"Listening to him won't help. There's no other way now."
Seeing that Sarutobi Hiruzen was about to ask Shisui something, Danzo quickly cut in.
The Uchiha issue needed to be resolved as soon as possible. Shisui was an Uchiha himself, so he would definitely try to delay things and play both sides.
They couldn't let him control the conversation now.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was well aware of Danzo's desire for the Sharingan.
But after all, this was about an entire clan, not just one or two people.
Danzo could secretly make a move and distance himself from it.
But Hiruzen was the Hokage—whatever he said would officially represent the village's stance.
If this matter was handled unfairly or too aggressively, it would definitely stir up a lot of resentment.
If there was a peaceful way to resolve the Uchiha problem, that would be ideal.
After thinking for a moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't even look at Danzo and spoke directly to Shisui.
"Tell me what you plan to do."
Shisui looked at the four people in front of him, without hesitation or personal motives.
"I'll use my Mangekyou Sharingan."
Everyone was stunned.
They all knew the Uchiha clan produced many geniuses.
But someone this young already awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan? No matter how talented he was, this was extremely rare.
Shisui had already made a name for himself in the Third Great Ninja War.
But because he was so young, no one had ever considered that he might have awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan.
Danzo, instead of objecting as fiercely as before, fell silent as he watched Shisui kneeling before them.
"Are you sure about this?"
"From now on, you'll carry the burden of putting your own clan under Genjutsu."
Shisui lowered his head and answered without hesitation.
No matter how much blame he had to bear.
This was the only way to sacrifice himself alone in order to protect the clan.
"Then go ahead and try."
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a helpless sigh and nodded in approval.
"But you're allowed to change your mind. We still have time to explore other options."
Danzo frowned deeply, his dark, piercing eyes fixed on Shisui, filled with a brewing storm of shadowy thoughts.
Still… time?
As Shisui stepped out of the Hokage building, he let out a long breath.
He quickly jumped onto a nearby rooftop and rushed back toward the Uchiha compound.
Behind him, the sun had completely sunk below the horizon, its last light fading away as the dark night sky swiftly chased after his shadow.
For the next half a month, nothing happened.
Life in the village remained the same.
A few days ago, Tenzo had moved back into the Anbu dorms.
After all, common sense was something you only needed a basic grasp of—when it came to using it, wasn't it better to experience things with the people around you?
The scent of food drifted through the Hatake house as Hatake Satoru spit out the mouthwash in his mouth.
The first time Tenzo had tasted Satoru's cooking, he had been genuinely surprised.
After all, Satoru lived like he was made of pure sugar.
It was almost like how plants could survive through photosynthesis—Hatake Satoru could survive by eating sweets alone.
"You really don't look like someone who can cook actual food."
"And I've never seen you cook before."
Grinning, Hatake Satoru poked open his omelet rice, revealing the colorful fried rice inside.
The rising steam blurred his face slightly.
"That's just your bias. Basic survival skills like cooking are a must for a single man."
"You never asked if I could cook, did you?"
Tenzo couldn't help but frown and comment,
"Apart from your personality, you're really just a perfect ordinary guy."
Hatake Satoru slid open the wooden door, only to find a massive brown python blocking the entrance, slowly sinking into the ground.
Its head alone was as long as his sliding door.
Golden slit-like pupils darted around, scanning the area as if inspecting something. The moment Satoru opened the door, the snake locked onto him, flicking its red tongue.
Standing on the giant snake's head was a man with long black hair, dressed in a Konohagakure jonin uniform.
Satoru had opened the door so suddenly that the snake stopped sinking on the spot.
The two stared at each other in silence for a couple of seconds. Before the man could speak, Satoru frowned and shook his head in annoyance.
"Did I finally get what I deserve for being such a terrible person?"
"Hold on, let me lock the door first."
Even Orochimaru, who stood on the snake's head, was caught off guard by Satoru's calm reaction.
After all, he was a rogue ninja. Coming back to Konoha was risky for him.
Right now, Konoha was at odds with the Uchiha clan, but if they found out Orochimaru was here, they would put aside their differences and immediately unite against him.
To avoid that, Orochimaru had spent nearly a month preparing so he could find Hatake Satoru without alerting anyone.
He also took the opportunity to snatch some sealed records on Sharingan and Wood Release users.
Orochimaru was only stunned for a brief moment before he let out a raspy, crow-like chuckle.
"How interesting, Satoru-kun. Most people wouldn't react like this when seeing my giant snake."
"Let me see your abilities for myself!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Orochimaru leaped off the snake's head.
The massive brown python, as if receiving a command, stirred up a violent gust of wind and lunged straight for Satoru's back.
Its gaping jaws snapped forward, and its flickering tongue was just about to wrap around his waist.
"My house is mostly made of wood, you know. If this wind gets any worse, repairing the damage is going to be a real pain."
Satoru tossed his keys into the air, then pressed a single hand firmly against the snake's head, stopping its overwhelming charge in its tracks.
With a thunderous crash, a shockwave erupted outward from the impact between man and beast!
The wooden porch beneath Satoru's feet instantly splintered with a loud crack, and the scattered wood fragments were sent flying by the shockwave.