In the Hokage's office, within the Hokage Building.
Moonlight streamed through the window, gaining form as it interacted with the smoke-filled air.
The pungent, bitter scent of tobacco hung heavily in the air, as if some weighty thoughts had solidified within it. The ashtray was already overflowing with the remnants of ash.
"Phew..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, the ember of his pipe flickering, illuminating his deeply furrowed face.
The grim news from the Land of Rain battlefield felt like a massive stone pressing on his heart, seemingly deepening the wrinkles on his face more than the day before.
Although Hidden Sand Village suffered heavier casualties in the Land of Rain than Hidden Leaf, and even Chiyo had died, Hanzo of the Hidden Rain's declaration of war was still a major problem.
They could only continue to send troops to the border to defend against Hidden Rain Village's attacks.
"Sigh." Hiruzen sighed. "How did that old man Hanzo manage to get stronger and younger? Has he mastered a ninjutsu similar to the Strength of a Hundred Seal?"
Though his heart was heavy, thinking of the person who had just left, and recalling their easy conversation, the knot in his heart surprisingly eased a little.
Hanzo, known as the "Poisonous Weapon," possessed the power to change the tide of battle, but they also had a young genius capable of changing the tide of battle on their side.
Knock... knock-knock...
A knock on the door broke the suffocating silence, also interrupting Hiruzen's thoughts.
"Come in," Hiruzen's voice held a subtle rasp.
The door was pushed open.
The person who entered was none other than Shisui Uchiha.
Shisui's gaze quickly swept over the smoke-filled room, pausing briefly as he noticed two teacups on the table that hadn't been put away.
But his steps remained steady as he entered, stopping before the desk and kneeling on one knee.
"Lord Third." Shisui Uchiha lowered his head, his voice clear and firm. "I'm here to report on the mission to deal with Kohi Hyuga."
"Oh, it's Shisui."
Hiruzen only then withdrew his gaze from the documents, looking up at Shisui Uchiha with a smile: "Don't be so formal. Have a seat first. Kawa just left."
"...Yes, Lord Third."
Hearing Hiruzen's closeness to Hyuga Kawa, and although he had suspected it upon seeing the teacups, Shisui Uchiha's heart subtly sank.
He acknowledged, then stood up and sat in the chair before the desk, his posture upright and proper.
"Tell me."
Hiruzen took away the teacup in front of Shisui, stood up, walked to the cabinet behind him, and opened it. As he selected tea leaves, he asked with his back to Shisui, "Was today's mission smooth?"
"Target Kohi Hyuga confirmed killed."
Shisui Uchiha looked at Hiruzen's back, took a deep breath, and recited his prepared statement: "But the body was destroyed in an explosion. My apologies."
With that, he took out a scroll containing the remains of a body from his breast pocket and placed it on the table before him.
"Don't worry about it. Kohi Hyuga was very experienced; it's a blessing you weren't injured."
Hiruzen said, walking to the table with a new teacup and a tea caddy. He spooned two scoops into the prepared bone china cup, poured in boiling water, and the aroma of tea diffused across the tabletop.
Pushing the teacup towards Shisui, and receiving a restrained "Thank you" from Shisui, Hiruzen asked with a smile, "Did anything special happen along the way?"
"..."
Shisui Uchiha's movement of picking up the teacup paused slightly. After a moment of silence, meeting those cloudy eyes that seemed to see through everything, he nodded and said, "Yes."
He then organized his words, trying to objectively describe how, after breaking the genjutsu, he overheard the conversation between Hyuga Kawa and Kohi Hyuga, and saw Kawa excavating the Byakugan...
He didn't emphasize how terrifying Hyuga Kawa's genjutsu was, nor did he say that he suspected Hyuga Kawa was hiding abilities with malicious intent.
Saying such things would only be counterproductive.
He only needed to tell Hiruzen all his discoveries plainly, and then let the Third Hokage decide and handle it.
It must be admitted that, as long as it didn't involve the Uchiha clan, Shisui's intelligence and emotional intelligence were irreproachable.
Hiruzen simply listened quietly, not interrupting at all, calmly puffing smoke from his pipe, like a carved stone statue.
Until Shisui Uchiha's brief report ended, and the office was filled with dense silence and smoke.
"Hmm."
Hiruzen took the pipe from his mouth, his tone surprisingly calm, and smiled: "Kawa has already reported all these matters to me in detail."
"The specifics of the mission, including his use of genjutsu on you and Itachi, and why he personally retrieved that Byakugan... he explained everything to me thoroughly."
His tone was as flat as if he were stating that the weather was nice today, but it made Shisui Uchiha suddenly look up with an astonished expression.
Hyuga Kawa actually confessed everything voluntarily?
Even the matter of retrieving the Byakugan?
And Lord Third doesn't seem displeased at all?
"I was aware of his actions, and I also understood his genjutsu abilities. It was I who instructed him to keep his abilities secret, for strategic considerations."
Hiruzen's expression became even more relaxed. He looked at the incredulous Shisui and smiled: "I just didn't expect you to be able to break his genjutsu. Impressive."
"..."
The office fell into a long silence once more, broken only by the faint crackling of burning tobacco.
