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"Since Shisui Uchiha is no longer with us, the possibility of using Kotoamatsukami to stop the Uchiha rebellion is gone. Therefore, keeping such a dangerous ability is meaningless. Considering the potential risks of keeping these eyes… destroying them is the most correct choice."
This is how Haori explained it to the Third Hokage.
To be honest, this explanation still has a bit of logic, but no one would believe it.
But Haori insisted that this was the truth. What else could the Hokage do? He couldn't torture Haori or have the Yamanaka clan invade Haori's mind, could he?
In this incident, Haori had seized the high ground of reason. Even if the Hokage doubted his explanation, even if he was certain that Shisui's eyes were in Haori's hands, what could he do?
To get Shisui's eyes back, he would have to completely break with Haori… That was a dangerous thought.
So, in reality, Haori's explanation wasn't about right or wrong. It was about expressing an attitude.
The Hokage could only choose one: "Kotoamatsukami" or "the White Fang." He had to judge which had greater value.
And with this kind of judgment, the Hokage knew how to choose even if he was thinking with his brainstem. Was one eye worth more than one person?
So, he agreed with Haori's explanation and tacitly approved his actions. Objectively speaking, Haori possessing Kotoamatsukami was more reassuring to him than Danzo possessing it.
Let him have it. It's ultimately just meant to scare people. Based on Haori's personality, he wouldn't gouge out his own eyes and replace them with new ones, nor would he randomly control anyone with mind invasion.
The Hokage believed he wouldn't be wrong about this.
In fact, he was right. Haori really wouldn't do that.
Haori got his hands on Kotoamatsukami because he didn't want to be controlled, not because he wanted to control others with this genjutsu.
For the Uchiha clan, it was strange that Shisui didn't participate in the clan meeting that night. But it wasn't really that serious. After all, this had happened before.
But from the next day on, Shisui never appeared again. This caused them great suspicion. Had Shisui really gone wrong?
Then, Shisui's suicide note was discovered. And since he had never reappeared, so… did a ninja like Shisui really choose to commit suicide?
No one would believe it.
The Uchiha clan couldn't accept this. Did the "strongest Uchiha" seem like the kind of weakling who would choose to end his own life because of the ridiculous reasons in the suicide note? Shisui was definitely not that narrow-minded.
Instead of believing that Shisui committed suicide, it was better to believe that the suicide note was forged… For the Uchiha clan now, the most important thing was to find Shisui's whereabouts, even if it was just his body.
But Itachi Uchiha, the only one in the clan who knew the truth, chose to conceal it.
In the original story, Itachi's concealment of Shisui's body was simply to wait for his corruption. That way, the secret of Shisui losing his eyes would be concealed. The Uchiha clan wouldn't suspect Konoha, thus avoiding a further escalation of the relationship between the two parties.
Of course, this would also conceal the fact that Shisui had contacted him before his death, thus preventing him from being suspected.
As a result, although he was still suspected of being the murderer, the matter of Shisui's eyes was concealed.
And now, he wasn't saying anything. The reason was the same.
But this time, he was only the second suspect. Because there was someone in Konoha who was more suitable to take the blame… Haori.
Maybe the White Fang's first goal after returning to Konoha was to eliminate Shisui. And now, he had indeed done it… It was probably only he who could assassinate Shisui without causing a major commotion.
This reason wasn't new, but it was a bit distorted. But… because someone had the strength to kill, and now the person was dead, then it was reasonable to suspect that he was the killer, wasn't it? This kind of presumption of guilt was the most normal logic for ninjas.
Since Shisui "disappeared," the Uchiha clan's search for him had continued. But as time went on, Shisui never appeared. This basically confirmed that his death was a certainty. But as long as they didn't find his body, the Uchiha clan would still have a glimmer of hope.
Or, they didn't want to give up that glimmer of hope.
But this action and their hopeless expectation were destined to be futile.
As a result, losing the "strongest" would temporarily dampen the Uchiha clan's spirits while also strengthening their determination to rebel. Because Konoha's elimination of Shisui made them believe that the conflict between the two parties was fundamentally irreconcilable.
People are like that. When Shisui was still around, because of his closeness to Konoha's upper echelon and his consistent resistance to rebellion, the Uchiha clan didn't necessarily not suspect Shisui. But now that he had disappeared, or died, it was as if he had become the most loyal Uchiha.
The Uchiha clan's focus wouldn't completely shift to finding Shisui. Their preparations would continue. But without Shisui, they would be more secretive.
At the same time, after Shisui's death, the current Third Hokage was not only having a headache, but he was also having kidney pain, and his whole body ached.
