Chapter 63: On the Edge of the Cliff
Early the next morning, before the Ichiraku Ramen Shop had even hung out its 'Open' sign, a special guest lifted the curtain and walked in.
'Good morning, Teuchi, Haruko."
The Third Hokage wore his signature kindly smile, his gaze sweeping over Haruko, who was busy preparing ingredients.
'This old geezer, coming to block the door first thing in the morning."
Haruko didn't stop his work, looking up to respond, " Hokage-sama? I'm sorry, but the shop hasn't opened for business yet."
'Haha, I know. I just heard about what happened yesterday and came to check on you."
The Third Hokage adopted the attitude of a kindly grandfather next door.
'You weren't scared, were you? The Anbu have already gone to investigate, and they will definitely give you an explanation."
Teuchi, who was nearby, heard this and put down his work, 'Yesterday? What happened yesterday?"
'It's nothing, Dad. Just a'stray dog' ran into the kitchen and bit Kaede, so I chased it off." Haruko said, making it sound trivial.
'Thank you for your concern, Hokage-sama, I'm fine. However, Konoha's'security' hasn't been great lately, so I'm thinking of closing temporarily and taking Dad out of the Village to travel and relax."
The Third Hokage frowned.
Truth be told, he really didn't want to let Teuchi go; it would be like letting go of the kite reel, and there was a chance that Haruko, the kite, would fly away.
But he also knew he couldn't force them to stay. Danzo had gone too far this time. It was only because Teuchi hadn't been affected that Haruko was still maintaining restraint.
'Going out to clear your mind is a good idea." The Third Hokage pondered for a moment and nodded.
'However, Ninja movements must follow regulations. How about this: have Teuchi post a designated escort mission, and you can leave the Village in the name of executing the mission. With the procedures formalized, no one will be able to find fault."
'Alright, understood." Haruko agreed quickly.
'By the way... Haruko." The Third Hokage's gaze focused on Haruko's hands as he worked the filling, 'Where did you learn the " Rasengan "?"
Haruko put on a confused expression, his hands still not stopping.
'What is " Rasengan "?" He looked down, following the Third Hokage's gaze, 'Are you referring to my " Stirring Technique "? This is a daily-life Ninjutsu I invented for kneading dough and mixing filling."
"...If you increase the compression of the Chakra in this technique a bit more and stabilize it into a spherical shape, then release the Chakra all at once after hitting an enemy, it would be a decent combat Ninjutsu. That is what I call the " Rasengan "."
After giving this piece of advice, the Third Hokage stood up and left the Ichiraku Ramen Shop.
After the Third Hokage left, Teuchi looked grave, 'Haruko... do you need me to post the mission now? Do you have any ideas about the time and place?"
'No, I need to first... well, not today. I just wanted to report it to the Hokage first. But Dad, you can start packing ahead of time; you should prepare for a trip of about a month."
"...I understand." Teuchi lowered his head and continued his interrupted work, 'Let's continue preparing for today's business."
Late that night.
Haruko used Natural Energy to erase his presence, avoiding surveillance and patrols, and arrived at the banks of the Naka River—the place where Shisui jumped off the cliff.
A slender figure stood on the cliff by the river, gazing at the water, clutching a note in his hand.
'Sorry to keep you waiting, Uchiha Itachi."
'You never wanted to get involved." Uchiha Itachi stood by the river, listening to the footsteps behind him without turning around, 'It was I who harmed you."
When Uchiha Itachi came to the shop tonight, Haruko slipped a note into his ramen, arranging to meet him.
'I didn't want to get involved. But at this point, do you think Danzo would let me go?"
He walked to Uchiha Itachi's side and looked at the pitch-black river surface, 'Are the Uchiha Clan Members unable to hold back anymore?"
Uchiha Itachi's body shuddered, and he closed his eyes in pain, 'With Konoha's actions, the voices of the radicals can no longer be suppressed..."
'Father... has also tacitly approved. They want me to use my Anbu status to control the center and seize the Hokage."
'Then both sides will fight to the death, the Uchiha will be wiped out, and Konoha will be severely weakened. Other Ninja Villages will take advantage of the situation, and a Ninja World war will break out."
Haruko counted on his fingers, listing the consequences.
'So? What do you intend to do?"
'I..." Uchiha Itachi found it difficult to speak, 'You once told me to look through history, but I couldn't find any examples of a peaceful resolution..."
'Of course, this is a matter of life and death. It's basically impossible to avoid bloodshed."
Haruko affirmed Uchiha Itachi's conclusion, then changed the subject, 'But the question is, how much blood will be shed, and whose blood will it be?"
'Whose blood?"
" Uchiha Itachi, I told you to go and ask about the thoughts of the silent majority. Did you ask?"
'I asked. They do not support the coup, nor will they participate. I don't want them to get involved either."
'But they are already involved. If you've read history, you should understand that if this happens, the cleanup won't care about such things."
Uchiha Itachi was silent.
The things Haruko mentioned had repeated throughout history.
"...What exactly can I do to stop it?"
'It's very simple. Just deal with the people who want to cause trouble beforehand, right?" Haruko said logically, 'Actually, Shisui had a similar idea, but he didn't identify the right target."
" Shisui, he..."
'He wanted to use Kotoamatsukami to change your father's mind. He just didn't expect that the ones who most wanted this to happen were the radicals... and Danzo."
" Danzo?" Uchiha Itachi's brows furrowed, " Danzo-sama, although radical, is also doing it for the sake of the Village..."
'If it's for the sake of the Village, why did he ambush Shisui when he tried to use Kotoamatsukami to stop this?" Haruko interrupted Uchiha Itachi's fantasy.
Shisui's death had always been the greatest pain in Uchiha Itachi's heart.
" Danzo is the one who most wants the Uchiha wiped out. Shisui only vaguely realized this at the very end, which is why he was here—"
Haruko tilted his head; this was the place where Shisui had jumped off the cliff.
"—to warn you that Danzo cannot be trusted."
'Why would Danzo..." Although Uchiha Itachi understood, he still found it hard to believe—or perhaps, he didn't want to believe it.
'Why else? He has always been the one suppressing the Uchiha. If the Village were to reconcile with the Uchiha, guess what his fate would be?"
Haruko raised an eyebrow.
'Besides that, he has been coveting the power of the Uchiha for a long time. You should know better than me how big his ambition is, right? I heard he even once tried to assassinate the Third Hokage to seize that position?"
Haruko didn't give him a chance to breathe, dropping bombshells one after another, 'Let me predict the next script for you."
'In the next few days, Danzo will approach you privately. He will avoid the Third Hokage and give you two choices."
Haruko held up two fingers,
'One is to watch the Uchiha fail, and then have the entire clan, along with your younger brother Sasuke, wiped out; the second is... for you to personally wipe out the entire clan before this happens, in exchange for Sasuke's life."
Uchiha Itachi's breathing stopped instantly.
This was indeed something Danzo was capable of doing! And Sasuke was indeed his weak spot!
Haruko stood up, walked step by step to Uchiha Itachi, and looked directly into those eyes that had already turned scarlet.
'This is a dead end. If you want to break the deadlock, you cannot play by his rules."
'What you need to do is not choose between the two, but rather—flip the table."
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