Chapter Thirty-Six: Affairs Within the Village Clan

As Uchiha Li and Yao made their way home together, Shisui also stepped into the Hokage’s office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi set aside the documents in his hand, gazing warmly at Shisui before him and smiling gently. “Thank you for your hard work, Shisui.”

“It’s all for the sake of the village,” Shisui replied, his tone respectful as he placed a prepared notebook on the desk. “Lord Third, this is the information you requested.”

Hiruzen’s smile deepened as he opened the notebook and began to peruse it with care.

Within, every action of Uchiha Li was meticulously recorded—from the way he fought in each battle, his combat habits, down to the minutiae of his daily life in the camp: when he ate, when he slept, and so on.

If Uchiha Li were to see this notebook now, he would surely be surprised.

There were details—such as certain small habits—that even he himself might not have noticed, yet Shisui had captured them all.

Of course, no matter how detailed Shisui’s notes were, Uchiha Li wouldn’t mind.

After all, he had deliberately let Shisui see only what he wanted recorded; the real secrets remained unseen.

Any conclusions drawn from this intelligence would ultimately be misleading.

After a long while, Hiruzen closed the notebook, his expression as gentle as ever. “Is that all? Anything else to add?”

Shisui shook his head earnestly. “I’m sorry, Lord Third, that’s all. Li hasn’t shown any unusual behavior.”

“No matter, you’ve done very well.” The Third Hokage’s expression didn’t change as he said slowly, “What you do will help maintain harmony between the village and the Uchiha.”

Hearing this promise, Shisui’s face revealed a trace of excitement, and he replied, “I’ve always believed in that too!”

Hiruzen nodded, pulling out his old tobacco pipe, taking a deep drag, and closing his eyes as his fingers tapped lightly on the desk.

After a moment, he opened his eyes again, exhaled a ring of smoke, and spoke, “Go home and get some rest for now. I hear your clan is holding another assembly at the end of the month—there may be some big developments.”

Shisui was momentarily taken aback, his head instinctively lowering.

Seeing this, Hiruzen said, “Don’t worry, I won’t blame the Uchiha for such matters.”

At these words, Shisui showed a trace of gratitude. The Third still trusted the Uchiha—what a relief!

A hint of satisfaction flashed across Hiruzen’s face as he looked at Shisui before continuing, “However, I must trouble you to keep recording what happens at the clan meetings. It’s very important.”

“Please rest assured, Lord Third. I’ll record all the information from the meetings.”

Shisui nodded without hesitation, then left the Hokage’s office.

As the door closed behind him and Shisui’s figure disappeared, so too did the smile from Hiruzen’s face.

His expression grew pensive as he gazed at the notebook Shisui had delivered. He was far less calm than he had appeared.

Although he’d already learned from various sources that Uchiha Li was a formidable fighter—possibly on par with an elite jonin—the intelligence here suggested Li’s strength might already surpass even that, perhaps reaching Kage-level.

But unfortunately, the notebook didn’t contain much truly useful information; at this moment, Hiruzen still didn’t know if Uchiha Li had reached that level.

Shisui was as trustworthy as ever; the problem was simply that Uchiha Li was too difficult to deal with.

“Let’s hope the Uchiha don’t cause any trouble in the near future.”

Hiruzen placed the notebook in a drawer and looked out the window at the Hokage Rock. His gaze drifted across the faces carved there, pausing at the statue of Minato Namikaze.

“Minato, forgive me for clinging to this seat. In the current circumstances, the village can’t afford any mistakes.”

After a long, steady look, Hiruzen’s eyes grew resolute. He rose and left the Hokage’s office.

...

Uchiha Clan District.

Uchiha Li and Uchiha Yao returned home, bantering all the way, and were now seated in the living room, resting.

Gazing at the new home he had scarcely lived in, Li glanced at Yao beside him and felt his heart relax.

At Yao’s urging, Li recounted the events on the battlefield in detail, speaking for nearly an hour before he finished.

Yao listened quietly, occasionally offering a comment or two.

“That’s about all. This wasn’t a real war, so there wasn’t much danger,” Li concluded, then asked, “And you? How have you been adjusting to work in the Guard Division?”

“It’s nothing out of the ordinary, just some simple matters,” Yao replied naturally, her expression light and easy.

Seeing her so at ease, Li’s heart was completely set at rest.

Still, recalling the odd looks from Chief Fugaku and the clan elders, Li couldn’t shake a lingering suspicion.

So he turned to Yao and asked, “Has anything happened in the clan lately? When Fugaku mentioned you earlier, he seemed... off.”

Yao’s eyes flashed, but she shook her head. “Nothing’s happened. I’m doing just fine in the clan, and work in the Guard Division is going smoothly too.”

A hint of mischief glinted in her eyes as she smiled. “Why—don’t you believe me?”

“Of course I do. I’m just glad everything’s fine,” Li replied, scratching his head and wisely choosing not to press further.

He reasoned that nothing could possibly happen to Yao within the clan. Fugaku had already promised to look after her, and Yao herself was well-liked.

She got along with everyone in the clan; it was impossible for anyone to bully her.

As for whether Yao herself might bully others, the thought never even crossed Li’s mind.

Yao’s temperament was always gentle; how could she possibly do such a thing?

Seeing that Li wasn’t going to pursue the matter, Yao changed the subject. “There is one issue in the clan, though, and it has to do with you. The clan meeting at the end of the month is sure to be lively.”

“What’s going on?” Li asked, recalling the subtle warning Fugaku had given him at the village gate.

Yao began counting on her fingers. “First, your achievements. If nothing unexpected happens, you’ll be promoted from squad leader to division leader in the Guard Division.”

Li nodded. Although it was somewhat unexpected, it made perfect sense.

Given his strength and merits, he was more than qualified for the position.

The Guard Division’s structure had four ranks: regular members at the base, then squad leaders—Li’s current position—then division leaders, and above them, Fugaku as the sole captain.

As the Division’s second tier, there were only three division leader posts in total, usually held by clan elders. Now, one was about to go to Li.

No wonder some elders had looked at him with such hostility earlier.

But Li paid it no mind; he knew full well that their worlds simply didn’t overlap.

Yao continued, “Then there’s the fact that you uncovered the truth about the clan’s stolen bodies at the front and retrieved the clan member’s eye. That’s stirred up some talk recently.”

“What do you mean?” Li was puzzled.

Yao shot him a look, tilting her head. “Don’t you remember? There are still eyes from the clan that haven’t been retrieved. Now that you’ve set a precedent...”