P2W 31 - Shisui's Hope

"Shisui, you need to believe in the Third Hokage. Orochimaru-sensei is his disciple, so he might become the Fifth Hokage. If that happens, all our concerns will be irrelevant because Orochimaru-sensei will be the Fifth Hokage."

Now, Uchiha Yoru has changed and genuinely cares about the village and the Uchiha clan members who aspire to become Hokage. He seems to be advising Shisui not to be too extreme in his views.

Even Shisui secretly begins to doubt himself. When did he start doubting the village? He can't believe in the Hokage anymore. It's frustrating!

Suddenly, a deep sense of guilt overwhelms him. Shisui looks at his guiding light in life with gratitude and says, "Yoru-niisan, thank you. It was my own extremism."

Yes, under Yoru's persuasion, Shisui believes that he has become extreme and shows a look of shame. But Yoru, in his heart, silently disagrees, knowing that once Shisui realizes that the village didn't choose Orochimaru as the Fifth Hokage, his dissatisfaction will resurface even stronger.

Breaking Shisui's conviction in the Third Hokage's Will of Fire cannot be done overnight; it requires time. It's best to let Shisui witness everything himself.

If it weren't for Shisui, the Uchiha wouldn't have established a relationship with Orochimaru. After Orochimaru returns to the village, Shisui will still struggle to earn the trust of the clan and the Hokage. He won't have time to worry about these things.

But now, Orochimaru is not only involved with the Uchiha clan but also a significant portion, if not all, of the village's ninjas consider him the future Hokage.

Placing all their hopes on Orochimaru and shaping him as a shining figure who carries the darkness silently. It's disappointing.

Looking at Shisui, who is now filled with guilt and self-blame, Uchiha Yoru smiles and pats his shoulder. "Shisui, you're still young. It's good to have your own opinions, but you shouldn't blindly trust anyone. You need to see things from multiple perspectives."

"Yoru-niisan, I was narrow-minded."

This time, Shisui truly realizes his mistake, and Yoru nods with a smile. "Don't worry, when we go back to the village, everything will be stable. We can't miss Orochimaru-sensei's inauguration ceremony as the Fifth Hokage."

In one sentence, I will make you, Uchiha Shisui, believe completely in one thing: Orochimaru being summoned back to the village means he will become the Hokage. Once this hope fills your mind, you will realize how beautiful your thoughts are and how cruel reality can be.

Upon hearing that Orochimaru-sama is returning to become the Fifth Hokage, Shisui's face immediately shows excitement, unaware of the dark experiences that await him.

"Yoru-niisan, I will witness Orochimaru-sama becoming the Fifth Hokage with my own eyes!"

Shisui's eyes are filled with determination at this moment, completely fanatical. He can already see the reconciliation between the Uchiha clan and the Hokage lineage, with the Uchiha clan regaining the trust of the village.

However, Uchiha Yoru frowns and contemplates silently. After analyzing the information, he seems to have discovered some different circumstances. After all, he only has sporadic information from Kishimoto, that old thief.

In the original story, there is no confirmed time when Orochimaru betrayed the village, but some fragments can provide a general idea.

When Orochimaru defected, the Third Hokage was in the village. Upon hearing this news, he became furious and led the Anbu to capture Orochimaru. From this, one thing can be determined: Orochimaru was not far from the village at that time, probably nearby.

The second clue is from an episode in the anime, where Uchiha Itachi was training alone and about to be attacked by countless shuriken. At that moment, Orochimaru, who was secretly observing, was prepared to rescue him.

At that time, Orochimaru was clearly not a defector and still wore the forehead protector. It is unclear how old Itachi was at that time, but one thing is certain: Itachi, as the son of the clan head, would have trained in a special secret room within the clan. Orochimaru's presence indicates that Uchiha Itachi had a connection with him; otherwise, Orochimaru would not have appeared so openly.

According to various sources, Itachi awakened his Sharingan at the age of eight, which means Orochimaru was still a ninja of Konoha before Itachi turned eight.

"If that's the case, then there should be about two more years."

After careful analysis, Uchiha Yoru's eyes narrow, revealing a smile. Meanwhile, Shisui, who is beside him, thinks that his big brother is talking about the ceremony to select the Fifth Hokage that will happen after their return to the village.

The two of them, with a single sentence, have completely different thoughts.

~~~

Notes:

(Author's eyeballing the Timeline. If different then consider this AU)