Closing the book, Uchiha Nanadaime's eyes were full of shock.
"This kind of book… Konoha has never had anything like it."
Uchiha Shion nodded calmly.
"Strength alone can only destroy. To rule requires knowledge, and what's written here is only the barest outline. But for the Uchiha, it's already enough. If all you do is slaughter your opposition, the only thing you'll gain is a patch of land called Konoha that belongs to the Uchiha."
He tapped his temple with a finger.
"To become Hokage, you need to use your brain."
Nanadaime carefully closed the book.
"Shion is right. Reading more is useful."
At the side, Itachi looked at Shion.
"How do you do it? How do you see so far ahead?"
Shion thought for a moment, then replied,
"Dwelling constantly on life and death does you no good. When you discover a problem, you need to observe — from the perspective of a clan, a village, even the world."
"The further you look, the more you realize that the problems you thought were great aren't so special after all. Humans are creatures of desire — power, money, strength, fame, or emotions."
He turned to Itachi.
"You're a genius, but your genius lies only in talent as a shinobi. When it comes to people… you don't really understand them."
At that, everyone fell silent except Shion.
People?
Human desire?
After a long pause, Nanadaime spoke.
"That Root member just now… what should we do with him?"
Shion thought it over.
"Danzo's death should have dissolved the cursed tongue seal, but from the looks of it, the remnants of Root have fallen into the hands of another elder in Konoha."
Nanadaime hesitated.
"Should we kill him? Once someone joins Root, their thinking is no longer Uchiha."
Shisui frowned, but Shion waved it off.
"Arrange things so he disappears naturally. An Uchiha who could stand by in Root, watching his own clan persecuted without lifting a finger… such a person isn't worth keeping."
"With the strength the Uchiha now hold, neither the Third Hokage nor his two advisors will make any rash moves."
Nanadaime nodded. Shisui, too, understood the hidden meaning behind Shion's words.
The "persecuted clansman" Shion spoke of wasn't the Uchiha as a whole, but Uchiha Hōka — the man who longed for death, sacrificing himself for both the clan and the village.
"…Fine."
"Let's do as Shion says. Step by step. Next, we'll need to deal with the Police Force problem."
Shisui drew the meeting to a close. From today forward, he would no longer be a member of the Fourth Hokage's ANBU.
He was now the Uchiha clan head — and a very busy one at that.
When the meeting ended, Nanadaime left with the heavy book. Shion and Itachi also prepared to leave.
"What about the Police Force? Should we abandon it?" Shisui's voice came from behind.
Shion turned back.
"Too much autonomy only lets the Uchiha arm themselves recklessly. Do we really want a coup?"
"Stick to the plan. Tomorrow, test the attitudes of each clan. Try as a squad leader, or even as vice-captain of the Police Force."
He smirked.
"Or take the captaincy yourself. See how many are willing to wade into that muddy water."
Three months later, Konoha's marketplace.
"Bang!"
A figure tumbled out through the curtain marked with the word (Gambling). He scrambled to his feet, only to be kicked down again by men rushing out of the shop.
"Bastard! If you don't pay up within three days, you're dead!"
The man — a fat merchant in gaudy clothes, face bruised and swollen — lifted his head stubbornly.
"You cheated me out of my money, then tricked me into taking your loan shark debt. Why should I pay you back?!"
"I'll report you! I'll have you return the money you scammed!"
The gamblers snorted.
"A wager is a wager. You say we cheated? Anyone see it? Point them out, and I'll go with you to the Police Force myself!"
Just then, three shinobi in flak jackets walked up.
The merchant's eyes lit up. He rushed forward and clutched one of their legs.
"Save me, sir! They cheated me and beat me!"
The gamblers cursed silently. Damn — the timing couldn't be worse.
"Officers, I'm the manager of this casino."
One stepped forward and grabbed the shinobi's hand in a greeting. But when the shinobi tried to pull away, he noticed something was off.
Moments later, the farce ended with the fat merchant taken away on charges of being suspected as an outside spy.
"How's the situation?"
"After Danzo's death, the Fourth Hokage and his advisors allocated some funding to the Police Force. But…"
Shion chuckled.
"But years of bad habits trickle down. The new civilian shinobi recruited into the Police Force are quick to copy the Uchiha's old ways."
Shisui sighed with a wry smile.
"Exactly as you predicted. The Hyūga, Inuzuka, and Aburame clans have their own search units. The Ino–Shika–Chō trio, plus the Sarutobi and Shimura, flatly refused the invitation to join."
"Only these young civilians, barely promoted to chūnin, agreed. They fear the death rates of outside missions, so they gladly joined the Police Force. But… the results aren't good."
Shion replied,
"A job with little work, good pay, close to home — the only real benefit is 'close to home.' Truly capable shinobi won't join. But for people like them, the Police Force is a treat: they get to strut around the village, with no risk to their lives, extorting and abusing the same authority they once envied."
Shisui nodded bitterly.
"None of the clans accepted even the vice-captain's role. It really is poison."
Shion asked calmly,
"Do the Hyūga, the Ino–Shika–Chō, or the Sarutobi want to stage a rebellion?"
Shisui blinked, then shook his head.
"No. They don't have the strength for a coup."
"Then why would they need such autonomy?" Shion said. "Would arming themselves let them win? Not everyone has a Susanoo. Don't bother inviting them again. Their clan leaders aren't fools. In the end, the Uchiha must step back, and let the Hokage reassign people from every clan to rebuild the Police Force."
Shisui nodded in agreement.
As for the fat merchant dragged away earlier, he wasn't too concerned. With fewer Uchiha in the Police now, the remaining ones were still reliable.
Besides, thanks to Shion's book, some Uchiha were starting to think more critically — a welcome change.
