The road back from the Fire Capital was peaceful and more relaxed.
Homura rested inside the carriage beside the masked ANBU trio.
After a while, the old advisor spoke without turning his head.
"Itachi… "
"Yes, sir." Itachi replied, his posture in attention.
"Your composure in the arena was impressive. Not many your age would fight with such calm."
"It was my duty, sir. To represent Konoha well."
"Duty." He repeated the word quietly, then smiled faintly. "Tell me… what do you think duty means to a shinobi?"
Itachi hesitated for a moment, choosing his words carefully.
"To protect peace, sir. Even if others don't understand your choices." Itachi replied with conviction.
Homura's old eyes shifted to him — sharp, calculating.
"And if your 'peace' comes at the cost of loyalty to your clan?"
The air seemed to tighten. Enji remained silent,but his head tilted slightly.
Itachi finally answered, voice even but soft.
"Then… I would seek a way to protect both. To fail either is failure as a shinobi."
Homura smiled again, though his gaze held something thoughtful.
The silence stretched on.
Enji spoke up, breaking the tension.
"You'll make the elders nervous if you keep sounding like the Hokage himself, Weasel."
Homura chuckled.
"Perhaps that's not a bad thing."
---
When they finally reached the village gates, Homura dismissed them.
Enji turned toward Itachi before they parted.
"Be careful about what you say, think twice before sharing anything with them."
"You said that before…. Why?" Itachi asked,taking note of Enji's repeated warnings.
"You'll understand if you know them enough."
"You don't trust them?"
"I trust that they'll do what 'they think' is best for Konoha. Not what is actually the best."
Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly behind the mask.
---
At the Uchiha compound,as Itachi entered his home,Fugaku stood waiting, arms crossed, eyes stern.
"You're back."
"Yes, Father. The mission was a success."
"Good. There's a clan meeting tonight. At Naka Shrine. Be ready."
Itachi's posture stiffened.
"A meeting? What's the matter?"
"You'll hear it there." was the only reply he got.
---
Naka Shrine – Late Night
The hall beneath the shrine pulsed with murmurs. Dozens of Uchiha filled the dim chamber.
When Itachi entered beside his father, the chatter shifted, some voices lowering, others sharpening.
Itachi had just taken a seat behind the elders when a rebuke echoed across the halls, silencing the room.
"No wonder the elders know every step we take."
Fugaku's glare cut through the noise.
"Enough." An elder chastised before Fugaku could.
Not to start the meeting on a bad note, Fugaku let it slide.He took his place at the head of the hall.
Another elder spoke up -
"We are gathered to discuss our position within the village. Surveillance has increased. Root operatives near our borders. This cannot continue."
Another member chimed in ruling up the crowd.
"They treat us like prisoners in our own home! We should take back control of what's ours!"
Fugaku inerjected -
"And start a war? Do you want another massacre like the last Great War?"
Soon, shouts filled the hall.
Itachi clenched his fists silently.
This… the problem was even more extreme than he expected.
From the corner, Shisui leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, watching the chaos with sad eyes.
Finally, Fugaku's voice cut through again. "Enough! We'll discuss this in order. Violence will solve nothing."
But even his voice lacked authority over the rising tension.
When the meeting finally dispersed, Itachi walked out, expression dark, while Shisui followed him.
Once they were far enough from the shrine, Itachi turned to Shisui -
"You said you'd find a way to fix this."
Shisui stood still for a moment, his face thoughtful and finally he took a deep breath, as if to discard any hesitation.
" I've thought of a way. I am not sure of it myself. But desperate times calls for desperate measures."
" Shisui, what are you planning? You don't have to carry it all by yourself, I am ready to help you."
Shisui, seeing the young boy already so mature and understanding felt both sorrow as well as pride.
" The situation is not that bad Itachi. And once my method is used, there will be no turning back. So let's not jump the gun. We'll see."
Itachi said nothing. Only the sound of distant wind rustling the leaves filled the silence.
---
At the same time, at the Hokage's Office -
Smoke coiled in the dimly lit chamber.
Hiruzen sat behind his desk, pipe resting between his fingers.
Danzo's voice broke the calm.
