Only You and Me

"Yeah, it was rare to get some time off, so of course I came back to take a look."

Shisui smiled at Habara as well. He had no idea what Habara was plotting in his mind.

Having just returned from a mission today, he naturally planned to get some proper rest. He had originally wanted to find Uchiha Itachi, but unfortunately, Itachi had not gotten any time off yet.

Although the two of them both belonged to the Anbu, the Anbu had several divisions, and each division's base was located somewhere different.

They were not in the same division, so naturally they did not know each other's current situation. It was inevitable that he would sometimes come back only to find no one there.

Still, running into Habara was clearly something that made him happy. What surprised him, however, was that Habara seemed to be troubled by something.

"Tell me. What is it? We're friends, after all. If you're in trouble, it's not like I can't help."

"There are plenty of troubles. Personal troubles, family troubles—aren't they all troubles?"

Hearing Shisui's question, Habara could not help but sigh softly. His words also changed Shisui's previously cheerful expression.

His face visibly stiffened, and his smile slowly faded away.

"Can we not talk about something so headache-inducing right now?" In the end, only a bitter smile remained on Shisui's face. He shook his head and sighed. "Did the clan hold another meeting?"

"More or less. Every time, it's like walking into a marketplace. It's incredibly irritating." Habara Shook Head before continuing, "But it's foreseeable that those extremists will probably gain the upper hand."

Though less than a year remained before Clan Massacre Night, neither the Hawk Faction nor the Dove Faction had truly seized the Uchiha Clan's Influence.

There was one person who had to be mentioned here: Uchiha Fugaku.

It was this man who had kept the Uchiha Clan in a fragile balance, with the Dove Faction and Hawk Faction still fighting each other but neither holding the dominant position.

Yet it was also this man's actions that had prevented the Uchiha Clan from ever truly speaking with one voice!

Moreover, there was another important trigger for the Uchiha rebellion: Danzo.

Danzo had attacked Shisui, the representative of the Dove Faction, and Shisui's death was what caused those from the Dove Faction to completely switch sides.

But none of that had happened yet. Habara could still do something during this period. Still, it had to be said that the Hawk Faction truly held a tremendous advantage.

"It really is a huge problem." Shisui sighed deeply. "If the clan keeps going like this, I'm afraid it will descend into the abyss."

"It really will descend into the abyss. After all, aren't you and Itachi there?" Hearing Shisui's words, Habara suddenly said meaningfully, "I don't think they Don't Know anything."

Habara's words made Shisui's expression shift slightly. He quickly glanced around, and only after confirming that there were no Other People nearby did he relax a little.

Of course, he knew what Habara meant by "they." It was precisely because he knew that his expression had turned so unpleasant.

And in some sense, what he and Itachi were doing was also a betrayal of the clan!

"You can't say things like that carelessly, Habara." Shisui looked at Habara solemnly, lowering his voice. "It'll cause a lot of trouble. Besides, it was the Clan Head's decision for us to join the Anbu."

"Of course I know it was the Clan Head's decision." Habara looked at Shisui with a faint smile. "But I didn't say much, did I? Why are you so nervous?"

"You..." Shisui felt stifled by Habara's words and did not know how to respond for a moment.

"Alright. No one here is stupid. You can treat some things as open secrets." Habara sighed lightly. "To obtain intelligence, you naturally need to gain trust. And the best way to gain trust is to hand over corresponding intelligence, isn't it?"

Habara's words made Shisui close his eyes slightly. Of course, he could tell that Habara was saying they were double agents, but he could not deny that Habara had hit the mark.

But even double agents had their own leanings. As for which side they truly favored, perhaps only they themselves knew.

"Still, since you mentioned the Clan Head, I have a question for you."

Seeing Shisui fall silent, Habara could not help but smile. Then he asked in a low voice.

"The Clan Head?"

Shisui opened his eyes and looked at Habara curiously. Habara's train of thought jumped far too quickly.

"Forget it, ask away. As long as it's about the Clan Head."

"Do you think the Clan Head has a lot of power?"

"The Clan Head leads the clan, so naturally he has great authority."

"Then why doesn't he find a way to quell the chaos within the clan?"

Habara's question truly stunned Shisui. Then his expression turned to bewilderment, before gradually becoming disbelief and even shock.

He had never imagined that Habara, the person who had grown up alongside him, would dare ask such a question.

And clearly, Habara was questioning his own Clan Head—questioning the Clan Head's control and command over the clan. That was something no one should question!

How could he dare ask that? How was Shisui supposed to answer?

Yet Habara's words also made him Cannot Help But begin to Think. Why had the clan become such a mess, while the Clan Head still did nothing?

Seeing Shisui's blank expression, Habara knew that his words had definitely made Shisui think.

Shisui had never been stupid. He simply could not see through many things—or rather, his perspective limited the way he observed the world.

But Habara was a Transmigrator. Before transmigrating, he had studied politics in high school and taken courses on Maoist theory, Marxist philosophy, and ideological studies in university. His perspective truly was not something Shisui could compare to.

Or rather, aside from his abilities still needing to be tested, his perspective was absolutely no worse than that of any Kage in the Shinobi World!

That was the advantage of a Transmigrator—a crushing blow from the higher dimension of perspective and knowledge!

"I think you know as well that he does have the authority to unite the clan internally. But look at what the clan is like now?"

Besides the way he handled matters within the clan so poorly, look at the relationship between the clan and the village now. Isn't it getting worse and worse as well?

A clan naturally needed unity to avoid internal strife. Only by unifying everyone's opinions and thoughts could they accomplish something properly.

Shisui, think carefully. If he suppressed the voices within the clan and there were no longer so many disputes.

And if his heart leaned toward Konoha, would anyone still stop him? Would the relationship between the clan and the village still be this bad?"

Only then did Habara finally reveal his true intentions!

Although he knew full well that the Uchiha Clan's problems had not been caused solely by Uchiha Fugaku's actions, Fugaku had indeed been one of the main forces behind the Uchiha Clan's downfall.

But things had to be done step by step. First, he needed to plant a concept in Shisui's mind and make him doubt. Only then could he deliver the real bombshell.

"Actually, I've always believed that there are only two people who can truly change the clan."

"T-Two people?"

Shisui's mind was still somewhat muddled. He stared at Habara in astonishment, Habara's words echoing endlessly in his head.

"Yes, two people."

At This Moment, Habara's smile grew even brighter. He raised a hand, pointing first at Shisui, then at himself.

"One is you. The other is me."