After Sarutobi Shinnosuke formally took over command of the Lightning Country front, the border enjoyed a brief calm.
Two months later, that calm shattered.
Five months had passed since the Nine-Tails' rampage. Spring had arrived, but the Fire Country's coastal border near the Land of Water was once again tense.
A narrow waterfall cut through the forest.
"Yoru-niisan."
Uchiha Shisui stood by the falling water, his expression unusually heavy.
Yoru glanced around, momentarily distracted. The Fire Country truly lived up to its reputation. Vast forests, towering ancient trees, streams and waterfalls scattered everywhere. Resources flowed here as naturally as chakra.
Perhaps it was coincidence. Or perhaps something else.
Uchiha Madara at the Valley of the End.Sasuke beaten beneath a waterfall.Itachi once standing before rushing water, questioning everything.
Waterfalls and the Uchiha always seemed to intersect at turning points.
"Yoru-niisan," Shisui repeated.
Yoru focused. "What happened?"
Shisui took a breath. "The village is preparing to recall Orochimaru-sama. Defense of the Water Country border will be handed over to the Uchiha and the Hyūga."
Yoru froze.
This was not something he had anticipated.
"Why?" he asked immediately. "The front is stabilizing. Why pull him back now?"
Shisui's face darkened. "Because some people don't want Orochimaru-sama returning with too much credit."
The words came out sharper than expected.
Shisui continued, voice low but tight. "There are whispers in the village. Some from the Sarutobi faction. They keep asking why Orochimaru-sama wasn't present during the Nine-Tails incident. Saying that if he had been there, the Fourth Hokage wouldn't have died."
Yoru's eyes narrowed.
"And it doesn't stop there," Shisui said, fists clenched. "Others are spreading rumors that Orochimaru-sama has been colluding with the Uchiha for years. That the Nine-Tails incident might even have been engineered to clear the path for him to become Hokage."
Silence fell between them, broken only by the water.
Yoru stared at Shisui.
This wasn't the Shisui he remembered.This wasn't blind faith speaking.
"Shisui," Yoru said carefully, "you need to calm down. Those are dangerous accusations. The Third Hokage would never allow something like that to happen."
Shisui laughed softly, without humor. "He stopped the rumors. Yes. But he still issued the recall order."
That was the part that hurt.
The Lightning Country front had already been taken away. Now, just as the Water Country situation was nearing stability, Orochimaru was being removed again. This time, his accomplishments would be handed to the Uchiha and Hyūga instead.
A clean political cut.
In Shisui's eyes, it felt deliberate.
Yoru finally understood.
This wasn't about strategy.It was about preventing momentum.
If Orochimaru returned to the village carrying the achievement of pacifying two borders, the call for a Fifth Hokage would become impossible to ignore.
So the credit was being divided. Diluted. Redirected.
Yoru exhaled slowly and shook his head.
"Shisui," he said, forcing a tired smile, "you're overthinking it. The Third Hokage inherited the Second's caution toward the Uchiha, but he also inherited the Will of Fire. He wouldn't act out of malice."
He chose his words carefully.
Not denial.Reassurance.
Shisui looked at him, clearly conflicted.
"…Maybe," he said at last.
But doubt had already taken root.
Shisui turned back toward the waterfall, staring at the endless rush of water. He said nothing more, but the anger he had vented did not disappear.
It sank deeper.