Danzo's actions couldn't be ignored. This time, he had crossed the line. He had completely disrupted the established strategy. Therefore, the Third Hokage began to strictly monitor his actions. He couldn't let him do whatever he wanted anymore.
Similarly, Haori didn't run. He was temporarily banned from any contact with the Uchiha clan, and his actions were also restricted. This punishment was less severe than Danzo's, because his actions were at most a mission failure caused by force majeure, while Danzo's was malicious obstruction.
But in reality, the Hokage's punishments of the two were symbolic. They didn't have any real meaning. For Haori, a severe punishment was unnecessary. And for Danzo… "Root" was a force that couldn't be ignored. At this time, the Hokage didn't want to have any direct conflicts with them.
The situation was already complicated enough. This current mission was already a Shura difficulty for the Hokage. He didn't want to add more to his plate.
Of course, Danzo was unhappy with the restrictions and monitoring. But for Haori, it was just right. He was happy to be "shelved" and do nothing.
This way, he could take care of his children's team.
"Do you want to participate in taijutsu training, and spar with them?" Naruto had gradually become accustomed to Haori's place over the past few days. He wasn't so cautious anymore and had gradually returned to his true nature. After all, Haori wasn't a scary person.
But Haori was a little helpless about his request.
When he was with these children, you couldn't tell from Haori's state that he had just caused a big commotion. His appearance and emotions were the same as always.
After all, compared to this, the Uchiha matter was just a side quest for him.
As for Naruto's personality… well, he was still very positive. It was just that he didn't know if he was prepared to be beaten up.
Except for Naruto, the other three had been training for a long time. Although they were still far from being able to use their techniques flexibly, in terms of the number of techniques they had mastered, they were not on the same level as the other few.
And as for practical experience, Kimimaro was even better. Although he was young, he might have killed more than a platoon of people.
As for Haku, although he hadn't started learning much earlier than Naruto, his comprehension ability was indeed stronger. His learning ability and insight were undeniable.
Naruto, who was straightforward, could perhaps be described as "wise but foolish." But the word "smart," what made Haori a bit of a headache, was that it could never be used to describe Naruto.
Or, Naruto's "smartness" wasn't smart in the usual sense. It was a kind of incomprehensible, elusive smartness. This guy was the kind who either didn't get it, or once he got it, he would cause a big mess.
He didn't inherit his brains. Both Minato and Kushina were quick learners.
"I think you should first learn to stand on the water before you think about other problems." Haori still kindly advised him.
Actually, his teaching method was also a bit problematic. It wasn't exactly forcing a sprout to grow, but he had skipped steps. At Naruto's age, it would be good enough if he could climb a tree properly. But Haori had directly thrown him into the water… But you couldn't blame Haori. That's just how he thought.
Back in the day, he could directly stand on the water. Then, later, Mirai could also directly stand on it. For Kimimaro, this basic thing didn't need Haori to teach him. He had known it since he was young. And Haku didn't have any trouble either. Following this pattern… cough, inertia, Haori felt that Naruto-kun could do it too.
That was the conclusion he had drawn from the four of them. So, little Naruto, who had no foundation, was suffering… No one told him that his sample size was insufficient, and that they were all the same type of people.
Controlling chakra, this delicate skill, should really be taken slowly for someone like Naruto, who was a bit thick-headed.
"I think I'm fine now!"
But Naruto didn't think so. Everyone else was fighting, but he was just playing in the water. Of course, he wasn't happy. Why was his learning progress so much slower?
As for the meaning of walking on water, Naruto didn't understand either.
"Oh… Okay. Mirai, come here. You spar with him." Haori was speechless. If you're looking for excitement, you can't blame anyone else.
"Understood, Haori!"
Mirai's eyes were shining brightly… In short, Naruto couldn't regret it now.
"This time, it's different from last time!" But Naruto wasn't afraid at all. He still felt good about himself.
"Don't talk nonsense. Start!" Mirai was a little impatient.
Naruto was also impatient. He wanted to get revenge for the last time.
So, Naruto rushed to Mirai's side at his fastest speed. Then, he was about to punch. Then… he saw Mirai grab his collar before he could react.
She turned, put her foot down, twisted her waist, and her arm, with a faint lightning glow, exerted force diagonally upwards. Then… a throw.
This was called a sky-piercing arrow, bringing a thousand troops to meet you.
Naruto didn't understand what was going on. In the blink of an eye, he was thrown into the air, nearly twenty meters high. Then, there was imbalance, weightlessness, and… screaming.
Listening to this scream, which lacked any rhythm, Mirai's eyes curved into a smile. This kind of bullying could be roughly called "awakening"… the awakening of the bloodline of the Blood-Red Pepper.
Big sister lifts you high, asks if you're happy.
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