Shisui Uchiha now felt his head in a complete mess. Hiruzen Sarutobi's reaction was stranger than any scenario he had anticipated before coming.
The village elders knew about Hyuga Kawa's abilities long ago, and kept it secret for strategic considerations—that's fine.
But why is Lord Third indifferent to Kawa's act of taking the Byakugan?
This point was entirely due to Shisui Uchiha's lack of understanding regarding those in power and politics.
Hyuga Kawa had indeed told Hiruzen Sarutobi "everything" that Shisui had seen.
This was because Kawa knew very well that Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Hyuga clan were not on the same side regarding certain matters.
The Hyuga clan would be enraged by his taking and concealing the Byakugan, but Hiruzen Sarutobi would only be delighted by his honest confession.
Because this meant that Hyuga Kawa had completely sided against the Hyuga clan, and had voluntarily handed a "fatal" leverage into Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands.
At least from Hiruzen's perspective, if Hyuga Kawa truly betrayed him one day and sided with the Hyuga clan,
He could easily inform the Hyuga clan's Main House about this matter. At that point, Hyuga Kawa would inevitably be executed by the enraged Main House, because concealing a Byakugan had completely crossed the Main House's bottom line.
Wasn't the reason he had Hyuga Kawa join the operation to eliminate Kohi Hyuga precisely to ascertain whether Hyuga Kawa would choose the village or his clan at a critical moment?
And the answer Hyuga Kawa provided was even more surprising than he had imagined.
A fatal leverage.
Undoubtedly, this was the most brilliant pledge of allegiance.
Was there any proof more reassuring to a superior than this?
As for what Hyuga Kawa intended to do with the Byakugan, in Hiruzen Sarutobi's view, it was nothing more than his unwillingness to become a "caged bird," wanting to try and break free from the Hyuga Main House's control.
Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't particularly concerned about whether Hyuga Kawa could achieve this. In any case, he and the Hyuga Main House now both held his life in their hands.
Moreover, that wasn't all...
"Kohi Hyuga's wife and child?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe, the swirling smoke obscuring the depth in his eyes, and thought, It's good that he has something he desires.
Those in power are not afraid of subordinates who have desires; on the contrary, they fear subordinates who want nothing, leaving no room for beneficence.
And Hyuga Kawa, after explaining everything, had also pleaded with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
If the investigation confirmed that Kohi Hyuga's wife and their young, sickly child were completely unaware of his defection, he hoped to be allowed to secretly care for the mother and child until the child recovered and reached adulthood.
What else would a person in power fear?
A person with no parents, no wife, no children, no inhibitions.
Now, Hyuga Kawa had "inhibitions," and Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart was completely at ease. He could confidently employ and nurture Hyuga Kawa.
Clearly, Hyuga Kawa not only preempted the situation, blocking Shisui's possibility of making the Third Hokage suspicious, but also used a display of "weakness" to turn all unfavorable factors into advantages.
These tactics were beyond Shisui Uchiha's imagination, and he certainly wouldn't have thought that he had, inadvertently, added credibility to Hyuga Kawa's words, thus helping him.
"Shisui."
Hiruzen Sarutobi broke the long silence, looking into Shisui's eyes, his tone serious: "I hope you can keep this matter a secret. Don't tell anyone."
"Neither Hyuga Kawa's act of taking the Byakugan, nor his possessing extremely strong genjutsu abilities."
Shisui Uchiha's chaotic thoughts were interrupted. Hearing this, a bitter, awkward smile appeared on his face: "Heh heh, Lord Third, I already told Itachi."
"Then tell Itachi not to let anyone else know," Hiruzen said with an undeniable tone.
"...Yes, I understand, Your Excellency."
Shisui's mind was still in turmoil, but he dared not say more, lowering his head in acknowledgment.
However, after a brief silence, Shisui Uchiha looked up, opened his mouth as if to say something, but then hesitated.
"What is it, Shisui?" Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, guessing what was coming, and said with a gentle smile, "Is there anything else? Speak freely."
"Lord Third."
Shisui Uchiha moistened his dry lips, his tone uneasy: "The Uchiha clan, the voices of the radical faction within the clan are growing louder now. Their dissatisfaction with the village is like boiling water..."
At this point, he paused, his tone extremely cautious, and probed: "Since Hyuga Kawa possesses such powerful genjutsu abilities, could we consider requesting his assistance?"
"If his genjutsu could be used to create dreams, guiding Lord Fugaku and other clan members, perhaps this storm could be quelled without a trace?"
Hearing this, Hiruzen was momentarily stunned, but looking at the anxiety and unease in those black eyes, a realization flashed through his mind.
Is this a desperate measure?
He could see that Shisui truly wanted to resolve the conflict between the village and the clan, but this method...
"Sigh, every time I see you, I think of my old friend Kagami Uchiha. You are both among the few Uchiha who can think from the village's perspective."
Hiruzen first sighed with emotion, then slowly shook his head: "Unfortunately, this method might temporarily put a lid on the boiling pot, but it won't extinguish the fire beneath it."
"This is absolutely not the correct solution. It's merely avoidance and deception."
"Lies and genjutsu will eventually be exposed, and ultimately, they will only breed deeper hatred and disaster."
Avoidance, deception...
These two words made Shisui's body tremble slightly, and his breathing became rapid.