"The Uchiha gathered again at the Naka Shrine. Our informants report anger… shouting. They're planning something."
"A clan meeting does not equal a rebellion, Danzo." Hiruzen retorted.
"Don't be naive Hiruzen. They're organizing, strategising. You know them well, don't you?. They will rebel.
The time to act is now. Let me handle it."
Homura and Koharu stood behind him, silent but uneasy.
Hiruzen leaned back, eyes half-closed in thought.
"No. I will speak to them myself. Do nothing without my permission."
Danzo's single visible eye narrowed. He spat -
"Your mercy will destroy this village one day."
"Danzo!!! Remember you are speaking before the Hokage! "
" Hiruzen, don't regret it later." Danzo rose to leave, since his objective of injecting more suspicion into the elders have been achieved.
"Danzo, don't do anything stupid. This is a warning." Hiruzen's voice had an edge to it.
Danzo stiffened for a moment, then turned sharply, the tap of his cane echoing as he left.
The office fell quiet again.
Hiruzen exhaled smoke, the faint glow of his pipe flickering in the dark.
Once Danzo left, Homura approached Hiruzen, sharing the events at the Damyo's mansion.
" Both the kids you have been talking about,did well. Especially Itachi. His sense of timing in the battle was noteworrhy.
Yes. They both performed admirably, but I must say… Itachi impressed me more. He's calm, analytical, frighteningly perceptive for his age. A perfect shinobi mind."
"And Enji?" Hiruzen probed.
Homura paused before answering, choosing his words carefully.
"Talented, yes. Immense chakra pool and good control, sharp instincts, but… he fights like a hammer, not a scalpel. Strength over subtlety. There's little cunning there."
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, exhaling smoke through his nose, a trace of amusement in his gaze.
"That's because you've only seen the surface, old friend."
Homura raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Hiruzen continued "Tell me, in the capital… during his fight with the monk, what did you notice?"
Homura's mind drifted for a moment.
"He endured. Relentless offense, unyielding will. He won because he exhausted the monk with raw persistence—"
"No." Hiruzen's voice cut through gently. "As per you recounted, he did break the monk's technique,what you described to be a perfect mix of offense and defense,even though the monk was near exhaustion. He studied it. He took every blow to observe its pattern,to deduce it's weakness. He baited the monk into believing brute force was all he had. And when the monk overcommitted…"
Homura's eyes widened slightly as realization dawned.
"…he triggered the earth spikes he'd been preparing all along."
Hiruzen smiled.
"Exactly. He uses strength as a mask, not a weapon. His tactics lie beneath the surface,unseen until it's too late. That's what makes him dangerous."
Homura was silent for a long moment, then let out a soft, rueful breath.
Hiruzen added with a smile "He prefers it that way.
He hides his cunning behind that reckless energy. Makes people underestimate him. Even you."
Homura's gaze softened slightly, the memory of the carriage resurfacing , the awkward moment when he had tested Itachi with his questions, and Enji had effortlessly diverted the conversation, easing the tension.
"He was subtle even then. I thought it chance… but now I see."
Hiruzen gave a quiet nod, his expression thoughtful.
" My friend, you are losing your sharpness. Maybe the life of luxury, away from the battlefield is dulling your senses. Take it as a sign, to reconsider your thoughts and decisions.
I know the feeling, I too was like that.
Consider these words as not from the Hokage but from a friend."
Homura stayed silent, the words ringing in his mind, in a loop.
Finally he smiled faintly,but with a tinge of sadness mixed in it.
He remained standing by the window, his gaze lingered on the rooftops of Konoha - the same rooftops he had looked upon since he was young, burning with ambition and pride.
Now, they looked… different.A village that had grown beyond the people who once built it.
"Haa.... Perhaps I'm getting old."
Hiruzen gave a faint chuckle.
"You only realize that now?"
Homura let out a low laugh -
"No. I suppose I just stopped pretending to be young."
He turned back toward the Hokage. The earlier sharpness in his eyes had dimmed, replaced by something more thoughtful.
"It feels strange… maybe it's time we stop holding the reins so tightly."
Hiruzen regarded him quietly, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
" Homura, my friend, the Old must yield, when the Young demands their turn. "