> "I know you'll definitely find a way," Shisui said firmly. "We've fought and bled together — help Aya."
His expression was serious now, the usual warmth gone from his face.
He might not have spent much time with his cousin, Uchiha Jin, but he knew him well enough.
Don't be fooled by that lazy expression or the calm, unremarkable demeanor — it was a mask.
Underneath, Jin was sharp, calculating, and dangerously perceptive.
And even now, Shisui could tell that Aya's story had struck a nerve.
As his words faded, both Kazama and Hinata Aya turned their eyes toward Jin.
Kazama, though he had already thought through every logical route, was still hoping Jin might find an unconventional answer — something beyond even his Nara reasoning.
Aya, on the other hand, looked at Jin with mild confusion.
She had traveled with him for three days, and he had seemed… ordinary. Calm, quiet, forgettable.
So why was a prodigy like Shisui placing his faith in this man?
Uchiha Jin blinked, his face blank.
> "..."
All three pairs of eyes were fixed on him now. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Great. Why is this suddenly my problem?
Still, seeing Shisui's earnest expression, Jin couldn't just brush it off.
He exhaled slowly, mind whirring.
Truthfully, he had no intention of getting involved in Hyūga family politics. But with the mood this heavy — and Shisui's expectations hanging in the air — he couldn't just refuse outright.
Finally, he spoke.
> "It's hard to explain… but also simple, depending on how you think about it."
"The reason you can't find a solution is because you're thinking within the rules."
"If you step outside those rules — the ones that bind shinobi to Konoha's little circle — you'll see there are plenty of ways."
His tone was casual, almost too calm.
> "For example — frame someone."
"Even if the Hyūga clan doesn't take part in the war, that man can't stay holed up forever. Once he leaves the compound, find a way to create a conflict — something that escalates and ends with a few civilian casualties."
"Once that happens, the civilian outcry will reach the Hokage's office. Even if he's from the main family, the Hyūga clan won't be able to protect him easily — not unless he's someone truly high-ranking."
Kazama's brows rose slightly as Jin continued, his tone growing darker.
> "If you want something simpler… use genjutsu. Control him with the Sharingan, make him cause his own downfall. Or just knock him unconscious, disguise yourself with a Transformation Jutsu, and commit the act yourself."
"If that's too risky, go bigger. Disguise as a Kumogakure operative, infiltrate the Hyūga territory, kill him, take his Byakugan, and disappear."
"With Aya's knowledge of the compound's layout, finding a weak point in the defenses wouldn't be too difficult."
He paused, letting the words sink in before continuing.
> "Or, go subtle. Plant a suggestion in his mind — make him feel trapped inside the Hyūga estate. Convince him that staying there forever is suffocating, like a bird in a cage."
"When he finally leaves the compound of his own will… we intercept. Kidnap him, eliminate him quietly, and make it look like a missing-nin incident. His body can vanish on the black market."
> "There are countless ways, really. As long as we stop thinking like Konoha shinobi and start acting like shadow operatives, loopholes are everywhere."
> "Hyūga defenses are strict, yes. Even other villages rarely succeed in stealing a Byakugan."
"But us? We're already inside the walls."
> "We're the thieves within."
The room fell into silence.
Kazama, Shisui, and Aya all stared at him — half in awe, half in disbelief.
If an outsider had heard this conversation, they might have thought Jin was plotting a coup.
Every word that came out of his mouth was a direct challenge to Konoha's system — the kind of talk that could get a man branded a missing-nin overnight.
> "This… this is too dangerous," Shisui said finally, shaking his head.
Aya said nothing. She just sat there, staring down at her hands. For the first time in years, there was a flicker of hope in her eyes — faint, trembling, but real.
To reach for that hope, though, meant stepping into darkness she'd never return from.
She didn't know if she had that courage.
Meanwhile, Nara Kazama's eyes glimmered with realization.
> "I see now," he murmured, smiling ruefully. "You're right, Jin. My thinking was trapped within the rules."
"As long as we step outside the boundaries of Konoha's order, the possibilities multiply. There are so many ways I didn't consider."
He chuckled under his breath.
> "To think that the famed wisdom of the Nara could be this limited… truly, the wisdom of mortals."
For a moment, he seemed more interested in analyzing his own failure than Aya's plight.
Jin remained calm, shrugging lightly.
> "If you want something, you pay for it. Nothing in this world is free."
"Aya's curse is that of a caged bird. There's no saving the bird — only hiding it from the eyes that own the cage."
"If you want to help her, then be ready to stain your hands. Otherwise, don't waste time pretending."
The fire crackled softly in the silence that followed.
And though no one spoke, the truth hung heavily in the air —
Sometimes, to save someone… you had to stop being the hero.