There were times Konosuke could speak freely to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
But not now.
Pressing him over the Uchiha issue would only blur the line between inside and outside. Konosuke wasn't foolish enough to do that.
He pulled Itachi out of the office.
"Tell me what you're thinking. If you want Danzo dead, I'll give you his weaknesses. You can kill that bastard easily."
"If you'd rather let Sasuke avenge your parents himself, I can guarantee you this—within eight years, he'll have the strength to do it."
"Whatever you choose, I'll support you. I don't like some of your methods… but in the end, you're just another tragic soul."
Itachi's expression remained calm. Too calm for someone who had just lost both parents.
After a few seconds, he took out a scroll.
"My father gave me this before he died. I'm entrusting it to you. Please teach Sasuke well. I leave at dawn."
Konosuke exhaled sharply.
"You Uchiha are insane. Even now, you're thinking about missions. I don't know if Sasuke's lucky or cursed to have you as a brother."
He accepted the scroll.
"Fine. Since you've decided, I won't argue. My offer still stands. Don't die out there."
"Before you leave, handle your parents' Sharingan properly. Plenty of people are watching. The same goes for the others who died. Don't let their corpses be defiled."
They returned to the office.
"Old man," Konosuke said flatly, "from today on, Shisui will be the new clan head of the Uchiha."
"You'd better keep Danzo in check. If he so much as twitches toward the Uchiha again, I'll kill him myself. This time, I won't spare your feelings."
"The Uchiha knelt for peace. If he still pursues them, he's the real traitor."
Hiruzen smoked silently.
Words felt meaningless now.
He had known Danzo contacted the Uchiha. But he hadn't imagined the First Elder would go this far—forcing Fugaku to suicide and killing Sasuke's mother.
For the first time, Hiruzen truly felt old.
He stepped before Fugaku's body and bowed deeply.
"Fugaku… I failed you. The Uchiha will remain part of the village. They will not be marginalized again."
Konosuke let out a cold laugh.
"Too late to play savior. If I were you, I'd eliminate Danzo. That's the Will of Fire—equal justice, no factions, no favoritism. Anyone who errs pays the price."
With that, he left.
He needed to speak with Shisui.
How do you tell a seven-year-old that his parents are gone?
Back home, Shisui rushed out.
"What happened? Itachi's… different."
"Fugaku and Mikoto are dead."
The words exploded in Shisui's mind.
He had anticipated complications—but not this.
Tears streamed down his face.
Fugaku had been one of the few elders who never blamed him.
That night, neither Konosuke nor Shisui slept.
Shisui pondered the Uchiha's future.
Konosuke rehearsed the words he would have to say.
—
The next morning, Konosuke brought Sasuke to see them.
There was no point in hiding it.
The moment Sasuke saw his parents' bodies, he collapsed.
In that instant, a beloved son became an orphan.
Outside the hospital room, Konosuke and Shisui waited.
"Fugaku gave me a scroll," Konosuke said quietly. "Genjutsu training will be yours once Sasuke awakens his Sharingan. You know I'm hopeless at it."
"Only after he awakens it," Shisui replied.
Konosuke flicked ash aside.
"I think he will when he wakes. After this… it's inevitable."
"The price is too high."
From inside came a broken scream.
"Father! Mother!"
They rushed in.
Sasuke clutched his head, crying out in agony.
Konosuke grabbed his shoulders.
"Sasuke. Look at me. Look at me."
Sasuke raised his head through the pain.
His eyes—
One tomoe had formed.
The Sharingan had awakened.
Konosuke didn't comment on it.
"Your parents are dead. That is reality. If I were you, I'd get out of this bed, train, and avenge them. Crying changes nothing."
Shisui tugged his sleeve.
Too harsh.
Too soon.
Konosuke continued.
"Men can cry. But after crying, they stand up. If you stay trapped in grief, you're finished."
"I'll give you thirty minutes. Then you train. The village will handle the funeral."
He pulled Shisui outside.
Shisui frowned.
"Wasn't that too cruel? He's just a child."
Konosuke stared at the clock.
Ten minutes later, Sasuke emerged.
His expression was steady.
Whatever storm had raged inside him, he had crossed it.
Konosuke placed a hand on his head and walked toward the hospital exit.
It wasn't cruelty.
Sasuke couldn't afford prolonged grief.
The longer he drowned in sorrow, the slower he would grow.