HSU: Ch. 309

After the four Hokage appeared, Hashirama, who was walking at the front, immediately began showcasing his signature charm, wherever he went, laughter followed.

No one had any objections to this.

Shisui was a very serious person, so he first seriously matched Hashirama's energy, then turned to look seriously at someone else.

That someone was also the direct reason why the Uchiha clan initiated this proposal.

There are many people with strong connections in Konoha, but those close to the Hokage are considered the strongest insiders.

It was rare for someone to be beyond the protection of the Hokage's title, but not unheard of.

Take, for example, the infamous Danzō.

As Hiruzen's closest comrade, he never believed anyone's connection could be stronger than his own. From his perspective, he wasn't ignoring the Hokage's authority, he believed he was upholding it. Since he considered himself the most important, he saw it as his duty to help filter decisions.

Even a Hokage only needed one "closest confidant."

The current "confidant" of the Hokage was undeniably just one person: Kakashi.

As the only surviving student of Minato, and a true prodigy, he fully deserved the care Minato had shown him.

But there was one issue, he was incredibly stubborn and cold. His relationships with peers were mostly distant, except for Guy.

To outsiders, it seemed like it was just Guy being overly enthusiastic on his own.

The person Shisui was staring at was Kakashi.

Not only Shisui, but all the Uchiha–Hyūga alliance members present were looking at him. Even those unaware of the truth about Obito felt somewhat dissatisfied with Kakashi's stance.

First, things didn't have to escalate to this point, it was his stubbornness that had complicated the matter.

Second, the Uchiha clan had expressed a willingness to trade, they weren't demanding the Mangekyō Sharingan back without offering anything in return. Considering the eye's significance as a unique Uchiha bloodline trait, their request was completely reasonable.

The ones who tend to stir up trouble are usually fringe factions, but today's participants were all core, stable members. Starting a conflict wouldn't benefit anyone.

Everyone could see that any major moves would only benefit the Uchiha. If the Sarutobi faction stayed quiet, they could endure, but if they acted rashly, they'd only get hurt.

Kakashi's concern for his comrades was admirable, really, but what, were they not comrades too? They protected him back then as well!

Facing these discontented, and even hostile, gazes, Kakashi's expression didn't change. He had his own convictions. Of the two things he promised Obito, he had already failed to fulfill one. So, he had to see the other through to the end.

As for everything else, he couldn't worry about it.

He proactively met Shisui's gaze.

Shisui's look was one of reproach. He believed Kakashi's actions were too selfish. While not malicious, they had publicly exposed the conflict, essentially stirring trouble.

For a jonin of the village, that was very irresponsible.

Beside Kakashi, Minato sighed inwardly. This matter had placed him in a difficult position between both sides.

So be it, he couldn't fix this. Better to leave it to Hashirama and Tobirama. Surely, they'd have a perfect solution.

The First Hokage entered the meeting hall, and those already present stood up, including Fugaku and Hiashi.

"No need to be so formal, just sit, sit." Hashirama beamed.

Seeing everyone so lively made him happy. So many people showing up to a meeting in the village, that was wonderful.

Having multiple Hokage did complicate seating arrangements, but fortunately, Tobirama's faction, led by Hiruzen, were mostly aged, many had retired or stepped back, so that eased things a lot.

Since Fugaku was attending on behalf of the Uchiha clan, seating for the Hokage side was straightforward.

Minato, as the current Hokage, sat in the center. Hashirama and Tobirama sat on his left and right. Hiruzen and his old comrades sat in the observer seats, which were mostly for retired core members of various clans.

The only non-retiree was Muzo.

Upon entering, he exchanged a meaningful glance with Masashi.

Konoha no longer faced external threats. Letting the dead linger too long in the village wasn't healthy, it could destabilize the current system. And signs of this were already appearing.

This issue needed resolving. Muzo felt the time had come. He had already discussed this privately with Hashirama and Tobirama, who both agreed with him.

Once everyone was seated, the guards closed the doors. With a heavy sound, the meeting room was sealed off from the outside.

The room fell into silence, not even murmuring could be heard.

Hashirama glanced around the room, thinking about what to say.

Preparing a speech had been something Tobirama always did for him when he was alive. Not that it helped, he hated formal meetings and always went off-script.

