Chapter 214: Choice
"…?"
"…?"
"…?"
"What?" Shisui shouted, and Kakashi was equally shocked.
'I always wondered why Shisui and Itachi would join Anbu. I could accept the very odd reasoning for the Uchiha wanting to spy on Konoha's higher-ups while outwardly showing loyalty to Konoha. But there was no reason for Shisui to join Anbu. Now, the reason is becoming more and more clear to me,' Kaida thought.
"Why would I have to do something like that?" Shisui asked, calming his mind a little.
"When you were the only Kage-level ninja in the Uchiha clan, others may not have had much problem with that. Even though it's difficult, it is not impossible for the clan to handle a single Kage-level ninja," Kaida said, pausing for them to understand.
"But now that the clan head has also shown he is a Kage-level ninja, the limit is broken, and now it may lead to some problems in Konoha," Shisui said.
"Exactly. But if you 'leave' the Uchiha clan and join Anbu, then the Uchiha will once again have just a single Kage-level ninja, and the power balance will remain the same. With you in Anbu, the village will be more secure," Kaida explained.
Kakashi then asked, "I understand this, but how will that help Naruto? I don't want to be a jerk, but this was the main reason this whole debate started," Kakashi said with an awkward smile. To him, it was too much for a child to be discussing something like this. Even though he knew how smart Kaida was, it was still a 9-year-old boy discussing the fate of Konoha, which could face civil war.
Now, one thing everyone didn't know was that, with the Sharingan, the Uchiha gain the ability to read minds. There is also another way to understand what a person is thinking. Even in the real world, some psychiatrists can tell if a person is lying by observing minor muscle movements, like twitching muscles near the eyes, hand movements, or specific postures. They can guess what the person is thinking.
The Sharingan enhances this capacity, allowing the user to notice these things better. With higher mental capacity, they can process those observations more effectively. Because of this, Kaida and Shisui could tell that Kakashi was not taking this conversation seriously. However, Kaida was not offended.
'Even I wouldn't take a kid's words seriously. In my previous life, many people would discuss how a country should be run or how new decisions by higher-ups would ruin the country in the future, even though they knew nothing about the leaders' thought processes and why they made those decisions.'
'So how am I different from those people? Well, I know the details about Konoha much more than anyone else present in the whole village. Also, all those plot holes in my knowledge could now be filled with actual and true data. With this and increased mental capacity, deducing such small things is not much of a problem,' Kaida thought. But, of course, he and Shisui didn't say anything about that.
"These two things are really related to each other, Kakashi. Like, tell me, who should Naruto live with?" Kaida asked.
"With…" Kakashi stopped mid-sentence. He wanted to say 'with me,' but even he could guess how bad that would be. He would be out of Konoha for missions, so what difference would it make if Naruto lived alone or with him?
"I don't know," Kakashi said with a sigh.
"Aunt Kushina and Aunt Mikoto were good friends, so ideally, Naruto should live with her. Since she has a son of the same age as Naruto, he would have a better chance to feel at ease there. But the problem is, other clans will not allow that under any circumstances."
"Then?"
"Then the second-best option I could think of is this house," Kaida said.
Both Kakashi and Shisui were shocked by that.
"Why?" This time, Shisui was the one who asked the question.
"Aunt Hae is friends with Aunt Mikoto, and it was because of their discussions that I was able to learn about Naruto's condition. Also, I am… was an orphan myself and know how good this house is for an orphan. And the last reason is safety. Naruto is the Jinchuriki of Konoha. We would need an Anbu squad protecting him wherever he goes. But who do you think would be better at protecting him than an Anbu squad?"
Both Kaida and Kakashi looked towards Shisui, a Kage-level ninja. Then Kakashi looked towards Kaida, who, while not as strong as Shisui, was still a Jonin-level ninja.
Now he could easily see why Kaida said this was the best house for Naruto. With Hae's motherly nature, Naruto could get a family, and there are very few places other than clan headquarters that can provide better protection for him than this house.
"That's why you said that I have to leave the clan," Shisui said.
"Yup, for others, you are the head of the house. If you are part of the Uchiha clan, there is no way others will allow us to take Naruto in. But…"
"But if he becomes part of Anbu after leaving the Uchiha clan, then it will be the same as Lord Third making arrangements for Naruto, and no one will have any problem with that," Kakashi completed Kaida's sentence. Kaida just nodded.
"Is anyone going to ask for my permission before making such a decision?" Hae said as she came into the hall with a tray full of snacks and tea.
"Of course, Aunt. We are just discussing the possibility. Without your permission, we can't do anything," Kaida said.
"You are learning from your brother day by day. You are also getting his silver tongue," Hae said and gave tea to everyone. "Don't worry, I also want to help that boy. His parents did so much for us, and he is living such a sad life," Hae said. Everyone nodded in agreement.
"But the stuff about the clan and Anbu, I think you guys should go and discuss that with the clan head. That stuff sounds much more serious," Hae said.
"Yes, I was thinking about that. Kaida, you also come with me," Shisui said.
"Then I will take my leave. Please notify me about future developments, if that's not too much trouble for you guys," Kakashi said.
After enjoying some tea, they all went to their respective destinations.