Chapter 3: Hiruzen Sarutobi's Reaction
After Uchiha Douhuan left, Uchiha Shisui didn't even bother implanting the replacement eyes Douhuan had given him. Instead, he immediately rushed toward the Hokage's office as fast as he could.
Although Douhuan had claimed that he wouldn't use Shisui's eyes to control the Hokage, Shisui couldn't take that risk.
At the very least, I must warn the Hokage.
With this thought in mind, Shisui endured the excruciating pain in his empty eye sockets and stumbled his way to the front of the Hokage building.
"Uchiha Shisui?!"
The two Chunin guards at the entrance were shocked when they recognized him. After all, this was Shunshin no Shisui, the famed Body Flicker master. How had he ended up in such a dire state?
"I need to see the Hokage! Immediately!" Shisui urged.
"What happened?"
Hearing the commotion, Hiruzen Sarutobi emerged from his office. The moment he saw Shisui's empty eye sockets, his expression turned grim. He had sent Shisui to observe the Uchiha clan's meeting tonight. Did this mean the Uchiha had officially begun their rebellion?
"Shisui! Quick, call for a medic-nin!" Hiruzen ordered.
"Hokage-sama, I have urgent information to report. The medical treatment can wait!" Shisui insisted upon hearing Hiruzen's voice.
"...Very well."
Seeing the desperation in Shisui's face, Hiruzen led him into the office and dismissed everyone else.
"Speak, Shisui. What happened?"
Taking a deep breath, Shisui recounted everything that had transpired that night, including how Douhuan had taken his Mangekyō Sharingan and the ability it possessed. He did not hide anything.
The more Hiruzen listened, the more his expression darkened.
Truthfully, he had already prepared himself for the possibility of the Uchiha clan launching a rebellion. But the intelligence Shisui had brought was far more serious than he had anticipated.
"Douhuan…?"
Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe, exhaling a thick plume of smoke as his mind conjured an image of Uchiha Douhuan.
In Hiruzen's memory, Douhuan, though renowned alongside Shisui, had never displayed the arrogance typical of most Uchiha. He was more reclusive than Shisui and wasn't fond of talking, but his "smiling law enforcement" policy in the Konoha Police Force had won the villagers' favor. His efforts had greatly improved relations between the Uchiha and the village.
Because of this, Hiruzen had thought Douhuan was similar to his late friend Uchiha Kagami, a rare Uchiha who embodied the Will of Fire.
But now, it seemed that Douhuan had been hiding something all along.
And now, in his hands, were not just one but two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Hokage-sama, you must be careful! Don't give Douhuan any opportunity to act!" Shisui warned urgently.
"I understand, Shisui. Do not worry—things have not reached the worst possible outcome yet."
Hiruzen took another deep puff of his pipe and reassured Shisui.
"For now, go and have your new eyes implanted."
"Hokage-sama!" Shisui protested.
"Even if he uses your eyes to try and control me, his plan will not succeed." Hiruzen placed a firm hand on Shisui's shoulder.
"Shisui, you must understand—a Hokage is Hokage because the village believes in the Will of Fire. If he thinks controlling me means controlling Konoha, then he is gravely mistaken."
His words struck a deep chord in Shisui, who felt his throat tighten.
"I understand, Hokage-sama! I will do everything I can to stop him!"
---
After Shisui left for his eye surgery, a shadow emerged from the corner of the Hokage's office.
Leaning on a cane, Shimura Danzo stepped forward.
"Hiruzen, what are you waiting for?!" Danzo snapped. Seeing Hiruzen seated in silence, he grew more agitated. "Do you want to become that cursed Uchiha brat's puppet?"
"Danzo, calm yourself." Hiruzen lifted his gaze toward his old comrade. "We are not at that point yet."
"Douhuan has clearly been planning his rebellion for a long time! If we hesitate now, it'll be too late!" Danzo growled. "And what of the other Uchiha? Once they learn that one of their own has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, they may start their rebellion tonight! We must act first! We must capture Douhuan before it's too late!"
"Enough, Danzo! I am the Hokage!" Hiruzen's sharp voice rang through the office.
Danzo clenched his jaw.
"You will regret this, Hiruzen."
Bang!
Danzo stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe and looked out at the village lights twinkling in the night.
He knew Danzo would act on his own.
Danzo would undoubtedly send his forces to assassinate Uchiha Douhuan in secret.
And Hiruzen had no intention of stopping him.
If Danzo succeeded, then all would be well.
If he failed, it would be Danzo's responsibility alone—it would not implicate Hiruzen himself. This was the unspoken understanding between the two of them.
"What a troublesome time this is," Hiruzen sighed, watching the smoke swirl around his office.
---
The Next Morning
As the sun rose, Uchiha Douhuan awoke as usual.
After a brief morning routine, he made his way to the Konoha Police Force headquarters for work.
However, before he could even take his seat in his office, the captain of the police force and clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, walked in with a serious expression.
"Douhuan, prepare yourself. There's an urgent mission from the village. You, Inaho, and Saito will be heading out together. You're in charge of the team."
"I understand," Douhuan nodded. He wasn't surprised by this development—only that it had come a bit sooner than expected.
"The Hokage's side couldn't even wait?"
After Fugaku left, Douhuan unsheathed his blade, gazing at his reflection on the cold steel.
Sliding the sword back into its sheath, he grabbed his gear and met his two teammates at the entrance of the police force headquarters.
Uchiha Inaho and Uchiha Saito—two of the younger generation's more promising clan members. While their skills paled in comparison to Shisui's or Douhuan's, they were both Chunin under the age of 20 and had already awakened their two-tomoe Sharingan.
However, like many Uchiha, their minds were filled only with pride for their clan.
Because of this, they had always been critical of Douhuan's "soft" approach to law enforcement.
Still, with a mission at hand, they gave a standard salute when they saw him.
Douhuan nodded.
"Let's move out."
---