I, Uchiha, will not be whitewashed!

It was already late at night when they returned to the Uchiha camp from the Anbu.

Shuoge pushed open the courtyard gate; the light in Zhishui's room was still on.

He walked over and peeked through the window—Shisui was sitting at the table, with a shurikenjutsu notebook open in front of him, drawing something on the paper with a pen.

Hearing the noise outside the window, he looked up, saw Shuoge, and his eyes lit up.

"Brother Shuoge".

"Aren't you going to sleep yet?"

"I'm waiting for you."

Shisui put down his pen, took something out of the drawer, walked to the window, and handed it to him. It was a shuriken, new, with the character "mirror" crookedly engraved on it.

"You lost the last one, so I had a new one engraved."

Shuoge took it and tucked it behind his waist. "Hmm."

Shisui looked at him, wanting to say something, but swallowed it back.

Shuoge knew what he wanted to say—was the mission to the Dark Division dangerous? Were you injured? When can you stop going to the Dark Division? But Shisui didn't ask, because he knew Shuoge wouldn't answer, or if he did, he would just say "I'm fine."

"Tomorrow afternoon, training grounds." Shuoge turned and walked towards his room. "I'll teach you the practical application of the Sharingan."

Shisui's eyes lit up. "Okay."

-

The next afternoon, at the training ground.

Shisui was already there. He stood in the center of the open space, holding a kunai in his hand, his eyes already opened—the single-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated in the sunlight, like a newly lit charcoal.

Seeing Shuoge approaching, he put away his kunai and stood up straight.

"Let's warm up first." Sakugo leaned his sword against a tree trunk and pulled a kunai from his ninja tool pouch. "Attack."

The still water surged up. He was fast, his kunai slashing down from above at a tricky angle.

Shuoge dodged to the side, his kunai unsheathed, using the scabbard to block the second attack.

Shisui's Sharingan caught Sakugo's movements, and his body followed, but Sakugo's scabbard was already waiting at the point where his kunai would land.

The sound of metal clashing was crisp, and Zhi Shui was knocked back two steps.

"Your problem remains unchanged; your eyes are still fixed on my knife," Shuoge said calmly. "Watch my shoulders and feet. A knife can lie, but the body's reactions are much harder to fake."

Shisui nodded and rushed forward again.

This time, he didn't look at Shuoge's knife, but stared at Shuoge's shoulder.

Sakugo's right shoulder slumped slightly—Shisui's kunai had already pierced in that direction.

Shuoge's scabbard was waiting there, blocking the attack.

But Shisui's lips twitched—his kunai was a feint, and his left fist was already slamming towards Shuoge's ribs.

Shuoge's scabbard pressed down from above, blocking his left fist.

"Not bad." Sakugo stopped. "But your left fist was too slow. The Sharingan saw an opportunity; your body needs to keep up."

Shisui was panting, his forehead covered in sweat, but his eyes were bright.

"Again."

The two practiced until the sun was setting. Zhi Shui's wrists ached, and blisters formed on the back of his hands, but he didn't call for a stop. Shuo Ge didn't stop either.

Footsteps approached in the distance. Fugaku stood at the edge of the training field, arms crossed, watching them. His face was expressionless, but there was something in his eyes—not satisfaction, but scrutiny.

"Shuoge, come here for a second."

Sakugo put away his kunai and walked up to Fugaku. Shisui stood at a distance, not following, but his ears were perked up.

"How's the mission for the Anbu going?" Fugaku's voice was low.

"smoothly."

Fugaku was silent for a moment. "The Third Hokage abdicated, and Minato took over. Danzo is dead, but Root remains. The higher-ups' attitude towards the Uchiha hasn't changed; they've just changed their approach."

The root is currently in the hands of the third generation.

Minato Namikaze became Hokage, standing in the light, becoming the crown that protects Konoha.

The Third Hokage, on the other hand, disappeared into the darkness and became the "Root" that provided nourishment to Konoha.

Shuoge looked at him.

"I need you in the shadows, not just to carry out missions."

