With his plan rejected by Mitsusuke, Shisui felt somewhat dejected. "Is there really no other way? Right now, talk of an Uchiha coup is increasing, and many clansmen are growing more dissatisfied with the Village. If this continues, a coup will truly be unavoidable."
By the end of his sentence, Shisui was moved to tears. It was clear that he truly loved both the Village and the Uchiha.
Seeing Shisui pushed to such a state, Mitsusuke also felt uneasy in his heart.
Mitsusuke stood up and gently patted Shisui's shoulder. "Go and call Itachi and Patriarch Fugaku to the Hokage Office. I'll go talk to them. Things haven't reached the worst-case scenario yet, so don't worry."
Stepping out the door, Mitsusuke walked leisurely toward the Hokage Building.
If it weren't for Shisui, Mitsusuke really wouldn't want to meddle in this matter, plus he didn't want Danzo making a mess of things in the Village.
The Hokage Office door wasn't closed, so Mitsusuke walked straight in.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was working. Hearing the sound, he looked up for a moment before returning to his paperwork. "The money for the Ichiraku Ramen will be deducted from your allowance. Don't pull these messy stunts next time. If you're really short on cash, go find Asuma; I don't have time to deal with these trivial matters for you."
In the past, whenever Mitsusuke didn't have money to buy things, he would have the merchants send the bills to the Hokage Office. Every time Hiruzen Sarutobi paid, he would deduct it from Mitsusuke's allowance and then give him a lecture.
Of course, Mitsusuke would always talk back a bit; it was essentially their way of interacting!
After processing a few more documents, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt something was off. Mitsusuke was too quiet. After being lectured just now, the boy hadn't talked back, which had never happened before.
Putting down the documents in his hand, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up at Mitsusuke and found him leaning against the doorway smoking. This triggered his own craving, so he picked up his pipe and lit it.
After a few puffs of his pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, "What did you come to see me for this time? Just say it. If you're really short on money, go find Asuma. He just stole from me..."
Perhaps feeling that the word'stole' was inappropriate, Hiruzen Sarutobi thought for a moment and corrected himself: "He took some money from me. If you're short on cash, go find him."
Mitsusuke didn't speak. Instead, he took several deep drags of his cigarette before throwing the butt on the floor. "Patriarch, have the Uchiha and Konoha really reached the point of a fight to the death?"
Hearing Mitsusuke call him 'Patriarch,' Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned serious. He placed his half-smoked pipe on the desk.
"Suke, you shouldn't get involved in this matter. The conflict between the Uchiha and the Village isn't as simple as you think."
"Heh! Not simple? From my perspective, it's very simple. The Uchiha's emotions are unstable, and you and Danzo are suppressing them together. That's what caused the calls for a coup within the Uchiha Clan to grow louder. Don't tell me you don't know; Itachi must have told you everything."
Walking up to the desk, Mitsusuke stared straight into Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes. "Patriarch, right now Konoha has no room for the Uchiha, and in the future, it won't have room for us Sarutobi either."
Perhaps reaching a point of agitation, Mitsusuke's voice unconsciously rose significantly: "Wake up! My great Patriarch, stop indulging Danzo. You know better than I do whether he's doing it for the Village. Is the Village really not as important as your friendship?"
"The Uchiha just happen to have a particularly cowardly Patriarch, otherwise they would have fought Konoha to the death long ago. If I were the Uchiha Patriarch, even if I died, I'd drag the Sarutobi Clan down with me."
"You... Sigh! Forget it, I feel like whatever I say is in vain. I've sent Shisui to call Itachi and Fugaku. You guys have a good talk. If it really doesn't work out, just set a time for war, and let me watch the show."
"I came here today because Shisui is being driven mad. On one side is the Village he loves, and on the other is his clan. He doesn't want either side to get hurt."
Hiruzen Sarutobi rested his chin on his hands and remained silent. He was considering Mitsusuke's words and wondering if he had truly made a mistake.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Knock, knock, knock!
Mitsusuke looked back and saw Fugaku and Itachi, with Shisui following behind them.
"Fugaku! Come in," Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
After the three entered, Mitsusuke looked at Fugaku and said, "Patriarch Fugaku, I've spoken with the Hokage about the Uchiha matter. I feel I don't understand your Uchiha situation well enough, so you should speak for yourselves. Shisui and I will be heading out first."
Fugaku bowed slightly toward Mitsusuke. "Thank you. The most correct thing Shisui ever did was becoming friends with you."
Fugaku was now full of gratitude toward Mitsusuke. He usually couldn't get a word in with Hiruzen Sarutobi; even when they communicated, it was all false pleasantries, and he never knew the other's true intentions.
With Mitsusuke acting as a mediator in the middle, the Uchiha at least had a sliver of breathing room again.
Ignoring Fugaku's thanks, Mitsusuke pulled Shisui out of the office.
In the hallway, Mitsusuke patted Shisui's shoulder. "This is all I can do to help you."
"After today, no matter what happens between the Village and the Uchiha, both you and I have done our best. Let's leave it to fate."
Walking out of the Hokage Building, Mitsusuke glanced back upstairs and then headed home without looking back.
Today, he had used up all the sentiment he had with Hiruzen Sarutobi; from now on, it would have to be strictly business.
As a member of the Sarutobi Clan, using family sentiment to negotiate other matters was somewhat pushing his luck. If it weren't for Shisui, he absolutely would not have done it.
Inside the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a long time, which left Fugaku unsure of how to start the conversation.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the office was somewhat oppressive...
After an unknown amount of time, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke: "Fugaku, if the Village stops its suppression of the Uchiha, can you deal with the Hardliners?"
"If you can't, then there's no need to continue this conversation. I am willing to take this risk entirely for Mitsusuke's sake, and because of the things he said to me."
"I can. As long as the Village doesn't target the Uchiha, I will immediately purge the Hardliners." Fugaku's attitude was very determined.
Although he didn't know what Mitsusuke had said, being able to make the Hokage change his attitude was definitely a good thing for the Uchiha. He had to seize this opportunity.
Mitsusuke's sentence, "Right now Konoha has no room for the Uchiha, and in the future, it won't have room for the Sarutobi," had indeed caused a stir in Hiruzen's heart.
It was true he was the Hokage, but he was also the Patriarch of the Sarutobi Clan. He couldn't help but consider the continuation of his family.
It was also because of this sentence that Hiruzen Sarutobi planned to give the Uchiha a chance.
As long as the Hardliners were purged, it would indeed be beneficial for his control over the Village.