Chapter Forty-Seven: Shisui’s Hesitation

Shisui listened to Uchiha Rei’s words, momentarily unable to react. By the time he gathered his thoughts and wanted to ask more, Uchiha Rei had already walked away. After considering it for a moment, Shisui abandoned the idea of chasing after him and instead headed toward the Hokage Tower. He still hadn’t reported the events of yesterday’s clan meeting to the Third Hokage, so now was the perfect time.

Soon, Shisui entered the Hokage’s office, bowing respectfully to Hiruzen Sarutobi. “Lord Third, I’ve come to report.”

Hiruzen looked at Shisui, set aside his work, and smiled gently. “Thank you for your hard work, Shisui.”

Shisui shook his head and then handed over the documents detailing the clan meeting. “Lord Third, these are the specifics of yesterday’s clan gathering.”

Hiruzen took the papers but didn’t read them immediately. He spoke directly, “Well done. Is there anything besides the clan meeting I should know about?”

Shisui pondered briefly before speaking. “After yesterday’s meeting, two clan elders were attacked by unknown individuals. The Police Force still hasn’t identified the culprit…”

As Shisui recounted the incident, Hiruzen’s brows furrowed and stayed that way for a long time. In truth, he was already aware of the attack on the Uchiha, and had discreetly sent people to investigate last night. Hearing Shisui’s account and the Police Force’s conclusion, he felt uneasy. The findings of the Anbu investigation matched those of the Uchiha Police: there was no clue to the attacker’s identity.

This was far from good news—it meant that a factor beyond his control had emerged within the village. And the fact that it involved the Uchiha made it all the more troublesome.

After a moment, Hiruzen regained his composure and said, “I’ll help look into this matter as well. Is there anything else to add?”

Shisui glanced gratefully at the Third Hokage, then fell into deep thought. He debated whether to report what had just happened with Uchiha Rei. Technically, he was tasked with monitoring Rei, so he should report any suspicious activity. But the truth was, he and Rei had merely strolled through the Hyuga compound; nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Besides, Rei had said it was a personal matter, not official business, and unrelated to the village.

In the past, Shisui would have reported everything without hesitation, but now he found himself wavering. Upon closer observation, Shisui increasingly felt that Uchiha Rei was unlike any other member of the clan.

Some of Rei’s actions favored the clan, but none had harmed the village’s interests. On the contrary, relations between the clan and the village had inexplicably improved lately. Even the Kakashi matter, under Rei’s guidance, had ceased to be an issue, and few clan members expressed dissatisfaction.

“Perhaps I should trust him, at least not suspect him blindly…”

Shisui didn’t know why, but this thought suddenly surfaced and refused to leave. He looked up at the Third, opened his mouth, and, despite a tinge of guilt, kept his expression steady as he said, “Lord Third, that’s all for now.”

Hiruzen didn’t dwell on it, replying calmly, “That’s fine. Just report anything else you find.”

After a brief pause, Hiruzen continued, “Take some time to rest. The village’s future depends on you.”

Shisui nodded, replying, “Understood, Lord Third.”

Yet, when the word “rest” was mentioned, Shisui hesitated, torn with indecision. Noticing this, Hiruzen smiled warmly, though tinged with curiosity. “What is it, Shisui? If you have something to say, don’t worry—I won’t blame you. Speak freely.”

Shisui took a deep breath and asked, somewhat puzzled, “Lord Third, I heard that the Hidden Cloud has stopped fighting and sent a diplomatic team?”

“That’s correct. Is there a problem?” Hiruzen’s expression remained unchanged, prompting him.

Shisui bit his lip and spoke earnestly, “If they’re sending people to the village, security by the Anbu must be crucial. Should I really rest at such a time?”

Hiruzen took a drag from his old pipe and answered blandly, “Other Anbu will handle the escort. You only need to focus on monitoring within your clan.”

Setting down his pipe, Hiruzen added, “You’ve just returned from a mission. Rest now, and you’ll be stronger when the village needs you.”

“I see…”

Shisui paused, somewhat bewildered. For some reason, the Third’s words felt hollow, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong. Trusting Hiruzen, Shisui decided not to dwell on it and simply pushed the feeling aside.

“All right, go take a break,” Hiruzen reassured him as Shisui seemed lost in thought. “Don’t worry too much; the village and the Uchiha will surely coexist harmoniously.”

“I understand. Thank you, Lord Third, for always supporting the Uchiha.”

Shisui snapped out of his reverie, nodded in reply, and left the Hokage’s office.

Hiruzen watched Shisui depart, then lowered his gaze and began reviewing the intelligence Shisui had delivered about the Uchiha clan meeting. After finishing, he pulled a similar-looking note from his drawer and carefully compared the two. Once he confirmed the information matched, he destroyed both documents.

This wasn’t the first time he’d done such a thing—nor would it be the last. Although he trusted Shisui’s will of fire, as the leader of the village he couldn’t rely on just one source of information. Especially concerning the Uchiha, one could never be too cautious.

It wasn’t a matter of trust, but rather a necessary means for anyone in power.

Just then, a knock came at the door. Hiruzen put on a smile and called out, “Come in.”

Kakashi entered, looking at Hiruzen and asked, “Lord Third, you wanted to see me?”

Hiruzen nodded, appraising Kakashi carefully before casually saying, “I heard you recently had a fight with Uchiha Rei?”

“Yes,” Kakashi replied. “He wanted to test whether I was worthy of the Sharingan, so we sparred.”

Hiruzen mused for a moment, then asked, “What do you think of him?”

Kakashi thought for a while before answering, “He’s very strong, and his mastery of Fire Style is profound.”

He paused, then added uncertainly, “To be honest, I find him hard to read. He seems different from other Uchiha.”

Hiruzen wasn’t surprised by this answer. Though he’d only met Rei formally once, that encounter had left a deep impression. Moreover, from various sources, Rei was likely much more than he appeared.

Without pursuing the topic further, Hiruzen said, “I have a task for you. The Hidden Cloud has sent a delegation. I need you to lead a team to safely escort them to the village…”