems I need to observe him further; this kid Shisui doesn't seem reliable.

"Clan Head, the Third is doing this for the sake of Konoha! We cannot be too selfish. If you act this way, you will isolate the Uchiha from the rest of Konoha!" Uchiha Shisui urged.

"You are wrong, Shisui. The Third does not represent Konoha, nor is Konoha the Third's personal property. Konoha belongs to all its people. Furthermore, the one currently in power is the Fourth. If we must say who represents Konoha, it is the Fourth; the Third needs to step aside! Don't you think that makes sense?" Uchiha Fugaku said calmly.

"That may be true in words, but isn't the Third still a high-ranking official of Konoha?"

"As you said, he is only a high-ranking official, not the current Hokage. By acting this way, where does the Third put the Fourth? He has overstepped his bounds!" Uchiha Fugaku retorted.

"Forget it. Why am I explaining this to a brat like you? You wouldn't understand anyway. Just give the Third my reply: tell him that when the Sarutobi clan is wiped out, I will be the first to lead the Uchiha to the Kirigakure front! Yes, tell him exactly that. If he has any objections, I welcome him to meet me at the Mountains Graveyard for a final showdown at any time!" Uchiha Fugaku said wildly.

"Ah?" Shisui was so shocked he didn't know what to say. In his heart, the Third was the strongest Hokage in history. While Clan Head Fugaku was strong, he felt he was only on par with the Sannin, perhaps even a bit weaker! How dared he say such things to the teacher of the Sannin?

"Lord Fugaku, please don't act on impulse. Even if you don't get along with the Third, there is no need to go this far!" Uchiha Shisui pleaded.