Inside Uchiha Fugaku's study, three people sat facing each other—
Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Ren, and Uchiha Shisui.
Although Fugaku's face remained expressionless, his wandering gaze revealed his unease. Clearly, he was still worried about Uchiha Itachi.
Seeing this, Ren spoke first.
"Clan Head, even if you want to change things, it can't happen overnight."
"Itachi is only five years old. There's still time."
"Let's wait for the results of his medical examination before making any decisions."
"Itachi?" Shisui blinked in surprise. "Did something happen to his health?"
Ren shook his head and briefly repeated the conversation he had just had with Fugaku.
"Is it really that serious?" Shisui frowned slightly after hearing it.
"Still… Itachi does seem unusually thoughtful."
"He really doesn't act like a five-year-old."
Ren snorted.
"And you're the one saying that?"
"Your situation isn't much better than Itachi's."
Shisui was only twelve years old, yet he had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, and his combat ability had reached the Kage-level threshold.
If one were to talk about genius—
Who could surpass Uchiha Shisui?
And if one were to talk about overexertion—
Compared to Shisui, Itachi was practically a beginner.
As for early maturity…
Much of Itachi's development had actually been influenced by Shisui's guidance.
So in Ren's opinion, Shisui had no right to criticize Itachi.
Shisui gave an awkward smile and wisely chose not to respond.
Still, Ren added one more warning.
"You're already like this, so there's no point saying much more."
"I only have one request."
"Try not to use those eyes of yours unless absolutely necessary."
"The Mangekyō Sharingan may have allowed you to step into Kage-level territory, but your physical condition is your biggest weakness."
"It's like letting a child swing a giant hammer."
"Eventually, the body will collapse under the strain."
"What you need most right now is to strengthen your body."
Although the Mangekyō allowed Shisui to fight opponents at the Kage level, his actual physical stats—
strength, speed, stamina, reflexes, chakra reserves—
were only around the level of a Tokubetsu Jōnin (Special Jōnin).
After all, he was still only twelve years old.
His body had not yet fully matured.
Shisui nodded solemnly.
"Don't worry, Brother Ren."
"The war is basically over now."
"Not just the Mangekyō—even my three-tomoe Sharingan will be used carefully."
Shisui clearly understood that his body could not yet support the burden of those eyes.
He had already planned to spend the next few years focusing on physical development.
"Alright," Fugaku said after finally regaining his composure.
"Let's leave the discussion about eyes and health here."
"It's time to talk about the real issue."
Ren also refocused.
"Go ahead."
"What exactly do Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others want?"
Fugaku replied,
"The Third Hokage said the village's finances are extremely tight recently."
"Many areas are operating at a deficit."
"So the village hopes to temporarily suspend the pension payments and rewards owed to the Uchiha Clan."
"As compensation…"
"He's willing to approve two positions in ANBU for the clan."
Ren frowned slightly.
Shisui, meanwhile, looked thoughtful.
Fugaku continued,
"In this war, the Uchiha Clan lost sixty-eight people."
"To be honest, the pension money involved isn't a huge amount."
"Even if the village doesn't pay it, the clan can afford to cover it ourselves."
"As for the rewards, we could compensate our people using clan resources—ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu."
"But two ANBU positions are extremely rare opportunities."
"This is the closest the Uchiha Clan has ever come to entering the village's central power structure."
"And we'd even be the ones proposing the gesture."
"It would allow us to demonstrate the Uchiha Clan's generosity in front of the village."
"It could help improve our relationship with the villagers."
"That's a rare opportunity."
"If you hadn't repeatedly warned me before…"
"I might have agreed on the spot."
A trace of disdain flickered through Ren's eyes as he looked at Fugaku.
However, instead of responding immediately, he turned to Shisui.
"Shisui."
"What do you think?"
Shisui hesitated.
"I feel like there's definitely a problem…"
"But I can't quite pinpoint what it is."
Under Ren's guidance over the past few years, Shisui had already grown far beyond the naïve boy he once was.
Still, he was only twelve.
His experience and perspective were naturally limited.
It was normal that he couldn't see the full picture.
Fugaku frowned slightly.
He had clearly noticed the emotion in Ren's eyes earlier, and it made him uncomfortable.
"You two might be overthinking things," he said.
"The village's financial difficulties are obvious to everyone."
"There are indeed many areas where expenses exceed income."
"In such circumstances, it's reasonable for the Third Hokage to show goodwill toward the Uchiha Clan to keep relations stable."
Ren sneered.
"First of all, the village's finances are indeed strained."
"But Konoha just received war reparations from Kumogakure."
"So the situation isn't nearly as bad as you imagine."
"And you said it yourself."
"The Uchiha Clan's pension payments aren't a huge sum."
"The rewards could also be replaced with ninjutsu resources."
"Do you really think Konoha's ninjutsu reserves are smaller than those of the Uchiha Clan?"
"So clearly—"
"The Third Hokage's real objective isn't the money."
Fugaku finally began to realize the issue.
His expression grew serious.
"Then what is their real objective?"
Ren snorted coldly.
"Looking only at the Uchiha Clan, the pensions aren't a big amount."
"After all, compared to other clans and civilian shinobi, the Uchiha suffered relatively fewer casualties."
"But if you include every shinobi who died across all battlefields…"
"The pensions the village must pay become an astronomical figure."
"To cover that cost, the village would need to tighten spending everywhere and reallocate resources from other departments."
Fugaku frowned again.
"I understand that."
"But what does that have to do with the Uchiha Clan?"
"If we refuse the money, doesn't that simply mean more funds will go to the other families?"
"That's not how the accounting works," Ren said, shaking his head.
Then he asked calmly,
"Have you ever heard the story of Zigong Redeeming the Captives?"
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