"Why are you here?"
In the Hokage's office, Senju Tobirama saw the two walk in, then set down the documents in his hand and asked.
"You or me?" Renya looked toward Uchiha Kagami.
"...You say it for me," Uchiha Kagami said after a moment of hesitation.
He hadn't wanted his sensei to know about this, but he had no way to handle it himself. He could only come and report it.
He just hoped Tobirama-sensei wouldn't target the clan because of the hawks.
"What exactly is it?" Senju Tobirama couldn't help asking.
Seeing Kagami like this... had he made some mistake?
But logically, something like that shouldn't happen—
Kagami was a man of integrity. Even if Renya caused trouble, Kagami never would.
Renya had no idea that Senju Tobirama was silently judging him in his mind.
Under Kagami's tense gaze, Renya explained: "Someone in the Uchiha is inciting rebellion among the clan."
Senju Tobirama instinctively glanced at the nervous-faced Uchiha Kagami.
Now he finally understood why Kagami was so afraid. So that was it.
He had known all along that the Uchiha were dissatisfied with the Hokage, but he hadn't paid it any mind.
Honestly, it wasn't such a big deal...
As long as the Uchiha clan didn't cross the village's bottom line, he would turn a blind eye.
In Tobirama's view, the Uchiha had a tendency to produce extremists. From the moment he became Hokage, he had tightened surveillance over them, afraid another like Uchiha Madara would appear.
That would only bring irreparable disaster to the village—something he absolutely did not want to see.
"Sensei, I'm sorry." Uchiha Kagami noticed his teacher's gaze and lowered his head in shame.
He had no power to stop the hawks within his clan, and now he had to let his teacher handle it.
"It isn't your fault." Senju Tobirama comforted softly. "I understand. Leave this matter to me."
He didn't want his student burdened with guilt over clan affairs...
"You'd better handle this properly. Don't let the Uchiha kick you out of office, or you'll really lose reputation." Renya's lazy voice drifted out.
Uchiha Kagami: "???"
He looked at Renya in disbelief, as if to say—
Is that really something you can just say out loud?
Only Renya would dare. If it had been anyone else, the ANBU would have pinned them to the ground already.
Tobirama's face went dark, and he shot him a sharp glare.
"If you've got nothing better to do, why don't you get back and prepare my lunch?"
This brat seemed almost eager for the Uchiha coup to succeed!
"Got it." Renya nodded helplessly, sighing inwardly.
Why was this old man always thinking about food?
They were discussing the Uchiha hawks, and he was being sent home to cook...
"That's enough. You two can go now." Senju Tobirama waved them off.
"Let's go, Kagami."
Kagami still looked worried, wanting to plead for his teacher to go easy on the Uchiha.
But before he could say anything, Renya dragged him out.
Once they had gone, Senju Tobirama spoke to the shadows.
"Bring me Uchiha Tanaka."
...
"Renya, the Uchiha won't be in danger, right?" Kagami asked anxiously.
What he feared most was war breaking out between his clan and the village.
If that really happened, he had no idea what he should do.
After all, the clan that raised him and the village he was willing to give everything for weighed equally in his heart.
No matter which side he chose, the pain would be unbearable.
"As long as the Uchiha don't take the step of launching a coup, everything can still be salvaged." Renya tried to reassure him.
He knew the clan wouldn't attempt a coup for decades. When they finally did, it would already be the eve of their extermination.
"I understand, Renya-kun." Kagami's eyes flashed with determination. "I'll do everything I can to stop the hawks!"
Renya's words had reminded him: as long as he could persuade the hawks, there would be no coup.
It wouldn't be easy, but he wouldn't give up.
"I believe one day I can eliminate the rift between clan and village!"
Renya looked at Kagami's full confidence and said nothing.
In the original story, Shisui had thought the same way, only to die a tragic death.
He hoped Kagami wouldn't end up like Shisui...
Kagami and Shisui were even of the same bloodline—grandfather and grandson.
"Mm, I believe you can realize your ideal." Renya nodded in agreement. "Now I need to get home and cook for Ojisan."
He wondered if the clan would discover that Kagami had reported to the Hokage.
If word got out, Kagami might be cast out just like him.
To the Uchiha, Kagami's actions would look like outright betrayal.
The clan meeting had just ended, and the matter was already exposed.
If Kagami was found out... he'd be in serious trouble.
Renya silently prayed for him, hoping he wouldn't be killed by the hawks...
...
In the Uchiha compound.
Inside Uchiha Tanaka's study, candlelight flickered.
He sat at his desk, fingers drumming heavily against the wood, his face dark with anger.
"A coup? Hah, how foolish!"
The radical voices from the clan meeting still echoed in his ears—
"Konoha's leadership ostracizes the Uchiha!"
"We must reclaim the power that rightfully belongs to us!"
Some had even openly proposed rebellion.
What infuriated him even more was that many clansmen actually agreed!
Their behavior was as if he, the clan head, didn't even exist.
"These fools... are they so bored of living in peace?" Uchiha Tanaka clenched his fists.
His Sharingan flared unconsciously in his rage, three black tomoe slowly spinning.
At that moment—
Swish!
A black figure appeared silently in the corner of the room, mask gleaming coldly in the candlelight.
ANBU!
Uchiha Tanaka's heart tightened, his eyes narrowing.
The clan meeting had only just ended, and the ANBU were already here...
Had the Hokage already found out?
Suppressing the turmoil in his chest, he calmed his expression and said evenly: "To what do I owe the ANBU's visit?"
"Uchiha Clan Head, Hokage-sama requests your immediate presence at the Hokage Tower. There is an urgent matter to discuss," the ANBU replied in a low voice.
Tanaka's heart sank, though his face betrayed nothing.
"I understand. I'll be there shortly."
The ANBU nodded, then flickered away into nothingness.
The room fell silent again, only the faint crackle of the candle remaining.
Uchiha Tanaka slowly rose, walked to the window, and gazed toward the distant Hokage Tower, eyes deep and sharp.
"So... the clan has a rat."
There was no doubt—the details of the meeting had been leaked to the Hokage.
And as for who it was, he already had his suspicions.