Late at night.
The Hokage building was still brightly lit.
After an entire day of deliberation, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally made up his mind.
He summoned Anbu and gave a direct order: Nara Shikaku must return.
As for the frontlines—he would leave those to Mimura Haba.
After all, Mimura was already commander of the Konoha Defense Forces' forward units. Now that Hidden Stone Village was preparing to sign a peace treaty, with no large-scale battles expected, one Jounin like Mimura was more than enough.
Yes.
Hiruzen had come to realize—without Shikaku by his side, he was completely lost.
While not the true core of his faction, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio had always supported the Hokage line.
As long as Hiruzen still held power, he could trust Shikaku.
Even if he retired and Minato took the seat, things would remain the same—
…so long as Minato never became more than a puppet Hokage.
And Hiruzen would make sure of that.
Just as he finished arranging these matters and was about to dismiss Anbu, a knock sounded at the door.
Hiruzen frowned.
Who would come looking for him at this hour?
"Come in," he said.
The door opened, and an Anbu knelt before him.
"Lord Hokage, Uchiha Shisui requests an audience."
"Shisui?"
Hiruzen blinked in surprise.
Ever since Kai had risen to power, he had instinctively treated the entire Uchiha clan as one united bloc to oppose.
Even Shisui, once considered a potential ally, had written off.
Because logically—if the clan finally had a chance to rise again, wouldn't every Uchiha rally around Kai, clinging to him in hopes of speeding their clan's ascent?
So why was Shisui here?
Wait—wasn't he supposed to be on the frontlines?
Why was he back now?
Though confused, Hiruzen's sharp old eyes flashed with calculation. He nodded.
"Let him in.
The rest of you, withdraw. And pass word to Nara Shikaku—tell him to wrap up matters on the Hidden Stone front as quickly as possible, and return at once."
His tone was grim.
Yes—he was that desperate.
If not for his spat with Minato earlier, he would have sent Minato himself to teleport Shikaku back immediately.
But after that quarrel, he couldn't quite bring himself to ask.
Shame. With Shikaku's counsel, he would have a much easier time figuring out what this Shisui wanted.
Two Anbu bowed and withdrew.
Moments later, Shisui stepped in, face solemn.
"Lord Hokage!"
"Oh, Shisui," Hiruzen said evenly. "What brings you here tonight?"
Shisui looked a little awkward. But remembering Kai's orders—and the speech Nara Kazama had drafted for him—he gritted his teeth and began reciting, word for word.
The story was simple:
Shisui had been shocked by the state of the village when Kai visited the frontlines and bragged about recent events.
Unable to accept Kai's methods, he clashed with him violently.
They parted on bad terms.
The more Shisui thought about it, the more wrong it felt. Worried Kai would corrupt the Uchiha and tear the clan apart, he abandoned the battlefield and rushed back, determined to uphold both the village's peace and the Will of Fire.
He was here to prove his loyalty to the Hokage, to show that within the Uchiha there were still those who believed in the Will of Fire, willing to resist Kai's tyranny.
Finally, after laying out the tale, Shisui concluded heavily:
"Lord Hokage, please believe me.
There are still many among the Uchiha loyal to the village, loyal to the Will of Fire.
But under Kai's iron grip, they either remain in hiding, or are banished on the flimsiest of excuses…
I intend to gather them. We cannot let Kai succeed. I, Shisui, will defeat this villain who threatens both the village and peace!
And you can trust me—I have the power to do so.
I have awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan!"
Shisui's face was firm as steel.
Without waiting for Hiruzen's response, he activated his Mangekyo on the spot.
Yes—just as Kazama had advised.
If he gave Hiruzen time to pepper him with questions, his straightforward nature might trip him up. Better to overwhelm the Hokage in one stroke, leaving no room for doubt.
And the shock of yet another Mangekyo would speak louder than any words.
If Hiruzen rejected him, he risked pushing two Mangekyo wielders into Kai's camp. That was unthinkable.
Sure enough—whatever speech Hiruzen had been preparing died on his lips.
His eyes widened, his pipe nearly slipped from his fingers.
What the hell…?
First Kai awakens a Mangekyo and throws the village into chaos.
Now Shisui too?
Just how many lunatics were hiding in the Uchiha?
His head pounded. His mind was on the verge of exploding.
What now? Should he accept Shisui's loyalty?
Yes. He had no choice.
Whether Shisui's sincerity could be trusted or not, it didn't matter for the moment. He could always be molded, guided.
Besides, Shisui was Kagami's grandson, firmly of the Hokage faction by bloodline.
Most importantly—this was Mangekyo.
He could not, must not, allow such power to fall into Kai's hands.
If it did, Hiruzen really would cry himself to death.
When the decision was made, Hiruzen forced his face into a smile.
"Excellent!
Truly worthy of Kagami's bloodline. I always knew the Will of Fire burned strongly in you.
I never misjudged you, Shisui. Congratulations on awakening your Mangekyo.
I am willing to believe in the Uchiha—but as for the clan in its current state, the less said the better.
Since you've shown such resolve, as Hokage, I must support you.
With our joint efforts, surely Konoha and the Uchiha will one day coexist in harmony."
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