Chapter 40: I Saw the Will of Fire

The next day, the Hokage building.

"Look, Rizhan — this is the Uchiha you trust. That old fellow had written correspondence with him; he was most likely a spy the Uchiha planted beside you, and has long been planning to help the Uchiha orchestrate a Coup. He is not to be trusted at all."

Early in the morning, Danzo shoved open the door to the Hokage's office and slapped the report in his hand directly in front of Sarutobi Rizhan, his words heated.

The Third hastily put away the Water Crystal Ball, took two puffs of his pipe without so much as lifting his eyelids, and replied directly: "I trust Shisui. He would not betray the Village, much less do such a thing."

If Danzo could know about this, he naturally had his own information channels as well.

Danzo took a deep breath, nearly choking on the Third's airy declaration of trust.

"Rizhan, stop being so obstinate. The Uchiha are growing increasingly dangerous. Shisui Uchiha absolutely cannot remain in the Anbu any longer. Hand him over to me and allocate some funds to Root — I will have Root handle this."

Seeing Danzo no longer bothering to hide his intentions, the Third did not want to entangle with him further and said straightforwardly: "The Uchiha contributed greatly this time. The Village needs to allocate funds to them, and there is no longer any surplus to allocate to Root."

"What?"

Danzo's expression changed and he immediately roared: "How can this be? The Uchiha are far too dangerous. If Root has no funding, how are we to keep them in check? How are we to protect the Village?"

The Third shot Danzo a displeased glance. "Root has only that handful of people. How could so much funding not be enough? Danzo, you haven't been doing something behind my back, have you?"

"Uh—" Danzo paused, his anger immediately suppressed. He said in a low voice: "Root's duty is to protect the Village in the darkness. Everything I do is for the Village!"

Seeing Danzo take such a stance, the Third's gaunt face showed a trace of difficulty.

"But there are already voices of discontent within the Uchiha clan. If next year's funding is cut again, it may well provoke unrest. The war has already ended — Root will just have to suffer the slight for now."

Slight Root? When had he ever suffered such a slight?

"If I can get them to agree to a budget cut, then there's no problem, right?"

Danzo's eyes lit up, revealing a vicious glint.

"Danzo, what are you going to do? At a time like this, you absolutely must not provoke the Uchiha any further!"

"Relax, I have my own methods. Leave this matter to me." Danzo gave a cold laugh and casually picked up the report he had slammed onto the desk.

"Danzo — even if it's you, if you do anything that endangers the Village, I will stop you!"

The Third rose to his feet, his expression thoroughly displeased.

"Rizhan, you are simply too indecisive."

Leaving behind those final words, Danzo slammed the door and left.

"Sigh~ troubled times indeed~"

The Third sighed and did not try to stop him further. He sat back down, and only after a moment did he recover. He was about to take out the Water Crystal Ball when another voice came from outside the door.

"Reporting to Lord Hokage — Shisui Uchiha requests an audience."

"Shisui?"

The Third's expression shifted. He took two more puffs of his pipe, pondered for a moment, and said: "Let him in."

"Yes!"

"Greetings, Lord Third."

"Shisui, why are you here so early today? Is there some problem with the Anbu's work?"

The Third's expression was gentle as he asked softly with a smile.

"No. Under Lord Third's leadership, the Anbu's work has been very smooth, and all my colleagues have been most cooperative."

The Third was surprised and could not help setting down his pipe. "Oh? Then what has happened?"

Shisui produced an envelope and respectfully presented it at the desk. "This was written to me yesterday by the Great Elder. I ask Lord Third to review it."

The Third took the envelope, not feeling surprised.

After all, Shisui had originally been turned by him to serve as a spy monitoring the Uchiha. "The Uchiha annual gathering? The Uchiha clan has endured for many years, and the tradition of the annual gathering dates back a long time. Now that the war has ceased, it is only natural that they wish to make it livelier."

After reading the letter, the Third's dim eyes flickered slightly as he commented mildly.

"No, Lord Third. The Village has only just emerged from war, yet the Uchiha think only of themselves. Such behavior can only show the narrowness of their spirit."

"I ask Lord Third, for the sake of the Village, to order the arrest of the Great Elder and to forbid them from holding the annual gathering!"

The moment the Third finished speaking, Shisui raised his head and made the suggestion. His expression was solemn, and there seemed to be an indescribable will that moved the Third.

However, he still shook his head and rejected Shisui's suggestion. "Shisui, I have seen the Will of Fire in you. The future of both the Village and the Uchiha will rest on your shoulders."

"However, even I, as Hokage, cannot lightly interfere in the Uchiha clan's internal decisions."

"The annual gathering is, after all, their tradition. As Hokage, I must have the magnanimity to embrace them, and only in this way can the Village become one harmonious great family."

"I understand, Lord Third. I will spread the word within the clan that this is your grace."

"Hahaha, there is no need for that. If I had not seen the Will of Fire in you, I would not have approved so readily." The Third smiled and came to Shisui's side.

"This is only proper. Please, you must accept the Uchiha's gratitude."

"."

"The Anbu's roster has not yet been filled. Go back and ask Fugaku for me — are there any suitable candidates within the Uchiha clan?"

Shisui was stunned. He raised his head and looked at the Third in disbelief, his expression stirred. "Thank you, Lord Third. I will convey this faithfully, and I will certainly select the finest ninja from within the clan."

The Third nodded and said with satisfaction: "Then I leave it to you, Shisui."

"Yes!"

After Shisui departed, the Third's smile gradually faded. He looked at the letter in his hand, pondered for a moment, and summoned an Anbu member.

"Lord Hokage!"

"Summon the two advisors."

The Village had three advisors, but this Anbu member had been stationed nearby all along, so he naturally knew which two the Third meant.

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.

"Yes."

The Anbu member departed, and in no time at all, there was activity outside the door.

"Rizhan, what is it that you absolutely need me here for? You know the Medical Department has been very busy lately, don't you?"

Zhuanqin Xiaochun pushed open the door and entered, her tone somewhat displeased; Minato Huoyan followed closely behind, only asking slowly, "Has the matter with the daimyo been resolved? Or has some other problem arisen again?"

The Third waved his hand and handed the letter to the two of them. "This was delivered by Shisui just now. They are going to hold a clan gathering on New Year's Day. Remember to keep an eye on it and arrange the public properly—don't let them come into conflict."

"The Uchiha again. When will they ever be as obedient as the Hyuga?"

Zhuanqin Xiaochun pinched the letter, a trace of disgust flashing in her eyes, while Minato Huoyan frowned. "The Village's money isn't for them to waste like this. I think next year's funding needs to be reconsidered."

"Don't talk nonsense. I've already agreed to it. Besides, it's just a clan gathering—that's hardly enough to overshadow their merits. The villagers will understand."

"Rizhan!"

Zhuanqin Xiaochun, displeased, was about to say more, but was interrupted by the Third. "Let's leave it at that. Remember to make the arrangements."

"Hmph—" With a cold snort, the two left with a fling of their arms, feeling somewhat baffled that they had rushed over in the midst of their busy schedules only for such a trivial matter concerning the Uchiha.

"The situation for every clan this year is rather poor. The Uchiha carrying on like this will only provoke public outrage."

On the way back, Zhuanqin Xiaochun spoke softly. Minato Huoyan met her gaze and nodded slowly—everything was understood without a word.

There were a couple of minor matters, so the update was a bit slow. Please forgive me~ (End of this chapter)