Trying to reason with a woman was meaningless.
Uchiha Kuro realized that once again.
Though… there was one upside.
In situations like this—
the man never really loses.
"Don't think that just because I made a mistake, you can assume anything will continue between us!"
Kurenai tried to look fierce, but her face was burning red with embarrassment.
"Let me tell you—nothing happened last night!"
"If you dare tell anyone about it, you're dead!"
Her eyes widened as if she could glare him to death.
Uchiha Kuro: "..."
Miss, I'm the victim here, okay?
You were the one who jumped on me!
"…You're completely different from last night," Uchiha Kuro muttered under his breath.
"What did you say?!" Kurenai snapped.
"I said you're absolutely right. Nothing happened last night. I just happened to pass by your house…"
Only then did Kurenai calm down slightly. She nodded.
"Since you know you just passed by, then hurry up and leave."
…You weren't saying that last night.
So now it's "deny everything after the fact," huh?
Fine.
I'll go.
Uchiha Kuro began getting dressed.
"Wait."
"What now?"
Kurenai gritted her teeth and warned him:
"Be careful when you leave. Don't let anyone see you… If someone finds out, you're dead!"
Uchiha Kuro: "..."
…
Despite how unexpected the whole situation was—
Uchiha Kuro didn't really mind.
After all—
he didn't lose anything.
As for Kurenai, he didn't think too deeply about it.
Unlike the Mitarashi clan, the Yuhi clan hadn't fallen into decline.
On the contrary, as a loyal faction under the Hokage, they weren't lacking in money.
They also had a decent accumulation of ninjutsu—especially genjutsu.
Uchiha Kuro had always been straightforward:
He only sought women who were willing to accept his situation and bear children for him.
And clearly—
Kurenai didn't fit that category.
She had money.
She had talent.
And more importantly—
She was independent.
A modern woman who didn't want to become a man's accessory.
So—
Last night had just been an accident.
When leaving, Uchiha Kuro followed her instructions, carefully concealing his presence and slipping away unnoticed.
With his current strength—already comparable to a jōnin—
that wasn't difficult.
Though…
"…Kurenai really does have quite the figure."
…
Hokage Building
"Hiruzen! Look at what the Uchiha are doing!"
Danzo Shimura roared in anger.
"They actually hired outside ninja to protect their clan! Is that acceptable?"
"They're supposed to be Konoha's greatest clan! Even if they lack manpower, they should hire our ninja!"
"How can they hire outsiders?!"
He was referring to Uchiha Kuro hiring Kakuzu.
Uchiha Kuro hadn't hidden this matter at all.
After all, Konoha had official procedures allowing outsiders to stay in the village.
There was no strict rule forbidding other ninja from entering—
as long as they weren't wanted criminals.
…Well.
Kakuzu was a wanted criminal.
An S-rank missing-nin from Takigakure.
But disguises existed.
Naturally, the process wasn't entirely simple—but with the Uchiha clan vouching for him, things weren't truly obstructed.
"…He probably doesn't trust the village anymore."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag from his pipe.
"He may have guessed something… perhaps that Itachi's massacre had connections to certain people within the village."
Even Sasuke, who only grew up in Konoha, eventually realized—
Itachi alone couldn't have wiped out the entire clan.
So how could Uchiha Kuro, an adult ninja, not notice the clues?
In fact—
many of the major clans already understood the truth.
Otherwise, Hiruzen wouldn't have immediately stripped Danzo of authority after the massacre.
"We should eliminate them completely," Danzo said coldly.
"The truth about the Uchiha must never be exposed."
"What if Uchiha Kuro is hiding his strength? He could become a threat!"
"The Uchiha possess the potential for the Mangekyō!"
"No," Hiruzen shook his head firmly.
"We've seen his records. He's mediocre—nothing suggests he could awaken the Mangekyō."
"And if he truly knew the truth, would he act so openly?"
"Wouldn't he pretend ignorance and quietly build strength instead?"
Hiruzen looked down at Uchiha Kuro's report, a faint sneer forming.
"Besides… this Uchiha clan leader is quite busy."
"Many female ninja have already joined the Uchiha. He can play groom every day and change brides every night…"
"…Ahem. Disgraceful."
Danzo understood this too.
Uchiha Kuro's indulgent lifestyle clearly showed—
he had abandoned the pursuit of strength.
He lacked the pride of a true Uchiha.
Hiring outsiders only proved—
he suspected some people…
perhaps even Danzo himself.
But still—
"That's still the Uchiha," Danzo's eyes burned with hostility.
"Only dead Uchiha are good Uchiha."
"The Uchiha clan should not exist in this world."
"Hiruzen, if you won't act—then I will."
"I will bear Konoha's darkness."
And so—
Root began to move.