Chapter 165: Planning and Leaving the Village

Since Shisui became Hokage, he's gotten busier and busier; even though it's his first year as clan head, he can't even preside over the annual meeting.

At the Uchiha clan grounds that evening, after receiving the visiting ninjas from various clans, Shisui slipped a big red envelope to the last‑minute arrivals Itachi and Sasuke, then, after a brief cover, led the two out of the clan grounds toward the street.

In the blink of an eye, seven days have passed since Shisui became Hokage; during those seven days he has been occupied with learning the duties of Konoha's various offices and studying other nations, and even the annual meeting was delegated to the Elder.

Lack of time is one factor, but the main reason is that, as Hokage, his position is unsuitable for clan‑style activities, which would cause a host of problems.

Shisui hadn't anticipated it would come to this, but Yan Shifan kept reminding him, so he had to give up.

"Hahaha, it seems ever since becoming clan head I've had little time to relax. No wonder Uncle Fugaku so readily handed the clan head position to me; now he can guide you in training every day—what a scheming thought~"

Shisui walked ahead of the two, and the words reminded him of the previous hapless clan head.

"Dad has no scheming at all~"

Sasuke, hand‑in‑hand with Itachi, spoke up upon hearing that.

Itachi and Shisui were startled, looked at Sasuke, and Shisui smiled, "Sasuke's become more cheerful than before—because of Naruto?"

Since Shisui became Hokage, the restrictions between the Uchiha and the jinchuriki have naturally been lifted.

After all, all Uchiha are now Hokage, so no one expects them to release the Nine‑Tails to ravage Konoha again.

Yan Shifan, after learning of the jinchuriki's power, even suggested that Shisui bring him into the clan grounds and, if possible, adopt him as a son.

Shisui naturally declined, but under his arrangement Naruto and Sasuke are free to interact.

Of course, Naruto's identity remains top secret; his protection cannot be neglected.

Itachi pondered the words, then nodded and replied, "The two get along well; they might become great friends in the future."

"Who, who is friends with that guy? He's filthy; I don't want to be his friend. If it weren't for feeling sorry for him, I wouldn't play with him!"

Sasuke's cheeks flushed red, and he immediately shouted a rebuttal, drawing the attention of passersby.

"Is that the Fifth Lord?"

Thanks to active promotion from all sides, Shisui's appearance has long been known to the villagers; now that they notice him, they cast heated gazes his way.

Seeing this, Shisui removed his scarf, revealed his full face with a gentle smile, and warmly greeted the crowd.

"Really, the Fifth Lord! He's greeting me!"

"Go away, Hokage—he's clearly greeting me!"

"Where, where? How come I didn't see?"

"Don't crowd, let me go over and take a look~"

"Hokage, you don't have a girlfriend yet, do you? I have a little sister~"

The crowd quickly boiled over; Shisui's reputation has always been good, and people feel fond of this young Hokage, and he seems easygoing, so their desire to chat grew, though the conversation gradually drifted off topic.

Shisui's expression froze, his waving hand halted, and he hurriedly changed the subject, then struggled a bit to extricate himself from the crowd.

"Being Hokage is really hard~"

Itachi let out a quiet sigh, reinforcing his resolve never to become Hokage.

Sasuke was unfazed, instead looking around aimlessly, as if searching for something.

Shisui gave an awkward smile, patted Itachi's back of the head and said, "That shows everyone welcomes me—that's a good thing."

Itachi didn't reject Shisui's gesture; he actually enjoyed it, but Sasuke looked displeased and clutched tightly onto Itachi's arm.

Seeing this, Shisui also patted Sasuke's head.

Sasuke looked up, feeling a bit odd.

The three kept walking, but after such a minor mishap they clearly couldn't continue shopping, so they headed straight to the Akido BBQ restaurant.

The money from Shangcun Yizhi arrived this morning, making the clan considerably richer, though they haven't decided where to spend it yet.

The owner recognized Shisui and found him a quiet seat.

"Yan Shifan's assistant asked me to inform you that the candidates to visit the great lord in the capital have been selected; your confirmation is needed,"

Just as the three sat down and the dishes hadn't arrived, an ANBU member slipped over and whispered.

Hearing this, Shisui instinctively prepared to stand and handle it, but suddenly noticed Itachi's plaintive gaze.

Only then did Shisui recall that he had already pigeon‑holed Itachi far too many times.

Fortunately the two had already discussed the list, so there wouldn't be much difference; after a moment's hesitation Shisui said, "Let's follow the teacher‑approved list and have them depart as soon as possible."

"…Yes."

