The Third Hokage… he was like an ancient, decaying tree, unable to support the prosperity of Konoha any longer.
Minato's mind wandered back to what Uzumaki Sora had once said to him in that mysterious space two years ago—about how, for the first time in history, Konoha had both a Third and Fourth Hokage alive at the same time.
But the truth was undeniable: the Third had become far too weak.
Even the latest intelligence regarding Orochimaru seemed to have been obstructed by the Third's own personal ANBU, preventing Minato from receiving the full picture.
And yet Minato knew it wasn't that Hiruzen was trying to cling to power. It was different. Like an old man nearing the end of his life, clinging desperately to his memories, Hiruzen was no longer the shinobi hero he had once been. He had become indulgent, lenient—just like every elder who could no longer let go of the past.
"Haah…"
Minato exhaled softly, forcing his expression to steady. With a faint smile, he looked at Shion, Shisui, and the others.
"You all should head back. I'll handle this matter."
As he finished speaking, Minato glanced toward the departing medical team before vanishing from sight.
"泉 (Izumi), was it you who used the ninja cats to contact Itachi?"
"Ah? This… well…"
"Wait—you two used the cats to set up a date?"
Izumi's face instantly flushed red. She glanced nervously at Itachi, fumbling with her fingers as she mumbled: "It wasn't a date… we just… talk sometimes, that's all."
Shisui, unable to watch any longer, patted Shion on the shoulder.
"Don't tease Izumi like that. If Itachi hadn't delivered the message so quickly this time—"
Shion smirked and cut him off. "If not for Itachi, the casualties today would've been far worse than one dead and two wounded."
Shisui shook his head. "The Mangekyō's power isn't invincible. You know better than anyone the price it demands. Don't overuse it. Besides—you're needed. By me, by Itachi, by Izumi… and by the entire Uchiha clan."
Shion understood. From Shisui's point of view, the Mangekyō might be strong enough to wipe out Root in one sweep—but covering it up afterward in Konoha would be impossible. If that ever happened, the only path left for Shion would be defection. Not even Minato could protect him from that.
Itachi, who had been silent until now, turned his calm gaze toward him.
"Whether for the Uchiha or for the village, your role is greater than mine. No matter what, you have to keep moving forward."
Shion scratched his head. In his memories, Uchiha Itachi had always been something of a madman—but standing here now, he didn't seem so unbearable.
"I understand. I also cherish the peace and tranquility of this village. Don't worry."
Night fell, but the Hokage's office remained brightly lit.
Inside the chamber, five figures sat in council, their voices muted and sealed from the outside world.
"Shisui," Kakashi began, "these meetings about the Uchiha have always been kept to the four of us and Lord Third. Why is he—"
Minato raised his hand, cutting him off.
"Shisui trusts Shion. And because he does, I trust him as well."
That one sentence silenced Kakashi's doubts, extending the Hokage's trust to Shisui and Shion alike.
Shisui added calmly, "Much of what I believe came from Shion's guidance. And when it comes to the Uchiha issue, he already has the power to help us."
Kakashi looked at Shion in surprise. "But he doesn't even wear a forehead protector. Hasn't graduated yet, has he?"
Shisui nodded. "He's in the same year as Itachi. But Shion doesn't seem interested in graduating early. He thinks life at the Academy is fine as it is."
At that, Shion glanced at Kakashi and grinned. "If we're talking about prodigies, shouldn't that be you? Hatake Kakashi—graduated at five, chūnin at six, jōnin at twelve. That's a level I could never match."
Kakashi scratched his white hair with his usual dead-fish eyes. "Kids these days really are terrifying."
Terrifying?
Shion chuckled inwardly. Just wait until your own student finishes the entire shinobi world at seventeen. Then you'll understand what a Konoha genin really is.
"Ahem."
Minato cleared his throat, drawing their focus back. "In the past six months, surveillance from the Police Force has turned up something. Shisui, I'll need your judgment."
Shisui accepted the scroll, brows furrowing as he read the decoded intelligence.
They've noticed already?
Since setting the timeline with Shion, he had spent the past few days visiting nearly every Uchiha jōnin. That move could easily have stirred the minds of the seventh and eighth heads of the clan.
"Uchiha Setsuna," Minato's voice broke the silence. "A man from the Second Hokage's era. What intelligence do you have on him?"
Shisui set the scroll down. "Uchiha Setsuna was once the most authoritative figure among the militant faction. If those radicals attempt a prison break, his release would be a major problem."
Shion's eyes narrowed. The name lingered in his memory—an old militant, imprisoned long ago in Konoha's maximum-security facility.
Would the Seventh elder really allow someone with more authority than himself to resurface?
"Did that old man ever awaken the Mangekyō?"
Shisui shook his head. "No. If he had, Konoha's prison could never have held him."
"Then he's not worth worrying about," Shion said plainly. "If he doesn't have Mangekyō, the two of us can handle him."
That reminder tugged at Shisui's thoughts—he had just awakened his own Mangekyō, but at great cost. His eyes wouldn't last forever. And in his heart, Shion's importance outweighed his own.
"How long, Shisui?" Minato asked quietly.
Shisui's eyes turned toward the Uchiha compound outside the window. After a pause, he answered: "At the clan assembly in four days, Shion and I will resolve the Uchiha's internal problem."
From the side, Tenzo (Yamato), who had been silent until now, spoke up. "Do you need ANBU support?"
Shion waved him off. "No. With enough strength on our side, a battle might not even happen. And given the Uchiha's pride, ANBU involvement would only make things worse."
Minato studied him, then nodded. "Even so, shinobi hardened by the battlefield are not weak. If they really free Setsuna, you must be cautious."
Both Shion and Shisui nodded lightly.
The meeting continued. Minato moved on to coordination—Kakashi's jōnin team, Tenzo's Hokage ANBU. These had been his achievements over the past two years, and more would follow.
"BOOM!!!"
Suddenly, an explosion thundered through Konoha, shaking the Hokage building itself.
The beginning of Root's destruction had arrived.
Shion frowned faintly as he turned to look back. So it's come to this… Danzō, you truly deserve death.
The moment family was used as leverage, neither Danzō nor Root could expect to survive the night.
But the reports relayed from his clone carried a different weight—a bitterness rising within Shion's chest.