Hiruzen Sarutobi was utterly dumbfounded.
As far as he was concerned, Yan Uchiha was a complete lunatic. Who would do something like this?
But Shikaku Nara shook his head and advised him with a smile, "Lord Hokage, don't get worked up just yet."
"In my view, Yan Uchiha stands to gain quite a lot from this."
"First, Uchiha Setsuna was Jin Uchiha's enemy to begin with. Taking this opportunity to eliminate him removed an internal enemy."
"Second, he also purged everyone in the clan who opposed him in one fell swoop."
"In other words, the Uchiha are now completely united."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression shifted slightly.
Shikaku Nara continued his analysis without stopping. "As for driving those people out, frankly, that was just making use of unwanted scraps."
"Killing them all would damage his reputation. Keeping them in the clan would only waste food. Assigning guards to watch them would require manpower, too."
"Besides, if those people remained within the Uchiha, they might stab him in the back at any moment."
"In that case, he might as well drive them all out at once. Out of sight, out of mind."
"And along the way, he could use Shisui to squeeze more money and resources out of you, Lord Hokage."
At this point, Shikaku Nara's tone grew complicated.
"If you actually took the bait, Lord Hokage, things would become even simpler."
"The Uchiha could put on a show with Shisui, staging a few mock battles now and then to lead you around by the nose and gradually lower your guard."
"Once that happened, they could secretly build up their strength while Konoha was unprepared."
Shikaku Nara spread his hands.
"Minimal investment, enormous returns."
He had to admit that once he had truly worked through the whole affair, even he couldn't help marveling