Pushing open the door, Uchiha Shinji stepped into the office.
As expected, the person inside was none other than Koharu Utatane, one of the Hidden Leaf's three advisory elders.
Shinji didn't hide his confusion. "What do you want with me?"
Koharu, sizing him up, asked, "You're aware of the rumors about you circulating in the Ninja Academy, aren't you?"
Shinji shrugged, unfazed. "Which one are you talking about?"
Koharu's brow furrowed slightly.
Though she appeared displeased, she inwardly relaxed. Shinji's attitude was exactly what she expected from an Uchiha.
Settling onto the sofa, Koharu leisurely raised her teacup. "Aren't you curious why no jonin in the village has chosen to take you as an apprentice?"
Shinji asked, "Why?"
Koharu replied, "Some of the rumors about you are true, some false. But one is accurate: there are indeed people in the village who don't want you to have a jonin mentor."
"Who?"
Koharu smiled. "You don't need to know who. Even if you did, what could you, alone, do about it?"
Shinji said flatly, "You didn't call me here just to tell me this, did you?"
"Of course not!" Pausing, Koharu continued, "Though your clan was wiped out, the active Mangekyo Uchiha in the Akatsuki have caused many in the village to fear or even resent the Uchiha."
"Those Uchiha in the Akatsuki are my people," Shinji quipped inwardly, but he remained silent.
Koharu pressed on, "I'm the only one in the village with both the power and willingness to accept you. I'm your last chance!"
"I don't quite follow," Shinji said, though he was starting to piece it together.
He'd been puzzled about why the village was subtly suppressing him. Now, it clicked.
He'd initially suspected Danzo was behind it, but it was clear now that the culprit was none other than Koharu Utatane, the elder sitting before him.
Her plan was obvious: suppress him, eliminate his other options and allies, then extend an olive branch to secure his loyalty and gratitude.
What she didn't realize was that Shinji wasn't like other Uchiha. He genuinely didn't care about the village leadership's opinions. Being suppressed or lacking a jonin mentor? None of it mattered to him.
Koharu got to the point. "Only by becoming my subordinate can you survive in this village and have a chance to revive your clan."
"So that's why Iruka-sensei was so happy earlier," Shinji thought.
Iruka had been worried about Shinji's future. Being personally recruited by a village elder was, for an Uchiha orphan like Shinji, the best possible outcome, which explained Iruka's genuine joy.
Seeing Shinji fall silent, Koharu added, "You know who you've offended. Only I can offer you fair treatment!"
Shinji considered her words seriously.
In truth, he did need a faction in the village to shield him.
Not because he feared persecution—with his current strength, he was confident he could escape if things turned sour. He simply wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Moreover, with both the Rinnegan Plan and Tenseigan Plan in progress, he didn't want to be under constant scrutiny or targeted, as it could disrupt his schemes.
Lastly, he was puzzled. From Koharu's recruitment pitch, he sensed an underlying urgency!
Indeed, the truly desperate one wasn't Shinji but the elder sipping tea leisurely on the sofa.
The heavy casualties of the Third Great Ninja War were the primary reason the Third Hokage stepped down, paving the way for the Fourth.
As a result, the Third's return to power was a compromise born of the village's lack of viable leaders, not a reflection of universal support.
This was why the Third often needed the advisory elders' backing on many issues.
But as the Akatsuki's threat grew, the Third's authority as Hokage steadily strengthened.
Power is a zero-sum game.
The Third's rising influence inevitably eroded the authority of the advisory elder council, led by Danzo.
The return of Jiraiya and Tsunade, the Third's disciples, further tilted this balance, bolstering the Third's dominance.
At this point, even when Koharu and Homura Mitokado disagreed with Danzo on certain matters, they had no choice but to align with him to preserve the elder council's dignity.
The unity of the three elders allowed the council to reclaim some influence, barely maintaining a power equilibrium.
But this balance didn't last long.
The one who disrupted it was none other than Shinji!
His bold experiment with Susanoo Tomoshibi created the unparalleled Koryugan, giving Yakumo a new lease on life.
Tsunade taking Yakumo as her apprentice and successfully transplanting the First Hokage's cells into her marked a turning point.
Anyone could see that Yakumo, with her Koryugan and Wood Release, would one day rival the Sannin.
Add to that Jiraiya taking Naruto as his apprentice, teaching him Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu and Rasengan.
Each of these events elevated the Third's authority as Hokage, strengthening his direct forces.
Not just Danzo, but the entire elder council was being backed into a corner.
To avoid marginalization, the council had to urgently recruit new blood to counter the Third's rising generation.
Tsunade had Yakumo, Jiraiya had Naruto, Kakashi had Sasuke, and Asuma had the new Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
The Third had claimed most of the academy's prodigies.
The few left who could rival them were Neji, Kimimaro, Shinji, and a handful of others.
Kimimaro had entered the academy through Danzo's connections, and Neji, bound by the Hyuga's Caged Bird seal, was loyal only to the Hyuga main branch. This left Koharu with just one option: Shinji!
It seemed as though she, a village elder, was graciously lowering herself to recruit an overlooked Uchiha. But in reality, if she couldn't secure a promising figurehead soon, her influence in the village would vanish within a decade!
That's why she was so desperate!