Nara Kōji was curious.
Very curious.
He knew Fugaku well.
Even if Fugaku wasn't the most decisive leader, as the head of the Uchiha clan, his mental fortitude was unquestionable. No matter how serious the situation, he would never lose his composure like this.
Danzo?
That part made sense.
Someone like Danzo doing something ruthless was hardly surprising.
And besides—
Danzo targeting the Sarutobi clan had nothing to do with the Uchiha directly.
So Fugaku's current loss of control clearly wasn't because of that.
Which meant…
Something else had happened.
Something far more serious.
It wasn't just Kōji.
Even Shisui, standing quietly to the side, felt a growing unease.
He understood Fugaku better than most.
As the leader of a powerful clan, Fugaku valued rules, dignity, and restraint above all else. No matter what happened, he always maintained his bearing.
This was the first time Shisui had ever seen him like this.
Yamanaka Shintarō's expression was equally grim.
Seeing the concern in both of their eyes, he let out a long sigh.
After a brief hesitation, he finally spoke.
"…This is why."
"I don't blame Fugaku for losing his composure."
"To be honest, I'm barely holding myself together right now."
"You both know—I searched the memories of two people tonight."
"For the first time."
"And what I saw…"
"It was beyond filthy."
"The darkness, the dirty secrets of Konoha's highest level—almost all of it."
"Things that can never be exposed to ordinary people."
He paused, his voice low and heavy.
"Have you ever wondered something?"
"Back then, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, possessed the Flying Thunder God."
"Why didn't he escape?"
"According to common sense, even if he was in a desperate situation, even if he couldn't defeat the enemy…"
"Escaping should have been easy."
"That was the Flying Thunder God."
"Just look at Namikaze Minato today."
"You'll understand how terrifying that technique truly is."
Shintarō clenched his fists.
"So I'll say it plainly."
"Senju Tobirama was killed by the four disciples under Sarutobi Hiruzen."
"He probably didn't realize it until the very end."
"Those so-called disciples secretly found every Flying Thunder God kunai he had placed beforehand…"
"And sealed them all."
"When Tobirama finished drawing the enemy away and tried to retreat…"
"He discovered he couldn't sense a single marker."
"And so…"
"He died at the hands of Kumogakure."
The room fell deathly silent.
Shintarō continued, his voice trembling slightly.
"And Uchiha Kagami's death was no accident either."
"They were afraid he might sense the truth."
"So they struck first."
"As for Senior Akimichi Torifu—he's still alive only because he was perceptive enough."
"He voluntarily gave up all authority in the village."
"Resigned from active duty."
"Returned to his clan without asking questions."
"And because Sarutobi Hiruzen still needed the Ino–Shika–Chō alliance to stabilize the village…"
"And because Torifu forcibly suppressed the killing intent in his heart…"
"This matter was barely buried."
"But it didn't end there."
"The retreat of the Senju."
"The destruction of the Uzumaki clan."
"The truth behind Hatake Sakumo's suicide…"
"In the past, these were only suspicions."
"But now—"
"They're all confirmed."
"It was Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others."
"Every single one of them."
Shintarō's face had gone pale.
Even though he wasn't personally involved in those events—
Just recalling the memories he had seen from Koharu and Homura made his entire body tremble uncontrollably.
"It's terrifying…"
"Just thinking about those methods…"
"I feel cold to my bones."
"It's truly… horrifying."
Silence.
Nara Kōji said nothing.
His heart sank heavily, his expression turning grim.
Because this wasn't just about the Hokage faction anymore.
This involved Ino–Shika–Chō.
Boar, Deer, Butterfly—one body.
Their alliance wasn't superficial.
They truly shared life and death.
Even if Akimichi Torifu was still alive—
This debt had to be remembered.
Had to be repaid.
And then—
There was Shisui.
He stood frozen.
Completely stunned.
His eyes were filled with confusion, disbelief, and despair.
His mind was blank.
"…That's impossible."
"The Second Hokage…"
"Was secretly killed by the Third Hokage?"
"And my grandfather's death…"
"Was also caused by the Third Hokage?"
"Just because they were afraid he'd uncover the truth?"
"This…"
Shisui's voice was barely a whisper.
He didn't want to accept it.
Even after Kai had forced him to confront reality—
Even after he had tried his hardest to understand how dangerous human hearts could be—
This…
This was too much.
You could say the Will of Fire was false.
You could say it was a tool used to deceive people.
He could barely accept that.
After all, as Kai had said—
People stood on different sides.
The Uchiha blocked others' paths.
Conflict was inevitable.
Who won and who lost depended on their methods.
But this?
Killing one's own teacher for power.
Murdering comrades to bury the truth.
What kind of monster did that make you?
How was someone like Shisui—kind, upright, sincere—supposed to accept this?
Yamanaka Shintarō remained silent.
He didn't try to comfort him.
Because his own heart was in turmoil.
Nara Kōji also said nothing.
He understood Shisui perfectly.
When the thing you believe in your entire life is shattered—
No one can endure it easily.
So he gave Shisui time.
Time to breathe.
Time to process.
Time passed slowly.
Nearly ten minutes later, Kōji finally spoke.
"The truth is disgusting."
"But human darkness is bottomless."
"Power is poison."
"Once you touch it, you can never control it."
"Shisui."
"That's enough."
"I know you don't want to accept it."
"But this is reality."
"You have to accept it—even if it tears you apart."
"Because your enemy won't wait."
"We can give you time."
"But they won't."
"If you face powerful enemies with an unstable heart—"
"You will die."
"And you'll die miserably."
"The Uchiha are too strong."
"If you were an ordinary ninja, the Hokage might accept you."
"But the Uchiha?"
"Never."
"Because no one can truly control the Sharingan."
"Even if the Uchiha disbanded."
"Even if they gave up all wealth and power."
"They would still be wiped out."
"Because the Sharingan is unreasonable."
"A strong person has no right to surrender."
"Either you become the one who controls everything—"
"Or you are erased completely."
"There is no third path."
"The Senju of the Forest."
"The Uzumaki clan."
"Hatake Sakumo."
"These are all lessons written in blood."
"For the Uchiha."
Kōji's gaze locked onto Shisui.
"Don't you want to protect the Uchiha?"
"Then become stronger."
"Abandon all naïve ideas."
"Crush your enemies by any means necessary."
"There is no other way."
"I wanted to talk to you slowly."
"But now, it's unnecessary."
"The truth is bitter medicine."
"It hurts."
"But if you survive it—"
"You will grow."
"So…"
"Endure it."
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