Danzō and the others, though unwilling, once again attempted to push for the Uchiha clan to be deployed to the battlefield.
The moment those words were spoken—
Fugaku Uchiha and the rest immediately erupted in anger.
"What kind of joke is this?!"
"Every Uchiha who should be on the battlefield is already there! How much manpower do we even have left?"
"Do you want the Uchiha wiped out entirely?!"
Fugaku's voice rang with defiance.
Hiruzen Sarutobi raised a hand, once again resorting to his familiar conciliatory tone.
"Shuoye… you are the head of the Uchiha clan, and a pillar of the Hidden Leaf Village."
"For the village's future—what is your view?"
At that very moment—
A cold system notification rang in Shuoye's mind.
[Ding! Choice Triggered!]
1 Agree to go to the battlefield — Reward: Max-Level Comprehension
2 Pretend to go to war, then defect to another village — Reward: Random Devil Fruit
3 Refuse deployment — Reward: Observation Haki
"Choice 1."
There was not a hint of hesitation.
Max-Level Comprehension.
This was the first time he had encountered such a reward.
With it, he could begin studying the Hidden Leaf Village's forbidden techniques himself.
That would be a qualitative leap in power.
Moreover—
Over the past few months, the Uchiha clan had undergone rapid improvement.
They needed a true baptism of blood and fire to test their growth.
"Sending the Uchiha to the battlefield is not impossible," Shuoye said calmly.
"But we must discuss the terms first."
Fugaku stiffened.
He feared Shuoye might be tempted by Hiruzen's empty promises.
But Shuoye's next words reassured him.
Shuoye's gaze swept slowly across the meeting chamber.
Finally, it settled on Danzō's darkened face.
"I have three conditions."
"First."
"I will select three forbidden techniques as compensation for the Uchiha's deployment."
"They will be used to strengthen our clan—so that we may better defend the Hidden Leaf Village."
He paused.
Hiruzen nodded slightly.
Forbidden techniques were powerful—
But not easily mastered.
Granting a few did not threaten the village's foundation.
"Second."
"The internal jurisdiction and assignment of Uchiha personnel must be determined by the Uchiha themselves."
His tone left no room for negotiation.
This was about the clan's future autonomy.
Then—
His gaze returned to Danzō.
"Third."
"The Uchiha main hall must be relocated back to the village center."
"That is our root."
Danzō shot to his feet.
"Absolutely not!"
"You are dreaming!"
It had taken immense effort to move the Uchiha to the outskirts of the village.
How could he allow them back into the center?
His fury exploded like a volcano.
Yet Shuoye remained calm.
He turned instead to Hiruzen.
Waiting.
Hiruzen fell silent.
He understood the weight of this decision.
On one hand—
Danzō's concerns were not without reason.
On the other—
Shuoye's demands were not unreasonable.
If the Uchiha were to shed blood on the battlefield—
Concessions had to be made.
After a long pause, Hiruzen finally spoke.
"Danzō… I understand your concerns."
"But Shuoye's conditions are not entirely unacceptable."
"The Uchiha are an important pillar of the Hidden Leaf Village."
"Perhaps… we can find a compromise."
"Compromise?"
Danzō cut him off sharply.
"There is no compromise!"
The Uchiha present darkened instantly.
Fugaku clenched his fists.
"We Uchiha bleed for the village."
"And in the end, we cannot even return our clan hall to our ancestral ground?"
"Does the Hidden Leaf Village truly see us as its own?"
Shuoye stood slowly.
His eyes were icy.
"Danzō-sama."
"It seems this is not your decision to make."
"My conditions are on the table."
"Whether to accept them—rests with the Third Hokage."
He turned to Hiruzen.
"All three conditions."
"Non-negotiable."
"If even one is denied—"
"Then the matter of the Hidden Cloud Village…"
"Will be yours to solve alone."
"We Uchiha have our bottom line."
Hiruzen's expression darkened further.
He understood clearly—
Agreeing to the third condition meant publicly acknowledging the Uchiha's full reintegration into the heart of the Hidden Leaf Village.
That would shake the internal balance.
Old grudges.
Old secrets.
Old suspicions.
All might resurface.
And the village—
Could once again be thrown into turmoil.
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