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Chapter 51 - CHAPTER 51

This was just a story.

But what about the Uchiha clan?

The same logic applies.

Just like the Nine-Tails that Hashirama Senju once subdued — it doesn't matter whether one's heart is rebellious or loyal.

What truly matters is power — and the defiance that comes with it.

So that's how it is.

For years, the Uchiha had tried to change their situation in Konoha, yet nothing ever changed.

Now, after hearing Uchiha Jin's words, Shisui finally understood the root of the problem.

But that realization only brought him despair.

"All this time... everything I've done has been meaningless," he thought, a hint of hopelessness in his eyes.

"Is it really impossible to change?"

Then he shook his head.

"No, that's not right! I can still speak to Lord Hokage. He'll know what to do. After this mission, I'll go to him — he must have a solution. He's the Hokage; there's no way he'd be helpless."

Shisui muttered to himself, clinging to that belief.

Even after all that Jin had said, Shisui's faith in Sarutobi Hiruzen remained unshaken.

Uchiha Jin frowned deeply.

He hadn't directly insulted Hiruzen, but everything he'd said pointed to the corruption within Konoha's leadership.

Why was Shisui still so blind?

No — absolutely not.

These thoughts must never reach Sarutobi Hiruzen, or Jin knew he'd be silenced before he could even react.

"I was too careless," he thought grimly.

"I shouldn't have said so much to him."

His mind raced. After a few seconds, he suddenly asked:

"By the way, Shisui… what do you think about Hatake Sakumo's suicide? I'd like to hear your opinion."

Shisui blinked, surprised.

He'd been thinking about the clan, yet now the topic had shifted to the White Fang.

Still, through this conversation, he realized something: this younger clan member — whom he'd once quietly looked after — was far more perceptive than he'd ever imagined.

So instead of arguing, he took a deep breath and thought carefully.

After a pause, he spoke softly.

"Hatake Sakumo was a great shinobi. Though many in the village slandered him, that never changed my respect for him.

It's just… a pity. He had such a bright future, yet in the end, he took his own life."

Uchiha Jin nodded, unsurprised.

Even after Sakumo's death, there were still those who admired him.

After all, Sarutobi Hiruzen had assigned Namikaze Minato, the man destined to become the Fourth Hokage, as Kakashi's teacher — a clear political move.

Why?

Partly to calm the unrest.

To reassure Sakumo's supporters that Kakashi would be treated fairly — and to pull those same supporters under the Hokage's influence.

After a moment's silence, Jin spoke again.

"I have a question. The mission that Sakumo failed — it was an S-rank mission, wasn't it?"

"Normally, from B-rank missions upward, confidentiality becomes strict.

By A-rank, only select officers are briefed.

So how did an S-rank mission — the most secret level possible — become known throughout Konoha?"

He leaned forward, voice calm but cutting.

"Was the mission's secrecy eaten by a dog? Who spread the rumor? Why was there no investigation? Did everyone just move on after Sakumo's death?"

Shisui froze.

He hadn't thought of that before.

How could something so confidential leak to the entire village overnight?

Even if there was an accidental leak, it couldn't have spread that fast.

And yet, no one investigated.

That silence spoke volumes.

A chill ran down his spine.

If the top officials truly cared, there would have been an inquiry. The fact that there wasn't… meant they already knew the truth.

And if they knew, and still did nothing—

then perhaps everything wasn't as it seemed.

Slowly, the unshakable faith he'd had in Konoha's leadership — in the Will of Fire — began to crack.

He took a deep breath, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Then he met Jin's gaze.

"Jin-kun… speak directly. I may trust the Hokage, but I can still think for myself. Say what you really mean."

Uchiha Jin sighed in relief. Good — Shisui still had reason left.

Although he leaned toward the Hokage faction, deep down, he still carried the pride of an Uchiha.

No one in the clan had ever truly supported his ideals, and Sarutobi Hiruzen's interest had seemed like an olive branch — one he had no choice but to take.

But Shisui wasn't like Itachi.

Itachi… that filial son was molded from birth by Fugaku's teachings and the village's propaganda.

After being steeped in the "Will of Fire," he came to believe that sacrificing his clan was the ultimate act of loyalty.

Shisui, however, still hesitated at that line.

He had not yet been fully consumed.

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