Kagami Uchiha's Confusion (1)

After parting with Hiruzen Sarutobi in front of the Hokage Building and watching him head for the South District construction site, Nangō Kumoi returned to his office alone.

He had barely sat down and had yet to pick up the first document when an Anbu quietly appeared.

"Hokage-sama, Kagami Uchiha requests an audience outside. He has been waiting for some time."

At those words, Nangō Kumoi raised an eyebrow slightly.

Kagami had come to see him of his own accord? And at this particular time? That might be a good sign.

"Let him in."

He set down the document, straightened slightly in his chair, and adjusted his expression to appear focused yet calm.

Kagami soon walked in.

He wore the Uchiha Clan's customary dark high-collared robes, pressed so neatly that they were spotless, though they made his complexion seem overly pale.

A layer of exhaustion and confusion hung stubbornly between his brows. His steps lacked their usual steadiness as well, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible heaviness.

"Hokage-sama."

He stopped several paces from the desk, lowered his gaze, and greeted him according to protocol.

His voice was dry, and his manners impeccable, yet there was a sense of distance in them.

Nangō Kumoi did not answer right away.

He rose, walked around the desk piled high with documents, and went to the small table, where he picked up the teapot warming over the stove.

"Senior Brother Kagami."

He used the old form of address from their days as fellow disciples under the Second Hokage, his tone as casual as if they had simply run into each other one afternoon.

"Sit over here. The tea was just warmed. Have some."

At the words "Senior Brother," Kagami Uchiha's tightly drawn shoulders loosened for an instant, so slightly it was almost unnoticeable.

He looked up, his gaze quickly sweeping over Nangō Kumoi's calm face before falling on the noticeably more casual sofa.

His hesitation lasted only a moment. He walked over as instructed. Even as he sat, his back remained straight, while his hands unconsciously clasped together on his knees, his knuckles faintly tense.

Nangō Kumoi poured two cups of tea, pushed one toward him, and sat down himself without rushing back behind the desk that symbolized authority.

Steam curled gently between them, carrying a crisp, bitter fragrance that slightly diluted the invisible tension in the air.

"You don't look too well."

Nangō Kumoi lifted his own cup and blew on the steam, his tone casual.

"Didn't you rest last night? Or did you hit a bottleneck in your training?"

Kagami's gaze fell on the tea leaves drifting in his cup, and he fell silent for a moment.

This silence was not resistance so much as a difficult gathering of strength.

At last, he raised his head. The confusion in his eyes was so thick it seemed ready to overflow, and the calm mask he had struggled to maintain showed cracks.

"Kumoi..."

He tried to say the name. His voice was hoarse, but it carried more genuine warmth than his earlier "Hokage-sama."

"I... don't know where to begin."

He drew a deep breath, as if trying to organize his thoughts, but what came out was even more direct confusion.

"The clan summoned me last night."

"The elders' words... were still all about the Uchiha's glory, responsibility, how the Police Force's duties were the bottom line. They reminded me that no matter when, I must never forget my bloodline or my position."

His words quickened, edged with suppressed agitation.

"But Senior Brother Hiruzen came to see me the day before yesterday. He spoke about specific measures for reorganizing village security and providing relief for war orphans."

"Between the lines, he hoped I could take part in the planning in my 'personal capacity.' He even said it was your intention."

His fingers tightened, his knuckles turning white.

"I'm grateful for your trust, Kumoi. Truly. On the battlefield... you saved me."

"I want to do something too, for the village and for myself. But now, I..."

A nearly painful confusion appeared on his face.

"I feel like a tool, placed between the clan and the village."

"The clan wants me to be a bridge, yet it keeps telling me that the bridge's foundations must be firmly rooted in Uchiha soil; the village gives me an opportunity, yet seems to hope that this bridge can be built out of thin air, unrelated to the land on either shore."

"I stand on this bridge, with both sides pulling on me. Yet I don't know which direction I should go so that the bridge won't break in the middle and send me crashing into pieces."

Once he began to speak, he found it hard to stop.

Perhaps it was the relative privacy of this office, or perhaps it was the complicated identity of the man before him—both Hokage and savior, yet also his junior fellow disciple.

Or perhaps the loneliness he had buried for so long had found what seemed like a safe outlet. Kagami's voice dropped, revealing an even deeper exhaustion.

"What leaves me even more... powerless is that when I return to the clan, everyone says the same things: for the Uchiha, for the glory of the Sharingan."

"But beyond that, it feels as though there is nothing else to discuss. Training, missions, glory... over and over again."

"Sometimes I look at them, at my younger brother. He looks at me with trust and expectation, but he never asks, 'Brother, what are you thinking? Are you tired?'"

He tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a smile uglier than tears.

"Teacher is gone. There isn't even anyone left to ask for directions."

"Walking through the clan grounds, the livelier it gets, the more... lonely I feel."

"Today, when I heard your speech at the academy, I suddenly thought that perhaps... I could come ask you."

When he finished, the room fell silent.

Only the fragrance of tea spread soundlessly through the air, along with the distant, muffled sounds of the marketplace beyond the window.

Nangō Kumoi listened quietly the entire time. He did not interrupt or pass judgment, merely taking an occasional sip of tea.

Only when Kagami's voice faded, when that heavy confusion and loneliness had nearly solidified in the air, did he slowly set down his cup.

Nangō Kumoi listened quietly and did not answer at once. He refilled the cup before Kagami with hot tea and pushed it over before finally speaking in a steady, clear voice.

"Senior Brother Kagami, I understand your confusion very well."

"This is not your fault. It is the result of the village and the Uchiha lacking a truly clear, mutually accepted way of coexistence for far too long."

He first shifted the issue from the personal level to one of history and structure, easing Kagami's personal burden.

"The Uchiha's glory is beyond question."

"The power of the Sharingan and the Uchiha's loyalty—to their clan—have both rendered great service to Konoha."

"This glory and power are the Uchiha's roots. No one can deny them, nor should anyone deny them."

He first affirmed the Uchiha's positive value. That was the foundation of their conversation.

"However, Senior Brother Kagami, Konoha is not the Uchiha's Konoha. Nor is it the Konoha of the Senju, the Hyuga, or any other clan."

Nangō Kumoi shifted the subject, his gaze blazing.

"Konoha belongs to everyone who lives on this land."

"The First Hokage's original purpose in founding the village was to end the endless cycle of vendettas between clans, so children could grow up in peace."

"This 'peace' is not the peace of any one clan. It is everyone's peace."

He introduced a broader concept of the collective.

"So the issue is not whether you should favor the clan or the village."

Nangō Kumoi leaned forward slightly, his tone growing more earnest.

"The issue is how we can allow the Uchiha's glory and strength to merge into and strengthen Konoha, the Konoha of 'everyone.'"

"Let Uchiha glory become part of Konoha's overall glory, rather than a separate part that even stands faintly opposed to it."

"The elders are right to tell you not to forget your roots. But what exactly are the Uchiha's 'roots'?"

"Are they merely the Sharingan and the duties of the Police Force?"

He posed the question, guiding Kagami to think.

"I believe the Uchiha's 'roots' are their determination and strength to pursue power and protect what they cherish."

"That strength was once used to protect the clan. Now, why can't it be used to better protect the larger 'home' that includes the Uchiha—Konoha?"

"I asked you to participate in your 'personal capacity' not because I want to sever you from the clan, nor because I distrust you."

"On the contrary, it is because I see in you the potential to rise beyond a narrow clan perspective."

"You are a 'pilot case' connecting old and new ideas."