They wanted to tarnish Shisui first

After the original ledgers in the storehouse were sealed, Root did not withdraw immediately.

They withdrew very quietly.

So quietly that it seemed nothing had happened.

The Hokage's Anbu took the ledgers away, the logistics Chunin was required to provide further clarification, and the Konoha Military Police Force kept the entry and exit records from the storehouse entrance.

On the surface, the matter had entered the verification process.

But Uchiha Gen knew the real follow-up move was only just beginning.

Now that Root had discovered traces of Shisui's movements, they would not let this opportunity slip away.

Tarnishing Shisui Uchiha's name was worth far more than destroying a ledger.

Shisui was the brightest talent among the Uchiha's younger generation. His clan trusted him, and the village knew him too.

If Shisui was accused of "trespassing in a supply storehouse, threatening a Recorder, and obstructing the Hokage's investigation," his words would carry only half their former weight whenever he spoke for the Uchiha afterward.

More importantly, Shisui himself would suffer even more.

He would feel that he had caused trouble for his clan.

He would be even more inclined to give ground, even more inclined to shoulder everything alone.

That was precisely what Uchiha Gen least wanted to see.

"Gen."

Uchiha Ryo hurried over.

"Something happened behind the Resettlement Zone."

Uchiha Gen's gaze darkened. "Tell me."

"Someone accused Shisui of breaking into the temporary supply storehouse and interrogating the Recorder about the ledgers' whereabouts. The Hokage's Anbu are already there."

Just as expected.

Uchiha Gen was not surprised in the slightest.

"Where's Shisui?"

"We don't know."

"But someone said they saw him on the storehouse roof."

That one sentence was enough.

They did not need to catch Shisui.

All they needed was someone who had "seen him," a frightened Recorder, and a few misleading statements to mire Shisui in endless explanations.

Uchiha Gen turned and left.

"Bring the movement records."

"Which ones?"

"All the witness records of Shisui's appearances today."

Uchiha Ryo paused, then understood.

The habit of keeping records they had developed after last night was finally proving useful again.

Quite a crowd had already gathered outside the temporary supply storehouse.

A young Recorder stood before the Hokage's Anbu, his face pale and his voice trembling.

"I really saw him. It was Shisui Uchiha. He suddenly appeared on the roof and asked me where the original ledgers were hidden."

A logistics ninja beside him added, "He was too fast. We couldn't stop him at all."

The Hokage's Anbu did not jump to a conclusion. One of them merely asked, "Did he threaten you?"

The Recorder gritted his teeth. "He didn't draw his sword, but he looked at me with his Sharingan."

That statement was venomous.

There were no wounds.

No physical attack.

Yet he had handed them the accusation of a "Sharingan threat."

The onlookers immediately began murmuring.

Shisui Uchiha.

The Sharingan.

The supply storehouse.

Those words together were enough to make many people forget the original ledgers that had just been sealed.

Uchiha Gen stepped into the crowd.

"Are you sure it was Shisui?"

The Recorder's face grew a little paler when he saw him.

"I saw him."

"When?"

"Just now."

"When exactly was 'just now'?"

The Recorder faltered.

Uchiha Gen looked at the Hokage's Anbu.

"Please enter a specific time in the investigation record."

The Anbu glanced at him but did not object.

"Give us the time."

The Recorder swallowed.

"Roughly... around when the ledgers were sealed."

Uchiha Gen nodded.

"So you're saying that while the Hokage's Anbu entered the old storehouse to seal the ledgers, Shisui was here threatening you at the same time?"

The Recorder hurriedly said, "It might have been a little earlier."

"How much earlier?"

"I don't remember clearly."

He took the first record from Uchiha Ryo.

"Three quarters into Chen Hour, Shisui observed a conflict in the queue from a rooftop on the west side of the Resettlement Zone. Witnessed by Uchiha Ryo of the Konoha Military Police Force."

The second record.

"Four quarters into Chen Hour, Shisui followed a brown-clad porter toward the old storehouse. He did not enter the temporary supply storehouse. Witnesses: Uchiha Gen, Uchiha Ryo."

The third record.

"At the start of Si Hour, the Hokage's Anbu entered the old storehouse and sealed the original ledgers. Shisui did not appear, and the Konoha Military Police Force did not touch the evidence."

He placed the three records before the Anbu.

"Please cross-check them."

The Recorder's face grew even paler.

The logistics ninja frowned. "Those are all the Uchiha's own records."

Uchiha Gen looked at him.

"Which is why we also have a witness who isn't an Uchiha."

He stepped aside.

The logistics Chunin who had just been taken away to verify the ledgers' origin walked in, his expression conflicted.

