Uchiha Shisui stared at Sora in disbelief when he heard that she had imprisoned Uchiha ninja in the Root prison.
"Why?" Shisui asked with a trembling voice. "Why put them in Root prison for something that's barely even a crime?!"
Sora replied lazily, "Why? Your question really makes me think you're ignorant and stupid. It's not like you don't know where Konoha's regular prison is built. It's right next to your Uchiha compound, waiting for you to give criminals the slightest chance to escape, isn't it?"
She waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry, as you said, these are just minor offenses. They'll be released after three days in custody. It's not like they're in prison forever, right?"
Uchiha Shisui tried to say something else, but Sora interrupted him directly: "I personally suggest that instead of wasting your breath here, you should go find their relatives or Uchiha Fugaku. Either pay bail or let them serve their three days. No matter how much you argue here, it's useless, isn't it?"
After glaring at Sora with hatred, Shisui left the Konoha Defense Force headquarters and rushed to the Uchiha clan compound.
Once he was gone, Sora showed a greedy smile and murmured, "What an idiot. I've already mentioned bail, but he still hasn't realized it yet. He needs to be reminded to understand. Well... at least I can finally collect some money next."
Uchiha Shisui hurriedly arrived at the Uchiha compound and found Uchiha Fugaku.
Shisui bowed his head guiltily and said, "Clan leader, many villagers in Konoha are insulting our Uchiha clan right now. Sora's Root ninjas are arresting any clan members who argue back. They're being held in Root prison... We need to pay bail to release them."
Uchiha Fugaku sighed heavily. "It is indeed the Root prison..."
Uchiha Shisui looked at Fugaku in surprise. From his tone, it seemed the clan leader had already anticipated that Uchiha ninja would be imprisoned there.
Fugaku raised his eyes to look at Shisui and said, "I told you before, you can't outmaneuver Sora. You fail to understand even the most obvious things. Behind Sora is Root and Danzo. Danzo is now the most powerful person in Konoha besides Namikaze Minato. Those villagers who suddenly appeared and insulted us must have been instigated, or are simply Root ninjas in disguise."
He continued, "Konoha Prison is right next to our Uchiha district and under our supervision, so it's impossible for Sora and Danzo to imprison Uchiha ninjas there. The Root prison was the only possibility. And about the bail—haven't you figured it out yet? They want to extract money from us Uchiha. That regulation specifically targets us."
Uchiha Shisui's pupils contracted in realization.
That's why Sora had reminded him earlier to find the relatives of the captured Uchiha ninjas or Uchiha Fugaku for bail.
Shisui asked, "Do we really need to pay the bail?"
Fugaku nodded firmly. "Of course we have to pay. When I first learned about Sora's bail regulations, I prepared a large sum of money, knowing this day would come. We have no choice now. Sora is acting according to the rules she established. Shisui, don't waste time looking for evidence. Since Sora wants money, we will give it to her."
Uchiha Shisui couldn't understand this approach. "But why? Sora is clearly targeting us. If we discover whether those villagers were acting on orders from Sora or Root, and report it to the Fourth Hokage, wouldn't that solve the problem?"
Fugaku looked at Shisui with disappointment in his eyes. "Shisui, the Fourth Hokage can't help us with this matter. What could he do after confirming our suspicions? Punish Sora? At most, he would give her a verbal warning. Sora would continue doing what she's doing, and nothing would change."
He leaned forward. "This kind of open targeting is actually the best scenario for us Uchiha. It can be resolved by paying some money, which is worth it. If you disrupt this open level of targeting, what you'll get in exchange is secret targeting by Sora and Danzo behind the scenes, which would put our clan in a much more difficult position."
Fugaku's voice grew more serious. "Shisui, you know that I've bet the Uchiha clan's future on supporting the Fourth Hokage. But the Fourth's situation is precarious right now. The Third Hokage is interfering in his affairs. Danzo is constantly watching for weakness. He can influence the Fourth's decision-making. And there are two prestigious senior advisors, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, who still hold significant power."
"The Fourth Hokage has almost no real authority yet. Although we support him, we cannot expect any help because he's too busy handling his own problems. We must be patient. The Fourth is still very young and inexperienced. Before he secures complete power, we must try not to cause him any additional trouble. We need to solve what problems we can by ourselves. Do you understand now?"
Uchiha Shisui lowered his head and thought for a long time.
What Fugaku said made sense. As one of Namikaze Minato's personal guards, Shisui certainly knew the current situation. Minato really did have too much on his plate, having only recently taken the position of Hokage in haste. Minato hadn't even formed his own administrative team yet.
He had barely assembled a team of Hokage bodyguards. The other forces were all inherited from Sarutobi Hiruzen. They first listened to Hiruzen's orders, then to Minato's.
So if they could avoid causing trouble for Namikaze Minato, they should.
And if the leader of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku, said he would handle this matter himself, what more could be said?
Uchiha Shisui nodded. "I understand, Clan Leader."
Uchiha Fugaku instructed Shisui, "Take this money and give it to Sora. Shisui, if you care about the Fourth Hokage and the Uchiha clan, let Sora continue this scheme. The more openly she does this, the safer our Uchiha clan will be."
Uchiha Shisui promised, "I will. I'll bail out our imprisoned clan members as soon as possible."
Shisui took the money that Fugaku had prepared long ago and left the Uchiha compound.
After Shisui departed, Fugaku shook his head helplessly.
Shisui was indeed very strong, but an idealist could never defeat someone like Sora. He was too principled, too straightforward.
If Sora only targeted the Uchiha clan to this extent, Fugaku wouldn't worry at all—he would actually welcome it.
In fact, even if Sora couldn't catch any Uchiha ninja, Fugaku would arrange for some to be captured by her anyway.
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