Shisui froze for a moment.
He looked up at the sky.
The sun had fully set, and dusk shrouded the Drill Ground.
The Uchiha had gathered outside the Hokage Building only that afternoon, yet now the Hokage was summoning him, an Uchiha, alone.
There was clearly nothing ordinary about this summons.
"Right now?"
Shisui asked to confirm.
The Anbu ninja nodded, his tone stiff.
"Right now."
"Lord Hokage is waiting for you in his office. Please do not delay."
With that, the Anbu ninja used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished.
Shisui stood in the clearing, his brow deeply furrowed.
The uproar that afternoon had only just subsided.
And after nightfall, the Third Hokage had summoned him alone.
It was not hard to guess what that meant.
Itachi walked over to Shisui and spoke quietly.
"Shisui, Lord Hokage is probably calling you in at this hour because of what happened this afternoon."
"What are you going to say?"
Shisui straightened his clothes and secured his short sword again.
"I'll explain the Uchiha's position to Lord Hokage."
"The Uchiha Clan has no ambition to rebel."
"What happened this afternoon caused quite a stir, but there's nothing wrong with the evidence Deputy Captain Chikage has."
"I'll also ask Lord Hokage to rein in Root and keep things from getting any worse."
Itachi looked at Shisui, worry in his eyes.
"Shisui, that may not be all Lord Hokage wants to hear."
"Chikage had the complete case files with him today. He was in the right on every point."
"If you frame this as Chikage being young and hotheaded, the higher-ups may take the opportunity to pin all the blame on him."
"Then Chikage will be in danger."
Shisui patted Itachi on the shoulder.
"I understand."
"That's why I won't disavow what he did today."
"But I also have to stop the Family and the village from moving further toward confrontation."
"As long as Lord Hokage is willing to rein in Danzo, I'll urge Chikage to tone things down too, so Root has no excuse to act."
Shisui turned to leave.
"Itachi, it's dark. Go home early and get some rest."
"Give Clan Head Fugaku my regards."
With that, Shisui used the Body Flicker Technique and sped toward the Hokage Building.
Itachi stood on the deserted training ground.
He stared in the direction Shisui had disappeared, remaining rooted to the spot for a long time.
Rein him in?
If Lord Hokage could really rein in Danzo, Yashiro would never have been dragged into the Root Dungeon.
If Lord Hokage really trusted the Uchiha, the Family would never have been forced to move to the edge of the village.
Itachi felt that Shisui still thought far too highly of the higher-ups.
Chikage was right. Only by putting the rules and the evidence on the table could they make those in power think twice.
If they did not even dare invoke the rules, they could only let others push them around.
Itachi picked up the water bottle from the ground and turned toward the Uchiha Clan Compound.
The top-floor office of the Hokage Building.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his broad desk.
A desk lamp glowed on its surface.
Rather than smoking his pipe, he held an intelligence scroll that had just been delivered.
The scroll contained Uchiha Chikage's complete records.
From his grades at the Ninja Academy to his mission history after graduation.
And then his work performance over three years with the Konoha Military Police Force.
Every detail, however small, was clearly recorded.
As Hiruzen read the scroll, his brow furrowed more and more deeply.
Mediocre.
Utterly mediocre.
His grades at the Ninja Academy had been below average.
He had barely passed his graduation exam.
He had never undertaken a mission above C-Rank.
After joining the Konoha Military Police Force, he had always handled paperwork and never participated in an official field arrest.
His chakra reserves had been assessed at the standard genin level.
The only ninjutsu he knew were the Three Body Technique and the Uchiha Clan's basic Great Fireball Technique.
A record like this would put him at the bottom of any combat unit in Konoha.
And yet.
This very genin with such an unremarkable record.
Had cornered several of Konoha's highest authorities in the Hokage's Office that afternoon, leaving them nowhere to retreat.
Hiruzen set down the scroll and rubbed his throbbing temples.
"This kid has such an ordinary record. Where did he learn these tactics?"
Hiruzen murmured to himself.
How could a genin who had spent so long buried in case files possess such clear reasoning and such forceful methods?
Not only did he know the Public Security Administration Regulations inside out.
He had also remained calm under Danzo's oppressive presence.
He had even seized on legal authority and public opinion-the things the higher-ups feared most-and forced Danzo to sign, step by step.
This was nothing like the performance one would expect from the ordinary genin described in those records.
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the office door.
"Come in."
Hiruzen put away the scroll and sat up straight.
The office door opened.
Shisui Uchiha walked in.
He approached the desk respectfully and dropped to one knee.
"Lord Hokage, you summoned me."
Hiruzen looked at Shisui before him, a gentle smile on his face.
He rose, came around the desk, and personally helped Shisui to his feet.
"Shisui, there's no need to stand on ceremony."
"I hope calling you here so late hasn't interrupted anything."
Shisui rose with his help and shook his head.
"No. I was just practicing at the training ground."
"Did you summon me tonight because of what happened on South Street this afternoon, Lord Hokage?"
Hiruzen walked over to the sofa and sat down, gesturing to the seat opposite him.
"Sit down. Let's talk."
Shisui sat as instructed, his hands resting on his knees, his expression somewhat tense.
Hiruzen picked up the teapot on the table and poured Shisui a cup himself.
"What happened this afternoon was certainly unpleasant."
"You know what Danzo is like. He's always been heavy-handed."
"Root bypassed procedure to arrest Yashiro this time and even subjected him to punishment without authorization. They overstepped their bounds."
Right from the start, Hiruzen acknowledged that Root had handled the matter improperly.
Hearing that, Shisui relaxed a little.
At least Lord Hokage had not denied Root's wrongdoing.
"Lord Hokage, Deputy Captain Chikage led those men to the Hokage Building this afternoon because he was worried about Captain Yashiro's safety."
"His methods may have been extreme, but the case files and evidence were all sound."
"I hope the village can rein in Root so something like this doesn't happen again."
Shisui earnestly stated his position.
Hiruzen waved a hand, the smile on his face unchanged.
"There's nothing wrong with young people having drive."
"He came to us with the Public Security Administration Regulations. That, too, was part of his duty to the Konoha Military Police Force."
"I won't deny him credit for what he did in this matter."
Hiruzen took a sip of tea, then shifted the conversation.
"However."
"Shisui, you know the situation the village is in."
"Ever since the Nine-Tails' Rampage, the villagers have been suspicious of the Uchiha."
"We in the leadership have also been trying to resolve that conflict."
"Chikage had right on his side today, and he did secure justice for the merchants on South Street."
"But by forcing Danzo to sign the Payment Receipt, he also led some people to believe the Uchiha are using the Konoha Military Police Force to challenge the higher-ups."
"Public opinion in the village is now split into two camps. That may not be a good thing for the Uchiha."
Shisui's heart tightened again.
This was also what worried him most.
"Lord Hokage, Clan Head Fugaku has no intention of challenging the village."
"The Uchiha Clan is part of Konoha. We have always worked for the village's peace as well."
Hiruzen nodded slowly.
"I believe you, and I'm willing to believe Fugaku too."
"Back then, your grandfather, Kagami Uchiha, served under Lord Second alongside me."
"When Kinkaku and Ginkaku's Forces were pursuing us, he didn't think only of the Uchiha. He chose to stand together with the rest of us, his comrades."
"Kagami always believed that the Family and the village should never become each other's enemies."
Before you continue