After returning to the Police Department, Fujika, exhausted from crying, fell asleep in Sōgen's arms. He gently placed his sister in the break room, where Kurama Yakumo was still resting. The large bed in the break room was more than enough for the two five-year-old girls to sleep comfortably!
As for Naruto and Sasuke, they certainly didn't have the privilege of entering the room specifically prepared for the little girls.
Moreover, the two boys still had energy to burn, so they snuck into the training ground of the Police Department to watch the officers train.
"Still alive, huh?"
Sōgen pushed open the office door and walked in, seeing Shisui sitting on the sofa and a Mist ninja sprawled on the floor beside him like a dead dog.
"Yeah, still alive."
"As long as he's not dead."
Sōgen walked over to his desk, sat down in his chair, and said, "Well then, let's start the interrogation, Shisui."
"Interrogation?"
Shisui hesitated for a moment and said, "Sōgen, I'm not exactly good at interrogation. Maybe we should let someone else…"
"Quit the chatter. We don't have much time. The ANBU will probably be here soon to retrieve this guy. I need to know what the Mist ninja are up to before that happens. Don't tell me you're bad at interrogation—you can fool others with that, but not me. Our clan's Sharingan is called the 'Hypnotic Eye' for a reason. Plus, you told me yourself about the ability of your Mangekyō Sharingan."
The Sharingan possesses a variety of abilities, including insight, copying, and hypnosis.
With it, the user can observe chakra flow, copy taijutsu and non-kekkei genkai ninjutsu, cast and break illusions, and even hypnotize enemies during interrogation, extracting the desired information. As the Sharingan evolves, it can also enhance the user's physical abilities and chakra reserves.
It's an all-rounder.
Although this is a bit of an exaggeration, there's no denying the Sharingan's power.
The nicknames "Insight Eye," "Copy Eye," and "Hypnotic Eye" summarize the Sharingan's versatility.
"So, what about you, Sōgen? What's your dōjutsu?" Shisui asked curiously. What had happened to Danzō was no ordinary illusion. It had to be the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
In other words, Sōgen's dōjutsu might also be related to genjutsu.
"That's a secret!"
Sōgen responded straightforwardly.
Though this secret couldn't be kept forever, he saw no reason to reveal it in this situation. Telling Shisui now wouldn't achieve anything besides satisfying his curiosity, and it could increase the risk of exposure.
"Alright, stop wasting time. Hurry up, Shisui."
Shisui sighed in resignation. Facing pressure from both his clan leader and his department head, he reluctantly lifted the Mist ninja, forced his eyelids open, and projected his visual power into him. This was the Uchiha clan's interrogation technique, leaving no external injuries as the entire process took place within an illusion.
It didn't take long for Shisui to toss the unconscious Mist ninja back onto the floor.
"So, what's the situation?" Sōgen asked.
"This guy… he did it on purpose."
Shisui frowned. "His mission was to provoke a war between the village and the Mist. He came here expecting to die, with no intention of returning to Kirigakure. Attacking Fujika was just a part of his plan to take someone down with him before dying. Plus, he has some personal grudge against the Uchiha clan…"
"On purpose?"
Sōgen narrowed his eyes.
If he remembered correctly, the real ruler of Kirigakure at this time was Uchiha Obito!
Which meant…
Obito was planning to stir up trouble using Kirigakure!
The Mist ninja delegation had arrived two days ago, under the pretext of reclaiming the sword, Samehada. They demanded that Konoha return the sword, threatening war if their demand wasn't met.
The Third Hokage hadn't given a clear answer, simply stating that he needed time to think. In the meantime, the Mist ninja were lodged at the embassy.
In those two days, many in the village had been watching closely, while privately discussing the Mist ninja's claim—that the sword Samehada was in the hands of Uchiha clan leader Uchiha Sōgen.
"Shisui, use Kotoamatsukami to alter his will."
Sōgen tapped his fingers on the desk and said, "The Mist ninja's reason for attacking Fujika was based on their spy's report that the Third Hokage and the Uchiha clan were at odds. They wanted to use the threat of war to force the Third to take action against the Uchiha…"
"Sōgen?"
Shisui's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What's the problem?"
"Well… it's just…"
"If you're worried about exhausting your visual power, I can help you restore it." While solving Yakumo's problem, Sōgen had deepened his understanding of Yin and Yang Release. With the help of Samehada, restoring Shisui's visual power was not impossible!
Shisui was stunned.
Restoring the Mangekyō Sharingan's visual power… was that even possible? No, wait—that's not the issue here. He didn't care about exhausting his visual power. For the sake of the village and the clan, he would sacrifice his life without hesitation.
The issue was…
"Using Kotoamatsukami to alter, no, to fabricate the Mist ninja's will… Sōgen, what are you really planning…?"
"I've already said this many times. Our clan and the Third Hokage can't coexist peacefully. To ensure harmony between the village and the clan, Konoha needs a new Hokage. And before that… the Third needs to step down."
"Of course, 'step down' is just a polite way of saying it. The best outcome is for him to die," Sōgen silently added to himself. As long as the Third Hokage lived, he would always be a threat to the Uchiha clan. However, the Third couldn't die at the hands of the Uchiha. No matter what dark deeds he may have committed, he was still the chosen successor of the First and Second Hokages, and the longest-serving Hokage in Konoha's history.
No matter what mistakes he had made,
anyone who stained their hands with the blood of a Hokage would never be forgiven by the village.
Orochimaru could get away with it because he was a lone wolf who didn't care about his reputation. As long as it didn't interfere with his research, he didn't mind being branded a villain. Even during the era of the Seventh Hokage, despite his major contributions during the Fourth Shinobi World War, Orochimaru was still under surveillance by the ANBU.
Unless the Uchiha were ready to completely sever ties with the village, they couldn't be the ones to kill the Hokage.
But that didn't mean someone else couldn't!
It was just borrowing someone else's blade.
"Even if that's true, would the Mist ninja's intentions really affect the Hokage's succession?" Shisui had learned to be cautious in his responses. Instead of outright calling the plan ruthless, he pointed out its flaw. The Third Hokage could easily dismiss it as a ploy by the Mist, rendering Sōgen's plan futile.
"Which is why the Mist ninja are so confident it will work—because they know that the Cloud ninja once blackmailed Konoha. The Third Hokage killed the younger brother of the Hyūga clan leader and handed him over to the Cloud as an apology. So, if the Mist want to take the head of Shisui of the Body Flicker while reclaiming Samehada, that's only natural, right?"
Sōgen smiled warmly as he spoke.
But to Shisui, that smile was terrifying. He unconsciously touched his neck, feeling a chill.
(End of Chapter)