Fugaku lowered his voice even further. "I want you to keep an eye on things. Watch the higher-ups' movements, watch their attitude towards the Uchiha. If anything happens, tell me."

Shuoge was silent for a moment. "You want me to be a spy?"

"Not a spy." Fugaku looked at him. "It's the eyes. Uchiha eyes."

Shuoge didn't speak. He turned and walked back to the training ground. Shisui was still there waiting, holding a kunai in his hand, unaware of what they were talking about.

"Continue." Shuoge picked up the kunai.

Shisui nodded and rushed forward again. Fugaku stood at the edge of the training ground, watched for a while, then turned and left.

That evening, Shuoge sat at home polishing his sword. Shisui sat beside him, twirling the newly engraved shuriken in his hand.

"Brother Shuoge, what does the clan chief want with you?"

"It's nothing."

Shisui didn't ask any further questions. He twirled the sword between his fingers and tucked it behind his waist. "When can I unlock the Double Tomoe?"

Shuoge paused for a moment. "Wait until you have someone you want to protect, or you lose someone you don't want to lose."

Shisui was silent for a moment. "Then I might never be able to open it."

Sakugo looked at him. Shisui's eyes were bright, not the red of the Sharingan, but a clean light untouched by war and death. Sakugo lowered his head and continued wiping his sword.

"That would be best."

Outside the window, the moon peeked out from behind the clouds, its pale light illuminating the courtyard. In the distance, someone was patrolling; their footsteps were light, rustling softly on the stone path.

The village was quiet. But Shuoge knew that this quiet wouldn't last long.

-

Root did not disband after Danzo's death.

On the seventh day after Danzo's disappearance, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, secretly entered Root's underground base.

He brought no secret agents, no guards, and pushed open the heavy iron door alone. Root members on either side of the corridor, wearing masks, knelt on the ground; no one spoke, no one looked up.

They are waiting for a new owner.

The Third Hokage stood in Danzo's former office, looking at the map of Konoha on the wall.

The map marks the intelligence network, mobs, and supply points that are located throughout the Land of Fire.

These things were built up by Danzo over decades; they can't be wasted. If they are, Konoha will be blind. He picked up the seal on the table and stamped his name on Root's first transfer order.

From that day on, Root no longer belonged to Danzo, but to the Hokage.

Minato knew about this.

Three generations could not hide it from him, nor could they.

The Hokage's crown was placed on Minato's head, and he stood in the light, receiving the cheers and love of the villagers.

The third generation retreats into the shadows, taking over those shady dealings—assassination, infiltration, intelligence warfare, and purging traitors.

One bright, one dark; one crown, one branch.

"You shouldn't have done these things," Minato once said to the Third Hokage.

A tree canopy bathed in light should not become roots buried in the soil.

The third generation took a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled. "Someone has to do it."

Minato didn't say anything more. He knew the Third Hokage was right.

The Hokage cannot be dirty, but Konoha needs someone to be dirty.

Danzo is dead, so it can only be him.

Minato turned around and looked out the window at Konoha Village bathed in sunlight. Children ran in the streets, and old people basked in the sun under the eaves. He was protecting these things, and the Third Hokage was protecting his ability to protect them.

A new era for the roots has begun.

The Third Hokage did not use Danzo's methods; he did not carve curse marks on the tongues of Root members, nor did he treat them as disposable tools.

But he did not dismantle the roots, because the leaves need roots.

This time, however, the root was no longer for someone's ambition, but for the survival of the village.

Shuoge vaguely sensed this change in the shadows.

The frequency of Root's activities has decreased, and its methods have become more moderate, but the intelligence network and the hidden agents are still there.

The only difference was that the person giving the orders had changed. He didn't ask any more questions, nor did he need to. All he needed to know was that Danzo was dead, and Root was still alive, but living more like a tool than a monster.

Minato stood on the top floor of the Hokage Building, looking down at the village.

The third generation sat in Root's office, looking at a map.

Two people, one in the light, one in the shadows, guarding the same tree. One is the crown, the other the root. The crown basks in the sunlight, the root lies deep underground.

No one can live without anyone else.

……

……

……