Without paying any attention to the approaching shinobi group, Naraku continued calmly:
"So what the Uchiha need to do is actually very simple."
"On one hand, they must prove that their strength is loyal to Konoha and will only be used against outsiders and enemies."
"On the other hand, they must prove that the Nine-Tails chaos three years ago was truly not the fault of the Uchiha."
"But… how can we prove that?" Shisui asked, despair creeping into his voice.
"No, that's not the biggest problem," Itachi said suddenly.
Naraku nodded approvingly. "Exactly. The problem isn't how to prove it—it's whether the Third Hokage will give you the time and opportunity to prove it."
"So the real obstacle is... the Third Hokage." Itachi muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
Hours ago, such a thought would have seemed rebellious. Now, he said it without hesitation.
"Itachi…" Shisui looked confused, unable to follow the logic fully.
"In short," Naraku said plainly, "the Third Hokage must step down."
He didn't care if the approaching shinobi heard him. There was no fear in his voice.
"How… do we do that?" Itachi asked. Though wise beyond his years, he was still a child—and removing a Hokage was not something even adults dared to consider.
"Through violence?" Itachi frowned.
Naraku shook his head.
"You can't use violence—not yet. Hiruzen is still the Hokage of Konoha. The villagers respect him, and the shinobi aren't ready to see him gone."
He wanted to explain further, but wasn't sure they'd grasp it.
Yes, Hokage required strength—but not only strength.
Madara was powerful. Unmatched, perhaps, besides Hashirama.But when Madara left Konoha, did anyone follow him?
Not even his own Uchiha clan did.
That's why Naraku was willing to speak so frankly with Shisui and Itachi.
Killing the Third Hokage might be easy.Getting him to resign... was far more difficult.
"Recently, the Third has been acting more and more without principle," Naraku said.
"The villagers and shinobi will gradually start to see his true face."
"And as that happens, they will distance themselves from him."
"As more people recognize the truth, the Third will grow more paranoid. More dangerous. More desperate."
"He's on a path of self-destruction."
His calm tone struck like thunder in the hearts of Shisui and Itachi.
"Because we stand on the side of morality," Itachi whispered, his mind racing. "And our presence threatens the Hokage's hold on power."
"So he'll remove us—no matter the means."
"He'll betray even his closest allies," Naraku added, pulling out a scroll.
With a quick seal, three gas masks appeared.
"Put these on."
Itachi hesitated briefly, then complied.
Shisui, confused, followed.
"Shisui," Naraku said, his voice playful, "didn't I tell you yesterday that I wanted to see a good show?"
Before Shisui could respond, a voice echoed from the trees.
"Yes, it'll be a great show."The voice was filled with venom.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke emerged from the forest, flanked by masked Anbu.
"So this will be the last day of your life," he sneered.
Naraku didn't flinch. His expression remained unreadable.
"You didn't activate your Byakugan. How did you recognize me?" Shinnosuke asked.
Then he paused, realization dawning."You didn't use your Byakugan yesterday either…?"
He'd overlooked that detail in the post-battle analysis.
"No matter," he muttered, brushing it off. "You'll all die today, anyway."
Then, with a mocking grin:"You said you want my father to resign? You? And two Uchiha kids?"
"You're just a branch member of the Hyuga clan. What difference do two more Uchiha make? The Uchiha don't even get the final say in their own clan!"
Naraku stared at him, his eyes calm and piercing—like someone watching a walking corpse.
Shisui, standing beside him, clenched his fists.
The Third Hokage—wasn't the man he had once believed in.
Even Itachi, only nine years old, didn't panic at the small army of shinobi approaching.
Shinnosuke grew frustrated. His carefully staged confrontation wasn't going as planned. It felt like the audience was watching a different show.
"Ahem." He coughed, then shifted gears."How did you know we'd use poison? How did you prepare gas masks in advance?"
Naraku smiled faintly."I didn't need specifics. I only needed to know that you'd do everything in your power to kill me."
Shisui's eyes widened.He knew... someone would try to kill him at any cost. Poison was the cleanest method.
"So you knew we'd come for your life?" Shinnosuke's brow twitched.
If he knew, why didn't he run? Why didn't he hide in the Hyuga compound?
"Do you think we're not strong enough to kill you?" Shinnosuke barked.
"You don't know how many shinobi we brought!"
Naraku activated his Byakugan.
With 360-degree perception, he sensed over a hundred chakra signatures. They were surrounded.
But he only smirked.
"No matter how many ants you bring…They can't kill an elephant."
He reached behind him and drew the Kusanagi Sword from his belt.
"Shisui, Itachi—defend yourselves."
And with that, Naraku charged into the army of shinobi.