"Phew…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath and began to speak:
"Miss Hikari, what I'm about to say might upset you, but please hear me out."
"You might think that, as one of the clans that helped found Konoha, the Uchiha have been treated unfairly. But there's a reason for it."
"The previous Hokage, my late mentor Senju Tobirama-sama, dealt with the Uchiha Clan for years. He realized that the Uchiha are the clan most capable of feeling love—nobody loves more deeply than they do. But when that love is lost, it's replaced by an even stronger hatred, completely changing who they are…"
"The Sharingan makes the Uchiha grow stronger quickly, but it also amplifies the hatred in their hearts, day by day, until they're consumed by darkness… just like Uchiha Madara back then."
"You, as a possessor of the Mangekyō Sharingan, should understand what I'm talking about…"
"…"
As Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke, Uchiha Hikari's face remained unreadable, like still water.
Of course, she knew about Senju Tobirama's research findings.
But she hadn't expected the Third Hokage to bring it up as a justification for Konoha's treatment of the Uchiha.
How should she put it…
Tobirama's research had *some* truth to it.
The proportion of extremists among the Uchiha wasn't high, but those extremists were often terrifyingly powerful.
And the crazier they got, the stronger they became—
Take Obito, the most unhinged of them all: he awakened his Sharingan at two tomoe, and the next time he activated it, he jumped straight to Mangekyō… sacrificing all rationality for the ridiculously overpowered Kamui ability, even more broken than the Flying Thunder God.
On the other hand, Sasuke, the one with the strongest mental resilience, only awakened a single tomoe after his clan was slaughtered. Even after his brother forced him to relive their parents' deaths on a 24-hour mental loop, he still didn't unlock the Mangekyō. When he finally did, his ability was just Amaterasu—barely stronger than a fancy Great Fireball Jutsu…
But…
That's about where the truth in Tobirama's research ended.
"Let me ask you something, Sarutobi-brat," Uchiha Hikari interrupted. "Are Orochimaru and Shimura Danzō part of the Uchiha Clan?"
"Huh?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen froze, not quite catching her point.
"Those two aren't Uchiha. In fact, they were handpicked and trained by two of Konoha's Hokage, yet both went down dark paths. So, does that mean the teachings of the Hokage also make people more likely to be 'consumed by darkness'?"
"?!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen opened his mouth to argue but hesitated. "Orochimaru… he's a failure, I admit. I was too busy with my duties and missed the changes in him. But Danzō… he's always acted for Konoha's sake, even if his methods were a bit extreme…"
"Pfft!"
Uchiha Hikari couldn't help but laugh. "You might fool others with that, but don't fool yourself.
'For Konoha's sake'? You mean cowering during the Nine-Tails attack, then jumping out to spew nonsense afterward? Or, as a Konoha elder, kidnapping village ninja and civilians for human experiments? Keeping in touch with Orochimaru after he defected? Secretly collecting the eyes of Uchiha who died in the war, cultivating Mokuton bloodlines in the shadows, and even plotting to assassinate *you*?"
As for colluding with Hanzo of the Salamander to wipe out the Akatsuki, which ended up creating Pain's Six Paths…
Uchiha Hikari didn't even bother mentioning it.
"Failing to judge people's character is a lack of ability. But refusing to admit the problem when it's staring you in the face? That's just pathetic hypocrisy."
"By your logic, I should be the Uchiha most consumed by 'darkness,' right? So tell me… why are you still alive, sitting here talking to me?"
—This argument was a bit of a cheat, honestly. Hikari was an outlier. In the original storyline, she'd have been a boss-level nutcase on par with Obito. But the old man across from her didn't know that, so a little bluffing wouldn't hurt.
"If you can't solve a problem, you just eliminate the people who *might* cause it. Is that what your precious mentor taught you and Danzō-brat?"
"…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent for a long time before replying hesitantly, "What you're saying makes sense, but…"
"But what?"
"…"
He stammered for a while, unable to come up with anything solid, and finally changed tack. "Perhaps our understanding of the Uchiha Clan isn't entirely accurate. But it's a fact that the Sharingan's power can spiral out of control. So, regarding your demands—expanding the Police Force's roster, increasing their authority, and allowing more Uchiha into the Anbu—I think we need to be cautious. We'd need a strict, mutually agreed-upon screening process…"
"The Police Force's roster?"
Uchiha Hikari paused, then realized—this must be something Fugaku proposed?
She hadn't discussed any of this with Fugaku, but from Sarutobi's tone, it seemed like he assumed she was the one pulling the strings.
If Konoha wanted to think that way…
Fine. I'll be the mastermind behind the Uchiha Clan!
"Alright," she said.
"But I'm adding one more demand."
Uchiha Hikari locked eyes with Sarutobi Hiruzen and spoke slowly: "Open pathways for Uchiha to serve as team-leading Jōnin and instructors at the Ninja Academy. Allow them to take missions outside the village. In exchange, permit members of other Konoha clans to join the Police Force, with quotas and candidates subject to a three-party review.
"You said it yourself—the Uchiha are the clan most capable of feeling love. But right now, most Uchiha are confined to the Police Force, so the only people they love are their own clan. If they can interact with other clans, build friendships and bonds, their love will extend to the entire village, won't it?"
The real intent behind this demand was…
Only by interacting with other clans and forming emotional and mutual interests could the Uchiha build alliances and gain the leverage to compete for the position of Hokage.
Unlike now, where the Uchiha were just a bunch of self-important loners who could be wiped out without anyone caring.
—Danzō's exit didn't mean the Uchiha's extinction crisis was over.
Because aside from Danzō, there was another key figure tied to the clan's destruction: Obito, still lurking somewhere out there. With his ambitions, he'd never let the Uchiha live in peace.
Hikari hadn't wanted to get involved with the Uchiha before—not just because they were too weak to carry their weight, but also because of threats like Obito and Black Zetsu.
Getting targeted by those creeps was a massive headache.
But now…
She'd changed her mind.
**(End of Chapter)**