The three of them entered the house and took their seats. The Hyuga servants had already set out the tea and, displaying perfect situational awareness, promptly withdrew.
"Uchiha Shisui... that's the 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' who, like Minato, shook the shinobi world during the last war, right?" Diarmuid's psychological fortitude was ironclad. As the literal murderer, he showed no signs of abnormality; instead, he adopted the persona of someone with only a passing familiarity with the subject.
By now, Hiruzen had largely dismissed his suspicions of Diarmuid, so he nodded. "That is indeed him."
"Lord Third, what exactly happened?" Hiashi asked in a low voice. He was genuinely curious.
Hiruzen remained silent for a moment before beginning, "It happened like this. Last night, we..."
He quickly recounted the events. Hiashi wore a look of shock, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Diarmuid, on the other hand, raised his eyebrows with interest, appearing intrigued by the details.
"Shisui of the Body Flicker, shaker of the shinobi world... are you sure that title wasn't just Konoha propaganda?" Diarmuid opened with a typical taunt.
Hiruzen was well-acquainted with Diarmuid's personality and didn't take offense. He replied flatly, "Can a reputation earned on the battlefield be faked?"
"Then this is far too bizarre. Even if this Shisui guy is young, he's a veteran who survived the war and is reportedly very powerful. Such a man is killed right in the heart of Konoha in about ten minutes, without even getting the chance to fire a signal flare?" Diarmuid raised an eyebrow.
He paused, and before Hiruzen could respond, he 'realized' something and added, "Actually, it's not impossible. I think I could do it..."
The room suddenly went silent.
Hiashi looked at Diarmuid with an awkward expression, while Diarmuid turned a strange gaze toward Hiruzen.
"Hey, you old geezer, you don't actually suspect me, do you? Is that why you rushed over first thing in the morning to visit your 'old friend'?" Diarmuid spoke first, effectively launching a preemptive strike.
Hiruzen burst into laughter, appearing quite hearty as he took a sip of tea. "Hahahaha... how could that be? You might be a bastard, Diarmuid, but you've always been a good friend to Konoha. Why would I suspect you? Hahaha, impossible, you're overthinking it."
Of course, Hiruzen had come precisely because he had lingering doubts. But that was only part of the reason. After seeing Diarmuid and engaging in this dialogue, the suspicions in his heart were truly beginning to dissipate.
After a few moments of forced laughter, Diarmuid stared suspiciously at Hiruzen. Then, he shook his head. "Fine, it's normal for you to be a bit paranoid. Look, Shisui's strength was high, and someone who can kill him in ten minutes without alerting anyone in Konoha proves there's a serious powerhouse on the loose. Tell you what, for the sake of our friendship, I'll give you a hand. If you manage to flush the guy out, I'll personally help you take him down!"
As he spoke, Diarmuid looked eager for a fight.
Ironically, the more he acted this way, the less Hiruzen suspected him. Hiruzen interpreted this as Diarmuid having 'itchy palms,' the typical behavior of a warrior who wanted to test himself against a strong opponent. For Diarmuid, this behavior was perfectly in character.
"I'm going to hold you to that," Hiruzen said directly. As Hokage, his skin was naturally thick. Anyone capable of killing Shisui was an elite; if Konoha actually found them, it would take immense effort to deal with them. Having a powerhouse like Diarmuid as backup was a huge win. Why would he refuse?
Diarmuid nodded with satisfaction, but then clicked his tongue. "Though I think it's a long shot. Usually, if you don't catch someone red-handed at this level, it ends up being a cold case."
Countless ninjas died every year, and many homicides went unsolved. When a master of this caliber was involved, the chances of a breakthrough were slim to none.
Hiruzen, though unhappy, nodded in agreement. "We must do our best regardless."
"Then do your best," Diarmuid agreed. He didn't care; he was just acting. The case was unsolvable because the killer was sitting right in front of them.
After some more idle chatter, Hiruzen took another sip of tea and asked as if casually, "Did Danzō invite you here?"
"Hmm?" Diarmuid grunted, then replied, "Not exactly. He wanted to hire our Yorozuya to take action, but I outsourced the job."
Hiruzen: "???"
Outsourced?
Before he could speak, Diarmuid adopted a sincere, earnest tone. "Sigh, it was actually a good gig. But I thought about it, and I just couldn't bear to lay a hand on my good friend, Konoha. So, I outsourced it. But since I wasn't entirely comfortable with that, I decided to come and keep an eye on things myself, just so no mistakes happen that might tarnish the reputation of the Yorozuya."
