The elderly woman prepared to take a step toward home.
But after lifting her foot, she froze, uncertain of where to place it.
A trace of confusion surfaced in her eyes as she murmured softly,"Where… where is my home? Why can't I remember?"
Uchiha Aozora hurried to comfort her."It's alright. Konoha's roads are complicated—getting lost is very normal."
"Try to think carefully. Is there anything distinctive near your house?"
Reassured by Aozora's gentle tone, the elderly woman gradually calmed down and began searching her memories.
"Something distinctive…" she repeated slowly."I remember there was a big locust tree near my house. Every autumn, the leaves would fall like golden butterflies fluttering through the air. When Saburō was little, he loved running around that tree the most."
"A big locust tree…" Aozora nodded."I'll help you ask around."
With that, Uchiha Aozora walked over to Uchiha Sōsuke and Uchiha Yūichi and shared his deduction.
"Memory loss?" Sōsuke and Yūichi looked at each other in surprise.
"Yes," Aozora said. "As the name suggests, it causes people to lose memories. She's likely forgotten most things now and only retains a few precious fragments."
"Because she's lost so much of her memory, her personality may have regressed—much like a child's. You can't reason with her logically. You have to go along with her and gently coax her."
"She's already agreed to go home, but she's forgotten where it is. She only remembers a large locust tree in front of the house."
"Judging by her clean clothing, her family conditions should be decent. And her son once attended the Ninja Academy. There aren't many places that meet all those conditions."
Uchiha Yūichi burst into laughter."Aozora, you've got skills."
Uchiha Sōsuke also looked at him approvingly."Well done. There really aren't many places like that. I remember a chūnin named Kamikawa Ken—there's a big locust tree right outside his home."
"Then Brother Sōsuke, please lead the way. I'll go explain things to her."
After speaking briefly with the elderly woman, Aozora led her to follow Uchiha Sōsuke toward Kamikawa Ken's residence.
Once the elderly woman left the intersection, traffic quickly returned to normal.
However, Aozora noticed the disappointed expressions on the faces of the onlookers, gaining a deeper understanding of the strained relationship between the Uchiha and the village.
Before long, the three of them, escorting the elderly woman, encountered Kamikawa Ken, who was anxiously searching for someone.
Startled, Kamikawa Ken rushed forward and asked urgently,"Esteemed officers of the Police Force—has my mother done something wrong?"
Uchiha Sōsuke replied coldly,"Your mother is suffering from memory loss. She blocked the intersection near the Ninja Academy and disrupted traffic."
Upon hearing this, Kamikawa Ken immediately bowed in apology."I'm very sorry. I'll take my mother home right away."
Uchiha Sōsuke led him to the elderly woman and said,"Granny, follow your son home."
The elderly woman looked at Kamikawa Ken and shook her head."He's not my son. Little Ken is only ten years old."
Kamikawa Ken smiled bitterly."I was deployed to support the Kumogakure border some time ago. When I returned, my mother no longer recognized me."
Sōsuke nodded in understanding. After handing the elderly woman over, he said,"She's lost her memory. From now on, take good care of her and don't let her disrupt public order again."
"Yes. Thank you, honored officers of the Police Force."
After thanking the three repeatedly, Kamikawa Ken finally managed—through coaxing and gentle deception—to lead his mother away.
Watching the mother and son disappear into the distance, all three felt a quiet sense of joy.
Uchiha Aozora, in particular, felt completely at ease—every cell in his body filled with happiness.
Because on the Heavenly Book, a new droplet of water had appeared once again.
While Aozora was still grinning foolishly, Sōsuke withdrew his gaze from the departing pair and said sincerely,"Aozora, thank goodness you were here."
Yūichi echoed him."Yeah. This time it was all thanks to Aozora. Otherwise, facing an elderly woman with memory loss, Sōsuke and I wouldn't have known what to do."
Then he casually asked,"By the way, Aozora—what branch are you from? I don't think I've seen you in the clan district."
Aozora's attention was still focused inward. Without thinking, he replied,"My older brother is Shisui."
"Uchiha Shisui?"
The two repeated in shock.
Pulled back to reality by their reaction, Aozora nodded."Yes. My brother is Uchiha Shisui."
Sōsuke's expression turned complicated.
Yūichi's gaze toward Aozora was no longer warm—there was even a hint of resentment.
He sneered openly,"So you're the little brother of that traitor."
Yūichi was about to continue when Sōsuke abruptly stopped him."Yūichi, enough."
Seeing this, Aozora thought silently,Is Shisui really that unwelcome among the clan? Even being called a traitor…
After calming Yūichi, Sōsuke turned to Aozora and spoke solemnly."I don't know if your brother has told you this, but the village has begun to harbor suspicions toward our clan."
Aozora remained silent.
Sōsuke didn't wait for a response and continued,"It may be too early to tell you these things, but you're already a ninja. Sooner or later, you'll have to make a choice."
"Faced with the village's suspicion and suppression, there are different views within the clan."
"Some want to curry favor with the village. Some want to intimidate it. Others hope time will wash away the mistrust."
At that, Aozora suddenly asked,"Lord Sōsuke… what do you think?"
Sōsuke froze for a moment, his eyes clouded with uncertainty. After a long pause, he replied,"I don't know."
"But I do know this—once the seed of suspicion is planted, time won't kill it. It will only allow it to take root and grow."
"The Uchiha must do something. But neither appeasement nor intimidation is a good path."
"As long as the village doesn't trust us, everything we do is meaningless. At best, it will only delay the day of reckoning."
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
At that moment, Yūichi interjected,"It's not meaningless. If an Uchiha becomes Hokage, everything will be solved."
Sōsuke shot him a sharp look, silencing him, before turning back to Aozora."What Yūichi said represents one view within the clan. Your brother Shisui holds another."
"Until the very end, no one has the right to judge which is right or wrong."
"No one will force you to choose right now. But once you become a chūnin, you must make a choice."
"For now, look carefully at Konoha. Look carefully at the Uchiha."
"I hope you can find a new road."
With that, Uchiha Sōsuke left with Yūichi, returning to the Police Force.
Watching Sōsuke's retreating figure, Aozora felt deeply shaken.
He had always thought the Uchiha were nothing but arrogant and cold-hearted—but Sōsuke's words made him realize how much of that was just an anime stereotype.
Were the Uchiha really nothing more than a group of proud, conceited ninjas?
No.
Even with their special bloodline, the Uchiha were not all the same.
They had different thoughts, different stances, different personalities.
Among them were surely people who loved peace, who were calm and wise, who simply wanted to live quiet lives.
Unfortunately, such people—because of their emotional stability—often progressed slowly in strength, sometimes never even awakening the Sharingan.
In the ninja world, strength determined status.
Without strength, they had no status.
They could only be swept along by the tide, eventually rushing toward a dead sea.
"…Should I save the Uchiha?" Aozora murmured.
"There are bad people among them, but most of the clan are ordinary, innocent people."
"And besides…""That would be an enormous amount of merit."
Originally, Aozora had only wanted to preserve his brother's life.
But now, a new idea had taken root in his heart.
To make it a reality, however, he would need far greater power.
"Sigh… the ones who want to destroy the Uchiha aren't just Danzō."
Life wasn't easy.
Uchiha Aozora sighed.
Exhausted in both body and mind, he returned home, made a simple meal, and fell into a deep sleep.