Chapter 320 — Konoha's Future Depends on You
"Lord Third Hokage."
Uchiha Shisui immediately turned, dropping to one knee.
Head bowed, he could clearly sense there were three people standing before him.
Given who had summoned him, it wasn't hard to guess:
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen… and his two senior advisors, Koharu and Homura.
As someone groomed as a potential future pillar of the Uchiha clan, Shisui was not ignorant of Konoha's internal hierarchy. He knew exactly who stood before him.
"Did anyone see you come here?"
Hiruzen's voice was calm, but his eyes were sharp. Smoke drifted lazily from the pipe between his teeth.
"No," Shisui answered. "The message reached me while my team was gathered. I slipped out without drawing attention."
He wasn't lying.
Though he had never truly stepped onto a real battlefield—unlike Itachi, who had already witnessed war firsthand—Shisui's fundamentals were excellent. His instincts were sharp. And above all…
He understood what it meant for the Hokage to request a private meeting.
Thanks to his early graduation and a relatively low-ranking squad leader, Shisui had far more opportunities to cross paths with the village leadership.
"Good."
Hiruzen nodded and stepped forward, standing directly over the kneeling boy.
His gaze held a mix of authority and hidden intent.
"You've heard about what happened in Kirigakure, haven't you?"
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
It would've been harder not to hear.
The entire village was consumed by rumors.
While ordinary shinobi cared about the destruction level, the identities of the attackers, and why Kirigakure was targeted after Konoha…
Real Uchiha whispered about something far more unsettling:
How did another Uchiha possess the exact same abilities as Fugaku and Kei…
and match the results of both combined?
Everyone knew Fugaku and Kei had jointly suppressed the Nine-Tails.
But this mysterious assailant…
he did it alone.
One man defeated the Fourth Mizukage, controlled a tailed beast, and unleashed devastation that shook an entire hidden village.
And then there was the towering chakra avatar—
a giant that looked identical to the one Uchiha Kei had used.
Identical in form.
Identical in power.
Identical in destructive capability.
It was terrifying.
If not for Minato's deliberate intervention—
concealing Susanoo's color in all official reports—
half the village would already be pointing fingers directly at Kei.
Even then, few people truly understood Susanoo or its variations.
To most, the details blurred into rumor.
And so, suspicion lingered… but clarity did not.
Whether Susanoo always looks the same, or whether its color varies with the user — no one in the Uchiha clan could say for sure. Even now, the clan did not truly understand all the limits of their bloodline.
One thing, however, was unmistakable: they had just seen how far the Uchiha's potential could reach.
Shisui wondered what level of power would be required to produce such horrific results. In the entire clan, only two names stood out as plausible candidates: the clan head, Uchiha Fugaku — and, not far behind, the Police Force Head, Uchiha Kei.
But Shisui knew very little about these two. Kei was only a few years older than him, yet already wielded terrifying jutsu and occupied a position high in Konoha's hierarchy. There was no obvious way for Shisui to learn more about him.
The only thing Shisui felt certain of was Kei's ambition — and the fact that he acted without scruple. According to his teacher and the clan elders, the great elder Uchiha Shin and several of his supporters had been killed by Kei. The blazing fire on the back slope of the Uchiha compound — that inferno — was likely the final resting place of those elders.
A person who could turn on his own clan and leave no survivors was a chilling prospect. Shisui felt both shocked and wary.
Hiruzen's voice was quiet when he spoke next. "I won't hide it from you. The Nine-Tails incident was deliberate. It was done by a member of the Uchiha."
He did not flinch as he said it. "I failed. I had no way to fight back. My wife died at his hands."
"Third Hokage…" Shisui didn't know how to respond; he had only been a child when the night had come. He had assumed the Hokage's wife had been a casualty of the Nine-Tails itself. Now he realized there were layers of truth behind what he'd been told — facts hidden for reasons he could not yet grasp.
Hiruzen's next words landed with quiet gravity. "I have a mission for you."
Shisui's heart tightened. The Third's face had turned solemn. "This task will be difficult for you personally, but it is crucial for Konoha."
"Lord Hokage, for Konoha — I will do it!" Shisui bowed his head and spoke with utter seriousness.
"Don't answer so quickly. Think it through," Hiruzen said, shaking his head. "This mission will place you in great danger. It may force you — in the eyes of many in your clan — to become a traitor. Are you prepared for that?"
Danger… branded a traitor by his own people.
Shisui froze. He hadn't expected the Third to ask such a thing. He didn't know the mission's details, but his instincts told him it would not be a simple assignment.
Shisui respected Hiruzen. The old man had led Konoha through the Second and Third Shinobi Wars; his judgment was trusted. If Hiruzen had singled him out, there must be a grave reason.
"Is there some misunderstanding?" Shisui asked, still young and bewildered. He could not see the whole map the elders might be holding.
Hiruzen's eyes hardened. "Maybe, maybe not. But I must act for Konoha."
He spoke slowly, as if revealing a deeper truth. "I am no longer the sitting Hokage, but I still bear responsibility for the village. I now head a department you may never have heard of."
Hiruzen leaned closer and lowered his voice. "It operates deeper than the Anbu. It is buried beneath the village, and its work is darker. We call it Root. It is Konoha's hidden blade — its motto is: better to kill a thousand innocent than to miss a single traitor."
"Root," Shisui whispered.
The motto — "better to err on the side of killing than to let threats remain"— sat uneasily with him. Root's methods meant acting without mercy, even against their own.
At that moment Shisui thought of Kei. In some ways, Kei's ruthlessness resembled Root's methods: dealing with threats decisively, without mercy. Those within the clan who would undermine Konoha by violent means had already been removed — by Kei, some said.
Shisui hesitated. Torn between loyalty to his clan and loyalty to the village, he felt the weight of the choice. He was no Itachi; for him, clan and village held equal importance.
After a long pause, he forced himself to speak. "Please tell me plainly, Lord Hokage."
Hiruzen nodded, and Sarutobi stepped toward him, voice soft. "We need sacrifices for Konoha."
He continued, quieter still: "That Kirigakure Uchiha could control the Three-Tails. Fugaku and Kei possess methods to control tailed beasts — who's to say one day their ambition won't grow? There have been dangerous elements in your clan before."
Silence filled the ruined temple.
"Think carefully," Hiruzen said at last. "Where was Kei during the Kirigakure incident?"
The question hung in the air as if answering it could change everything.
Finally, Hiruzen reached out. "For precaution, I will place a limit on you — a seal. It will not take your life, but it will prevent you from speaking certain secrets."
Shisui's eyes widened. The implication was clear and chilling.
"Shisui," Hiruzen said, locking his gaze with the boy's, "Konoha's future depends on you."