Reaping the Bitter Fruit of Regret

The conference room fell into silence following the words of the Police Force member.

After all, it was the truth.

Even Seiichi, a fan of Uchiha Shisui, wore a cold expression; he had been met with nothing but glares from the villagers of Konoha that very morning.

He realized this fact even more clearly now.

Hayato stood in the back, watching the Police Force member who had risen to his feet.

This was a man with seniority; at the very least, he had already been in the force when Hayato first joined.

Hayato's gaze shifted to Shisui.

It was obvious that even though Shisui's strength was currently overwhelming, he was momentarily caught off guard by such a sharp rebuttal.

No matter how powerful he was, he was still only a teenager, and this was not what he had envisioned.

Seeing this, Hayato shook his head. Uchiha Shisui was still too naive.

Respect and equal dialogue were built upon a foundation of strength.

At this moment, the Uchiha clan did not possess that strength, even with a genius who had awakened his eyes at such a young age.

But that didn't matter.

"Just because you're strong, you can spout such empty platitudes?"

The veteran Police Force member's tone was bitter. "You are called a genius, you stand at the pinnacle, so of course you can talk about love. But what about us? Aside from gripping the blades in our hands, what else can we hold onto?!"

With that, the member turned and walked straight out of the conference room.

If this was what the Uchiha clan's genius was like, then this lecture wasn't worth listening to!

Clatter, clatter.

The crowd filed out, moving even faster than they had when they entered.

Shisui stood on the platform, his expression complex.

The squad leader beside him rose, cast a sidelong glance at Shisui, and said coldly, "I will explain this to the other elders and the clan head."

Having said his piece, he strode away.

He didn't notice that besides Shisui, there was one other person left in the conference room.

Hayato sat quietly; the outcome was even more volatile than he had imagined.

At the very least, he had expected his clansmen to argue back, but not to leave.

However, he had overlooked that the Uchiha clan was already a powder keg, fueled by the death of the Fourth Hokage, the Nine-Tails incident, and the public opinion deliberately manipulated by the higher-ups.

Shisui, who had been silent for a long time, looked up and was startled to see someone still in the room.

Hayato was watching him with a calm expression, and Shisui asked, "You are..."

He didn't know Hayato's name and didn't know how to address him.

"Uchiha Hayato."

Hayato stood up and introduced himself.

Shisui nodded repeatedly, a look of relief on his face. "Hayato, why did you stay behind?"

His words carried a hint of urgency, as he was currently yearning for a kindred spirit, even if only a little.

Hayato looked at Shisui and shook his head. "I stayed because I have a question I want to ask."

"Please, go ahead," Shisui nodded eagerly.

"Are you trying to change the image of the Police Force so that the villagers will recognize the Uchiha again?"

Hayato asked.

"That's right, that is what I think. In the eyes of the villagers, the Uchiha Police Force has already become an oppressive presence..."

"Don't be naive, Uchiha Shisui. The pressure and exclusion the clan has suffered has never come from the so-called villagers."

Hayato cut him off directly; the statement was indeed naive.

Shisui only noticed the shortcomings within the clan, but failed to see the deeper, darker side of Konoha.

It was never the villagers of Konoha who ostracized the Uchiha; it was the higher-ups of the village.

Shisui's expression stiffened as he stared blankly at Hayato.

Just as he was about to ask what his clansman meant, Hayato spoke again.

"Shisui, I don't know about the things you talk about. I just want to ask: are the many Uchiha clansmen really as unbearable as you think?"

"When I was just born, my father died on the battlefield for Konoha and the clan. My mother raised me alone until she passed away when I was seven."

"It was the clansmen you claim don't understand your philosophy who gave me food to eat, not Konoha."

"You yourself are a member of the Police Force, yet you have never once gone on patrol."

"You tell us not to use force, but are you aware? Just this morning, while we were patrolling the core district, a group of drunks was causing trouble. But the moment we showed up, those villagers looked at us with such hostility."

"Tell me, did we do something wrong?"

"Or perhaps we should just turn a blind eye? Then what is the point of the Police Force's existence?"

"Are we supposed to reason with drunks using nothing but words, or should we just let them be?"

"Believe me, if we do that, the Clan Head will be summoned by the Hokage or the Elders by tomorrow."

"And what is the Clan Head supposed to do then? Anyone can spout one-sided arguments; please, get a proper understanding of the situation before you come here to share your so-called ideas."

Having said that, Hayato turned and walked away. It was enough; saying more would be pointless. Now, he would simply wait for the Bitter Fruit to manifest.

Based on his understanding of Shisui's personality, it would certainly have an effect.

Just as he stepped out of the meeting room, Hayato stopped, for someone was standing at the door.

Uchiha Fugaku.

"Clan Head." Hayato paused for a brief moment, bowed slightly, and then stepped away.

It was not the right time to have too much contact with this man; at the very least, he was currently just an ordinary member of the Uchiha clan.

If he harbored any delusions that a few words would make Fugaku think highly of him, he might as well pray for a high-value reward from the Bitter Fruit Entry System instead.

Fugaku watched Hayato's retreating figure, taking quite a while to recall which clan member this was.

"So it was this child."

However, Fugaku paid it no mind; he would simply check the Police Force's records after returning.

For now, he needed to go inside and have a talk with Shisui.

"Hayato, where did you go?"

Uchiha Rin and Uchiha Seiichi, who had been waiting at the entrance of the Police Force, asked as soon as they saw Hayato come down.

"It's nothing, I just feel that Shisui is a bit too naive in some respects."

Hayato waved his hand dismissively.

"Hmph, he has forgotten that he is also a member of the Uchiha."

Seiichi was the most furious of them all. Even though he was older than Shisui, he had always regarded Shisui as a goal.

One could even say he was his idol.

Who could have imagined that Shisui would hold such thoughts?

In Seiichi's eyes, this was no less than a betrayal of the Uchiha clan.

Hearing this, Hayato patted Seiichi on the shoulder. Although all the measures Tobirama implemented were to guard against the Uchiha clan, his insights into the Uchiha were correct.

Uchiha clansmen are powerful because of "love," but when they lose what they love, these negative emotions come to dominate their thoughts.

If Shisui's words hadn't been less naive than they would be in the future, Seiichi might have activated his Sharingan right then and there.

Seiichi did not push Hayato away; Hayato's words just now had earned his approval.

Seeing this, Hayato chuckled softly. This was the Uchiha—daring to love and daring to hate.

Perhaps the reason his own Sharingan hadn't progressed as rapidly over the years was due to the lack of this very trait?

Ding!

[Bitter Fruit Entry System]

Target detected: Uchiha Shisui

Triggered Bitter Fruit type: Bitter Fruit of Regret

Content: Reflecting on his lack of understanding within the clan, feeling guilty for viewing issues too one-sidedly, and blaming himself for being too naive.

Harvesting in progress...