"I can testify about the old storehouse. When the Hokage's Anbu sealed the ledgers, I didn't see Shisui enter the storehouse, nor did I see the Konoha Military Police Force touch the ledgers."

Uchiha Gen asked, "How long did it take you to get here from the old storehouse?"

"About fifteen minutes at a normal walking pace."

"If Root discovered traces of Shisui's movements on the old storehouse roof, how long would he need to also come here and threaten the Recorder?"

The logistics Chunin fell silent.

Shisui was fast, but the issue was not his speed. It was the timeline.

If Shisui really had threatened the Recorder, the Recorder had to make clear whether it happened before, during, or after the ledgers were sealed.

But he could not.

Without that clarification, his account could not be cross-checked against the Hokage's Anbu's records from the old storehouse.

Uchiha Gen looked at the Recorder.

"You said Shisui asked you where the original ledgers were hidden."

"Yes."

"But the original ledgers were already in a wooden crate in the old storehouse at the time, and Root ninja had taken them out to burn them."

Uchiha Gen's voice remained steady.

"As a Recorder at a temporary supply storehouse, why would you know that Shisui was looking for the original ledgers? And why would you say he demanded to know where they were hidden when they were no longer in your possession?"

The Recorder's lips trembled.

The murmurs in the crowd changed.

The Hokage's Anbu finally turned to look at the Recorder as well.

"Answer."

The Recorder could not speak.

Just then, a faint rush of wind came from the rooftop.

Shisui appeared.

He landed in front of the temporary supply storehouse without drawing his sword or activating his Sharingan.

"I didn't threaten him."

Shisui's voice was calm.

"I did follow a suspicious porter, but I never entered this storehouse."

The Recorder instinctively stepped back.

Uchiha Gen immediately raised a hand.

"Shisui, don't approach him."

Shisui stopped.

Everyone witnessed that pause too.

He did not move closer.

He did not use his Sharingan.

He did not give the other side anything new to claim.

Uchiha Gen looked at the Hokage's Anbu.

"Please record this: after arriving, Shisui did not approach his accuser, draw his sword, or activate his Sharingan."

The Anbu was silent for a moment, then actually wrote it down.

As Shisui watched, something shifted slightly in his gaze.

In the past, he had always believed that as long as he exercised enough restraint, yielded enough, and showed the village enough goodwill, misunderstandings would eventually be cleared up.

But today, he had witnessed something else firsthand.

Some people did not need him to do anything wrong. They only needed him to have been there. They only needed him to be Shisui Uchiha.

That was enough for them to prepare a story in advance and drag his name through the mud.

Uchiha Gen said quietly, "Do you see now?"

Shisui did not answer.

Uchiha Gen continued, "Taking a step back doesn't mean they'll suspect you any less."

Shisui's fingers tightened slightly.

The Hokage's Anbu closed the record.

"We will not reach a conclusion on this matter yet. The accusing testimony contains contradictions in its timeline and requires further investigation."

The Recorder's knees weakened, and he could barely remain standing.

Uchiha Gen did not press him further.

There was no point in pressuring someone who had been shoved into the spotlight.

That evening, word reached the Uchiha Clan Compound.

After hearing the report, Uchiha Fugaku's expression was grimmer than ever.

"They've gone after Shisui too."

Uchiha Gen nodded.

"This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. They had already planned to drag Shisui into it."

Fugaku looked at Shisui.

If even Shisui's name was tarnished in advance, the Uchiha would have one fewer bridge through which to communicate with the village in the future.

"Starting today, Shisui will be placed on the clan's protection list."

Fugaku spoke in a grave voice.

"All outside missions involving Shisui must be registered with the clan. He must not accept private orders from Root, the Anbu, or senior officials on his own."

Shisui wanted to say something.

Fugaku glanced at him.

"This isn't meant to restrict you."

"It's to stop them from pushing you into a position where you're alone and have no way to explain yourself."

Shisui fell silent.

[A key figure's understanding of his fate has shifted slightly.]

[Shisui Uchiha has realized that simply yielding cannot prevent him from being targeted.]

[Mission progress: 42%.]

A system notification sounded in Uchiha Gen's mind.

He showed no sign of joy.

Because elsewhere, in Root's underground base...

Danzo had also received a report.

"The attempt to frame him failed."

"Fugaku has placed Shisui under his protection."

"Uchiha Gen intervened again."

Danzo remained silent for a long time.

Then he slowly spoke.

"Shisui's eyes are more valuable than the intelligence suggested."

"Keep observing him."

"And Uchiha Gen as well."

His fingers tapped against his cane.

"We can no longer consider those two separately."