Chapter 51: I Am That Despicable Villain [Asking for Votes]

"In the past, White Fang's prestige was excessive, so regardless of the truth, it's understandable that you'd suspect the Third Hokage. But as for today's matter, how can you be certain it was the Third Hokage's doing?"

Sima Yi looked at Shisui and asked with great interest.

"Those rumors are everywhere. The villagers all say the Guard Division does nothing, and that capturing wanted criminals is entirely the Third Hokage's achievement, the Anbu's achievement. Where does that leave the Guard Division?

His earlier use of Anbu quotas to placate me was probably just deliberate misdirection. He must be intentionally suppressing us in secret and then offering appeasement to buy people's loyalty!"

Shisui grew agitated as he spoke and couldn't help cursing, "A despicable villain! How did I ever see him as the Uchiha's savior? How was I ever moved by his talk of the Will of Fire? Truly—"

Shisui panted heavily, momentarily at a loss for what to curse next.

Sima Yi sighed, set down his cup, and stroked his long beard as he said, "I hear Danzo has been confined today, and Root has been broken up and folded into the Anbu."

"Danzo?"

A flash of confusion crossed Shisui's eyes. Frowning, he asked, "Was it him? But what would he gain?"

"No, wait. His Root has repeatedly targeted the Uchiha. If the Hokage intends to appease the Uchiha, then Root's usefulness diminishes. So he did this to deepen the conflict between the Uchiha and the villagers, thereby continuing to secure the Hokage's support."

"Despicable fellow!"

"After Danzo was escorted back to the clan grounds by Anbu, more Anbu members sought out the clan head. What exactly was said is unknown, but several clan elders seemed very pleased upon hearing the news."

Just as Shisui was cursing Danzo, Sima Yi dropped another piece of intelligence.

Shisui's mood shifted abruptly. "Then it was still the Third Hokage's doing? Root seizing wanted criminals must have been Danzo acting behind the Third Hokage's back. He wanted to suppress Danzo and also use this to appease the Uchiha!"

"No, wait. Perhaps it was still Danzo?"

As he cursed, Shisui gradually grew confused. He sat to one side, scratching his head, deeply torn.

Seeing Shisui fall silent, a strange expression appeared on Sima Yi's face.

"Continually provoking the Uchiha would be irrational for the Third Hokage. He is the Hokage; Konoha's stability comes first.

For Danzo, suppressing the Uchiha isn't wrong, but provocation to this degree would only incur the Third Hokage's displeasure. He shouldn't go this far either.

This matter does more harm than good for both of them."

"Neither of them benefits? Then who does?"

Sima Yi looked at Shisui and smiled meaningfully.

Shisui's expression changed. He leapt to his feet and stared at Sima Yi in disbelief. "It couldn't be me, could it?"

"Indeed. I am the despicable villain you spoke of."

Shisui froze. He stared at Sima Yi for a long time without speaking, then his face flushed crimson. He hurriedly explained, "Grandfather, I, I didn't mean it that way. I was just, I—"

He scratched his head, his face full of confusion and embarrassment. He never imagined that the person he'd been cursing in his heart all day would turn out to be Sima Yi.

"But... but why? What good does this do me?"

"The Uchiha's reputation is indeed poor right now, but even so, the Third Hokage would never dare provoke a civil war. He won't push the Uchiha to the point of rebellion. So we need to give the Uchiha a push, to let the Third Hokage see that rebellion is not far from him."

Shisui frowned, somewhat worried. "Force the Uchiha to rebel? The Third Hokage is called the strongest Hokage. With Konoha's current strength, even if the entire Uchiha clan banded together, they couldn't possibly succeed!"

"Of course it's not an actual rebellion. We just need to let the Third Hokage see that the Uchiha have such a tendency.

The war has just ended and people yearn for stability. Only under these circumstances would he begin to compromise and make concessions for the greater good, and the Uchiha would see hope." Hearing this, Shisui finally breathed a sigh of relief. "So Grandfather did this for the Uchiha. If the Uchiha can see Konoha's leadership make concessions, then perhaps everyone can live more peacefully alongside Konoha."

For the Uchiha? Sima Yi chuckled lightly and continued, "The Uchiha will rekindle their hope in Konoha once they receive promises, but this will be the final compromise.

If Konoha breaks their word again at that point, then the Uchiha will be thoroughly disillusioned with Konoha, as well as with those who originally advocated for compromise."

"The Second Elder and Clan Head Fugaku..."

Shisui murmured, his expression somewhat dazed. "But would the Third Hokage and the others go back on their word?"

Sima Yi did not answer this question. Instead, he produced a booklet and handed it to Shisui. "This is for you to ponder slowly and verify carefully."

Shisui took the booklet in a daze. It took him a long while to react before asking, "What is this?"

"This is what we need to do next, along with the approximate expenses."

Shisui breathed a sigh of relief, thinking Sima Yi had been doing something behind his back again. Seeing it was just a ledger, he said casually, "You can handle the money, Grandfather. If it's not enough, I'll find another way."

Unexpectedly, Sima Yi shook his head. "This period is crucial. You must carefully observe and pay attention to all actions. You must also memorize these prices earnestly and never be careless.

Clan management doesn't require you to be proficient in everything, but you must know the basics. That way, when you become clan head or even Hokage in the future, you won't be deceived by others."

"I see. Grandfather thinks far ahead, as always. I'll memorize it carefully."

Shisui nodded and accepted the ledger, still somewhat distracted.

Seeing this, Sima Yi continued, "You needn't worry too much either. Barring any surprises, you'll be able to see signs of it at the jonin meeting three days from now. We just need to prepare early."

The jonin meeting theoretically represented Konoha's highest authority. Hokage selection, institutional reform, mission quota allocation, and financial review were all handled within it.

Although Shisui was also a jonin, unless there was a Hokage order to participate as an Anbu member, as someone of the Uchiha clan he would not attend separately, bypassing Fugaku.

"The jonin meeting? I hope everything... goes smoothly."

Shisui's feelings were complicated. He actually didn't know whether this meeting should go smoothly or not.

Sima Yi, however, remained calm throughout. He already had the answer in his heart.

"Keep calm, train well, and keep an eye on Itachi. That's all you need to do."

At the mention of Itachi, Shisui immediately looked up and asked, "Speaking of which, Grandfather, what exactly was the meaning of that book you gave Itachi? The story Itachi told me today didn't seem to have much meaning behind it?"

"Hahaha, you—since you feel it doesn't have that much meaning, why overthink it? It was always just a travel journal. Aside from having a lot of words, there's nothing special about it."

"Eh?"

Sima Yi laughed and, meeting Shisui's confused gaze, explained, "Itachi is still young, yet he thinks too much. By day, you train with him and tire his body; by night, you give him books and weary his mind. This way, he won't have the energy to think about too many things."

"Is that all?"

Shisui was dumbfounded. He had thought for two days without guessing Sima Yi's motive, never expecting it to be this simple.

"If we examine it more closely, that travel journal can also help broaden his horizons, so he need not be confined to this one village."

Finally, Sima Yi pointed at the bookshelf behind him and said, "I had Jin Huo buy a few more. When he finishes that one, remember to give him the next."

"Alright..."

(End of this chapter)