Your Regret, My Shadow

"That seemed... rather extreme?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned somewhat complicated.

Putting himself in another's shoes, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew he would never describe any child as extreme or radical, much less use such a subjective word as "seemed."

Hiruzen Sarutobi had always believed that Itachi was someone with a strong sense of greater purpose, capable of viewing the problems between the village and his clan from beyond the clan's perspective.

But just now, he suddenly realized another possibility.

Perhaps Itachi did not possess some great sense of righteousness at all. Perhaps he simply did not care!

Because he did not care, he could remain unmoved by the conflict between his clan and the village. Because he did not care, he could stand on the moral high ground and look down on his clansmen's narrow-mindedness.

And once something he cared about became involved, he was narrower-minded than anyone.

Uchiha Shu could apologize to the Anbu, which showed that he was not unreasonable. Hiruzen Sarutobi did not think the boy had been scared into it—after all, that brat had not even shown the Hokage himself any respect.

Yet Itachi, Shu's fellow clansman and someone Hiruzen Sarutobi considered mild-tempered, had unusually made such an assessment. It did not match the impression Itachi had given him in the past.

In Hiruzen Sarutobi's view, there were only a few possible reasons why Itachi might be dissatisfied with Shu.

Either Shu had defeated Sasuke, or Shu's greater talent had made him jealous.

But regardless of the reason, the problem was not with Uchiha Shu.

Sure enough, those who so easily spoke of righteousness were often the least trustworthy.

That was rather like Danzo...

At that thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not help but chuckle.

From his position, this was actually a good thing. He even hoped the Uchiha would have a few more people like this, easier to control. But honestly, this was not what he truly wanted.

What he needed was someone who could fundamentally change the current situation!

Someone who could maintain the relationship with the village externally, suppress the Uchiha clansmen internally, and truly integrate the Uchiha into the village!

Hiruzen Sarutobi could say with a clear conscience that although he did indeed intend to restrain the Uchiha, that was as far as it went.

As Hokage, while his handling of the Uchiha had indeed been improper, he could not truly be blamed for everything.

Regarding the Nine-Tails Attack, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew there was a high probability that the Uchiha had nothing to do with it. After all, if they truly possessed that ability, they would not have behaved themselves for so long.

But the key was that other people did not believe it!

And why did they not believe it...? The Uchiha had prior offenses!

During the First Hokage's era, Madara Uchiha defected from the village, then returned riding a Nine-Tails mecha to attack it.

During the Second Hokage's era, Uchiha Setsuna launched a coup.

As Hokage, he could not simply say, "I believe them," and ignore the risks, could he?

He had no choice but to relocate the Uchiha to the corner of the village.

This also caused the Uchiha's dissatisfaction with the village to grow by the day. Even the Police Force's work became, "Law enforcement with warmth, baton swings with force..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi had originally thought Shisui would be the one to change the situation, but Shisui, too, had been swept up by his clansmen's expectations, trapped between advance and retreat.

Later, he had thought Itachi would become a bridge between the Uchiha and the village. But objectively speaking, Itachi's interpersonal relationships were truly terrible. Instead, he had become a traitor in his clansmen's eyes.

Combined with his recent speculation about Itachi Uchiha's mentality, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that Itachi's specific circumstances still required observation.

But Uchiha Shu's appearance had allowed him to see a glimmer of hope.

Handsome, powerful, intelligent—unlike the other Uchiha, this child understood how to use the rules.

And as an orphan, he did not have such strong attachments to his clan. Of course, by the same token, he probably had no feelings for the village either.

But feelings could be cultivated.

Especially since Shu was only six years old. It was the perfect time to forge bonds!

Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, the fire inside flickering in and out.

He was thinking, and he was waiting—for a man who watched the Uchiha like a mad dog.

Sure enough, before long, a set of footsteps suddenly sounded in the corridor.

Then, with a bang, the office door was shoved open.

An elderly man in black clothes, his face wrapped in bandages, entered the room.

His right hand was tucked inside his robe, while his left gripped a cane. His expression was grim and vicious, as though the word "villain" were one step away from being carved onto his face.

"Hiiruzen, what is the deal with that Uchiha Shu? Since when has the Uchiha produced another genius like him?"

"Danzo, you didn't knock again."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, though he was not surprised in the slightest. He had long expected Danzo's arrival. "The village has produced another genius. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Hmph..." Danzo snorted coldly. "A Uchiha genius may not necessarily be a village genius. That brat just unleashed a large-scale Fire Release at Training Ground Three. He has no sense of restraint and treats rules as if they were nothing. In the future, he will surely become another Madara Uchiha!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi set down his pipe, long accustomed to Danzo's attitude. "So you are here to ask for him again?"

"That's right. An unstable element like that must never be allowed to continue acting so recklessly!"

Danzo said coldly, "A Fire Release spanning over a hundred meters—even you would likely struggle to manage that now, wouldn't you? That brat is only six years old, yet his talent surpasses even Itachi Uchiha's back then! In an environment like the Uchiha clan, it will only fuel his arrogance."

"But in Root's environment, he will only become an emotionless weapon," Hiruzen Sarutobi said blandly.

"Shinobi should never have self-awareness to begin with!" Danzo said coldly, as if it were only natural.

"If things were as you said, shinobi would have died out long ago."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and said sternly, "I'll be frank, Danzo. I have other expectations for that child, so I will never permit you to touch him in any form!"

Danzo's face immediately filled with astonishment. He had not expected this old friend, who had always been indecisive, to be so resolute this time.

"Hiiruzen, you..."

"Oh, and one more thing..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi cut Danzo off. "Recently, I have received more than one accusation claiming that an elder has been using threats to force the various shinobi clans to hand over their clan geniuses to join his subordinates."

"How utterly unchecked. If I recall correctly, Teacher Tobirama taught us that everyone in the village was a comrade, didn't he?"

As he spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face gradually darkened. "Some things should be kept within limits! Otherwise, when the clans unite, I will have no choice but to handle the matter officially."

At those words, Danzo tightened his grip on his cane, his face seeming somewhat stiff.

After a moment of silence, his tone softened slightly. "I came here this time because of Uchiha Shu."

"I already said it. I have other considerations regarding this matter." Hiruzen Sarutobi left no room for negotiation.

"That bond nonsense again. Too weak!" Danzo heavily struck his cane against the floor. "Hiruzen, you will regret this."

Hiruzen Sarutobi instinctively replied, "Danzo, I am the Hokage!"

Bang!

Danzo's face turned livid as he slammed the door and left.

Hiruzen Sarutobi quietly watched the office door. After a moment, he suddenly gave a soft laugh.

"Mm, now that feels right..."