The ANBU member left; Itachi, realizing Shisui stayed because of them, said apologetically, "Village matters are more important; Shisui, you can handle them first—we have nothing to do here."

Hearing Itachi say that made Shisui feel even guiltier, and he quickly replied, "It's fine, just minor matters; they won't have any impact."

Saying that, Shisui took the grilling tools from the owner and began barbecuing for the two.

The pork belly sizzled on the grill, and once the special sauce was brushed on, an odd aroma burst forth, slightly piquant, salty‑sweet with a lingering after‑taste that made mouths water.

The pork belly, marbled with fat and lean, showed clear grain; Shisui's mastery of heat was evident as the meat turned golden, crisp outside yet tender inside, glistening with just the right amount of oil and sauce intertwined.

Shisui divided it between the two, then, with a confident smile, asked, "Try it—how does it taste?"

Itachi blew on Sasuke's portion before taking a small bite of his own; the moment the meat hit his mouth, Itachi looked at Shisui in surprise.

"Delicious!"

"Haha, that's good—looks like my skill hasn't declined!" Shisui laughed happily, then suddenly thought of Sima Yi.

"I wonder how grandpa is over there?"

But he soon had no time to think about Sima Yi.

Seeing Sasuke wolf down the barbecue, Shisui was about to continue grilling when he immediately sensed another ANBU entering the shop.

The ANBU whispered into Shisui's ear in a voice only the two could hear, "The one guarding the fox was attacked; the enemy has been repelled, suspected to be Danzo's doing. The assistant hopes you can return to handle it."

The fox refers to the Nine‑Tails.

Shisui frowned; Danzo actually wanted to strike at Naruto—how insane, as if he thought he was an Uchiha. Before Shisui could react, another ANBU hurried over; this one was a clan member.

His words were brief, yet they froze Shisui's expression instantly, his mood sinking to the bottom of a valley.

"Uchiha Pan is dead."

Itachi saw Shisui's expression, knew this matter was serious, looked around and whispered, "Shisui bro, you should first handle the Village's affairs; later when we have time we'll have a barbecue together."

Shisui sighed, his eyes full of heaviness and guilt, "Sorry, Itachi, next time for sure."

After speaking, Shisui led the ANBU to the Hokage Tower.

"What's going on?"

Upon entering the office, Shisui saw Shangcun Yizhi, who had been sent to the Tōkaidō, and three chūnin from the clan. They did not conceal anything, recounting the whole cause and effect; besides their sorrow they were also shocked, never expecting the clan head to have become Hokage.

Shisui furrowed his brow and asked, "Have you obtained this person's information?"

Yan Shifan hesitated a moment after hearing that, then said, "Jiaodu is a bounty hunter. Last time we got word that someone was using the corpse of Shinzusuke of the Sarutobi Clan at the money exchange to get cash; that person was him."

Shisui was startled, instantly recalled the incident, and then felt deep remorse.

When the news first arrived, Hui had indeed said the other party was after another bounty target, probably a penniless wandering ninja; but because there were many clan and external matters at the time, he didn't have anyone investigate further, and never expected a single lapse to kill Pan and leave no remains.

"Had I known today."

Shisui felt annoyed, let out a light sigh, but before he could finish, Yan Shifan shouted loudly, "Lord Hokage, what should we do now?"

Shisui instantly realized he was now Hokage, that this was the Hokage Tower, and he couldn't speak like that. He immediately composed himself and said in a deep voice, "Find him! He dared to enter the Land of Fire and attack Konoha ninjas; we must not let him go!"

Shisui has always been gentle, but he would not be lenient with such an enemy.

If this had happened two months ago, Shisui could only have grimaced and accepted it, but now dispatching clan ninjas to leave the Village is something he can command with a single word.

"Have Gongping organize forces to search for his location; report promptly once found, and do not act rashly."

Although the intelligence was in hand, the opponent's strength was clearly not weak; he plans to send an elite jonin squad to surround and kill the target once his whereabouts are confirmed.

"Yes!"

Everyone acted at once; Shisui lost any appetite for a meal, stayed in the Hokage Tower to finish the remaining tasks, then returned to rest.

The next day, after Yan Shifan had arranged everything, he said to Shisui, "We've pretty much grasped the matters of each department; it's time to consider future arrangements."

"The teacher said, 'Plan ahead and you'll succeed; neglect planning and you'll fail.' I've made some plans recently and would like the teacher to take a look."

Pan's matter is sorrowful, but the tasks that must be done still need to be done.

"Tell me."

"The long‑term plan includes ninja academy reform and Village financial changes; the near‑term ideas mainly involve personnel changes and handling the Danzo archive and the relocation of Koharu."

