Which mattered more?

"Shisui, the Uchiha Clan has been restless lately over the relocation. Pay closer attention to public opinion within the clan, and keep an eye on Uchiha Itachi."

Madara Uchiha's outstanding performance was the pretext Danzo and the Third Hokage used to summon Shisui. In truth, compared with a gifted boy who was still growing, the Uchiha Clan's current mood was their real concern.

Shisui's exceptional talent had earned him an early place in ANBU, and both the Third Hokage and Danzo had judged him trustworthy. Their true purpose in summoning him was to make him their informant within the Uchiha Clan.

"Yes, sir. Understood."

Before the Third Hokage and the leader of Konoha's dark side, Shisui Uchiha was as obedient as a loyal dog. He accepted Danzo's orders without the slightest hesitation.

"Shisui, don't let this weigh on you. As Hokage, I consider the Uchiha Clan part of the village as well. So long as they do not rebel, I will never act against them. Having you monitor their movements as a spy is merely a way to help the village better manage its relationship with the clan."

After Danzo issued his orders, the Third Hokage stepped in to smooth things over, playing the kindly old man as usual. Ordinarily, Shisui Uchiha might truly have believed his explanation. But today, one small change made Shisui feel a deep revulsion toward the Lord Hokage he had always respected.

When an exceptionally gifted boy emerged in the village, Hiruzen Sarutobi's first reaction as its leader was not delight, but wariness over the boy's clan background. How absurd. How laughable.

Several clans had come together to form the village, making everyone part of a single whole, with no distinction between us and them. This was the belief instilled in Shisui from birth. Yet today, the old man who had taught him that principle tore apart the illusion he had woven for him, right before his eyes.

The Uchiha Clan's relocation, the precautions against Madara Uchiha, the order to spy on his own clan and betray it—all these things seemed to be driven by Danzo. But without the Third Hokage's tacit approval, how could Danzo force the Uchiha Clan to move?

"Shisui, although the Third Hokage objects, we in Root will be keeping a close eye on you."

Shisui, you often need to look beyond appearances and think about the underlying logic. As the leader of the village, Lord Hokage has a duty to take responsibility for everything that happens within it, whether good or bad.

Words Madara Uchiha had spoken during their casual conversations surfaced in Shisui's mind. With his head lowered, Shisui listened to Danzo's icy voice and the Third Hokage's gentle tone. In his mind, those two utterly opposite voices gradually merged into one.

"Yes, Lord Danzo, Lord Hokage. Understood."

After taking his leave of Danzo and the Third Hokage, Shisui walked out of the Hokage's office.

As a gifted young member of the Uchiha Clan, monitoring the clan's movements was hardly a difficult assignment for Shisui. Keeping track of Madara Uchiha's development was even easier. After all, Shisui considered himself Madara's closest friend in the Uchiha Clan, if not all of Konoha. Yet now, he wished Lord Hokage had given him a dangerous combat mission that might cost him his life. At least then, his heart would surely not hurt the way it did now.

Which mattered more, the clan or the village?

Madara Uchiha's question lingered in Shisui's mind, mingling with Danzo's and the Third Hokage's voices, refusing to fade.

"All right, next I'll teach you the Clone Technique. This is an extremely difficult ninjutsu to master, one that tests your perfect control over your own chakra. Make sure you study it carefully. Here's a little hint: some past graduation exams have included a test of the Clone Technique."

While Shisui Uchiha's worldview was being torn down and rebuilt, Madara Uchiha was beginning his first ninjutsu lesson at the Ninja Academy alongside a group of children his age.

After briefly explaining the hand seals for the Clone Technique and when to use it, the Ninja Academy teacher began his demonstration. His hands moved rapidly, and a figure identical to him appeared at his side.

"Wow! That's amazing!"

Quite a few of the watching students had never seen ninjutsu before. Seeing their teacher perform something so miraculous, they cried out in amazement. Some children from prominent clans, however, barely reacted. They had already learned their clans' ninjutsu at home before coming to the Ninja Academy. Their clans might not have taught them this particular Clone Technique, but it was hardly wondrous to them.

Madara Uchiha watched the sharply contrasting reactions of the two groups with interest.

Several clans will come together to form a village. Then everyone will be family, with no distinction between us and them. If we all unite, we can bring peace to the shinobi world.

The words Hashirama Senju had once used to persuade the clans to join Konoha surfaced in Madara Uchiha's mind.

Hashirama, it seems your successors never grasped the central idea behind your founding of the village. Although every clan considers Konoha its home, this state of affairs, with each clan remaining insular and monopolizing its own secret techniques, clearly isn't what you wanted to see.

No wonder Konoha, once a top-tier power thanks to the great clans that had joined it, had become a weak village anyone could push around after several changes of leadership. After all these years, the clans still could not fully integrate with one another. Presumably, Tobirama Senju's political strategy of dividing the clans to rule them, adopted to restrain the Uchiha Clan, had contributed a great deal to this.

"Itachi, would you like to try?"

Just as Madara Uchiha was reflecting on how Konoha had squandered the excellent hand it had held at its founding, the Ninja Academy teacher's voice reached his ears.

Although he had attended only a few classes at the Ninja Academy, Madara Uchiha's excellence was already common knowledge. Whether in shuriken throwing or theoretical knowledge, his ability was outrageously impressive. Now that they had reached the relatively complex subject of ninjutsu, he was naturally the first student the teacher thought of.

If even Uchiha Itachi struggles with this ninjutsu, surely the other students will take learning it more seriously.

That was the teacher's true reasoning behind choosing Madara Uchiha as his guinea pig.

"The Clone Technique? Teacher, I have a more powerful ninjutsu I can use instead. It can also confuse the enemy, and the clones it creates can actually inflict damage. Could I skip learning the Clone Technique rather than waste time on it?"