"I see. So, all this time, it was just a one-sided love."
"How foolish of me."
Hearing Raizen's answer, Kurenai Yuhi felt a bitterness beyond words. She turned, her steps unsteady, and began to distance herself from him.
"Kurenai!" Raizen called out loudly. "If I had stayed back then, you wouldn't be seeing me today."
Kurenai's body jolted, and she came to a halt.
"The Uchiha were nearly wiped out. If I had remained in Konoha, I would be just another one of those hundreds of corpses," Raizen continued, his voice heavy. "Would you have wanted me to stay for you... only to die?"
His tone softened, becoming deeply emotional. "Kurenai, I have always known your feelings. It wasn't that I didn't love you; it was that I couldn't. I couldn't let you wander with me in exile and suffering. In Konoha, you could live a stable, worry-free life. I couldn't force you into a life of displacement with no roof over your head."
"Why didn't you tell me? I could have done it!" Kurenai turned back, her eyes red with tears. "I could have followed you anywhere. As long as you were by my side, I didn't care where we went!"
Raizen walked toward her slowly. "But I didn't want that. I didn't want you to suffer, to face the wind and rain, sleeping in the wild."
"Then now that you're back... why didn't you come find me first? Why did you post that kind of mission?" Hearing that it wasn't a lack of affection, the grievance in Kurenai's heart began to dissipate, bit by bit.
Raizen spoke with an air of righteous resolve. "Kurenai, you must understand. For the sake of the Uchiha, I had no choice but to resort to this. I knew you wouldn't accept me like this, which is why I didn't seek you out."
"If you don't ask, how would you know I wouldn't accept it?" Kurenai asked tentatively.
Raizen's eyes lit up. "Kurenai, you... you can accept this?"
Kurenai felt her mind go into a whirl. "Give me... give me some time to think."
Knowing that Raizen loved her made her incredibly happy, but the "Seeking Heirs" mission meant he was destined to be entangled with many women. This realization left her deeply hesitant.
Raizen nodded. "I'll wait for your answer."
"This time... how long are you staying?" she asked. Now that his feelings were clear, the light was returning to her eyes.
"I'm not leaving again. I'm staying in Konoha to rebuild the clan."
Raizen stepped close to Kurenai and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Let's walk together for a bit."
"Mhm."
The Hokage Building
In the Hokage's office, Danzo Shimura sat opposite Hiruzen Sarutobi, his expression dark and cold.
"Hiruzen, why are you allowing a wicked element like Uchiha Raizen to remain in the village?" Danzo hissed.
"Danzo, did I not order you to stay in confinement? You dare to come out on your own?" Hiruzen frowned.
Following the Uchiha incident, Hiruzen had technically disbanded Danzo's "ROOT" and ordered him to reflect in isolation. Of course, the ambitious Danzo had no intention of listening. ROOT had simply gone further underground, and the "confinement" was meaningless to him.
"Don't be naive, Hiruzen. All Uchiha are inherently evil. Leaving him alive will bring nothing but endless calamity," Danzo said, ignoring Hiruzen's question.
"Danzo, I am the Hokage of this village," Hiruzen snapped.
In their youth, the two had been close partners, but now, Danzo's ambition was becoming bloated and uncontrollable.
"Hmph. Hiruzen, if you don't heed my words, you will regret it," Danzo sneered. "Don't forget, you also gave your silent approval to the plan to suppress the Uchiha. If Uchiha Raizen finds out you were one of the masterminds, what do you think he will do?"
Hiruzen's voice turned sharp. "Danzo, I authorized you to eliminate the conspirators of the coup. I did not authorize the slaughter of defenseless women, children, and the elderly."
Danzo let out a dark, mocking laugh. "Heh heh heh... Hiruzen, at this stage, your words are hollow. The Uchiha are an evil race. Wiping them out was the only way to ensure Konoha's safety."
"I am warning you, Danzo. Do not touch Uchiha Raizen. Do not forget, he is Itachi's uncle. He left the clan years ago and had no part in the coup. Itachi spared him for a reason—he wants his uncle to live. If you move against Raizen, can you guarantee Itachi won't leak the truth of that night? He holds many of your secrets in his hands."
"Hmph!" Danzo swept his sleeve back. "You will regret this, Hiruzen." He turned and marched out of the room, his face masked in shadow.
"Sigh... Uchiha Raizen, you really are a handful," Hiruzen muttered. "I hope Danzo stays away. If Itachi reacts, things will get messy. But for now, I have an even bigger problem."
Hiruzen looked at the mountain of paperwork on his desk. He had expected the mission to cause a stir, but not a full-blown riot. A stack of mission applications—taller than he was—sat before him. Every single one was a request to accept Raizen's "Seeking Heirs" mission.
The sheer volume was staggering. Just sorting through them would take forever, let alone individual approvals.
"Sigh!"
Hiruzen was weary. He was getting old, and his stamina wasn't what it used to be. Between the paperwork and Danzo's shadow games, the workload was becoming unbearable.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
Shikaku Nara entered the office carrying a file.
Hiruzen continued flipping through an application. "What is it, Shikaku?"
Shikaku placed the file on the desk. "Lord Third, we've captured a spy from the Hidden Mist. Here is the transcript from the Interrogation Department."
Hiruzen stopped and picked up the report. After a moment, he frowned. "The Mist is still obsessed with stealing the Hyūga's Byakugan?"
"They obtained one eye during the Third War; they want a matching pair," Shikaku explained. "They are also trying to uncover the truth behind the Uchiha massacre. They're hoping to steal Uchiha corpses to study the eyes."
The Uchiha eyes? Hiruzen thought. There are no eyes left. Danzo took everything useful, and the rest were destroyed according to regulation.
"Lock the spy up and continue digging for Mist intelligence. I have a lot to review, you may go."
Shikaku glanced at the application in Hiruzen's hand, then at the massive pile on the desk. His eyes widened in disbelief. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke up. "Lord Third, Uchiha Raizen's mission is unique. You could handle it... differently."
"Differently?" Hiruzen looked up, curious.
"There's really no need for you to review these personally," Shikaku suggested. "It's not a mission that impacts village security. You could simply let Uchiha Raizen choose for himself. Since he's the one who has to select the candidates anyway, why not let him handle the screening? It would significantly reduce your workload."
Hiruzen's eyes lit up. "You're right! Why am I stressing over this? Let him choose, and we'll just take the processing fees. With such high rewards, even a 20% village commission would be a massive boost to our finances. In fact, this mission is a godsend for the village treasury!"
Hiruzen beamed at Shikaku. "We must support this fully! By the way, Shikaku, don't you have a younger sister who isn't married yet? Perhaps you should send her to Raizen."
"What?!" Shikaku's eyes went wide. He hadn't expected the gossip to turn back on him so quickly.