Chapter 71: I Am an Audience Member
The sun was setting across the horizon, casting long shadows throughout the vast Forest of Death.
"Is the situation resolved?"
An ANBU operative stationed at the forest's edge noticed someone emerging from the tree line. Upon recognizing Uchiha Kazuki, he visibly lowered his guard. Raising an eyebrow, he crossed his arms and asked with an amused smile:
"You seem to have had quite a bit of fun in there, Owl."
"You flatter me, Vice-Captain Tenzō."
Bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun, Uchiha Kazuki appeared almost gilded in golden light. He replied with a pleasant smile: "I merely faithfully carried out Lord Hokage's orders to the letter."
"Excellent work, Owl. Well done indeed."
Tenzō's tone noticeably softened as he offered genuine praise. "The Hokage has always held you in high regard. Don't let us down now."
"You mean..."
Uchiha Kazuki clearly sensed the hidden meaning layered within those words, a look of deliberate confusion crossing his face.
"Hehe, I can't say anything specific—that's the protocol, you understand."
Tenzō chuckled knowingly, patted Kazuki's shoulder in a friendly manner, then pressed down slightly with earnest emphasis:
"But I can tell you this much—there will be a pleasant surprise coming very soon. I have complete faith in you. Even though you're from the Uchiha clan, you possess a dedication to the Will of Fire that's second to none in this village!"
Ah yes, the Will of Fire.
Uchiha Kazuki feigned pleasant surprise, quickly regaining his composed demeanor. He nodded respectfully. "Don't worry, Vice-Captain Tenzō. I definitely won't disappoint Lord Hokage's expectations."
"You've had a long, exhausting day. Go back and get some rest, Owl."
Seeing the undisguised fatigue evident in Kazuki's expression, Tenzō spoke with genuine concern: "Leave the cleanup and remaining procedures to us ANBU operatives."
"Then I'll gratefully accept your offer, Vice-Captain."
With someone volunteering to handle the remaining work, Uchiha Kazuki naturally accepted without hesitation.
"Get some proper rest tonight. Something very good will happen tomorrow."
Before departing, Tenzō left that deliberately meaningful hint, then walked away with a knowing smile.
"So this is the 'good news,' is it?"
Watching Tenzō's retreating figure disappear into the shadows, Uchiha Kazuki raised one hand and gently adjusted his glasses with practiced ease.
"It seems Shikaku and Inoichi acted quite swiftly with their report."
This trusted right-hand operative of the Third Hokage hadn't exactly been friendly during their first meeting.
Of course, a significant part of that initial hostility was simply because of the Uchiha clan name attached to him.
But looking at Tenzō's current attitude, the transformation was nothing short of remarkable.
Clearly, even without deep analysis, Kazuki could deduce that Tenzō had received explicit instructions from the Third Hokage himself. Otherwise, why would the Hokage's personal ANBU operative suddenly show him such obvious goodwill and familiarity?
Uchiha Kazuki walked slowly along the darkening path, his shadow stretching longer and longer in the fading sunset light.
The continuously growing prestige and reputation of Konoha's White Fang throughout the village had begun to seriously affect the power succession plans of the Hokage faction.
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't want to break the established tradition—the Hokage's successor could only come from within the Hokage's own political faction. Therefore, he carefully planned to subtly suppress White Fang's overwhelming reputation.
However, he failed to anticipate one crucial factor: the darkness lurking within human hearts can never be truly controlled or predicted.
Danzō, who had been secretly coveting the Hokage position for decades, saw this as the perfect opportunity to permanently eliminate a major rival for succession. Thus, without either Hiruzen or Danzō fully understanding the other's true intentions, a coordinated plan targeting Sakumo Hatake was successfully implemented from two different directions.
It was a logical convergence of circumstances—requiring only the slightest 'guidance' from someone with the right perspective.
Led publicly by Hiruzen Sarutobi, the high-ranking village officials on the surface attempted to suppress Sakumo Hatake's reputation through bureaucratic means. Meanwhile, led secretly by Danzō, the Root organization worked from the shadows to systematically squeeze out their primary rival through darker methods.
The mounting pressure and quiet disapproval from village leadership above, combined with orchestrated unrest and public ridicule from the common people below, led Sakumo Hatake to tragically misunderstand the situation.
He mistakenly believed that the root cause of all his troubles was his personal reputation surpassing even that of the Hokage himself.
Therefore, desperate to protect his young son Kakashi and to prove his unwavering loyalty to Konoha, Sakumo Hatake ultimately chose to commit ritual suicide as atonement for his perceived failures.
The sudden, shocking suicide of the White Fang led both Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzō to mistakenly believe that the other party had been secretly manipulating and escalating the situation beyond their original intentions.
