Inside the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, his expression grim. "The Uchiha clan truly hasn't made a single move to compromise?"
"No, Lord Hokage. Regarding the incident with the Roran Chamber of Commerce, the Uchiha have officially declared it the sole responsibility of the Jonin Commander's office."
"Absurd!"
The Third Hokage slammed his pipe down in fury. Uchiha Kaede had caused a diplomatic catastrophe, and yet the clan had the audacity to pin it on the village?
No matter the circumstances, Kakashi was a core disciple of the Hokage's lineage. Hiruzen had intended to use Uchiha Kaede as a scapegoat to pacify the Land of Wind, but the Uchiha were now hell-bent on protecting him.
To make matters worse, Uchiha Fugaku had already submitted a transfer order to the Anbu, pulling Kaede out of the village's direct command and reinstating him within the Uchiha Police Force.
This blatant display of defiance left the Leaf's high-ranking officials fuming but helpless. That was the Uchiha way—domineering and unyielding.
Shimura Danzo looked over at the livid Hiruzen with a cold, hollow gaze. "How much longer do you intend to exercise 'restraint'?"
Uchiha Shisui was dead. The clan's top-tier talent was thinning. To Danzo, this was the perfect opportunity to uproot the Uchiha once and for all.
At the mention of this, the Third Hokage shook his head. "No. We must wait to see where Itachi stands."
Uchiha Itachi had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and was the key piece the Leaf had to secure. Until Hiruzen was certain he could fully control or rely on Itachi, he believed the time for a final confrontation had not yet come.
The Silent Confrontation
In reality, the Uchiha clan wasn't ignorant of the scale of the losses suffered by the Roran Chamber. Fugaku had known from the very beginning.
According to the clan's private investigation, the compensation the Leaf owed was an astronomical figure—one that would require selling the entire Uchiha district and its surrounding lands just to cover.
Fugaku knew the clan couldn't possibly pay it, so his only choice was to double down on the village's liability. However, behind closed doors, he still summoned Kaede for a severe reprimand.
"An 'immature' Fire Style jutsu... that one mistake has escalated the hostility between the clan and the village to a breaking point."
Fugaku looked at the silent Uchiha Kaede, his voice softening slightly. Regardless of the trouble he caused, with Shisui gone, Kaede was the only young talent—aside from Itachi—that the clan could rely on.
"The clan will shoulder the burden of this incident for you. But I expect you to refrain from causing further trouble."
As Kaede stepped out of Fugaku's study, he unexpectedly ran into Itachi returning home. The Uchiha compound was filled with cherry blossoms in full bloom. As petals drifted between them, the two stood in a heavy, silent standoff.
As they approached one another, Itachi was the first to speak, his voice as cold as ice. "What was your true purpose in doing that?"
"Purpose?"
"You possess the Mangekyo," Itachi said, his eyes narrowing. "There is no way you couldn't control a simple fireball. You deliberately destroyed the Roran cargo to provoke a conflict between the clan and the village. What are you trying to gain?"
Itachi remembered the precision Kaede had shown during the Shisui incident; his control of fire was far superior to that "erratic" sun. It was clear to him that this was a calculated provocation.
Itachi's mind was like a mirror—he saw through the schemes Kaede was weaving to destabilize the village, yet he felt powerless to stop the momentum.
He had to suppress his emotions with absolute logic to keep from losing control.
Kaede brushed a stray petal off his shoulder and replied nonchalantly, "I have no purpose, Itachi. You're overthinking things."
Itachi remained silent, his gaze fixed on Kaede like a statue. Seeing he wasn't going to get a reaction, Kaede simply shook his head and walked past him.
"I will stop whatever conspiracy you are planning," Itachi declared, his voice filled with a resolve that made Kaede stop in his tracks.
Kaede turned back slowly to look at his "younger brother." "Stop me? I look forward to seeing you try."
Ambition vs. Justice
This man... Shisui, what should I do?
Kaede had been the person Shisui cared for most. Though Shisui had died with regrets, Itachi still hoped that Kaede was simply a man who had lost his way in the pursuit of power, rather than a villain orchestrating the downfall of the village.
"Itachi, you are still so naive," Kaede said, his voice echoing in the courtyard. "Everyone has their own perspective and stance.
Give up on those pointless ideals. This world is broken; to change it, one must break it down and rebuild it entirely."
"And what does your 'rebuilding' entail?"
"The unification of the Shinobi World!"
Kaede's words were absolute, leaving no room for compromise. A chill ran down Itachi's spine.
Without another word, Itachi entered Fugaku's house. When his father saw him, Fugaku's eyes didn't hold warmth, but rather a mix of exhaustion and faint distaste.
Itachi felt a pang of sorrow; over the years, his loyalty to the village had pushed him further away from his family, to the point where even his clansmen suspected him of Shisui's murder.
"What do you want?" Fugaku asked.
"Father, Uchiha Kaede is not what he seems. He is dangerous."
Fugaku let out a short, scoffing laugh. "I know he has his own ambitions. Kaede has never hidden what he pursues. But compared to a man's ambition, I am far more afraid of a heart that is so 'just' and 'righteous' that it becomes cold to its own blood."
Fugaku looked up at his son. "The 'Will of Fire' in your heart is far more terrifying than his petty ambitions. That flame of yours will eventually consume this entire clan."
The room fell into a suffocating silence. His father's words had cut through his arguments, leaving Itachi with no choice but to bow and depart.
Watching his son's retreating back, Fugaku sighed, a deep sense of desolation washing over him. If you weren't so singularly focused on the Leaf, Itachi, I wouldn't have to rely so heavily on someone like Kaede.
"Even if his ambition is to conquer the entire world?" Itachi had asked. To him, unification was just an excuse for a war that would sacrifice countless lives for private greed.
Fugaku, however, had only shaken his head. "To you, that is an 'ambition.' But from where I sit, it is simply the grand vision a young man should have..."
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