Minato, by now, was well aware of their tendencies. To prevent the meeting from derailing from the start, he decided to speak up first.

"Ahem…" He cleared his throat seriously. "Everyone is here, so let's begin the first agenda item."

The sound of rustling paper filled the room as attendees picked up their notes. For meetings like this, everyone usually came prepared. Even if not full speeches, they had outlines.

The administrative staff began distributing the official documents to the participants.

Each person began carefully reading.

The agenda documents were written by the proposing faction and clearly conveyed their demands.

The Uchiha's material was very simple, it could be understood at a glance.

"Then, the agenda initiator, Fugaku, will now speak," Minato announced.

Fugaku nodded in gratitude.

"I stand here today on behalf of the Uchiha clan to formally request that current jonin and former ANBU Captain Kakashi return the Mangekyō Sharingan of Obito to the Uchiha clan."

Having introduced the topic, he concluded in a concise manner:

"Our clan respects the wishes of every battlefield hero, but the Mangekyō Sharingan is a vital artifact of the Uchiha, concerning the clan's very survival. It must be retrieved. We are willing to listen to reasonable terms for its exchange. That is all I have to say."

Once those two points were made, he fell silent and said no more.

"Then next, we invite the person involved, Kakashi, to respond." Minato, seeing how firm Fugaku had been, could only let Kakashi speak.

He had spoken to Kakashi before the meeting. Though he cared deeply for this student, he had been blunt. Not because he lacked understanding, far from it, but because Minato wanted him to realize this issue had little room for compromise.

Everyone's eyes turned to Kakashi. Many looked at him with concern.

Think carefully before you speak!

"…"

Kakashi started to wonder, Have I really seemed that dumb all this time?

Do they think I can't understand plain language?

And also... Guy! Of all people, how could YOU be looking at me like that? I absolutely can't accept it!

You're the last person who belongs in a place like this!

"Fugaku-sama," Kakashi said after some thought, "I have no intention of coveting the Uchiha bloodline. I can promise that as long as I live, no one will have the chance to touch this eye. And before I die, I will ensure it is returned to the Uchiha."

Many people nodded internally at this. He was indeed showing sincerity. Given that he didn't know the full truth, this stance was actually very respectful toward the Uchiha.

But the trouble with this situation was… Obito was a missing-nin.

"I admire you," said Fugaku. "In fact, the clan initially respected Obito's final wishes. We didn't object much to you having the eye. But now, things have changed. This is no ordinary Sharingan, it's a Mangekyō Sharingan. We have no choice but to retrieve it. And we are being very sincere, we're willing to compensate you."

"Fugaku-sama, you know very well that I didn't keep this eye out of personal desire. I don't want anything else, and to me, this eye is irreplaceable."

A suspicion began to rise in Kakashi's heart.

He wasn't an Uchiha, but even he could tell that the clan's attitude shift wasn't simply because of the Mangekyō.

A Sharingan was a Sharingan, would it be less important just because it was not a Mangekyō?

He himself hadn't even known it was a Mangekyō.

For the Uchiha clan to suddenly change their stance so drastically, there had to be a reason. To put it bluntly, a single Mangekyō Sharingan was powerful, yes, but it was not game-changing on its own.

Thanks to Masashi, the current ninjas all understood that the strongest technique of the Mangekyō was Susanoo, and that usually required both eyes to be functional.

Could it be...

"Did the Uchiha clan find Obito's body, and retrieve his other eye?"

That Obito's body was never recovered was publicly known from the start. A clan member with an active Sharingan whose body couldn't be brought back, that had been a serious matter for the Uchiha. Kakashi himself had helped search.

"We did recover it. That's how we learned that Obito had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan," Fugaku replied.

"Can I see it?" Kakashi stood up abruptly.

He hadn't once forgotten the face of his comrade, not for a single moment all these years.

"I'm sorry, no," Fugaku shook his head. "And that's not the topic of today's meeting."

"…But it could be," Kakashi lowered his head. "Please understand how I feel. Obito and I were comrades who risked our lives for each other."

This statement prompted a lot of people who knew the truth to mentally scoff.

Oh, we understand, alright. Every one of us here risked our lives with him too!

He was dead-set on getting all of us killed!

Still, no one mocked Kakashi. Nor did anyone blurt out that Obito had become a traitor.

