Deep within the forest, a figure emerged silently from the shadows.
Uchiha Shisui stepped into view, while high above, Uchiha Yoru stood atop a towering tree, his gaze fixed on the training ground in the distance where Mitarashi Anko continued her drills.
"Yoru-niisan," Shisui said quietly. "This is the preliminary report."
His voice lacked its usual brightness. The forced smile on his face was impossible to miss.
Yoru took the scroll and skimmed it at speed. Halfway through, his eyes widened.
"Shisui… this is real?"
Even he hadn't expected the village's response to be this blatant.
Shisui let out a strained breath. "So far, we've identified twenty-three operatives inside the Seventh Police Unit. ANBU, Root, Intelligence Division… they're all represented."
Operatives was the polite term.
They were spies. Planted to watch them.
To watch the Uchiha. To watch Orochimaru.
Shisui's forced smile wavered, and Yoru immediately saw the opening.
He straightened, his expression resolute, and placed both hands on Shisui's shoulders.
"Shisui, this is just the village being cautious," he said firmly. "They want to know what we're doing. Don't take it personally. You have to trust the Hokage."
The words landed harder than Yoru intended.
Shisui's chest tightened.
Yoru-niisan has done so much for the clan. For the village. And this is how the village responds?
Doubt hurt more than hostility.
Yet Yoru pressed on, voice steady.
"This ends here. Don't dig any deeper. Just remember one thing. Orochimaru-sensei will change everything that's rotting away."
Rotting.
The word echoed in Shisui's mind.
He hated admitting it, but part of him agreed. The village he loved felt stagnant. Suspicious. Afraid of its own shadow.
"Yoru-niisan," Shisui said quietly, resolve forming in his eyes, "we'll hold on until Orochimaru-sama becomes Hokage."
Beside him, Yoru smiled.
To Shisui, it looked like hope.
In truth, it was calculation.
So long as Shisui placed his faith in Orochimaru, half the plan was already complete.
Lightning flickered across Yoru's palm. The scroll Shisui had risked so much to gather disintegrated into ash.
Yoru rested a hand on his shoulder again.
"Focus on your duties in the Police. Leave the rest to Orochimaru-sensei. Once he's Fifth Hokage, everything will fall into place."
Yoru looked like a man carrying impossible burdens without complaint.
Shisui wanted to say something, to offer comfort, but footsteps cut the moment short.
"I'll take my leave," Shisui said, regaining his composure.
"Go."
As Shisui vanished into the forest, Yoru's eyes narrowed.
ANBU. Root. Intelligence.
They hadn't just dipped a toe in. The Seventh Unit had been turned into a sieve.
Force wouldn't fix this. Removing visible spies would only drive the rest deeper underground.
"Spies…" Yoru scoffed softly. "Fine. Then we play the same game."
Leaves rustled.
A figure appeared beside him.
Yūhi Shinku stepped out of the trees, stopping a short distance away. The two stood in silence, facing each other.
Her black hair fell in gentle waves, crimson eyes calm and sharp. Gone was the warmth she showed at gatherings. What remained was composure, maturity, and restraint.
"Long time no see," Yoru said, smiling.
Shinku inclined her head slightly.
"You know you're being watched."
Yoru chuckled. "By the Third Hokage? Or ANBU?"
Her gaze sharpened.
Without answering, she stepped beside him. Together, they looked out at the training ground below.
"Even back at the Academy," Shinku said quietly, "your eyes were never satisfied. I thought it was greed for money. I underestimated you. The Uchiha pushed you to the front, and now you're standing in the line of fire."
Yoru smiled faintly.
Shinobi rarely survived by being naive. Especially not ones like Shinku.
"Relax," he said. "Once Orochimaru-sensei becomes Fifth Hokage, I'll be his direct student. The Uchiha problem ends with me."
Shinku sighed.
She didn't understand politics, but she understood people. And nothing about power struggles was ever simple.
"I hope you're right."
Yoru glanced at her face and felt a flicker of guilt.
This wasn't deception. It was protection.
"Since you're here on assignment," he said, changing the subject, extending his hand with a familiar gesture.
Shinku stiffened for a heartbeat, mistaking the motion, then shot him a glare.
"Now?" she snapped. "The Hokage is personally investigating the Nine Tails incident."
Yoru shrugged. "So are we."
That part wasn't a lie. The truth was just incomplete.
Shinku's shoulders relaxed slightly. "I just want the village to stay at peace."
"It will," Yoru replied.
Internally, he laughed.
The Third Hokage truly was relentless.
First Moonlight Hayate and Uzuki Yugao. Then Kakashi and Might Guy. Now Shinku.
Layer after layer.
Or maybe Shinku herself was expendable. A decoy meant to draw attention away from Kakashi, the real observer. Even Guy had been part of the smokescreen.
If Yoru hadn't known Kakashi stayed in ANBU until shortly before the main storyline, he might have fallen for it too.
The Hokage knew about Kakashi's trauma. Of course he did.
He simply chose to keep using him.
A plea from his son. A show of concern. Two benefits with one move.
Add Shinku into the mix and the picture blurred further. Suspicion scattered. Conclusions softened.
Elegant.
Veteran.
Dangerous.
Yoru smiled as he watched the forest sway in the wind.
"So this is how you play," he thought. "Very well."