"You've come, Haori."
"Elder."
Inside a detached courtyard residence of the Uchiha clan, Haori bowed slightly toward the elderly man before him, even though he felt a trace of displeasure inside.
He had only just returned to the village and said goodbye to Kakashi and the others. He hadn't even gone back to his own home yet before someone brought him straight here.
The reason was simple: Uchiha Setsuna, the clan's grand elder, wanted to see him.
This situation inevitably reminded Haori of his meeting with Uchiha Fugaku some days ago.
The only difference was that last time, he had received a brand-new main quest.
"Sit. No need to be so formal."
Uchiha Setsuna was calmly brewing tea. Beside him, hanging from a tree, was a birdcage.
Inside it, a beautiful little bird hopped about cheerfully, making Setsuna look like nothing more than an ordinary old man.
He nodded to Haori to sit, then asked casually,
"Haori, do you drink tea?"
"Thank you, Elder, but no."
Haori shook his head. He didn't know why the elder had summoned him at this moment.
And truth be told, he didn't like this elder very much—he hadn't forgotten how Setsuna had forcefully tied him to a wave of clan propaganda.
"Young people may not like tea now, but trust me—once you reach a certain age, you will."
Uchiha Setsuna gently shook his head, took a sip of tea, and then turned his gaze to Haori.
"You performed very well this time. Your deeds are already being talked about all over the village.
'The Sharingan Hero'—what a wonderful title."
"Thank you, Elder."
Haori was actually a little surprised to hear this. He hadn't expected his frontline exploits to spread through Konoha so quickly.
But thinking about it carefully, it made sense.
Konoha had been surrounded and battered from all sides, suffering heavy losses. At a time like this, anyone who achieved such results would naturally be heavily promoted to boost morale.
Moreover, once the frontline ninja returned, the story would spread anyway—Konoha might as well publicize it openly.
And Haori had already guessed why the elder had summoned him.
"Unfortunately, there isn't only one 'Sharingan Hero,'"
Uchiha Setsuna said, setting down his cup and looking steadily at Haori.
"And one of them is dead, while the other isn't even an Uchiha."
Just as Haori expected, once his deeds spread through Konoha, this matter was bound to follow.
Kakashi and Obito.
Giving a clan's bloodline limit to someone outside the clan—what Obito had done couldn't even be described as foolish.
The Sharingan had always been coveted, but adaptation issues and the Uchiha's strength kept most people from daring to act.
Now, however, Kakashi stood as a successful example.
That alone might make many people yearn to become the next "Kakashi."
For instance—Shimura Danzō. Haori suspected that seeing Kakashi's success was precisely what inspired him.
"Elder, I regret this deeply."
After thinking for a moment, Haori adopted the same vague, noncommittal tone he had used with Minato behind enemy lines before speaking slowly.
"But I am only a chūnin. And Jōnin Minato was present at the time—he has said he will visit the Uchiha clan on another day."
"Is that so?"
Uchiha Setsuna continued to look at Haori calmly. After a long pause, he nodded.
"Then what do you think Konoha's attitude will be?
And when Minato Namikaze visits the Uchiha… what do you think the clan head's attitude will be?"
"Elder, I am only a chūnin,"
Haori replied, frowning slightly as he reiterated the point.
In truth, Konoha's stance was already quite clear—otherwise they wouldn't have publicized the matter so openly.
First, make the story a fact in the public eye. Then, negotiate afterward.
No matter the outcome, Konoha would not lose in terms of public opinion.
If the Sharingan was kept, it would be "respecting the will of a fallen hero," not seizing a clan's secret bloodline.
If it was removed, it would be the Uchiha "disregarding a hero's final wish," while Konoha merely respected the clan's decision.
Either way, Konoha stood on the moral high ground.
The only side that could lose was the Uchiha.
This was muddy water Haori had no intention of wading into. Any problem arising from this would be Uchiha Fugaku's responsibility.
After all, Fugaku was a lunatic who had sent Haori to the battlefield without fully understanding the mission.
That kind of "filial piety"—no wonder it triggered a new main quest.
For a while, the two fell silent. Only the chirping of the bird echoed through the courtyard.
"It seems you're unwilling to talk much about this matter,"
Uchiha Setsuna finally said, shaking his head with faint disappointment.
He raised his teacup, took a sip, and spoke slowly.
"I've heard that you demonstrated remarkable intelligence behind enemy lines.
But if you don't wish to speak, that's fine.
As you said—you're only a chūnin."
He paused slightly, then his gaze grew serious.
"However, there is something I must tell you.
No matter what you think, you belong to the Uchiha.
Your power, your bloodline, even everything you possess now—these are all bestowed upon you by the clan.
I hope that in the future, you will think more from the clan's perspective, and always place the clan's honor first.
You're a smart person. I trust you understand what I mean."
With that, Uchiha Setsuna lifted his teacup again.
Haori frowned slightly.
This old man was far more sensitive than Haori had expected.
But soon, Haori smiled freely.
Sensitive—yet sensitive in the wrong direction.
"I understand, Elder. I have always taken pride in being an Uchiha."
He nodded lightly in agreement.
"Good,"
Uchiha Setsuna smiled as well, his tone earnest.
"I said you were clever, and I hope you truly understand.
Perhaps the clan treated you unfairly in the past—whether in your earlier life or in this recent mission.
But as an Uchiha, you must remain hungry. Only then can you keep moving forward.
Now, you may have everything you desire—your three-tomoe Sharingan is your reward this time.
And you can gain even more. There will be a place for you in the clan council.
But remember my words well.
Everything you have is granted by the clan.
The clan's honor and the clan's interests must stand above all else in your heart."
"I'll remember,"
Haori said after a moment of thought, finally nodding.
So that was it.
Uchiha Setsuna was here today to warn him—and at the same time, to offer "sweet rewards."
But there was a deeper intention behind it all:
To brand him completely as a hardliner.
"Go now. You've just returned—you need rest, our clan's hero."
Uchiha Setsuna smiled as he spoke, but the final words carried extra weight.
"Elder, I'll take my leave."
Haori stood up with a smile of his own, but his eyes drifted briefly to the birdcage hanging from the tree.
Inside was a bird with full, beautiful wings—yet locked in a cage, able only to chirp happily, never to fly freely.
He paused for just a moment.
Then he withdrew his gaze.
The smile remained on his face—
But his eyes had grown cold.
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