The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had left.
Before departing, he instructed Shisui to focus on his recovery, casting a deep, inscrutable glance at Uchiha Fugaku. That meaningful look left Fugaku feeling a profound sense of unease.
Ever since he became the Patriarch of the Uchiha, Fugaku had sought ways to better integrate his clan into the village. During the Third Shinobi World War, he personally led his kin on the front lines, forging a deep friendship with Minato Namikaze. His wife, Mikoto, was best friends with Minato's wife, Kushina Uzumaki.
When Minato became the Fourth Hokage, Fugaku thought he saw the dawn of the Uchiha's full acceptance.
Then came the Nine-Tails' night, and everything changed.
The rampaging beast not only leveled the village and claimed countless lives, but the Sharingan reflected in its pupils pointed a collective finger of blame directly at the Uchiha. With the death of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, the Uchiha lost their primary political anchor.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, returning to power, continued the repressive policies toward the Uchiha established during the Second Hokage's era. In the wake of the disaster, the clan was even forcibly relocated to the outskirts of the village.
And now, a stray Mangekyo Sharingan had appeared...
Fugaku felt a bone-deep exhaustion. He could already imagine how the village elders would use this to attack his clan.
"Patriarch."
Shisui's voice pulled Fugaku from his thoughts. He looked at the youngest Three-Tomoe user in the clan and offered a comforting word. "Rest well."
But Shisui reached out, gripping Fugaku's hand. Their eyes met.
"She has Susanoo..." Shisui whispered. "The Perfect Susanoo..."
Fugaku's heart skipped a beat. This was the third power unlocked only by the Mangekyo. Even Fugaku had only mastered the basic forms of Susanoo; the Perfect form was still a distant dream.
"So, it truly is a clansman taken by that man." Fugaku was now certain of the girl's origin.
It was the only logical explanation. How else could a stray bloodline, without the resources of the clan, awaken the Mangekyo at such a young age and evolve Susanoo to its ultimate form?
Uchiha Madara!
Only the strongest Patriarch in their history could cultivate such a monster. Although clan records stated that no one followed Madara when he defected, he had taken many secret scrolls with him. If he had secretly spirited away a few children back then, everything made sense.
It had to be Madara.
The Hokage Building.
"Hiruzen! The Uchiha must be held accountable!" Danzo Shimura barged into the office, his lone eye gleaming with malice.
Hiruzen, who had barely sat down after returning from the hospital, darkened his expression. "This matter has nothing to do with the Uchiha in the village."
"Uchiha blood wandering outside is a failure of their clan's management!" Danzo pressed, unrelenting.
Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe and exhaled a slow cloud of smoke. "It is likely a descendant of those taken by Uchiha Madara."
Uchiha Madara!
Even the scheming Danzo faltered at that name. Their generation had been born before the village's founding; they grew up on the legends of Hashirama Senju and had seen the man with their own eyes. As the other half of that legend, Madara was etched into their psyche as a figure of terror.
Madara had left in the second year of the Konoha calendar. Though it was said no one followed him, he returned years later to wreak havoc, eventually falling to the First Hokage at the Valley of the End. At that time, Danzo and Hiruzen were already Chunin or Jonin. Decades later, the name still carried a chilling weight.
"Do not blame everything on a ghost! Madara has been dead for years!" Danzo snapped, though it was a tactical denial. He only wanted to squeeze the Uchiha further.
"I will dispatch agents to continue gathering intel on Hoshigakure," Hiruzen said, omitting any mention of the Uzumaki survivor.
Furthermore, having learned the secret of Shisui's 'Kotoamatsukami,' Hiruzen was now hesitating on whether to share any more information with Danzo at all.
Meanwhile, Danzo's mind drifted back to a youth named Nagato, whom he and Hanzo had betrayed years ago in the Land of Rain. Could this Uchiha be linked to that Akatsuki organization? He decided to send his own investigators.
"Regardless, that girl is Uchiha blood. Either she is captured and brought back, or..." Danzo trailed off, his hatred for the clan surfacing. He couldn't stand the idea of such power being beyond his reach.
"And who do you propose we send?" Hiruzen put down his pipe. "An elite Jonin like Shisui was no match, and she clearly isn't the only high-level threat there."
They both knew Shisui was among the top three strongest in the clan, poised to surpass Fugaku in a few years. His team had included a Hyuga Jonin and a seasoned veteran. Yet they had been decimated.
"Hmph. I have my own plans!" Danzo huffed. He eyed Hiruzen and seized the opening. "If you would return 'Kinoe' to me..."
"Don't even think about it!" Hiruzen interrupted sharply.
"Tenzo's Wood Style belongs to the Leaf, not to your private collection!" Hiruzen sat back, his gaze locking with Danzo's in a cold stare.
Being barked at like that infuriated Danzo. He had salvaged that Wood Style user from Orochimaru's experiments and spent years molding him, only for Hiruzen to snatch him away. Since the mission to track Orochimaru, Kinoe had changed—his loyalty to the Foundation had wavered.
Feeling his pawn slipping, Danzo had tried to use seals and Genjutsu to reclaim him, but Kakashi had broken into the Root base and rescued the boy. Hiruzen had then used his authority as Hokage to officially transfer 'Kinoe' to his personal Anbu, leaving Danzo bitter.
"Danzo," Hiruzen warned. "I am the Hokage."
"You will regret this, Hiruzen!" Danzo spat, slamming the door as he stormed out.
Thud!
Hiruzen sat enveloped in tobacco smoke, the furrows in his brow deepening. A stray Uchiha and a stray Uzumaki... what exactly was happening in Hoshigakure?