Chapter Twenty-Six: The Second Commission

After leaving, Itachi felt a pang of regret. He shouldn’t have walked away so abruptly; perhaps he ought to have tried harder to persuade Shisui. Maybe Shisui had only been misled by someone. Then, Itachi wondered whether he should inform the Third Hokage about what had happened.

Let’s wait a little longer, he thought. Give Shisui a few days to cool off, then try to reason with him again. If that doesn’t work, then… He didn’t want to finish the thought. He couldn’t understand why a friend, once so like-minded, had now become so different.

Shisui, still lingering in the same spot, was equally perplexed. Why couldn’t Itachi understand him? They used to share the same outlook. If even Itachi couldn’t see his side, was there anyone left in the village who could? The hardliners in his clan certainly weren’t an option—he didn’t want rebellion, only peace. But the moderates, with their endless concessions, would still lead the Uchiha to extinction in the end.

Seek help from the Third Hokage? Impossible. Even if the person harboring malice toward the Uchiha wasn’t the Third himself, it was surely someone high up in Konoha’s leadership, which meant he couldn’t ask for help there. In that case, there was truly no one left who could understand him.

At that moment, the image of Yu Higashino surfaced in Shisui’s mind. It seemed he could only turn to him for a conversation, hoping for a favorable outcome.

With heavy steps, Shisui returned home, flipping through Yu Higashino’s investigation notebook as he waited for time to slip by.

At 10:50 p.m., deep into the night, Shisui changed into a different set of clothes and slipped out quietly.

At exactly midnight, Shisui arrived near the Higashino Agency. He noticed the lights were still on upstairs; clearly, Yu Higashino had caught on to the code Shisui had left him earlier that day.

With a swift movement, Shisui appeared in the living room on the second floor, standing behind Yu Higashino.

Sensing someone behind him, Yu Higashino was speechless for a moment—so “1,200 ryo” really did mean this.

“Sorry, Yu,” Shisui apologized. “There were people watching during the day. I had no choice but to come this late.”

“Alright,” Yu replied. “What’s on your mind?”

“It’s about the village and the Uchiha again.”

Yu found it a bit troublesome, but since he was bored anyway, and Shisui had provided him with a useful skill, he decided to indulge him.

“Sit down and let’s talk.”

“Thank you.” Shisui sat across from Yu Higashino. “Yu, is someone really targeting the Uchiha?” Shisui couldn’t help but seek confirmation.

Yu weighed his words. “More or less. You know, my great-grandfather once followed the First Hokage, so I’m privy to some inside information. The Uchiha and the Senju were traditional enemies—you know that. Even though the First put aside his hatred and founded Konoha with Madara, the Second always held a bias against the Uchiha.”

Shisui couldn’t help but retort, “But my grandfather, an Uchiha, was accepted as a disciple by the Second Hokage.”

“That doesn’t mean much. Did your grandfather ever enter the core of Konoha’s political power?”

Shisui fell silent. Yu continued, “The Third Hokage, Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane—the four top leaders of Konoha—were all students of the Second. They inherited his prejudice against the Uchiha as a matter of course. Of the four, the Third, Homura, and Koharu are mostly distrustful of the Uchiha. They may not deliberately target you, but neither will they speak in your favor. The fourth, Danzo, is filled with malice toward your clan. If you’re looking for someone actively plotting against the Uchiha, it’s him.”

“You’ve seen Danzo, haven’t you? His right eye is always covered—aren’t you curious why?”

“They say it’s because of an old injury…”

“That eye is a Sharingan.”

Shisui’s expression involuntarily twisted in shock, but Yu pressed on before he could process it.

“The entire leadership doesn’t trust the Uchiha, and there’s one person constantly fanning the flames. In such an environment, even if your clan wished to integrate, the rift would only widen. Rebellion is only a matter of time. Perhaps someone is simply waiting for you to rebel so they can wipe you out in one stroke. After all, to those who will never trust the Uchiha, a destroyed clan is preferable to the risk of a potential threat.”

“But aren’t we part of the village? Aren’t we comrades?” Shisui struggled to comprehend—was it really impossible for the Uchiha to ever become part of Konoha?

He had once believed the fault lay with the Uchiha, that they failed to earn trust. Now it seemed they’d never even had a chance.

“That’s the limitation of the village,” Yu said quietly. “The will of individuals has too much sway over the will of the village as a whole.”

Shisui said nothing, his face a complex array of emotions as he digested Yu’s words.

After a moment, Yu offered a final thought, “Everything I’ve told you is what I know. I have no proof. Whether or how much you believe is entirely up to you.”

He fell silent, sipping his water, waiting for Shisui’s response.

Did Shisui believe Yu’s words? For the most part, yes.

He wasn’t someone who trusted lightly, but the current circumstances matched Yu’s account too closely, and as an ordinary citizen, Yu had no reason to deceive him. There was also an inexplicable intuition—Yu seemed above such deception.

Still, he needed to verify it. The simplest way was to confirm whether Danzo’s covered right eye was truly a Sharingan.

Having finished processing it all, Shisui looked at Yu Higashino with a glimmer of hope.

“Yu, if things are truly as you say, what should the Uchiha do?”

Yu’s expression grew serious. “Shisui, this is the Everything Agency. Consulting on problems is a kind of commission too.”

“…So, Yu, may I commission you to help me find a solution to the conflict between the Uchiha and the village?”

“No problem—the fee is one thousand ryo.”

Another job, Yu thought. Part of the reason he’d been willing to speak so much was that he’d anticipated this.

“Here’s one thousand ryo. I’m counting on you,” Shisui replied briskly, handing over the money.

Yu accepted it and began to recite the answers he’d devised hours earlier.

“There are three aspects. First, you must address issues within your own clan. Before you can deal with outsiders, you need unity. I recommend you impeach the clan leader and take his place. With your strength, it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Without looking to see Shisui’s reaction, Yu continued, “Second, there’s the matter of the Police Force. Set clear, public standards for law enforcement. Bring in both civilian and other clan ninja—build alliances so your interests align with other families. That way, the Uchiha won’t be so isolated.”

“Third, it would be best to deal with Danzo.”

“Those are my suggestions. How you carry them out is your own affair.”

With that, Yu fell silent, waiting for Shisui’s response.

He wasn’t sure if he would receive a new skill this time. After all, one requirement was that the client express genuine gratitude. If Shisui didn’t fully trust him, any words of thanks might be mere politeness.

So, would Shisui choose to believe him?