Decision Maker

Inside the Hokage Office.

The Third Hokage looked at the ANBU surrounding him protectively and said in a deep voice:

"Not a single word about what just happened is to leave this room. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

The ANBU present felt their hearts lurch.

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

The Third Hokage waved his hand, and all the ANBU withdrew like a receding tide.

Only the man who had been the first to shield him remained.

"You've worked hard, Feixiong."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and patted his eldest son on the shoulder.

Though this son had little reputation outside, he had always served in the ANBU, handling all manner of affairs for him.

Not only was he strong, but his talent was exceptional as well. He was the Sarutobi Family's finest heir.

"The village has been unstable lately. I should stay home for a while."

Feixiong Sarutobi spoke quietly.

The Third Hokage sighed and nodded. "All right. It'll be good for you to spend more time at home. Konohamaru barely recognizes you anymore."

Seeing his father agree, Feixiong relaxed. "Fugaku Uchiha's threat was no empty one. Father, you must be careful."

At the mention of this, the Third Hokage's expression gradually darkened.

Naturally, he knew just how badly the plan had gone off course. If two top-tier rogue ninjas with Mangekyō Sharingan truly defected to an enemy nation with Konoha's core secrets—

It would be a devastating blow to Konoha, which was already suffering from a shortage of rising talent.

They could not provoke the Uchiha any further! At least, not right now!

He turned and ordered Feixiong, "Find Danzo and tell him to immediately halt all actions against the remaining Uchiha. Under no circumstances are they to provoke the Uchiha again! That is an order!"

"Also, ensure Sasuke Uchiha's safety and let him return home 'naturally.'"

He placed particular emphasis on the word "naturally."

"I understand."

Feixiong accepted the order and quickly left.

Facing the empty office, the Third Hokage took a deep drag from his pipe.

"...Sigh."

Inside the Uchiha meeting room.

Shien sat at the head of the table, with Shisui in his Impure World Reincarnation state beside him.

To be honest, Shien had not expected nearly every Uchiha with a name to be dead.

Yet all the survivors were nameless figures from the original story.

His Fate Savior System had not reacted at all.

Still, since he had chosen this method to preserve the remaining Uchiha clansmen, he had no regrets.

After all, with proper training, the Uchiha Clan always had a far higher chance of producing experts than anywhere else.

While waiting for the clansmen to arrive, Shien sorted through the memories in his mind.

He was an orphan, raised entirely by the clan.

With both parents gone, naturally his potential knew no bounds.

Bright and gifted, he had been the clan's standard of comparison since childhood.

Though he could not compare to a monster like Itachi, he was still one of the best among the Uchiha's younger generation.

He had even learned from his memories that he had been in the same year as Obito, Kakashi, and Rin, though they had not been in the same class and had little contact.

Natsuki, Yaoye, and other familiar faces from his own class had died beneath Itachi's blade several hours ago.

Aside from Fugaku, who had defected, the Uchiha's remaining higher-ups who could still speak with authority were, on average, under thirty.

The room that should have been packed to the brim now held only a dozen or so people.

Everyone wore heavy expressions. Even Akabane, who usually loved drawing attention to himself, remained silent.

Shisui's eyes churned with regret and pain.

Clap, clap, clap...

Shien clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.

"No matter what, our Uchiha Clan was not exterminated tonight. For the sake of the clansmen who remain, everyone needs to pull yourselves together!"

His words lifted their spirits slightly, and they all focused on him.

"First, we need to choose a decision-maker."

Shien did not nominate himself. Though he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, he was too young and there were many things he could not yet take into account.

They looked at one another before their gazes finally settled on an Uchiha clansman with a small mustache and meticulously combed hair.

His name was Zhiming Uchiha. Only a few years younger than Fugaku, he had long handled many clan affairs and had even been about to rise to the position of elder.

He was one of the few surviving high-ranking members.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Zhiming tapped the table lightly with his fingers and said calmly:

"Logically speaking, I could become the clan's decision-maker."

"But in practical terms, I am better suited to being an administrator."

"The clan is in chaos right now, so I will first help everyone sort out their thoughts."

Zhiming looked toward Shien at the head of the table and Shisui beside him.

"How long can Shisui remain? Can he be brought back again?"

He was asking Shien, but he was also asking Shisui.

To be honest, Shien had never considered this question. In the original world, there had been no clearly defined duration for the Impure World Reincarnation.

But Impure World Reincarnation required living people as sacrifices. Naturally, the living bodies wrapped within would decay and rot.

At most, the corpses would probably spoil within a few months.

Otherwise, Orochimaru, Yakushi Kabuto, and the others would not have kept people inside coffins.

However, Shisui had been created through Shien's system ability, so it was hard to say how long he could remain.

Shien shook his head slightly, uncertain.

"He was summoned from the Pure Land through a special method. For now, he can last one or two months at most."

"And the materials and secret technique cannot be replicated anytime soon."

With a thoughtful look in his eyes, Zhiming continued, "Shisui said that you know the future, Shien. Is that true?"

Shien nodded with a solemn expression. Though that had been an excuse to quickly persuade Shisui, he now felt it was a pretty good pretext.

After all, when traveling the world, he could make up whatever he wanted.

If he displayed anything unusual in the future, he could simply say that he knew the future.

This world had everything. Nothing strange would be surprising.

He pointed at his Mangekyō Sharingan. "When I awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, I saw another future where our Uchiha Clan was exterminated."

All the clansmen present let out cries of astonishment.

Yet no one pressed him on what exactly that meant.

It was normal for ninja to conceal their abilities, and some ninja were outright illiterate, unable to explain many things even to themselves.

Unfortunately, most of the Uchiha Clan was illiterate. Even though the Sharingan made learning terrifyingly efficient, few people actually enjoyed reading.

Zhiming bowed to Shien. "Shien, in the clan's current state, what we lack is someone who can see the road ahead and lead us."

"Therefore, you are the most suitable person to be our decision-maker."

Everyone present nodded repeatedly. Shien possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, and he had saved the remaining clansmen tonight.

He was more than qualified to be their decision-maker.

What was wrong with being young? Minato Namikaze had only been in his twenties when he became Hokage.

Shien could not help sighing inwardly. The Uchiha Clan really did not have many hidden agendas.

Seeing that everyone was sincere, he did not hesitate any longer.

"Then I'll take on the role of decision-maker."

Bang!

The moment he finished speaking, a clansman suddenly slammed the door open and rushed inside.

"Sasuke—Sasuke is about to be beaten to death..."