First, because it was a disgraceful scandal, not something to air out. Second, Kakashi represented the collectivist spirit Konoha deeply valued. Everyone hoped to have a comrade like him, someone you could trust with your life. You'd have to be twisted to mock him.

Anyone who did would be seen as having a rotten heart. They'd be beaten senseless and expelled from Konoha before the Hokage even said a word.

"We understand, but we still cannot allow it. I hope you understand as well," Fugaku said. "The Uchiha, like the Hyūga, are a clan built on our bloodline limit. This is a matter of bloodline leakage. It concerns our clan's survival, we can't make decisions based on emotions."

Kakashi silently sat back down.

Masashi looked at this future Sixth Hokage from another timeline with a touch of sympathy.

In the matter of Obito, he had done nothing wrong.

But the Uchiha's actions were even less wrong.

When both sides were right… then it came down to strength.

"Now, let's hear everyone's opinions. The advisors may speak first," Minato said. Though he had a lot he wanted to say, unfortunately, it wasn't his turn yet. He had to follow procedure.

The advisors exchanged glances, then naturally all looked toward Homura and Koharu.

The two elders looked at their colleagues' silent expectation and internally wanted to curse.

These days, young people sure knew how to act, never this respectful otherwise. Still, they were used to handling this kind of thing.

"The Mangekyō Sharingan concerns the core inheritance of the Uchiha clan. Since the founding of the village, our principle has been mutual respect, including for clan traditions and secrecy regarding inherited jutsu. The Uchiha's request is valid and should be honored," Koharu recited her piece and then looked at Homura: Your turn.

Homura gave a practiced nod: Got it. Watch this.

"This is a difficult situation. After all, another principle of our village is unity. Whether it's clans or individuals, everyone's will and reasonable requests should be fully respected. Kakashi and his comrades made tremendous sacrifices for the village. That's how we got the legendary tale of the heroes. He wants to follow his fallen comrade's wishes, and from the village's perspective, that's not unreasonable. I believe this calls for the Hokage to make a final decision."

Down the row, the other advisors gave a mental thumbs up.

"Ahem! Ahem! Ahem!" Hiruzen coughed loudly.

Koharu and Homura looked at him expressionlessly. Their lips moved slightly.

Hiruzen read the lip movements of his old friends: This kind of thing used to be Danzō's job. We're not good at it.

He thought this was really unfair.

Danzō was just honest about his thoughts! Why act like he was just performing a role?

He began to miss his old friend.

If Danzō were here, he'd never be phoning it in like this.

"Hiruzen, your turn," Tobirama suddenly said.

Hearing his teacher's voice, the former members of Team Tobirama instinctively sat up straight.

"My thoughts are similar," Hiruzen said reflexively, moving before his brain caught up. "Both sides have legitimate demands. Trying to find a compromise using normal methods probably won't work."

"Propose a method," Tobirama said. "I'm someone who technically shouldn't even exist anymore, but let me offer a suggestion. I've noticed that nowadays, people in meetings love talking about how difficult things are, but rarely propose actual solutions. That's not good."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Then all turned to look at Masashi.

It was common knowledge by now that hr was extremely good at solving tough problems. Many meetings couldn't even proceed without him. Yet, despite all that, he still didn't have a formal position in the Hokage Building. It was… odd.

Everyone could only assume that he truly didn't want a public office. It wasn't humility or building clout.

Who took ten years to "build clout," anyway?

Planning to retire while building clout?

Tobirama took in everyone's reaction, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Anyway, let's all take this seriously and propose actual solutions."

Everyone nodded again.

And then… silence.

"No one? Then I'll go first," he said, already expecting this group wouldn't be able to come up with anything. He looked at Kakashi. "You are the directly involved party. Keeping the eye is out of the question. That kind of stubbornness is meaningless. Think carefully, how do you want to resolve this?"

Refusing to return it simply wasn't tenable.

Even when he was alive, Tobirama wouldn't have supported such a proposal.

"If we don't reach a viable solution today, then this topic will be tabled for now. We'll continue the discussion afterward and resolve it at the next meeting."

Forcing through a plan that neither side could accept? Absolutely not.

The title of Hokage wasn't meant for foolish actions. Even a dead Hokage shouldn't act that way.