Time was limited, so Shisui didn't have many detailed ideas, only a rough outline; however, Yan Shifan could guess the gist by combining it with Shisui's temperament.

"The ideas are good, but some of them can wait; the immediate priority is to deal with the clan's matters first."

"Clan matters?"

Shisui was startled, looking at Yan Shifan with confusion.

"You've only become Hokage; you haven't solved the clan's hidden threats."

Yan Shifan said sternly, "The Uchiha still control the Police Department, and their influence is too great while their public reputation is poor. Today you being Hokage isn't a problem, but if the Hokage seat later falls to an outsider or a civilian, these issues will be raised again, and the clan will once more face oppression."

Shisui's heart tightened, and he was instantly enlightened.

"Thank you, teacher, for the reminder; I was careless!"

They had previously wanted to overhaul the Police Department, but never had the chance.

"The clan is the foundation of your standing; you must value it, but as Hokage you must never let other ninjas think you're biased. If you can't keep this balance, it will chill people's hearts and breed discontent."

"Thank you, teacher, I will consider it carefully."

Shisui, feeling grateful, said respectfully.

Yan Shifan nodded with satisfaction, thinking to himself, "Sima Yi, Sima Yi, you stay over there; this place will eventually have no room for you."

Shisui, based on Yan Shifan's suggestions, carefully reorganized his plan and then listed several tasks to do soon.

First, resolve the lingering issues of the Police Department.

Second, re‑select the ANBU.

Third, replace the teachers of the ninja academy.

Fourth, reorganize the Ninja Hospital and deal with the relocation of Koharu.

However, before that he must go to the Tangzhiguo defense line, because Hui's letter arrived; Sima Yi hopes he can send someone to bring the Two‑Tail back to the clan's land for safekeeping.

After all, it's a tailed beast; others going without Shisui isn't reassuring, and moreover he also needs to go to the Tianzhiguo to resolve the Shiliuye issue.

All these things, Shisui wrote on paper one by one, then burned them.

Writing matters on paper completes half the task.

Shisui admits he's far from Sima Yi and Yan Shifan, but after writing it down he feels a comforting clarity of direction.

"Teacher, I'll leave the Konoha matters to you; if you encounter anything unmanageable, you can ask Uncle Fugaku—longer than half a month, shorter than seven days, I'll rush back as soon as possible."

Shisui is an action type; after finalizing the plan, that night he arranged everything, left behind a Shadow Clone Jutsu, and prepared to take four elite jonin guards to leave Konoha.

Shisui originally intended to set out alone, which would be faster, but Yan Shifan's words rejected him.

He was further scolded loudly by Yan Shifan: "As Hokage, Konoha's safety and the clan's survival rest on you; how could you risk it alone? Such folly—when did Lord Sima teach you this?"

Regarding Shisui's safety, Yan Shifan's view aligns with Sima Yi's; Shisui never realized his own importance, which is not good!

Shisui was speechless and could only take a guard squad with him.

"Go, be careful in all things, and keep your life above all."

Yan Shifan could only instruct again; after Shisui descended, he took a few people and slipped away from Konoha in secret.

A few days later, at the Tangzhiguo defense line, as time passed, the news that Shisui had become Hokage also reached there.

Everyone's gaze toward the Uchiha changed instantly, some were surprised; they hadn't expected the Uchiha child Shisui to become Hokage.

He didn't doubt the other's ability; the two had spoken before, and he was quite optimistic about Shisui.

It's just that the other, being Uchiha, becoming Hokage at such an age under oppression was truly beyond his expectation.

"I recall Master Sima was the grandfather Shisui recognized, hahaha; to have trained a ninja like Shisui, indeed he is worthy, Master Sima."

Inside the camp tent, since the great defeat at Yunyin had left both sides quiet for a while, Jiraiya often conversed with Sima Yi during that period, and the two grew increasingly familiar.

Sima Yi's erudition earned Jiraiya's great respect.

"Just a chance meeting, but Shisui has always been outstanding; his achievements have little to do with me."

Sima Yi smiled and said modestly.

Jiraiya sensed the other's modesty and didn't linger; the two swiftly moved from the Hokage to the Village, from the Village to ninjutsu, then to Jiraiya's travels, and from travels to the future of the Ninja World. By late night, Jiraiya, having gained much, departed Sima Yi's camp tent.

"Uncle Yi!"

After Jiraiya left, Hui peeked in, then carefully approached Sima Yi and muttered a couple of words.

"Oh?"

Sima Yi's gaze shifted, and he slowly rose, saying, "Let's go!"

(End of chapter)