Along the way, Yuhara and Nara Shikaku chatted about a lot of things. Gotta admit, talking with Shikaku was pretty damn enlightening for Yuhara.
Especially when Yuhara deliberately poked the bear and asked why they hadn't really investigated Danzo—Shikaku gave an answer that even left Yuhara speechless.
"Politics is all about compromise. Plus, even if the Hokage took a loss with Danzo, we weren't prepared either. Besides, the Hokage's already got his own people in every department—moving against him suddenly would leave us off guard. If he fights back with the people and influence he's planted everywhere, we'd be totally unprepared and it'd be tough to respond. Best case, both sides take a hit; worst case, we get wrecked. Konoha's not stable enough for that, and honestly, we don't even have a new Hokage candidate, do we?"
Shikaku's answer basically summed up what all the big families in Konoha were thinking. It was pretty clear Shikaku considered Yuhara part of this ninja family circle now.
What really surprised Yuhara, though, was how much their thinking matched his own.
The "no new Hokage" thing was really just code for, "it's easier to deal with Hiruzen after he goes ballistic." Honestly, Yuhara could admit, after all these years, Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't be so easy to deal with just because of Danzo's mess. Taking him down would take tons of planning—and you'd need the Daimyō's approval to even change Hokage. Don't think the Daimyō is just a bag of money—well, that's most of his job, but you still have to play the political game.
As they chatted, Shikaku's expression suddenly turned serious.
"Clan Leader Yuhara, I actually have another question for you—this time, as the Minister of Administration."
"Go ahead, Minister Shikaku."
Seeing Shikaku get so formal, Yuhara's own demeanor turned serious, and he was curious what Shikaku wanted to ask.
"You said before the Uchiha need to change—what kind of changes are you talking about?"
Shikaku stared at Yuhara, asking his question one word at a time. In that moment, Yuhara understood exactly what he meant.
Shikaku wanted to make sure what the Uchiha were really up to.
Of course, he wasn't just speaking for his own clan, but for Konoha—or more specifically, the Hokage.
The Nara clan had influence, and were known for their secret techniques, but their real power came from working together with the Yamanaka and Akimichi clans.
At the end of the day, they were a middle-tier ninja family, and their whole way of surviving was by serving Konoha, or rather, serving the Hokage.
So, even if he wasn't happy with the current Hokage, as Minister, he still had to support and consider the needs of the village.
But everyone's got their own thoughts. Otherwise, Shikaku wouldn't have dropped all those hints, or talked so much with Yuhara, or made his identity so clear with this question.
"The Uchiha are Konoha's Uchiha. That'll never change."
With that in mind, Yuhara knew exactly how to answer.
And he realized this was the perfect chance—a chance to get Shikaku to voice his own clan's thoughts out loud!
"Of course, we know there have been a lot of misunderstandings, and not everyone's accepted us. But now those misunderstandings are cleared up, and we're willing to make corrections based on our own issues. I think everyone will see it in the future."
He paused, then smiled at Shikaku.
"For example, about the Police Force—if Minister Shikaku is interested, you could send some people to observe our changes, or even help us make those changes."
Yuhara's words were pretty damn direct. Shikaku was momentarily stunned, then quickly nodded as he got it.
He could see the Uchiha genuinely wanted to change—even letting outsiders into the Police Force, which was a big shift, right?
Of course, maybe they just wanted someone to share the blame, and Shikaku was still cautious about it.
"I wouldn't dare to 'give advice.' The Nara don't have any Police Force experience, but I think we'll definitely work together in the future."
"Well, I'm looking forward to that."
Yuhara kept smiling, but his gaze drifted toward the towering Hokage Rock.
"And it's not just me. The whole clan hopes to be recognized by Konoha, to be recognized by everyone. As part of Konoha, all of us—including me—have the dream of becoming Hokage. Only someone recognized by everyone can be Hokage. The Hokage is Konoha's Hokage, but Konoha belongs to everyone."
The Hokage is Konoha's Hokage, but Konoha belongs to everyone?
Shikaku froze, finally understanding what Yuhara was getting at.
He couldn't deny that Yuhara's words made his serious expression fade, replaced by a smile.
Yuhara's answer pretty much captured the relationship between Hokage and Konoha, as well as his own position.
This kid was still young, but he was definitely something special.
"I think I've got all the answers I need."
Shikaku smiled at Yuhara, then turned to leave—but just before he left, he looked back over his shoulder.
"I'll keep my last thought to myself. I'm sure everyone else will figure out the rest."
With that, Shikaku walked away without another word, while Yuhara's smile grew even brighter.
It was obvious Shikaku got what he was saying—and was willing to help him out.
Maybe it was payback, maybe he genuinely wanted peace in Konoha, but either way, today had turned out to be a pretty damn good day.
Back home, Yuhara thought for a bit and locked the front door.
Because of all the meetings, he hadn't worked on his skills, but he was dying to see what kind of changes this upgrade would bring.
Plus, maybe the change would confirm his hunch about the Eternal Mangekyō.
[Skill: Dark Scythe (1/1)]
[Activation Requirement: Requires one hundred units of Life Force to activate]
[Power Shards: Jonin give 25, Chunin give 20, Genin give 10, ordinary enemies give 1–5]
[Current Power Shards Collected: 100]
[Dark Scythe selection mode activated]
[Skill: Dark Scythe (1/1), disappears after use]
[Evolution bias selected—Body]
[Evolving now]