Uchiha Yuan waited in the Uchiha clan's tent for three hours before Uchiha Mei returned.
"Mei-senpai…"
"Don't look like that. I'm just going on a mission, not dead already," Mei said with a smile.
"Mei-senpai, was Lord Orochimaru using the three of us to pressure the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Ino-Shika-Cho clans into sending people for this mission?"
"I don't think that was Orochimaru's original intent. Right after our big battle with the Mist Ninja, he told us that the Fourth Mizukage might arrive soon. Back then, he didn't ask us to investigate—instead, he said he would handle it himself and find a way to confirm the Fourth Mizukage's status."
"But just a few hours later, a ninja from Root arrived—and Orochimaru changed his mind."
"Root?"
Seeing Yuan's expression tighten, Mei assumed he was just unfamiliar with Root and casually explained:
"It's normal that you don't know about Root. Root is connected to Shimura Danzō. Its full name is the 'Anbu Training Division.' This organization is located deep underground in the Leaf Village—like the roots of a tree stretching into darkness."
"Root's primary goal is to eliminate any threats to the village's prosperity from the shadows. Because of that, they'll use any means necessary. It's a cold and ruthless organization."
"Compared to Anbu, Root operates even more secretly, and the things it does are even more... unspeakable."
"Mei-senpai, does the Hokage know about Root?" Yuan asked cautiously.
"Of course. An organization as large as Root couldn't exist without the Hokage's permission. But these days, I'd say the Hokage has likely lost control over Root."
Yuan's expression stayed neutral, but his mind was racing.
From Mei's words, Yuan could piece together that the Uchiha clan's dove faction—Mei included—believes the people in the village leadership who truly resent the Uchiha are the two advisors and Danzō.
They even believe Danzō has broken free from the Hokage's control and acts independently.
But this idea, Yuan believed, was completely wrong.
The Third Hokage had not been sidelined. His authority within the village was unrivaled, and the advisors and Danzō could not act decisively without his approval.
The Uchiha Clan Massacre could never have happened without the Third Hokage's consent—not even with Danzō, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Obito working together.
However, there was one point where Mei and the dove faction might be right: that the Third Hokage didn't originally intend to exterminate the Uchiha.
The real turning point that made the Third Hokage commit to the massacre was probably the red, three-tomoe Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes during the Nine-Tails Attack.
At this stage, the Hokage simply wanted to suppress the Uchiha—perhaps letting them suffer more casualties in the war, weakening their strength, and making them easier to control.
This was evident after the Third Great Ninja War, when only the First Division of the Konoha Police Force was composed entirely of Uchiha members—other divisions had to recruit many from outside clans.
Thinking of this, Yuan sighed and shifted the topic.
"Mei-senpai, did we suffer any casualties in this last battle?"
"Seven lightly injured, two seriously injured. One lost an arm—probably won't be a ninja again. The other four were fine."
"At least no one died."
"Yeah, no fatalities is a huge blessing. But when the Fourth Mizukage arrives in Bear Country, things will only get worse. If we can confirm his arrival time in advance, it'll help the rest of our clan."
"So Yuan, you don't need to feel guilty. As the Uchiha leader stationed in Bear Country, this is my responsibility. I would've taken this mission even without you."
Yuan fell silent. He wasn't stupid—he could tell Mei's words were mostly to comfort him.
Without Yuan's involvement, would the Uchiha have been dragged into this at all?
"Mei-senpai, I…"
"Didn't you say you're a man and didn't want to sleep in the same tent as Sai and Oto? If you're a man, stop whining. If I die, remember this grudge and kill the Fourth Mizukage for me."
"But I won't die—after all, I'm the captain of the Police Force's Third Division. Not to brag, but there are fewer than ten people in the Uchiha Clan stronger than me."
With that, Mei ruffled Yuan's hair and turned to leave.
He was heading to regroup with Shibi Aburame and the others—to familiarize himself with his new teammates and improve their odds of survival.
The reason Mei had come back was to assure Yuan that this wasn't his fault, and to take away his pressure.
Similar conversations took place between Hyuga Asana and the branch member from her clan.
At first, Asana hadn't understood why Yuan had changed—why he wanted to reform the Uchiha.
But now, watching her senior's back fade into the distance, she began to understand.
"If the Caged Bird seal can really be removed someday... I want to fly with all the branch family members," Asana thought.
That very night, under the cover of darkness, Shibi Aburame and his six-person squad departed.
The mission was extremely dangerous—even with six jonin, including elite ones like Mei and Shibi, survival was not guaranteed.
With Shibi gone, Yuan's squad no longer had a jonin mentor.
For some unknown reason, Orochimaru didn't assign them a new one—he simply declared that they, like other reconnaissance squads, would now operate independently.
Before anyone noticed, three days had passed since Shibi's group had left.
And Yuan's team had just received their first solo mission.
(Author's Note: I personally don't believe the Third Hokage originally intended for the Uchiha Clan to be wiped out. He wasn't just a scheming politician—he truly loved the Leaf Village. When he died, the reactions of the village residents showed he was deeply respected. That kind of admiration can't be earned through manipulation alone. Of course, I won't deny that the Third Hokage made a lot of terrible decisions—I'm not trying to whitewash him. But seriously, we can't blame everything on Danzō.)
(To Be Continued...)