Thus, the 'roots' that supposedly supported Konoha and the upward-growing 'leaves' of the village developed subtle but significant cracks in their relationship.
Somewhat unexpectedly, despite these dangerous fractures, both the 'roots' and 'leaves' simultaneously and tacitly chose to maintain their fragile political balance rather than risk open conflict.
But such fragile balances often require only the slightest application of 'external force' to shatter completely.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, through carefully crafted information in Tsunade's letter, successfully engineered a calculated 'misunderstanding' with Danzō. This led the Root commander to believe that their delicate balance absolutely needed to be maintained at all costs—and thus Hiruzen decided it was finally time to strip Danzō of a portion of his accumulated power.
Of course, this outcome was no mere coincidence, but rather the result of multifaceted 'guidance' from multiple carefully placed suggestions.
However, what followed made Sarutobi Hiruzen increasingly wary and paranoid. He turned his calculating attention toward the Uchiha—a clan that had always been filled with dangerous ambition, which made him deeply uneasy about the village's future stability.
To properly control and mitigate the potential threat posed by the Uchiha clan, Hiruzen could only think of one viable candidate: the orphaned Uchiha Kazuki.
Unlike the other proud Uchiha, Kazuki had been tragically neglected by his own clan from a young age. Yet despite this treatment, he had somehow developed a deep identification with the Will of Fire and possessed what appeared to be a genuinely kind and innocent heart—making him far more easily influenced and controlled.
Hiruzen decided he needed to definitively test whether Kazuki's apparent kindness and innocence were authentic... or merely a carefully crafted façade hiding something more dangerous.
Under direct orders from the Hokage, Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi used the Chūnin Exams as convenient cover to successfully probe deep into Kazuki's inner consciousness and surface memories.
The result appeared obvious and definitive: faced with Kazuki's carefully constructed mental façade, Inoichi was easily misled by what he wanted to see.
Kazuki had successfully passed Hiruzen's covert psychological examination with flying colors.
He would now gain the Hokage's complete trust and become the key strategic piece for controlling the entire Uchiha clan—playing an absolutely crucial role in future village politics.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was absolutely certain of this conclusion.
To reiterate once more: this was not mere 'coincidence,' but deliberate guidance.
If you cannot directly control fate itself, then instead control the people who shape that fate.
The cumulative power of human will and emotion will eventually converge into a vast, unstoppable torrent—one that even seemingly predetermined fate cannot hope to resist.
Isn't that reasonable?
"That's... perfectly reasonable."
Uchiha Kazuki adjusted his glasses with one finger, an knowing glint shining in his eyes as a gentle, satisfied smile played across his lips.
Walking along the increasingly bustling streets as the evening lights began to twinkle throughout Konoha, countless people passed by him one after another—yet they all seemed somehow oblivious to his presence.
The throng of civilians and shinobi alike, influenced by an invisible psychological force emanating from him, unconsciously parted to create a clear path through the crowd. He moved as if existing independent from the world itself, enjoying his own private tranquility while weaving effortlessly through the masses.
Interesting, isn't it?
The audience seated below the stage always enjoys a truly captivating drama.
Before the crimson curtain, the actors perform their roles vividly and convincingly—following a script already known to certain observers. Meanwhile, the audience below claps enthusiastically or shouts their approval, genuinely believing they understand the complete narrative unfolding before them.
Unbeknownst to them all, hidden among the actors performing behind that crimson curtain, there exists another 'audience member.'
He observes coldly and analytically—watching both the audience below and the actors performing on stage.
Existing within the play, yet simultaneously outside of it.
The script for this story continues exactly as he wishes.
"I'm genuinely looking forward to it."
Standing alone amidst the bustling evening crowd, Kazuki slowly raised his head to gaze at the brilliant full moon hanging in the night sky. He chuckled softly to himself:
"The next act will soon feature you, Uchiha Madara."
[End of Chapter 71]
Author's Notes:
This chapter pulls back the curtain to show just how frighteningly manipulative Kazuki really is!
Key revelations:
Kazuki orchestrated Sakumo Hatake's (White Fang's) suicide by manipulating BOTH Hiruzen and Danzō
He created the rift between the Hokage and Root through careful "guidance"
He deliberately crafted a false mental facade to fool Yamanaka Inoichi's mind-reading
He's using Audience pathway abilities from Lord of Mysteries to manipulate everyone
His ultimate target: Uchiha Madara himself
The "Audience" title refers to his Beyonder pathway—he's both inside and outside the "play" of events, manipulating actors and audience alike!
This is psychological manipulation on a terrifying scale. What's his endgame?