The Uchiha Will Forever Be Denied Supreme Power

"It is to maintain order, arrest criminals, and punish those who break the rules. By its very nature, this is a job that easily offends people and accumulates resentment."

"The Second Hokage's intention was to create an invisible wall between the Uchiha and the villagers. This was the most subtle method to eliminate the Uchiha as a potential threat to Konoha, yet this gentle isolation only made the Uchiha increasingly paranoid."

"A threat?" Shisui's voice lowered instinctively, carrying a note of incredulous inquiry.

"By giving the Uchiha a prominent yet sensitive position, he allowed us to contribute to the village while simultaneously designing a mechanism that prevented us from accumulating prestige, effectively sealing off any possibility of an Uchiha ever attaining the position of Hokage."

"Forever—unable to touch the highest power."

Hayato's fingers, which had been tapping against the tabletop, came to a halt, his gaze piercing Shisui like a blade.

Shisui frowned, his eyes filled with gravity, for as Hayato broke it down, he felt as though he finally understood something.

But...

Was this right?

"Hayato, according to what you're saying, the Second Hokage had already considered the current situation while he was still in power?"

Shisui found it impossible to believe; no matter how far-sighted one might be, it was impossible to predict the events of this moment. If someone could truly do that, they wouldn't be human.

"Naturally, that is impossible." Hayato raised an eyebrow.

"He foresaw the problem with the Uchiha, but he did not foresee the corruption of peace. The Uchiha was a very useful blade, but he had not anticipated one possibility."

"And that is whether the subsequent Hokage would truly have the ability to deter the Uchiha clan."

Shisui fell silent. If they were talking about the past, the Third Hokage and the village certainly had the ability to suppress the Uchiha clan, but that was merely suppression.

But now, aside from himself and Hayato, even the clan head was a wielder of the Mangekyo.

This situation had long since been reversed, or rather, in the eyes of some, even if the three of them had not revealed their Mangekyo, the Uchiha were already a threat of sufficient magnitude.

The bloodshed and disaster of the Nine-Tails' night had nearly caused all of Konoha to fall apart.

And while Konoha had survived the crisis, they were forced to watch those Sharingan—which bore the memories of that night—patrolling the streets, their wielders acting with an arrogant and hardline attitude, constantly reminding them of the past.

It dragged the pain of that night out into the light, over and over again.

The Uchiha were trapped in an atmosphere of being ostracized while simultaneously being forced to integrate.

It wasn't just the Uchiha who felt humiliated and angry; the villagers of Konoha felt the same. They were currently trapped in a bizarre, fragile balance.

And if anyone were to break that balance, it would be the moment of the Uchiha clan's annihilation.

So that was it.

Shisui closed his eyes in pain. He understood now why such a tragic experience as the night of the massacre would come to pass.

It wasn't because of any one person, but because of the inherent contradictions—contradictions that would eventually erupt in the most extreme and bloody way possible.

"Hayato."

Shisui straightened his posture, looking at Hayato with a solemn expression. "I am willing to follow your lead. I only ask that you save the Uchiha!"

In the past, he had always clung to the idea of reconciling these contradictions without sacrificing either side.

He loved the Uchiha clan deeply, and he loved Konoha just as much, but what Hayato had said had made him see clearly that this was not a time when such ideals could be realized.

He had no way forward, but Hayato did.

Looking at Hayato, who remained as confident as ever, Shisui had only one thought in that moment: even if he had to die, he would cooperate with Hayato to turn all of this around.

"Get up."

Hayato leaned forward and helped Shisui to his feet.

The two sat back down at the table. The atmosphere was different now; the way Shisui showed his willingness to follow orders made the corners of Hayato's mouth curl upward.

"We must first establish our own voice within the clan."

"Ah?" Shisui was stunned for a moment before he understood the meaning behind the words: the Uchiha needed a new leader.

"I will go find the clan head—"

"No need." Hayato waved his hand. "The clan head already knows that we possess the Mangekyo, and since he foresaw this situation, he should be making other moves soon."

Shisui breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this; he hadn't been confident in his ability to persuade the clan head anyway.

To put it bluntly, in the absence of a Hokage, the clan head's position was already the pinnacle of power one could achieve in a lifetime.

Shisui looked at Hayato once more.

"Take it slow. There is no need to be impatient," Hayato said, picking up his cup to take a sip of water.

"This period of time likely won't be very peaceful, and you should understand that as well."

"Yes, the Council of Elders holds a great deal of prejudice against our clan." Shisui nodded; what he had seen tonight was proof of that.

"You could say that, but the Third Hokage's indulgence is also a factor. However, none of these are the real problem."

Hayato waved his hand dismissively. With three pairs of Mangekyo in the Uchiha's possession, there was no need to be that anxious.

Besides, he also needed those in the shadows to make their move so that he could reap the Bitter Fruit and grow stronger.

"There is one person, however, whom I need you to guide carefully." Hayato looked at Shisui, his tone very steady.

Shisui nodded. Uchiha Itachi, the architect of the night of the massacre, was indeed the one who had been misled by his future self.

He needed to pull him back onto the right path.

Late at night, Shisui walked slowly out of Hayato's home. He glanced back at the closed gate behind him and let out a deep, long breath.

At this moment, he felt exceptionally light.

It was truly fortunate that the Uchiha had Hayato.

Sarutobi Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, listening to Kakashi's report.

It was only just now that he had managed to dismiss Danzo and the rest of the Council of Elders.

With his silver hair exposed and his Anbu mask removed, Kakashi was slowly recounting everything that had transpired tonight.

"The eight from Root who died were all members of minor clans within the village, and none of them were registered in the Anbu manuals."

"As for... the two who were still alive, the moment we attempted to gather intelligence, the seals placed upon them triggered and killed them instantly."

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed inwardly. He had already investigated the head that Uchiha Fugaku had given him previously, and he had confirmed that the Root ninja had been marked with a type of curse seal.

He had thought of this just now, but Danzo had deliberately stalled him.

Danzo... have you really gone this far?

Sarutobi Hiruzen viewed every ninja in the village as his own people; they could die for Konoha, but they could not be allowed to vanish pointlessly in such internal strife.

However—

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed in his heart; it seemed he no longer had the ability to stop it.

The growth of Root had already become intertwined with the tree that was Konoha.

If he were to disturb the roots, Konoha itself would suffer the consequences.

Once again, Sarutobi Hiruzen chose his usual method of handling things: turning a blind eye.

"Kakashi, tell me about the Uchiha clan."

Kakashi paused his report on Root and began to explain the situation he had observed tonight.

"By the time I arrived to take over, the Anbu had already been watching for a while. Aside from Uchiha Fugaku leaving the clan compound, there was almost no unusual activity from the Uchiha clan at all."

Sarutobi Hiruzen opened his eyes, a hint of doubt hidden in their depths.

Clearly, the last time they spoke, Fugaku had displayed a state of alienation from him, but... why was it that he could not detect any difference at this moment?