"Shisui… you look shocked."
Yoru let the surprise linger on his face for a heartbeat, then softened it into something almost reassuring.
"I was the same at first. But after spending time under Orochimaru-sensei, some things stop being… surprising."
Shisui frowned, earnest as always. "Yoru-nii, what do you mean? Human experimentation is forbidden. Completely forbidden."
Yoru glanced around, lowering his voice.
"Not everything forbidden is gone, Shisui. Not in Konoha. Not anywhere."
Shisui's expression tightened, but he didn't interrupt.
"You know about the Second Hokage," Yoru continued quietly. "Tobirama-sama pioneered most of the village's classified jutsu research. That includes—yes—human experimentation."
Shisui inhaled sharply.
"And after him," Yoru said, "Root's commander, Shimura Danzō, continued that work. Now the responsibility has passed to Orochimaru-sensei."
Shisui stood frozen.
He had always known the world had shadows, but hearing them spoken so openly felt like a cold knife pressing against his ideals.
"And this isn't unique to Konoha," Yoru added with a tired shrug. "Every major village conducts its own forbidden research. They just hide it well."
Shisui swallowed the bitterness gathering in his throat.
Yoru leaned closer. "There's more. The Wood Release project? The one the village publicly declared terminated years ago? It didn't stop, Shisui. And it succeeded."
Shisui's eyes widened in pure disbelief.
He knew the stories—dozens of test subjects, all dead, all children of war. He had always believed the project ended in tragedy.
He never imagined Konoha kept going.
Yoru's tone remained calm, almost weary. "Orochimaru-sensei saw firsthand what Danzō's methods produced. That's why he changed the approach. Only enemy shinobi are used now. War criminals. Spies. Those who'd be executed anyway."
Shisui let out a shaky exhale. "So… the prohibition was just a façade."
"Call it what you want," Yoru said. "But the Second Hokage launched the program, and the Third oversaw the era when Wood Release experimentation reached completion. Nothing in this world is as simple as the Academy taught us."
Shisui fell silent.
Yoru watched him carefully.He needed Shisui to come to his own conclusions—and Shisui did exactly that.
"…If even the Hokage has walked this path," Shisui murmured, "then maybe… maybe clinging to the ideal version of the village is what blinds us."
Exactly what Yoru wanted.
He nodded solemnly. "Shisui, hope isn't something you pin on a person. Not on a Hokage. Not on anyone. Hope is something you build with your own hands."
Shisui looked up, and for the first time his admiration toward Hiruzen Sarutobi wavered.Not shattered—just cracked.
A beginning.
Yoru continued, voice steady. "That's why aligning with Orochimaru-sensei matters. He's the strongest candidate for Fifth Hokage. With him, the Uchiha regain their footing in Konoha."
Shisui nodded slowly, absorbing each word.
"We'll proceed," he said at last. "I'll lead a covert squad to capture the targets for the research."
There was resignation in his tone. Not apathy. Not approval.Just the grim acknowledgment that the world was darker than he'd believed.
"And I'll be coming too," Yoru added lightly.
Shisui blinked. "You?"
Yoru shrugged, almost playful. "Sensei didn't give me the Ryūchi summon just for decoration. If the next Hokage assigns a mission, how can I refuse?"
Shisui's resistance faltered at that. He gave a reluctant smile, trying to rationalize the unease in his own chest.
"They're enemy shinobi. If we didn't take them alive, they'd die in battle anyway. So… this is still for the clan. And for Konoha."
Yoru let him have that comfort.
But in his own mind, the gears turned sharply.
Orochimaru wasn't a fool—he was testing the clan's loyalty, seeing whether they would commit fully. The mission was bait and contract rolled into one. Once the Uchiha touched this work, they were tied to him politically.
And the summoning contract?Not a gift.A tool to aid missions too sensitive for ANBU.
Yoru breathed out slowly.
This version of Orochimaru is still polished. Still a contender for Hokage. Still dangerous in a way that has nothing to do with jutsu.
If Yoru mishandled a single ryo from the clan's funding, Orochimaru would notice.And if he noticed…
Well.There would be no explanations, only consequences.
Yoru pressed that thought deep inside himself.
Keep careful. Keep quiet. Once Orochimaru defects, the slate goes blank and every record burns with him. Until then—survive.
He clapped Shisui on the shoulder. "Let's handle the mission. And let's handle it well."
Shisui nodded.
"Understood."