Shisui was stunned.
He had entrusted the clan to Itachi.
And Itachi's solution had been—
Extermination.
For a long moment, he couldn't process it.
If that had been the outcome…
Then what had his sacrifice meant?
Wouldn't it have been better for the Uchiha to produce a Hokage instead?
But Shisui wasn't naïve.
He quickly reconstructed Itachi's logic.
If the Uchiha rebelled, a civil war would erupt.
Other villages would invade.
Sixteen thousand villagers versus one clan.
Itachi had chosen the "greater good."
Shisui slowly closed his eyes.
…That was exactly how Itachi thought.
Fugaku's Counterpoint
[Uchiha Fugaku]: Stop thinking.
Fugaku had read his thoughts.
[Uchiha Fugaku]: I considered that logic too.
[Uchiha Fugaku]: But six years passed after the first rebellion attempt.
[Uchiha Fugaku]: The Third Hokage did nothing.
[Uchiha Fugaku]: No reform. No suppression. Nothing.
Silence.
[Uchiha Fugaku]: If genocide was the only solution, then why didn't the village act afterward?
[Uchiha Fugaku]: Because there was no imminent collapse.
That argument struck harder than any accusation.
Shisui exhaled slowly.
If the village had truly feared destruction—
There would have been visible countermeasures.
But there weren't.
So…
Had he trusted the wrong person?
Izuna's Perspective
[Uchiha Izuna]: I fought Tobirama for years.
[Uchiha Izuna]: I know what kind of man he was.
[Uchiha Izuna]: The disciples he raised? You expected them to change?
Shisui blinked.
[Shunshin Shisui]: Your relationship with the Second Hokage was…?
[Uchiha Izuna]: He invented Flying Thunder God and killed me with it.
Ah.
That explained the resentment.
Itachi's Fate
[Shunshin Shisui]: And Itachi now?
[Uchiha Fugaku]: He accepted the elders' order.
[Uchiha Fugaku]: Returned to massacre the clan.
[Uchiha Fugaku]: Was discovered and stopped.
[Uchiha Fugaku]: Now imprisoned underground.
Shisui felt something heavy settle in his chest.
So his death hadn't prevented tragedy—
It had only changed its shape.
He had believed the Third Hokage's promise of reform.
But reform never came.
The rebellion paused.
The discrimination didn't.
And the elders waited.
Perhaps—
He truly had misjudged.
Back to the Battlefield
Zabuza Momochi sat on the ground, armless, breathing heavily.
Haku had already sealed his wounds and, without hesitation, handed over the black market intelligence.
"One year ago," Haku said calmly.
"The bounty originated from the Hidden Sound Village."
"Sound Village?" Uchiha Kai asked.
"Yes. Intelligence suggests its founder is one of the former Sannin of Konoha."
"Orochimaru."
Zabuza's eyes narrowed.
"You met him?"
"Yes," Haku replied.
"Before Zabuza-sama found me."
"He asked if I wanted to follow him."
"I asked if he could give my life meaning."
"He refused."
Zabuza fell silent.
He understood what that meant.
Even then—
People had recognized Haku's potential.
Ice Release.
A growth curve at elite jōnin level.
He was valuable.
Orochimaru's Motive
Uchiha Kai thought for a moment.
Orochimaru.
Former Sannin.
Obsessed with immortality and bloodline limits.
In the original timeline, Orochimaru joined Akatsuki and encountered Itachi after the Uchiha massacre.
Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan crushed him psychologically.
From that point onward—
He became a Sharingan fanatic.
But now?
The Uchiha clan had not been wiped out.
Danzō did not possess an arm filled with Sharingan.
Orochimaru's experiments lacked prime material.
So naturally—
He would look elsewhere.
The black market bounty made perfect sense.
Sasuke and Naruto React
"You know this Orochimaru?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto blinked.
The Ninja Academy never taught the embarrassing parts.
A Hokage's student turning rogue?
That was classified shame.
Uchiha Kai nodded.
"Orochimaru is… strange."
"But remember one thing."
"If someone calls themselves Orochimaru—"
"That means they've already decided to become an Uchiha simp."
Sasuke: "???"
Naruto: "Huh?"
Uchiha Kai continued calmly.
"He'll stab the Third Hokage without hesitation."
"But he won't harm the Uchiha."
"If we need resources, we can probably just ask."
"Orochimaru is basically an Uchiha fanboy."
Silence.
Wind blew across the bridge.
Zabuza stared.
Haku stared.
Sasuke stared.
Naruto blinked twice.
"…What?"
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