Shisui stood still for a moment after hearing Masato's question.
He hadn't expected anyone to be at the shrine.
It was usually quiet at this hour.
He thought he could finish what he came for without trouble.
But Masato being here ruined that plan.
"Brother Masato," Shisui said calmly, "I was just looking for some jutsu to practice. I haven't found anything useful in a while."
Masato didn't reply.
He just kept staring at him.
The silence stretched, heavy and uncomfortable.
"If I disturbed you, I'm sorry," Shisui added.
"That wasn't my intention."
Masato's expression didn't change.
There was nothing wrong with Shisui being here.
Any Uchiha shinobi could enter the shrine with permission.
And he wasn't just anyone.
Masato let out a slow breath.
"Do you take me for a fool?"
Shisui's heart tightened.
A flicker of unease crossed his face.
"No… what do you mean, Brother Masato?" he asked, his voice slightly unsteady.
Masato stepped closer.
"You entered the shrine quietly. You went straight toward the sealed section." His voice remained calm, but his eyes were sharp.
"Should I pretend I didn't notice?"
Shisui didn't answer.
Masato's three-tomoe Sharingan was already active, glowing red in the dim shrine.
"You're not a child," Masato continued.
"You know that area isn't for casual training."
"I have permission," Shisui said firmly.
"Permission?" Masato repeated coldly.
"I don't give a damn about your permission."
He moved even closer, his face hardening.
"You are tied to the village's higher-ups. Whether you admit it or not."
The air between them felt suffocating.
"You being here without an elder present is a risk," Masato said. "For all of us."
Shisui's jaw tightened.
He could fight.
But if they clashed here, the noise would alert the entire compound.
Taking a slow breath, he looked at Masato steadily.
"Brother Masato," he said, "I may have connections to the village, but I am still a Uchiha. I have every right to study our clan's jutsu."
He met Masato's gaze without backing down.
"And you can't accuse me of stealing without proof."
Masato stared at him for a long moment.
Then, suddenly, he smiled.
"I understand now," Masato said quietly.
Relief washed over Shisui.
He let out a small breath.
"Then—"
He never finished.
Masato's fist shot forward without warning.
Bang.
The punch slammed into Shisui's face.
Caught off guard, Shisui was sent crashing into the table behind him.
Wood splintered as he hit the ground.
For a few seconds, the shrine was silent again.
Shisui slowly pushed himself up, anger burning in his eyes.
Masato stood where he was, looking down at him.
"Now I understand the meaning of 'why,'" Masato said coldly.
As he spoke, his mind drifted back to his last conversation with Toyoma.
Some days earlier—
Masato had been struggling for weeks.
He no longer knew whether what he had done was right or wrong.
He had helped Toyoma with his plan.
But Toyoma never told him everything.
And that plan had nearly cost Uchiha Inochi his life.
The thought wouldn't leave him.
The arguments.
The discussions.
The chaos that followed.
The Uchiha's reputation is shifting toward that of a merchant clan…
The more he thought about it, the more it felt like a carefully arranged move.
One Toyoma had orchestrated.
"What have I done…" Masato muttered to himself, clenching his fists.
He couldn't forgive himself.
Even if it was indirect, he had played a part in putting Uncle Uzuku's son in danger.
The guilt weighed heavily on him.
Just then, the door to his room slid open.
Masato looked up.
Toyoma stood there.
Calm as ever.
Toyoma didn't speak immediately.
He watched Masato for a moment.
Then he stepped inside.
"Brother Masato," he said casually, "I haven't seen you at the training grounds for several days."
Masato looked at him.
There was anger in his eyes.
How could he act so calm?
How could he pretend nothing had happened?
Toyoma should know exactly why he hadn't shown up.
Masato looked straight at Toyoma.
"You knew, didn't you?" he asked, his voice heavy with anger.
"There was a chance Uncle Uzuku's family could be harmed."
He didn't circle it.
He asked directly.
Toyoma paused for a moment, slightly surprised.
"I didn't expect you to ask that so directly, Brother," he said calmly.
