"So it's like that, huh? The Third Hokage really is getting old."
Fugaku's voice was calm, with no change in tone, but the sneer curling his lips betrayed his disdain.
"If I were Hiashi, I'd be thoroughly disappointed in the Hokage too."
After listening to everything that had transpired the previous night, Fugaku's reaction was devoid of surprise. To him, it was simply another example of how Sarutobi Hiruzen chose to sacrifice the village's own interests to appease foreign powers.
"Exactly!" Andrew added with a smirk. "You should've seen Hiashi's expression. If he wasn't restrained by status and power, I think he'd have slapped the Hokage right across the face."
Andrew hadn't originally planned to provoke conflict between the Hyuga clan and the Hokage's faction. His intention had simply been to create an incident using the Jinchūriki, preventing the Cloud Village from forcing Hizashi to his death. In doing so, he could build goodwill with the Hyuga and leverage it to reduce Konoha's surveillance of the Uchiha. The schism between Hyuga and the Hokage came as an unexpected bonus.
"Even though Hiashi didn't say much last night, I'd wager he'll reach out to us Uchiha before long," Fugaku remarked, his lips curled in amusement.
On paper, the Uchiha and Hyuga were rivals. But in reality, the relationship between the two clans—and even between their two heads—wasn't hostile. The tensions were mostly a result of the village's political pressure, not genuine animosity.
Now, with the Hyuga falling out with the Hokage, that pressure had shifted. Even though the fault clearly lay with the Hokage, the village elders wouldn't see it that way. If Hyuga wanted to avoid becoming another scapegoat, they needed allies—and the Uchiha were the most natural, if controversial, choice.
Just as Fugaku finished speaking, a messenger arrived, handing over a scroll.
"Patriarch, the Hyuga have sent an invitation."
Fugaku chuckled. "Fast, as expected."
The contents of the message were clear: the Shimura clan was looking to negotiate a private peace with the Uchiha and had enlisted the Hyuga as mediators.
"It's a formality," Fugaku said to Andrew, placing the scroll on his desk. "Everyone knows the intermediary role is just an excuse. Two clans meeting face-to-face like this without an official reason would raise red flags."
After all, powerful families like Uchiha and Hyuga couldn't openly form alliances without stirring the suspicion of the village council. The intermediary arrangement provided plausible deniability.
"Hyuga's face is worth saving," Andrew muttered, "but the Shimura clan? They can go rot."
He understood that Fugaku was subtly probing his stance on whether to make peace with Danzo's clan. But to Andrew, the idea was revolting. The Shimura had been complicit in Uchiha's suffering, some of them even worse than Sarutobi's people. Now that they were being targeted, they came crawling for peace?
"When Uchiha was cornered, they danced on our backs. Now that it's their turn, they want to play nice?" Andrew's expression turned cold. "They can dream."
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat at his desk, the creases on his aged face deeper than ever. His paperwork lay untouched.
"Lord Hokage," a masked Anbu reported, "the missing surveillance team has returned. They're physically unharmed, but... mentally unstable. Likely under genjutsu."
Sarutobi closed his eyes for a moment, exhaled, and replied hoarsely:
"Call off all Uchiha surveillance. Withdraw both the overt and covert operatives. And tell Danzo to keep his people far from the Uchiha."
Even though Root had been disbanded in name, everyone knew the truth. Root didn't need official status to function. As long as Danzo lived, Root lived.
And while Danzo had seemingly gone quiet, nothing had changed. The core agents—loyal only to him—remained under his control. Not even the Hokage could command them.
In truth, Hiruzen had never truly intended to dismantle Root. Its existence gave him political leverage, and without it, he lost one of his key tools in navigating Konoha's dangerous internal politics.
But after the three Mangekyō wielders emerged from the Uchiha, there had been no choice but to play along with Itachi's demand and remove Danzo's title. The formal disbandment followed soon after.
Still, the personnel remained where they were, and Danzo's influence persisted.
"Hiruzen," said Utatane Koharu sternly, "is it really wise to remove all surveillance? Uchiha is entirely outside our control now!"
"That surveillance order was from Tobirama-sama himself!" Homura added, frowning.
Hiruzen's voice was cold and tired. "Then what do you suggest? That we continue pushing until they retaliate? The Uchiha of today are not what they once were. And we... we no longer have the strength or will to keep up the fight."
The elders fell silent. The real blow hadn't just been political—the village's unity was cracking. Word of the Cloud Jinchūriki incident had spread quickly.
More troublingly, even among ninja allied with the Hokage's faction, whispers of dissent had begun to circulate. It was clear: trust in Hiruzen was eroding.
He clenched his fist in frustration.
"Everything I've done has been for peace, for the village. How did it come to this?"
Elsewhere, Andrew was walking through a quiet forest path when he spotted Shisui, leaning calmly against a tree.
"How did it go?" Andrew asked.
Shisui shook his head with a regretful smile.
"No luck. Illusions don't work on Jinchūriki unless I use Kotoamatsukami."
After the incident the night before, Andrew had sent Shisui to track the retreating Wooden Golem.
The goal? To test a theory.
Andrew had recalled how Obito had successfully manipulated Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage and a full Jinchūriki. If Obito could secretly control a tailed beast host, then maybe Andrew could too. It would be a significant card to hold.
But despite Shisui's powerful genjutsu, the effort had failed.
"I even pushed my Sharingan's ability a little," Shisui added, "but no effect. Seems like Jinchūriki really are resistant to genjutsu... unless you use a forbidden-level technique."
Andrew fell silent, disappointed but thoughtful.
Even someone as skilled as Shisui couldn't break through. It wasn't about illusion proficiency—it was the nature of the Jinchūriki's bond with the tailed beast, their willpower, and their unique chakra.
But if that's the case…
How did Obito manage to control Yagura, the Three-Tails' host, for so long without anyone realizing?
It was a mystery that had long nagged at him, and still had no answer.
Was it the power of his Mangekyō? His unique chakra? Or had he done something that no one else knew?
Even Shisui couldn't answer.
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