Shikaku Nara's face was solemn.
Yes.
From the scattered details in Hiruzen's account, he had already caught the scent of something amiss.
But to truly unravel it, more proof was needed. He couldn't jump to conclusions.
"The Uchiha… something's wrong, you say?" Hiruzen's brows furrowed. "Go on, Shikaku. Ask directly."
His gaze flickered. Truth be told, he himself had sensed oddities. The whole Uchiha affair reeked of inconsistencies.
But with everything that had happened in the last two days—Shisui's defection, his clash with Kai, even a clan elder dead—it had all seemed too bloody and costly to be anything but genuine. That had lulled his guard.
And yet, Shikaku's tone dragged his nerves once again.
Could it be… I really fell for a ruse?
Setting down his teacup, Hiruzen lit a pipe and sat straighter, waiting.
"Lord Hokage," Shikaku began evenly, "last night, when Shisui came to you—what exactly did he say? How did the discussion go?"
No wasted words.
As a strategist, he needed specifics before conclusions.
Hiruzen's expression remained calm. If it had been anyone else questioning him, he would have bristled. The Hokage's authority was not to be doubted.
But Shikaku was different. He was the Hokage's adviser. Exceptions could be made.
Even so, the question drew silence. Only after a long pause did Hiruzen sigh.
"How did we talk? Heh… there wasn't really any 'talk.' Shisui came in spouting declarations. Before I could even respond, he revealed his Mangekyo.
The sight rattled me. You know as well as I—Mangekyo Sharingan is the ultimate weapon of the Uchiha.
I lost my composure. Before I knew it, I'd agreed to his request. I told myself it was harmless. Kai had Mangekyo too—Shisui couldn't build power so easily. In fact, letting them fight among themselves seemed advantageous.
But… who would have thought? In a single day it would spiral into this mess."
Hiruzen's frown deepened. By his own standards, that decision had been careless. He was not one to commit without clarity. But the shock of Mangekyo had clouded his mind.
Now, recalling it with Shikaku's prodding, he too felt the wrongness.
And Shikaku? The moment he heard it, his lips twitched.
That trick sounded familiar. Far too familiar.
Where had he seen it before?
Ah. Yes.
It was a Nara clan tactic—seizing the initiative, leaving the opponent no time to think.
But he didn't expose the parallel. Instead, he pressed for more details, and Hiruzen, cooperative, laid them out.
The two spoke for half an hour.
At last, Shikaku leaned back, voice low and deliberate.
"One coincidence is normal. Two can be explained. Too many, and it stinks of design.
Let's look at it plainly. To rally a faction from nothing—normally, that takes time. Even if Shisui wields Mangekyo, even if the Uchiha were fools, one day is far too fast.
And Kai—he's no fool. His methods since taking power prove it. Are we to believe he had no watch on dissenters? Impossible. I don't buy it.
If he had them monitored, why let Shisui's movement grow so large? With his standing in the clan, he had countless ways to smother it quietly.
So why this? Why choose the bloodiest route?
Shisui isn't the sort who refuses reason. Their relationship had been good. With careful words, Kai might even have swayed him.
He's clever enough to see that. And yet… he didn't. Why?"
Shikaku laid the pieces bare. He didn't offer conclusions. That was not his role. He merely illuminated the gaps and let Hiruzen see them.
That was why he was trusted. He was an adviser, not a usurper. Decision-making belonged to the Hokage alone.
And as his words settled, Hiruzen's face darkened, trembling with anger.
He wasn't stupid. Shikaku had all but spelled it out.
If he still refused to see, he would be the fool of Konoha.
The implication was clear: Shisui had never truly defected. He and Kai were acting in concert. The battle, the dead elder—it had all been a staged performance.
And him? He'd been played. Worse, he had just handed them two hundred million ryō.
The realization made him quake. He restrained his fury only out of dignity before Shikaku.
After a long silence, he rasped, "Shikaku… I don't understand. What are the Uchiha after? Surely not just to swindle me out of the coin? The fight cost real blood. Even Uchiha Setsuna, a clan elder, lies dead. That can't be faked."
Yes. That was the sticking point.
Why kill one of their own? Setsuna might not have been their top fighter, but a three-tomoe elder was no weakling. To slaughter him just to sell the illusion?
That… bordered on madness.
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