"Don't change the topic," Masato replied, irritation clear in his voice.
"Just answer me, Toyoma."
Toyoma studied him for a second.
Then he gave a small smile.
"Well… well. Easy, Brother." His tone remained relaxed.
"I'm still your group leader."
Masato didn't look away.
"Answer me," he said again, more firmly.
Toyoma's smile faded.
"Yes."
He didn't hesitate this time.
His voice was steady.
Heavy.
"Yes, I knew there was a possibility."
Masato stared at Toyoma in disbelief.
"And you still let it happen?" His voice shook with anger.
"How could you do that, Toyoma?"
Toyoma didn't look away.
"Brother Masato," he said calmly, "if I wasn't prepared… would I have let all of you train there for a full week?"
Masato gave a bitter laugh.
It wasn't amusement.
"What's the difference between the village higher-ups and us?" he asked quietly.
He looked straight at Toyoma.
"If we're also using our own people as sacrifices?"
His Sharingan activated without him noticing.
Three tomoe spun slowly in his eyes as he searched Toyoma's face for an answer —
for something that would ease the weight that had been eating at him since that day.
Toyoma walked past him and sat down calmly on a chair.
There was no rush in his movements.
He looked back at Masato.
"Brother Masato," he said softly, "the question isn't whether we are the same as the village… or different."
He paused.
"The real question is —
why are we doing this?"
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"Why was it necessary?"
Toyoma's eyes softened for a moment.
There was worry in them —
real worry.
"Brother Masato," he said quietly, "Konoha and the Uchiha have something in common."
He paused.
"Neither of them is completely good. Neither is completely bad. The problem begins when one side's greed grows… and the other side suffers."
Masato, who had been staring at the floor, slowly looked up.
"Then tell me," he said, voice heavy, "why are you doing this?"
His eyes searched Toyoma's face.
"Why was it necessary?"
Toyoma didn't answer immediately.
He leaned back in his chair, looking upward as if organising his thoughts.
After a long moment, he spoke.
"It was necessary," he said, exhaling slowly, "to ignite unity within the clan."
Masato's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The situation we're in now…" Toyoma continued, "It is more beneficial than you think. Our future depends on how well we use this moment."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Our clan is divided —
different ideologies, different ambitions, different personal goals."
His gaze hardened.
"But they all neglect one simple truth."
"The survival of the clan."
Silence filled the room.
"To make them understand that," Toyoma said quietly, "something drastic was needed."
Masato's fists tightened.
Toyoma continued calmly.
"I want every Uchiha —
civilian or shinobi —
to understand the meaning of clan and family. Because in the end, that is the only thing that will protect us from what is coming."
Masato didn't interrupt.
Toyoma's voice lowered slightly.
"Brother Masato… even if one day I become stronger than our ancestor Madara, it will not change anything."
His eyes were steady now.
"If the mindset of the clan remains the same, we will face the same disaster again."
He paused.
"The problem is simple."
"They never ask 'why.'"
"They follow orders. They react emotionally. They never stop to think whether something is good for the clan… or harmful."
He looked directly into Masato's eyes.
"That is what I want to change."
Masato stared at Toyoma.
There was determination in Toyoma's eyes when he spoke.
And that was what worried him the most.
He didn't want Toyoma to walk the same path as the cunning, manipulative higher-ups of the village.
"Toyoma," Masato said firmly, "we are a strong clan."
He stepped forward slightly.
"And your potential… I truly believe you will reach heights equal to the First Hokage one day."
His voice lowered.
"You don't need to use methods like this."
There was no accusation in his tone now.
Only concern.
"I don't want something like this to happen again."
Toyoma looked at him for a long moment.
Then he smiled.
Not mockingly.
Not coldly.
Just calmly.
"Brother," Toyoma said softly, "I am human."
"As you are."
"One day, we will all die. Isn't that right?"
Masato didn't answer.
Toyoma's gaze deepened.
"Tell me… what happened to the Senju after the First Hokage died?"
He let the question hang in the air.
"What is their condition now?"
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