The Third Hokage's Choice

Hokage's Office.

White smoke hung in the air.

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi lay a top-secret dossier from ANBU.

Uchiha Yao.

That name had been appearing far too often lately.

The dossier gave a detailed account of the groundbreaking drill at the Uchiha training grounds.

Twelve men against twenty Police Force elites.

Among them were five experienced jonin.

The result had been a crushing victory.

Flawless coordination, unconventional composite ninjutsu, and an Uchiha clansman who had broken through in the middle of battle.

Everything pointed to this Uchiha Elder, Uchiha Yao.

Another dossier had come from his old friend, Shimura Danzō.

Danzo had directly raised Uchiha Yao's threat level to the highest rank.

His recommendation was to take immediate action and eliminate him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi brought his pipe to his lips and took a deep draw.

Of course he was concerned.

The power and methods Uchiha Yao had displayed had already surpassed everyone's expectations.

But he, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was the Hokage.

What he considered had never been the gains and losses of a single place, but the balance of the entire board.

The Uchiha were a force that had to be restrained.

But was Danzo's Root not also a ferocious beast locked in a cage?

Over the years, Danzo's power had expanded far too quickly.

Uchiha Yao's forceful rise had created new fractures within the Uchiha.

Between Uchiha Yao and Uchiha Fugaku, between clan head and elder, between rising newcomers and the old guard.

That sort of internal strife was precisely what Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to see.

A united Uchiha was Konoha's greatest threat.

At the same time, Uchiha Yao was enough to make Danzo wary and prevent him from extending his hand so recklessly again.

"Hiruzen."

The advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, entered with equally grave expressions.

"How do you intend to handle the Uchiha matter?"

"That young man called Uchiha Yao is far too radical. The Police Force's training reforms are entirely based on wartime standards. We can no longer stand by and watch."

"Fugaku has already been completely sidelined."

Mitokado Homura added.

"The current Uchiha are practically ruled by Uchiha Yao alone. This is dangerous, Hiruzen."

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly exhaled a ring of smoke.

"Then what do you think we should do?"

"Suppress them directly?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked in return.

"Under what pretext? By what means? Forcibly interfering in a clan's internal affairs will only make them unite more firmly against us."

The office fell silent.

It truly was an unsolvable problem.

After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke in an unhurried tone.

"Doesn't the Police Force want combat training?"

"Then give them the opportunity."

"Recently, friction along the borders with Iwagakure and Kumogakure has been constant. The village has also accumulated quite a backlog of missions."

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his gaze toward the prosperous village beyond the window.

Mitokado Homura's eyes lit up as he instantly understood the Hokage's intentions.

"Send them to carry out border missions?"

"That's right."

"You both know how dangerous border missions are without me needing to tell you!"

Utatane Koharu caught on as well, and much of the worry on her face faded.

"This is indeed a good solution."

"It can keep the Uchiha away from the village's center of power and stop them from continuing to build influence internally, while also wearing down the Uchiha's fighting strength."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.

"It is a good thing for young people to have drive."

"As their elders, we should give them a stage on which to prove themselves."

"As long as they fight for Konoha's glory, there is no problem."

As long as the Uchiha did not openly raise the banner of rebellion and threaten the Hokage's rule.

Then let them make trouble.

Let them fight among themselves.

Let them slaughter one another with external enemies.

What interested Hiruzen Sarutobi more was the power struggle within the Uchiha.

Uchiha Yao. Uchiha Fugaku.

The new and the old.

That struggle was the key to determining the Uchiha's ultimate fate.

He only needed to be a quiet observer.

The night grew deeper.

After seeing off the two advisors, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not rest.

He was waiting for someone else.

Knock. Knock.

A soft knock sounded, and a figure appeared soundlessly in the shadows of the office.

"Hokage-sama."

Uchiha Itachi dropped to one knee.

"Rise, Itachi."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice became much gentler.

"You've worked hard."

"Tell me about the outcome of your... clash with Elder Yao."

Uchiha Itachi's body trembled almost imperceptibly.

Itachi was silent for a moment before slowly speaking.

"I lost."

"Completely... utterly."

Uchiha Itachi recounted the battle, from the suppression in taijutsu, to the clash of ninjutsu, to the final scene that had shattered his convictions.

"He was immune to my Tsukuyomi."

Itachi's voice carried bewilderment he could not comprehend.

"Even Amaterasu's black flames could not harm his Susanoo."

At the mention of Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned solemn.

What he had feared most had still happened.

Itachi had opened those eyes as well.

"Elder Yao... he also possesses..."

"The Mangekyō Sharingan."

Another pair of Mangekyō Sharingan.

Not Shisui. Not Itachi.

Uchiha Yao—a Uchiha completely beyond his control, possessing the highest level of power.

This completely disrupted every arrangement Hiruzen Sarutobi had made.

His threat level was no longer merely high. It was lethal.

"Are you certain?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked urgently.

"I saw it with my own eyes."

"His ocular power is... stronger than mine!"

"What is his Mangekyō's ability?"

That was the most crucial question.

An unknown Mangekyō represented an enormous, unpredictable risk.

Itachi shook his head.

"I don't know."

"Elder Yao merely opened his eyes and broke my Tsukuyomi. He did not seem to use any ocular technique. It was more like... a talent."

"As for Amaterasu, his Susanoo blocked it with ease."

A talent?

The unease in Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart grew even stronger.

"Itachi."

"I need you to use every possible means to uncover the true ability of his Mangekyō."

"For the sake of the village, and for the Uchiha."

"This is a mission of the highest rank."

Uchiha Itachi deeply lowered his head.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Uchiha Itachi's figure merged into the darkness once more and vanished.