Greed and Ambition

The next day.

When Hayato appeared at the Police Force building with Shisui, everyone's faces were filled with surprise.

Seiichi glanced at Shisui, then walked up to Hayato. "It's time for patrol."

"Right. Shisui is on our team today."

Hayato nodded, then led Shisui toward the equipment room to change.

Seiichi, trailing behind, wore a complex expression but remained silent.

Training within the clan had allowed Seiichi to see another side of Shisui, yet the past grievances were not so easily dispelled.

Hayato walked along the main street of Konoha with Shisui and Seiichi, paying no mind to the gazes directed at them.

Shisui, however, experienced much more, watching Hayato walk ahead of him.

So, has Hayato been enduring these gazes all this time?

Shisui asked himself if he would still possess Hayato's gentleness if he had to face such looks day after day.

Yes, during this time, Shisui's impression of Hayato was that he was very gentle.

He could clearly feel that Hayato held deep affection for both his clansmen and Konoha; otherwise, he would not have been willing to follow Hayato's ideas.

Having experienced a day of life in the Police Force, Shisui waited outside the building for Hayato to emerge.

Hayato came out after changing his clothes, gave Shisui a nod, and with Seiichi in tow, the three of them headed toward the clan compound.

Shisui felt the same sensation of walking against the flow of the crowd to get home, and his eyes gradually began to show a different kind of stir.

As they passed the Ninja Academy, it was just in time for dismissal.

Shisui, who had been lost in thought, was stopped by a voice. "Brother Shisui!"

The clear, childish voice carried a hint of maturity. Hayato turned his head and couldn't help but be stunned.

Uchiha Itachi.

"Hm? Itachi?" Shisui turned around, saw Itachi walking quickly toward him, and asked in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm heading home."

Uchiha Itachi looked calmly at Hayato and Seiichi standing beside Shisui.

Shisui gestured toward Hayato and Seiichi to introduce them to Uchiha Itachi. "These are my partners, Hayato and Seiichi."

"This is the clan leader's son, Uchiha Itachi."

Hayato nodded, his gaze lingering on Itachi for a moment before he looked away.

Itachi clearly noticed the importance Shisui placed on Hayato during the introduction and began to observe him secretly.

Hayato didn't care at all. Seeing a Dango Shop by the road, he walked over to buy a few skewers and handed one to Itachi. "Eat up. You must be hungry after school."

He then handed the rest to Seiichi and Shisui, finishing his own in one bite.

Too cloying.

With the skewer of dango down, that was Hayato's only thought.

Itachi, on the other hand, ate slowly, as if the Three-Color Dango in his hand were a magnificent delicacy.

Seeing this, Shisui couldn't help but smile.

After entering the clan compound, Shisui took his leave with Uchiha Itachi. Before leaving, he seemed to remember something. "Oh, right, Hayato. Shall we train together tomorrow?"

Hayato nodded with a smile. "Sure."

After bidding them farewell, Hayato walked toward his home.

A life of solitude was always plain, but Hayato felt it wasn't bad.

After cleaning up his dishes, he slid open the door, sat down in the small courtyard, and looked up at the moon.

Just then—

[Warning: Micro-chakra lifeforms detected infiltrating the clan compound!]
[Enemy Source: Root · Aburame Torune.]
[Threat Level: Medium (Reconnaissance, possesses offensive capabilities)]
[Root Concealment Detection has been automatically triggered: Trajectories of the insect swarm revealed. Chakra can be severed at any time to annihilate the swarm!]

"Danzo, you really couldn't hold back, could you?"

Hayato's expression turned cold. He had expected Danzo to lie low for a while.

He hadn't expected him to lose his patience so soon after Orochimaru defected from the village.

It seemed that all the previous data had been thoroughly wiped by Orochimaru before he left.

"If you want to conduct surveillance on the Uchiha, I'll make sure you never leave!"

Root Concealment Detection allowed him to eliminate such reconnaissance directly, which saved him the trouble.

The next instant, almost every insect that had landed within the Uchiha compound was annihilated in a single moment.

Deep within the Root's underground base, Aburame Torune, who was currently directing a swarm of insects, suddenly turned pale.

"What is it, Torune?" Yamanaka Fu, standing nearby, stepped forward to steady him, his voice laced with confusion.

"The Surveillance Bugs I dispatched have all been wiped out at the exact same time."

Hearing this, Yamanaka Fu's expression turned vigilant. "Were we discovered?"

"It doesn't seem like it. If we had been discovered, it would be impossible to eliminate them all simultaneously." Aburame Torune shook his head. Although he had deployed many insects, they were scattered throughout the entire Uchiha compound; it was impossible for anyone to wipe them all out in such a short span of time.

Thump!

Shimura Danzo walked over, leaning on his cane. Seeing Aburame Torune's state, he frowned and asked, "What happened?"

Aburame Torune and Yamanaka Fu knelt on one knee with respectful expressions and explained what had just occurred.

Shimura Danzo's face remained indifferent upon hearing the report. Only one possibility crossed his mind: the Mangekyo!

As the founder of Root and a veteran of multiple Ninja World wars, Shimura Danzo had long ago learned many secrets about the Uchiha clan through various documents, including the existence of the Mangekyo.

Only the Mangekyo could possess such an ability.

Greed flickered in the depths of Shimura Danzo's eyes. The Mangekyo—he hadn't expected that someone in the Uchiha clan truly possessed it now.

Who could it be?

Uchiha Fugaku? Or Uchiha Shisui?

These two were Shimura Danzo's primary suspects. Ever since the Fourth Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku had remained hidden within his clan, living a reclusive life unless there was a mandatory village meeting.

As for Uchiha Shisui, he was someone who had awakened his Three-Tomoe at a very young age in recent years, and with his exceptional talent, he was a strong possibility.

Shimura Danzo rubbed the head of his cane, his thoughts racing at that moment.

He had to obtain it!

No matter who this person was!

He had to secure those eyes; everything was for the sake of Konoha!

Shimura Danzo no longer had any intention of acting slowly; that had never been his style to begin with.

Meanwhile, sitting in the courtyard, Hayato waited quietly for a moment before receiving a system notification, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

He smiled indifferently. "Since you're coming, I hope you can be a bit more intense, Shimura Danzo!"

His gaze drifted toward the distant, shadowy Hokage Rock. And you, Third Hokage, will you choose the same methods as before this time?

Or perhaps, let Konoha endure a bout of labor pains—to welcome a new birth?

At this moment, Hayato felt a strong desire to see everything the future held, a thought that had taken root after he awakened his Mangekyo.

Although he knew that awakening the Mangekyo only made him slightly stronger than the average person, with the system's harvesting, he would experience a rapid increase in power in the time to come.

As for the blindness caused by the Mangekyo, Hayato was very confident.

Even if the system didn't provide such rewards, he would choose specific individuals to harvest the Bitter Fruit, to see if he could reach the Eternal Mangekyo.

This was his ambition!