Hearing Uchiha Shunichi's words, Jiraiya recalled the detailed intelligence regarding the Nine-Tails' Attack.
That intelligence had indeed mentioned the Fourth Hokage speaking of a mysterious man, though it had not been nearly as detailed as Uchiha Shunichi's account.
"Shunichi, this is very important intelligence," Jiraiya said solemnly.
"Is that so? Unfortunately, that's all I know. I don't know that person's true identity. I only know he was very powerful and elusive." Uchiha Shunichi did not elaborate further.
Jiraiya did not press the matter. He directly brought the two of them into a secret chamber. Inside were several Uchiha Clan Ninjutsu scrolls, along with more than a dozen Sharingan.
This surprised Uchiha Shunichi. He had not expected Danzo to still have Sharingan in his possession.
But on second thought, it was perfectly normal. After all, the ones on Danzo's body were experimental products, so he must have needed specimens for testing beforehand.
As one of the chief culprits behind the Uchiha Clan Massacre, Danzo had possessed many assets belonging to the Uchiha Clan.
"These were found in Root after Danzo died. I can assure you that this was Danzo's personal doing. No one in the village, including the Third, knew about it," Jiraiya explained. Though even he had his doubts, that had to be the official situation.
Although there were now many civilian ninja in the village, the major ninja clans remained Konoha's backbone.
Ordinarily, whether it was true or not, something like this had to be concealed. But Jiraiya could not bring himself to hide it.
"I'm sorry, but I hope you can keep this confidential. Something like this happening in the village..." Jiraiya felt embarrassed, yet he still waited for the two boys' response.
Uchiha Sasuke stared hatefully at everything before him but said nothing. At that moment, he did not know what he should say.
It was easy to infer the truth of such a matter, and it would have been easy to conceal as well. So Uchiha Sasuke believed Konoha was being sincere, but he still found this hard to accept.
"They're only dead people. No matter what, Uchiha Itachi was the one who slaughtered the Uchiha Clan. I don't care about this sort of thing. Sasuke, you decide what to do with this." Uchiha Shunichi spoke calmly.
He had never held much affection for the Uchiha Clan. Although the Sharingan was cool, the Uchiha Clan's temperament was far too extreme. Even without Uchiha Itachi, something else would have happened eventually.
Of course, that had nothing to do with Uchiha Shunichi.
Uchiha Sasuke looked at the Sharingan soaking in jars and gave a bitter laugh. "The Uchiha Clan no longer exists. Since the enemy is already dead, let it end here."
"However, I don't want to see this happen again."
Uchiha Sasuke's choice surprised Uchiha Shunichi. It seemed his teachings over the years had borne some fruit after all.
As a member of the Uchiha Clan, you could be arrogant, but you had to possess the discernment to judge the situation. You could be extreme, but you needed a steady mind to determine the true cause of things.
In Uchiha Shunichi's view, the massacred Uchiha Clan had been deeply flawed. They were far too easily used as pawns, without even realizing it.
"Since Sasuke has said so, then so be it. But no matter what, thank you for not concealing something like this."
"Making mistakes isn't frightening sometimes. After all, every matter will eventually have a day when it can be resolved. But concealment breeds even darker emotions."
"Root is simply too dark." Uchiha Shunichi spoke pointedly.
"Shunichi, you need to understand. Even a Hokage has places beyond his reach." Jiraiya gave a bitter laugh. In the end, he could not resist saying a word in defense of his deceased mentor.
Uchiha Shunichi gathered up everything in the secret chamber that belonged to the Uchiha Clan, ignoring Jiraiya's defense.
"This matter ends here. I understand the village's difficulties. But not all sacrifices are the same. I can accept voluntary sacrifice, but I will never tolerate being forced to sacrifice!"
After collecting these Uchiha Clan "relics," Uchiha Shunichi left those words behind and turned to leave.
Like a little follower, Uchiha Sasuke trailed behind Uchiha Shunichi. Jiraiya watched their departing backs and finally let out a breath of relief.
"Shunichi, you knew about this already... didn't you?" On the way back, Uchiha Sasuke could not hold it in any longer and asked Uchiha Shunichi.
"There is no point in thinking about such things. There are many problems in the village, but the answers to those problems require your own strength."
"Do you think anyone would care about us if I were still an ordinary Genin?" Uchiha Shunichi asked calmly.
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Sasuke immediately understood something. His desire for power intensified even further.
"I understand!" Uchiha Sasuke answered solemnly.
Seeing Uchiha Sasuke's expression, Uchiha Shunichi sighed. "Sasuke, remember this. What has passed has passed, and hatred is the same. No matter when, you must stay calm. Otherwise, there are many obvious truths that you simply won't be able to see."
"Uchiha Itachi is a criminal. That is beyond dispute. Whatever his original intentions were, they are not important."
"Perhaps one day you will let go of your hatred, or perhaps one day you will be consumed by it. But regardless of the outcome, I will not remind you."
Uchiha Sasuke looked at Uchiha Shunichi in confusion. He completely failed to understand what Uchiha Shunichi meant.
Although they were the same age, Uchiha Sasuke always felt that Uchiha Shunichi before him was like a worldly old man.
"Shunichi, what exactly are you trying to tell me?" In the end, Uchiha Sasuke still asked.
"It doesn't matter if you don't understand. Just remember it." Uchiha Shunichi did not answer.
Although it would have been easy to tell Uchiha Sasuke the truth behind the massacre, Uchiha Shunichi did not want to do so.
It was not because Uchiha Shunichi cared about Sasuke's development. He simply felt that it was better for the future to change as little as possible.
Before you continue