Inside the Public Security Division office, when Shisui finally asked what his next move would be, Uchiha Yoru did not hide his ambition.
There was no hesitation in his gaze as he looked straight at Shisui, a sharp, unmasked hunger burning in his eyes.
"Shisui," Yoru said calmly, "when the Uchiha Clan delivers decisive merit and helps Orochimaru-sensei ascend as the Fifth Hokage, I will personally speak to him. He will issue a covert order to terminate all research involving the First Hokage's cells and the Sharingan."
He paused, then continued without lowering his voice.
"And if the腐朽 remnants of the Third Hokage's faction still cannot be uprooted… then my target will be the Sixth Hokage."
For a moment, Yoru seemed to stand at the center of the night itself. Moonlight poured through the window, and Shisui felt his breath catch.
Sixth Hokage.
If Yoru reached that position, he could erase those experiments with a single order. The filth buried beneath Konoha would be sealed away, left to rot in history.
Unconsciously, Shisui realized something had shifted. His hope, once placed entirely on Orochimaru, had now split. Part of it had settled firmly on Uchiha Yoru.
"Yoru-niisan," Shisui said solemnly, "I will become the most steadfast blade in your hand."
For the first time that night, Yoru relaxed.
He smiled, faint but genuine, and shook his head.
"No," he said. "You're not a tool, Shisui. You're a companion. Someone I can trust with my back."
Companion.
Bond.
For shinobi raised to be expendable, those words carried real weight.
Shisui smiled in return, but as his eyes swept over the slightly disordered office, his expression sharpened again. He instinctively stepped into the role of Yoru's right hand.
"Yoru-niisan," he said quietly, "Kakashi saw that information earlier. Should we—"
The killing intent in his eyes made the rest unnecessary.
Yoru sighed, exhaustion briefly surfacing on his face.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "Kakashi is a Hatake. He's White Fang's son. He understands the weight of this. He won't betray it."
Then Yoru smiled again, this time openly.
"And more than that… Kakashi is a companion I acknowledge. White Fang was a hero of Konoha. Kakashi is a hero too. I trust him."
Outside the window, a hidden figure stiffened.
Hero?
The word sent an unexpected warmth through Kakashi's chest.
Inside the office, two pairs of three-tomoe Sharingan burned with quiet resolve. Outside, a single three-tomoe eye hardened, as if a decision had just been made.
Later that night, Konoha lay bathed in moonlight, peaceful and deceptively serene.
Uchiha Yoru stood alone on the roof of the Public Security building, gazing at the sky. His lips curved into a faint, cold smile.
"So, Sarutobi Hiruzen… I've taken everything you threw at me," he thought. "Let's see if you can catch what I throw back."
Using the White Fang to bind Kakashi had never been an option. From the beginning, Yoru had dismissed it.
White Fang and Orochimaru were alike in one cruel way. Both were once unrivaled. Both were crushed by the village's judgment.
White Fang broke and chose death.
Orochimaru broke differently. He cut everything away and chose defection, abandoning all ties for the sake of immortality.
The Hokage's faction preserved its power. The cost was faith.
Yoru exhaled slowly.
Tonight's stage had been heavy enough. Shisui and Kakashi were the right audience. No one else needed to understand.
The Three-Tomoe awakening would push his body into a brief surge of growth. Perfect timing.
His eyes drifted toward the Hokage Monument, carved into the mountain.
"Hokage…"
Pushing Orochimaru to the Fifth seat was ideal, but it was never going to succeed. Orochimaru himself knew it. He was waiting, watching, letting the village decide how it would abandon him again.
Power fascinated people. But for Orochimaru, it was never the destination.
Immortality was.
Yoru gave a quiet, self-mocking chuckle.
"The Third really is worthy of being the longest-serving Hokage."
Without knowing the future, his political maneuvers were still razor-sharp. If Yoru hadn't known what was coming, he would have been crushed without ever realizing how.
Moonlight washed over the stone faces of past Hokage.
Yoru extended his hand as if gripping the monument itself.
"I've made my move," he thought. "Now let the kunai fly a little longer."