"Does the village... really not care?"
Izumi's voice was small, almost lost in the bustle of the street. She had always believed in the "Will of Fire"—the idea that everyone was one big family. But today, she saw the walls between people.
Hiko stopped walking and looked at a nearby memorial stone. "Izumi, since you were a child, have you ever seen the village announce Uchiha's contributions? Have you seen a statue of an Uchiha hero in the park? No. The only time the village mentions us is when they are burying our dead."
The words were like a cold blade. Hiko leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper that only she could hear. "Do you know why I mocked Danzo? Because that old man is the architect of our misery. He monitors us like prisoners, steals our brothers' corpses for human experiments, and feeds the village lies to make them fear us."
He left Izumi in a daze. She was ten years old, a genius who had just graduated, but Hiko had just shattered her porcelain view of the world. He needed her to see the cracks; a "love-brain" like the Izumi of the original timeline would only end up as a casualty.
The Silent Blade
Back in the Third Squad's office, Hiko sat behind a desk cluttered with scrolls. He knew Danzo wouldn't stop. Being watched 24/7 was safe, but it was annoying. He needed to give the "Shadow" a reason to look elsewhere.
He picked up a brush and began writing with a focused intensity. Locations of hidden labs, secret supply routes, and the "unauthorized" activities of the Root.
"Feng," Hiko called out.
Uchiha Feng, the most silent and low-profile member of the squad, materialized in the room. Unlike the boisterous Zhiyan, Feng was a ghost—a "dog that bites without barking."
Hiko folded the paper and handed it over. "I need you to take 'sick leave' tomorrow. Go to the Underground Bounty Guild. Disguise yourself. Sell this information. Don't worry about the price; just make sure it gets into the hands of the highest bidder—specifically, those who have a grudge against the Leaf."
Feng didn't ask "why." He didn't ask "how." He simply took the paper. "Consider it done, Captain."
Hiko watched him leave. He was effectively leaking the village's dirty secrets to the black market. If the neighboring villages started hitting Danzo's secret outposts, the "Old Rat" wouldn't have time to worry about an Uchiha brat.
The Office of the Four Elders
In the Hokage Tower, the air was thick with the scent of Sarutobi's pipe tobacco and Danzo's unbridled rage.
"Danzo, you are a fool," Sarutobi said, his voice echoing in the hollow office. "I sent Anbu to retrieve your men. They were caught red-handed impersonating officials and attempting a kidnapping. And then you... you went to the Police Station in person?"
"That evil Uchiha brat... he had the audacity to call me a 'lonely widow' to my face!" Danzo slammed his cane. "He insulted the dignity of the council!"
The two advisors, Koharu and Homura, looked at each other in disbelief.
"Simply audacious," Koharu whispered. "Since when did the Uchiha lose their fear of the leadership?"
Homura sighed, shaking his head at Danzo. "By going there in person, Danzo, you turned a 'rumour' into a 'fact.' It's like yellow mud falling into your crotch—it might be mud, but everyone is going to swear it's something else. Now everyone knows those kidnappers were yours."
"Who gave them the courage!" Danzo roared. "The Uchiha should be bowing! They should be begging for our trust!"
"They aren't bowing anymore because they have a leader who knows the law better than you do," Sarutobi said, his eyes narrowing. "You tried to snatch a catfish, and it bit your finger off. Now, thanks to your 'personal visit,' the entire clan is united in their resentment. If you push them further, you won't get an arrest—you'll get a civil war."
Sarutobi looked at the map of the village. Hiko wasn't just a "sharp-tongued brat." He was a strategist who had realized that as long as he stayed within the law, the "Shadow" had no power.
"Stay away from the Uchiha district for a while, Danzo," Sarutobi commanded. "Let things cool down."
Danzo didn't answer. He just gripped his cane, his one eye burning with a hatred that could set the village on fire.