Still, even with the facts clear, the cheated merchant would never get his money back. The debt he owed, though, would probably just be quietly forgotten.
"Shhhk!"
A shadow appeared behind them.
"Captain Shisui. Uchiha Shion. The Hokage requests your presence."
Shion turned his head slightly, Mangekyō Sharingan spinning open in his eyes.
"Next time, don't appear behind me. I can't guarantee you'll always be this lucky."
Shisui patted Shion's shoulder.
"Relax. Old ANBU habits. I'll tell them to be more careful."
Shion exhaled, closing his Mangekyō. His reaction had been too fast.
Behind the mask, the ANBU's face was dripping with sweat as he vanished instantly. That oppressive chakra… it nearly made him draw his blade. Was this the true power of the Uchiha's Sharingan? And this Uchiha Shion — how old was he, really?
Even compared to Kakashi-senpai, this was monstrous talent.
Hokage's office.
Minato looked up from his papers with a smile.
"Shisui… Captain, and Shion? Give me a moment, I'm halfway through this report."
Shisui answered politely,
"Please, Hokage-sama — just call me Shisui. I'm not used to the title."
Minato chuckled and went back to his work. Across from him, Shion smiled faintly.
Three months had passed. The Uchiha had united under a new vision, moving away from the old militant mindset. This power… was Minato beginning to feel wary?
"Captain Shisui"?
And "half a report left"?
A test of Shisui's stance. Next would come a test of Shion's.
Before long, Minato set aside his file and smiled.
"Recently, the Uchiha reforms have gone well. Thanks to you both."
Shisui scratched his head.
"Since the other clans refused to join the Police Force, we—"
Minato nodded.
"I'll handle that. The authority of the Police Force must be changed. Maintaining order in the village should not be the sole responsibility of the Uchiha."
Reform the authority first — only then could the Uchiha escape the swamp.
Shion smiled.
"Since the academy's on break, Shisui, Itachi, and I were planning to get some yakiniku. Care to join us, Hokage-sama?"
The meaning was clear, and Minato caught it. He glanced at the mountain of paperwork.
"Shikaku's on leave today. I don't think I can get away. Actually, I had ANBU call you here because I need help with something."
He looked at Shion.
"Now that Shisui is clan head, he can no longer serve in ANBU. Without him, I'm short of reliable hands. Shion, at your age Kakashi had already been a chūnin for three years. Is staying in the academy really suitable?"
Shion froze.
So this is what it was about.
Three years of coasting, and he'd hoped for three more.
"…What do you mean, Hokage-sama?"
Minato smiled.
"Since Kakashi left ANBU, I've relied on Jō and Shisui. Now with Shisui gone, I want you to graduate early and be promoted to chūnin."
Shion frowned.
"You can promote to chūnin directly? And even then, joining ANBU isn't guaranteed."
"Emergency promotions are possible," Minato replied. "There will be an evaluation. With your Mangekyō Sharingan, passing shouldn't be difficult. And as a chūnin with a kekkei genkai like the Sharingan, you can be promoted to tokubetsu jōnin. So…"
Heh. So I don't get a choice. No more slacking, huh?
I've got money, I've been enjoying school life, flexing occasionally — and I wanted to graduate with Izumi in the same squad. Guess that's not happening.
"I don't think I'm ready. Maybe I should study at the academy a few more years?" Shion tried.
But Minato's smile didn't waver.
"Study more, or play more? Itachi graduated two years ago. How long do you plan on playing around?"
Shisui laughed and added,
"Shion isn't like Itachi. His understanding of both shinobi arts and human nature is already beyond the academy."
"…Ugh."
Speechless, Shion finally nodded. He couldn't stay in school forever — with the Mangekyō, it was a waste. Minato wouldn't allow such a weapon to rot in a classroom while missions piled up.
Root was gone. The Third's ANBU wouldn't take Minato's orders. For special missions, Minato needed more operatives in his own ANBU.
At the yakiniku restaurant.
"So you're graduating early too?" Itachi asked, surprised. "I thought you'd stay the full six years."
Shisui chuckled.
"Six years at the academy, then genin for life, spending every day eating and drinking in the village — isn't that Shion's dream?"
"Tch."
Shion gave them a withering look. Why risk his life on missions when his shadow clones could earn money outside?
"Don't get smug. At least I had two extra years of fun. Unlike Itachi, who spent those years cleaning out pigsties."
Itachi's eyes widened. After a long pause, he muttered,
"I only cleaned pigsties twice. Mostly it was catching that noblewoman's cat, or driving off wild boars."
"Like that's something to brag about," Shion scoffed.
Itachi shook his head.
"Our squad's been doing C-rank missions outside the village for over a year now. It's not ANBU, but I like it."
There was a glimmer of light in his eyes. Shion blinked.
"…Kid, don't tell me you're in love?"
"Eh?!"
Itachi froze, face instantly red.
Seeing this, Shion panicked and grabbed his throat, shaking him.
"Spit it out! Who is it? Didn't I cancel that ninja cat contract? How are you still flirting through it, huh?!"
"Cough— cough—"
Itachi struggled, waving his hands. Shisui quickly intervened.
"You're mistaken, Shion. Itachi's crush is his teammate — that girl named Shinoko."
"Shinoko?"
Shion finally let go of the half-choked Itachi, frowning.
"Not Izumi?"
Itachi took a deep breath.
"I've always seen Izumi as a sister. The ninja cat was only because she liked it, so I lent it to her."
Shion eyed him suspiciously, then sighed.
"Still surprising to hear you're dating… but as long as it's not Izumi, I'll give you my blessing."
He turned to Shisui.
"But dating at nine years old? Isn't that too young?"
Shisui waved it off.
"It's not real dating. Just mutual feelings. Don't worry so much."