"Video enforcement?"
Shisui's pupils quivered slightly as he listened to Kaze's explanation.
Just a moment ago, he had assumed Kaze's thinking was overly simplistic—naive, even.That he only believed violent enforcement could be fixed because he didn't grasp how deep-rooted the issue was.
But now…
Now, it was clear.
Kaze's mind wasn't just sharp—it was decisive. If the enforcement process could be recorded and reviewed, then the question of whether the Uchiha were truly abusing their power or merely being slandered—would become obvious.
One glance at the footage would reveal the truth.
And not only that—It would force even the most arrogant officers to restrain their egos. Accountability would no longer be theoretical.
This wasn't some idealistic fantasy—it was a practical system. A real solution.
And yet…
Who else had come up with such an idea?
Not Shisui.
Not Fugaku.
Not even the Third Hokage.
Of course, what Shisui didn't know…Was that Kaze hadn't just dreamed this up out of nowhere.
In the world Kaze came from, this concept—video enforcement—had already been implemented, And it worked.
Not only did it dramatically improve public trust, it even birthed a popular show called "Traffic Talks", filled with now-legendary memes like Erxian Bridge and aligning your waist and stance. It was practically a cultural phenomenon.
And this wasn't some primitive backwater. Konoha had computers. Screens. Even basic broadcasting tools.
Which meant…
There was no reason this system couldn't be adopted here.
But from Shisui's perspective—unaware of Kaze's true origin—this idea felt nothing short of revolutionary.
A breakthrough no one else had considered.
"Shisui," Kaze said calmly, "you're one of the few people in the Uchiha clan I actually think is smart."
'I never believed for a second that I could manipulate you with a few clever words.'
Kaze spoke slowly, his gaze sincere, his tone honest.
"I think the reason the Police Force has such a bad reputation is because someone deliberately stirred things up, provoking the villagers of Konoha into developing hostility toward the Uchiha clan."
The moment Kaze opened up like that, a name instinctively flashed through Shisui's mind:
Danzō.
Though he had always trusted the Third Hokage, he had never let his guard down around Danzō.
"And the Third Hokage chose to turn a blind eye to it," Kaze continued, voicing his own suspicion.
No matter how you looked at it, the person in the highest position was Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Especially after the Yamato incident, Hiruzen had publicly disbanded Root.
And yet, even now, many former Root shinobi still followed Danzō's lead.
Without Hiruzen's tacit approval, could Danzō really have maintained that level of influence?
"Lord Third isn't the kind of person you think he is. The one targeting the Uchiha is Danzō..." Shisui tried to argue instinctively, but even his voice lacked conviction.
Because the truth was undeniable.
Both Hiruzen and Danzō were part of Konoha's leadership.
But one was the Hokage, the openly acknowledged leader.
And the other? Merely the head of a department.
"Maybe... Lord Third had his own reasons."
"Who knows?" Kaze didn't press the point, watching the shifting emotions in Shisui's eyes.
"But I don't think this is just one person's fault."
"The conflict between the Uchiha and the village... it was a seed planted all the way back during the Second Hokage's reign."
"Now, whether it's the Third, Danzō, or those two elders of Konoha..."
"They only inherited Tobirama's distrust and vigilance toward us. All they've done is suppress us at every turn."
"But what they never inherited—was his tolerance."
Although Tobirama had always kept a cautious eye on the Uchiha...
It wasn't out of prejudice. It was because he didn't want the village he helped build to end in ruin.
That's why he chose to accept Uchiha Kagami as his student—
And even made him part of the Hokage's personal guard.
But once Tobirama died, Kagami soon passed away as well.
It was... more than a little suspicious.
And from that point on...
None of Sarutobi Hiruzen's disciples came from the Uchiha.
At most, he coaxed Shisui and Itachi into joining the Anbu.
As for Danzō's Root? Not a single Uchiha.
"Shisui, I don't know what you're really thinking deep down... but the Uchiha clan ending up like this? The higher-ups of Konoha cannot escape responsibility."
"In fact, you could even say—it's their narrow-mindedness that gave rise to the hawks within our clan."
"Kaze!" Shisui's brow furrowed deeply. He had thought Kaze sought him out for a heartfelt conversation—hoping to bridge the gap between the Uchiha and the village.
He never imagined that Kaze would point the blame... at the Third Hokage!
"What are you really trying to say?"
"Don't tell me... you're thinking like those hawks? Planning a coup?"
"If that's the case, then let me be absolutely clear."
"The Anbu trained by Lord Third, and Danzō's Root—overall, their strength far surpasses ours."
"And besides, the other major clans in the village... they'll side with Lord Third."
"When that time comes, all that awaits us—is annihilation."
Shisui's tone was resolute.
In his eyes, a coup had no chance of succeeding.
"A coup? How many people actually want that? Even the hawks in the clan don't really want to turn on our own and kill each other."
Kaze paused for a moment. "But the real question is... are we supposed to just keep swallowing this humiliation and live with it?"
"Let the village kids spit on us in the streets?"
"And the Nine-Tails Night—we both know that wasn't our doing."
"But even so, not even Lord Third cleared our name."
"Instead, he backed Danzō's narrative and drove us out of the village center."
"That baseless accusation made the rest of the village look at us with suspicion."
"What did we do wrong? Why should we have to carry all of this?"
Kaze's words left Shisui completely speechless.
Because it was true.
Even though Shisui had been deeply influenced by the Will of Fire and was a loyal son of Konoha, he wasn't an idiot.
The Third Hokage really hadn't done much to support them during the Nine-Tails incident.
"But… Lord Third has always wanted to change things…"
After a long silence, that was all Shisui could say.
"And just how long are we supposed to wait for that change to happen?"
Kaze shot back without hesitation.
"Sometimes I wonder if the inaction of Konoha's higher-ups is deliberate—if they're trying to push us into staging a coup, just so they can have an excuse to crush us with force and wipe out the Uchiha entirely."
"Not even sparing a single infant."
"And once that happens, they'll finally be able to sleep easy at night."
In reality, even up to the night of the clan massacre...
The "change" Hiruzen had always spoken of never came.
Kaze's words made Shisui's face go pale, drained of color in an instant.
"Lord Third would never allow something like that to happen!"
"He's not that kind of person!"
Shisui refuted him at once.
He couldn't—wouldn't—believe that the leadership of Konoha would go so far as to exterminate the entire Uchiha clan.
That would be nothing short of a monstrous atrocity.
After all, not everyone in the Uchiha clan was a shinobi.
There were civilians too—those who had never awakened the Sharingan.
Someone like Sarutobi Hiruzen, who embodied the Will of Fire… how could he possibly allow something so inhumane?
And besides…
"Even if one day I'm no longer around…"
"Itachi will carry on my will. He'll find a way to bridge the gap between the Uchiha and the village."
"Yes. If it's Itachi, he would never let your worst fears come true."
Shisui took a deep breath, doing his best to speak up for the Konoha leadership.
"Ugh…" Seeing Shisui getting so worked up, Kaze's expression became somewhat complicated.
'Should I just tell him straight out? That the one who actually did the deed… was that guy Itachi?'
But in the end, Kaze just muttered it inwardly—he had no intention of spoiling the truth for Shisui.