Hiruzen: "???"
What kind of nonsense is this?
Can we be serious? This involves decades of village friction and the next thousand years of development!
"So, who did you outsource it to?" Hiruzen asked, feeling helpless.
"Hmm... a heartless bastard. You people in Konoha know him too," Diarmuid answered after a moment's thought.
Hiruzen looked at Diarmuid with a metaphorical toothache. Konoha knows plenty of heartless bastards. Starting with you, Diarmuid. Are you just talking in circles?
"It seems this 'heartless bastard' is someone you're quite familiar with?" Hiruzen quipped sarcastically, implying they were birds of a feather.
Whether Diarmuid didn't catch the subtext or simply ignored it, he waved his hand dismissively. "Not familiar. Only met him once. To be honest, I don't even want to see him right now. If I did, I'd probably lose my temper and punch him."
Hiruzen was baffled again. What kind of logic is this?
"You have a grudge with him?" Hiruzen pried.
"A grudge? Not really." Diarmuid shook his head. "I just find him annoying. Purely that."
Did Obito have a grudge with Diarmuid? No. Though in Black Zetsu's eyes, there was one, since Obito's past blunders had once inconvenienced Diarmuid. But that was an illusion Diarmuid had created. In reality, Obito hadn't affected him at all.
Diarmuid's view of Obito had been neutral before the Night of the Nine-Tails. Afterward, however, he had no fondness for the man. A person who could kill his own Sensei and his Sensei's wife, especially a woman who had always been kind to him, didn't deserve any respect.
Hiruzen was thoroughly confused by Diarmuid's antics. After more thought, he asked, "Is it convenient to tell me who he is?"
"It is not," Diarmuid said bluntly.
Hiruzen nearly crushed the teacup in his hand. You bastard...
This is a serious matter for Konoha, and not only do you outsource it, but you outsource it to someone you don't even like. What if he messes up?
Sensing Hiruzen's concern, Diarmuid smiled. "Relax. Am I not right here in Konoha? If anything goes wrong, I'll cover it."
Hiruzen fell silent for a while before asking, "And what was the reward Danzō negotiated with you?"
"Sharingan," Diarmuid said directly.
Hiruzen looked at Diarmuid with a resigned gaze. Could you be any more blunt?
"What?" Diarmuid asked.
"Nothing... nothing," Hiruzen waved it off. He felt he shouldn't have asked, or perhaps shouldn't have come at all. His mood was only getting worse.
"According to my agreement with Danzō, the Yorozuya will provide support. We will assist Konoha in the shadow operation to eliminate the Uchiha clan. Once it's over, I get two-thirds of the clan's Sharingan," Diarmuid explained.
He essentially sold Danzō out without hesitation.
Hiruzen's heart was in knots, but he didn't question the ethics. Instead, he asked, "And the rest?"
"The rest? Danzō said he wanted them for himself," Diarmuid said, again without hesitation. He seemed remarkably comfortable leaking Danzō's secrets.
Hiruzen: "???"
He asked in surprise, "I understand why you want the Sharingan, that bastard Orochimaru probably wants them for research. But what does Danzō want them for?"
Hiruzen didn't overthink Diarmuid's involvement. To him, it was just a mercenary contract. Since it involved the Uchiha, the Sharingan were the payment. At this stage, few people realized how much impact the Sharingan would have on the world's future. He assumed it was just research material for Orochimaru.
"How should I know what he wants them for? Maybe it's because he's a pervert?" Diarmuid said casually.
As soon as he spoke, Hiashi, who had been silent, burst out laughing. "Doesn't that make you a pervert too?"
"I'm different. I'm doing it for science," Diarmuid waved it off. Then, he looked slightly hesitant before adding, "I didn't bring this up in front of you before because I thought it might make you uncomfortable. But don't overthink it, Hiashi. I'm interested in the Sharingan, but I have zero interest in your Byakugan. I'd never move against your clan."
The Sharingan and the Byakugan, the Uchiha and the Hyuga, the parallels were too strong. Discussing the trade of eyes while sitting in the Hyuga estate was, objectively, a bit tactless.
Hiashi had indeed been feeling a bit unpleasant earlier, a "sympathy for a fellow sufferer" kind of feeling. But Diarmuid's clarification made his mood even more complicated.
What do you mean? You look down on our Byakugan? You're not even interested?
Thus, Hiashi replied with a look of stifled indignation, "Well, I'll freaking 'thank' you for that, then..."
"You're welcome. It's the least I can do," Diarmuid replied graciously.