Inside the Uchiha clan head's study, three figures sat facing one another:
Uchiha Fugaku.
Uchiha Jin.
Uchiha Shisui.
Fugaku's expression was composed, but his gaze wandered. His mind clearly hadn't settled—Itachi's situation still weighed on him.
Jin broke the silence.
"Clan Head, even if you want to correct course, it can't be done overnight. Itachi is only five. There's still time."
"Let's wait for the medical report before making any decisions."
"Medical report?" Shisui blinked. "Did something happen to Itachi?"
Jin calmly repeated what he had explained earlier about early chakra extraction, mental strain, and long-term damage.
Shisui frowned.
"…Is it really that serious?"
"But Itachi does think too deeply for a five-year-old."
Jin shot him a flat look.
"You've got some nerve saying that."
Shisui froze.
At twelve years old, Shisui had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and stepped into the Kage-tier threshold. (Yes, we're slightly adjusting his age here for sanity's sake.)
If anyone embodied "early brilliance," it was Shisui.
If anyone had already overdrawn their body, it was Shisui.
And who influenced Itachi the most?
Also Shisui.
Shisui coughed awkwardly and chose silence.
Jin continued seriously:
"You're already in this state. Nothing can undo that. So I'll just give you one requirement."
"Use those eyes as little as possible."
"They may have granted you Kage-level combat potential, but your physical body is the bottleneck."
"A child swinging a war hammer will eventually crush his own bones."
"Focus on strengthening your body."
Mangekyō granted power—but not stamina. Not muscle. Not durability.
In raw metrics—strength, speed, endurance, chakra reserves—Shisui was still around elite jōnin level.
Because he was twelve.
Shisui nodded solemnly.
"The war is ending. Even three-tomoe Sharingan—I'll use it cautiously."
Good.
At least one genius was still salvageable.
Fugaku finally steadied himself and shifted to the real matter.
"Enough about that. Let's discuss why I called you here."
Jin leaned back slightly.
"Tell me what Hiruzen wants."
Fugaku spoke evenly.
"The Third Hokage says the village's finances are extremely strained. Revenues are insufficient in many areas."
"He wants to temporarily suspend Uchiha compensation payments and war rewards."
"And as compensation…"
"He's willing to grant you two positions in ANBU."
Silence.
Shisui's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
Jin did not speak immediately.
Fugaku continued:
"Sixty-eight of our clan members fell in this war."
"To be honest, the compensation amount isn't enormous. The clan can cover it ourselves."
"As for rewards, we can substitute clan techniques."
"But two ANBU positions…"
"That's unprecedented."
"That's the closest the Uchiha have ever come to the village's core."
"And—"
"He would allow us to propose it ourselves. To display Uchiha magnanimity. Improve our image."
"If you hadn't warned me earlier, I might have agreed on the spot."
Jin looked at Fugaku.
The faint disdain in his eyes was not hidden.
But instead of rebuking him, he turned to Shisui.
"What do you think?"
Shisui hesitated.
"There's… something wrong."
"I can feel it."
"But I can't articulate what."
Fair.
Even with Jin's guidance, Shisui was still young. Experience has weight.
Fugaku frowned.
"Are we overthinking this?"
"The village truly is struggling."
"Is it not reasonable for them to extend goodwill toward us in order to stabilize relations?"
Jin let out a short laugh.
"Let's break this down."
"First—yes, the village's finances are tight."
"But they just received war reparations from Kumogakure."
"It's not as dire as they claim."
"Second—you yourself admitted the compensation for our sixty-eight casualties isn't a huge sum."
"And technique rewards could be substituted."
"Do you honestly think Konoha's ninjutsu archives are poorer than ours?"
Fugaku's expression shifted.
He was not foolish.
He was just standing inside the fog.
And Jin had just pulled him half a step out.
Fugaku's voice lowered.
"Then what is their real objective?"
Jin's smile vanished.
"The issue isn't our compensation."
"It's everyone's."
"If you tally up all casualties across all fronts, the total compensation is astronomical."
"That is what the village cannot comfortably pay."
Fugaku frowned.
"That I understand. But how does that involve us?"
"If we refuse payment, doesn't that free funds for others?"
Jin shook his head slowly.
"That's not how this ledger works."
He leaned forward.
"Have you heard the story of 'Zǐgòng Redeems a Man'?"
The Story
In ancient Lu, there was a law:
If a citizen ransomed a compatriot enslaved abroad, the state would reimburse him.
Zǐgòng, a disciple of Confucius, once redeemed someone—but refused reimbursement.
He believed it was virtuous.
Confucius reprimanded him.
Why?
Because after that, no one else dared accept reimbursement.
If they did, they'd seem greedy.
If they didn't, they might not afford redemption at all.
So fewer people were rescued.
Zǐgòng's virtue raised the moral bar so high that it harmed society.
Jin's eyes were calm.
"If the Uchiha refuse compensation…"
"What happens to the Hyūga?"
"What happens to the Nara? The Akimichi? The civilian shinobi families?"
"They either accept payment—and appear selfish."
"Or refuse—and suffer financially."
"Either way…"
"We become the standard."
"And everyone else resents us."
Fugaku's pupils constricted.
Shisui inhaled sharply.
Jin continued coldly:
"This is not goodwill."
"This is political framing."
"If we accept the ANBU seats and refuse compensation—"
"We appear noble."
"But we isolate ourselves."
"And shoulder invisible resentment."
"Even worse…"
"Once we step into ANBU, our elite are absorbed into Hokage control."
"Promotion on the surface."
"Disempowerment beneath."
He leaned back.
"It's a classic maneuver."
"Praise you publicly."
"Strip you quietly."
Fugaku sat in silence.
The pieces aligned.
His earlier excitement now felt naive.
Jin's voice lowered.
"They want us to be Zǐgòng."
"And they want to use our 'virtue' as a weapon."
The room was utterly still.
Shisui finally spoke.
"…So what do we do?"
Jin's eyes sharpened.
"We flip the board."
"If they want us to be magnanimous—"
"We'll redefine magnanimity."
"And make sure the entire village benefits."
He smiled faintly.
"And make sure no one can resent us for it."
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