"It's about maintaining order, arresting criminals, and punishing rule-breakers. It's an inherently thankless job that makes enemies and breeds resentment."
"The Second Hokage wanted to create an invisible wall between the Uchiha and the villagers. It was the gentlest way to eliminate the Uchiha's potential threat to Konoha, and this gentle isolation only made the Uchiha more and more paranoid."
"A threat?" Shisui's voice dropped unconsciously, his question tinged with disbelief.
"Give the Uchiha a prominent but sensitive position. Have us serve the village, while designing the system so that we can't build up prestige, and completely seal off any possibility of the Uchiha claiming the Hokage Position."
"Forever—unable to touch the highest power."
Hayato's fingers stopped tapping the table. His gaze fixed on Shisui like a blade.
Shisui furrowed his brow, his eyes grave. As Hayato laid it out, he seemed to understand something.
But...
Was that right?
"Hayato, are you saying the Second Hokage had already considered this when he was in office?"
Shisui thought that was impossible. No matter how far-sighted someone was, they couldn't predict what was happening now. Anyone who could would be more than human.
"Of course not." Hayato raised an eyebrow.
"He foresaw the Uchiha problem, but he didn't foresee peace becoming corrupt. The Uchiha are a very useful blade, but he didn't anticipate one possibility."
"Whether a future Hokage would truly be capable of keeping the Uchiha Clan in check."
Shisui fell silent. In the past, the Third Hokage and the village had indeed been capable of suppressing the Uchiha Clan, but that was all they could do: suppress them.
But now, aside from him and Hayato, even the clan leader possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan.
The situation had long since been turned upside down. Or rather, in the eyes of some people, even if the three of them hadn't revealed their Mangekyo Sharingan, the Uchiha were already a significant enough threat.
The bloodshed and devastation of the Night of the Nine-Tails had nearly torn all of Konoha apart.
Though Konoha had weathered the crisis, the villagers still had to watch Sharingan-bearing Uchiha patrol the streets, their eyes branded with the memory of that night. Their owners were overbearing and unyielding, constantly reminding everyone of it.
Dragging the pain of that night back into the open, again and again.
The Uchiha were trapped in an atmosphere where they were shunned by others yet had to force themselves to fit in.
It wasn't only the Uchiha who felt humiliated and furious. The villagers of Konoha felt the same. For now, everyone was simply caught in an uneasy balance.
And if anyone broke that balance, it would be the end of the Uchiha Clan.
So that was it.
Shisui closed his eyes in pain. He understood now why the Night of the Massacre had happened.
It wasn't because of any one person, but because of an existing conflict—one that had ultimately erupted in the most extreme and bloody way possible.
"Hayato."
Shisui straightened up and looked at Hayato solemnly. "I'm willing to follow your lead. I only ask that you save the Uchiha!"
Until now, he had always hoped to reconcile the conflict without sacrificing either side.
He loved the Uchiha Clan, and he loved Konoha. But Hayato's words had made him see clearly that this wasn't a time when his ideals could come true.
He was powerless to change things, but Hayato wasn't.
Looking at Hayato, who remained confident, Shisui had only one thought: even if it cost him his life, he would help Hayato turn everything around.
"Get up."
Hayato leaned forward and helped Shisui to his feet.
They sat down at the table again. The mood had changed; seeing Shisui ready to follow his instructions, Hayato's lips curled into a smile.
"First, we need to make our voices heard within the clan."
"Huh?" Shisui was confused at first, but then understood what Hayato meant. The Uchiha needed a new leader.
"I'll find the clan leader—"
"No need." Hayato waved a hand. "The clan leader already knows we have the Mangekyo Sharingan. He also foresaw this situation, so he'll probably make his own move soon."
Shisui breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't have the confidence to persuade the clan leader himself.
Clan leader, no offense, but without becoming Hokage, you've already reached the pinnacle of power most people can attain in their lifetime.
Shisui looked at Hayato again.
"Take it slow. There's no need to rush," Hayato said, lifting his cup for a sip of water.
"For now, things probably won't be too peaceful. You should know that."
"Yeah. The Council of Elders is deeply prejudiced against our clan," Shisui replied with a nod. What he had seen that night had made that clear.
"You could put it that way, but the Third Hokage's indulgence is part of it too. Still, none of that is a problem."
Hayato waved a hand. With three Mangekyo Sharingan in the Uchiha Clan, there was no need to rush.
Besides, he needed someone in the shadows to make a move, so Bitter Fruit could grow stronger through it.
"There is one person I need you to guide carefully." Hayato looked at Shisui, his voice steady.
Shisui nodded. Uchiha Itachi, the architect of the Night of the Massacre, was indeed someone who would be led astray in the future.
He needed to guide Itachi back onto the right path.
Late that night, Shisui walked slowly out of Hayato's home. He glanced back at the closed door, then let out a deep breath.
He felt remarkably at ease.
It was wonderful that the Uchiha had Hayato.
Sarutobi Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, listening to Kakashi's report.
Only moments ago, he had finally managed to send Danzo and the other members of the Council of Elders away.
Silver-haired and with his Anbu mask removed, Kakashi slowly recounted everything that had happened that night.
"The eight Root members who died were all from minor clans in the village, and none of them were listed in the Anbu records."
"And... when we tried to question the two who survived, the seals on them activated and killed them."
Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help sighing inwardly. He had already investigated the head Fugaku had given him last time and discovered that the Root shinobi had been marked with a Cursed Seal.
He had suspected as much just now, but Danzo had deliberately stalled him.
Danzo... had you really gone this far?
Every shinobi in the village was one of Sarutobi Hiruzen's people. They could die for Konoha, but they couldn't simply disappear without explanation because of infighting.
But—
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed inwardly. It seemed he no longer had the power to stop it.
The growth of Root had already affected the great tree that was Konoha.
If he disturbed its roots, Konoha itself would suffer.
Once again, Sarutobi Hiruzen chose the same course he always had: turning a blind eye.
"Kakashi, tell me about the Uchiha Clan."
Kakashi stopped reporting on Root and went on to describe what he had observed that night.
"When I took over, the Anbu had already been watching them for a while. Aside from Uchiha Fugaku leaving the clan compound, the Uchiha Clan made no unusual moves."
Sarutobi Hiruzen opened his eyes, a hint of confusion in their depths.
Fugaku had clearly seemed estranged from him the last time they met. So... why couldn't he see any difference now?
Before you continue