Konoha Village.
Hokage's Office.
Shisui did not leave the Hokage building with the others. Instead, he went directly to the agreed meeting place with Hiruzen.
"Hokage-sama."
Shisui stood about three meters away from the office, his hands naturally hanging by his sides, his tone respectful and polite.
"Shisui, do you know why I specifically called you here?" Hiruzen asked, his gaze focused on Shisui as he set down his pipe, his demeanor sincere.
"Is it about Kaze?" Shisui asked.
"Correct." Hiruzen nodded, not leaving any room for ambiguity.
Though Hiruzen had publicly said that he saw a reflection of Mirror's will in Kaze, deep down, the one he truly believed had inherited that will was none other than Shisui.
Shisui was the only Uchiha Hiruzen truly trusted.
"I've always believed that if anyone could bridge the gap between the Uchiha clan and Konoha, it would be you."
Hearing such praise from Hiruzen, Shisui's expression immediately shifted to one of seriousness, and his tone firmed up. "I will continue to do my best."
But the truth was…
It wouldn't be so easy to eliminate the divide between the two sides.
At the most recent Uchiha clan meeting, voices had already been raised calling for a coup to change the Uchiha's situation.
On top of that, Kaze's angry confrontation with the Konoha high-ups today might very well fuel those voices.
"So, Hokage-sama, is Kaze the reason you asked me to come to your office?" Shisui asked, now understanding the gravity of the situation.
"Exactly," Hiruzen replied, nodding with satisfaction before getting to the point.
"I want you to assess him and determine if he possesses the strength of a Jōnin."
In reality...
Kaze had already faced a team of Cloud Ninjas who had kidnapped Hinata, single-handedly taking on five of them.
He had also taken out Aburame Ryouma in the meeting room with ease.
So, it was clear to Hiruzen that Kaze already had the strength of a Jōnin.
The reason he wanted Shisui to assess Kaze was twofold.
First, he wanted Shisui to win Kaze over, to guide him in embracing the true Will of Fire, to help him rise above narrow clan loyalty, and to contribute to Konoha's greater good.
Second, Hiruzen wanted to see Kaze's full capabilities and how he compared to Shisui. He wanted to know just how strong Kaze truly was and if there was any significant difference between them.
'This Kaze is like an unknown variable,' Hiruzen mused.
'If his abilities are weaker than Shisui's, it's fine. But if, his strength is on par with Shisui and he sides with the Uchiha, that could be troublesome."
Of course, Hiruzen didn't share these concerns with Shisui. Instead, he slowly spoke up.
"If Kaze truly possesses the strength of a Jōnin, keeping him in the Konoha Military Police Force would be a waste..."
"A talent like his needs a larger stage to truly shine."
As he spoke, a look of regret over wasted talent appeared on Hiruzen's face.
The implication behind his words was clear…
If Kaze truly possessed Jōnin-level strength, the Anbu would be a far better fit for him to fully unleash his potential than the Konoha Military Police Force.
At that point…
Hiruzen hoped that Shisui could persuade Kaze to join the Anbu.
If Kaze couldn't be steered down the right path, Hiruzen didn't want to see any Uchiha genius rising to disrupt his carefully laid plans.
"I understand, Hokage-sama," Shisui replied with a nod. "I'll find a time to properly assess Kaze's abilities."
"I'm also quite curious about him myself."
"Then I leave it to you, Shisui." With Shisui's promise, Hiruzen finally picked up his pipe again, taking a deep drag before exhaling a cloud of smoke.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that he had watched Shisui grow up.
He knew Shisui's character inside and out.
As the Uchiha who had inherited the will of Mirror, Shisui had always been cheerful and kind-hearted. Even in battle, he often held back, rarely causing harm to others.
However…
When faced with a powerful opponent, Uchiha Shisui could be driven by his passion, giving his all and fighting with everything he had!
Now, he wanted Shisui to test Kaze's full strength.
Without a doubt, Shisui was the perfect person for the job.
Of course…
Hiruzen had no intention of waiting passively for Shisui to return with a report on his encounter with Kaze.
'Shisui and Kaze's spar can be observed using the telescope technique,' Hiruzen thought.
Having conveyed everything that needed to be said, Hiruzen gestured for Shisui to leave.
Shisui bowed deeply before turning and exiting the office.
Once the room was left with just Hiruzen, a flicker of coldness flashed in his eyes.
'Once the Uchiha problem is dealt with, I'll have to find a way to remove Danzo from the heart of Konoha's power...'
It wasn't just Danzo's behavior today that irked him.
In many areas, Danzo's thinking was far too blunt.
(T/N: Press X to Doubt.)
Having someone like him in the center of Konoha's power would undoubtedly cause problems sooner or later.
But…
When it came to dealing with the Uchiha clan, Hiruzen still needed Danzo and his Root forces.
"Whether it's Danzo…"
"Or the Uchiha clan members…"
"Neither are fit to become Hokage of Konoha."
(T/N: Well, this old monkey is rather selfish. Quite a refreshing change of pace, though.)
…
As Shisui left the Hokage building, the red hues of the setting sun began to appear on the horizon, signaling the arrival of nightfall.
After a moment of contemplation, Shisui headed straight for the Uchiha compound.
Although he cared deeply for Konoha and held the Will of Fire close to his heart, his current position was that of a spy planted by Fugaku within the Anbu.
And since Hiruzen had openly discussed matters in front of Fugaku, he was bound to report back to him about the evaluation of Kaze.
It was precisely because of this that Shisui had managed to remain undetected as a traitor to the Uchiha clan until his death. No matter the situation, he always kept his cards close to his chest.
After about half an hour of running, Shisui finally arrived at the compound. The first place he headed to was Fugaku's home.
"Clan Leader, I'm back."
As expected, Fugaku was leaning against the doorpost in the courtyard, as if he had been waiting for quite some time.
"Hmm."
Without showing any emotion, Fugaku nodded at Shisui. "What did the Third Hokage want to discuss with you?"
Though Fugaku had been reminded by Kaze that Shisui might be a traitor, he wasn't ready to completely abandon Shisui based on Kaze's word alone.
Furthermore, Fugaku was only half-convinced by Kaze's claims. After all...
Shisui was one of the Uchiha clan's most outstanding ninjas. Even his own son, Itachi, was somewhat overshadowed by Shisui's abilities.
"Hokage-sama wants me to evaluate Kaze for the Jōnin exam." Shisui explained.
Fugaku nodded thoughtfully. It seemed that Hiruzen was interested in winning over Kaze. If Kaze passed the Jōnin exam, the next step would likely be an invitation to join the Anbu.
Truly, the Third Hokage was a clever old fox.
"Handle this matter however you see fit," Fugaku said, pausing before continuing. "The clan meeting is at 10 PM tonight. I have something important to announce to everyone."
"You should come as well, Shisui."
(T/N: This translation took way too long. There were more misplaced names and grammar fails than I'd like to admit, but hey, I fixed them. Anyway, enjoy the chapter... or don't, it's up to you.)