Uchiha Shisui

Uchiha Shisui

P.S.: I misread the calendar. I thought it was already August today.

Eek?!

Not long after Asuka left his room that morning, a white humanoid creature with green hair, several scars running across its face, and spikes growing around its shoulders slowly emerged from the floor.

Using the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path as a medium, Uchiha Madara had cultivated Hashirama Cells and created the White Zetsu produced when the Infinite Tsukuyomi was last activated. From then on, he had used White Zetsu to gather intelligence outside and learn of changes in the ninja world.

White Zetsu's infiltration abilities were beyond question. For so many years, no one in all of Konoha or the ninja world had noticed even a trace of them. The occasional White Zetsu exposed by accident had merely been taken for the stand-in of some ninja, never connected to Uchiha Madara.

It first glanced at Asuka's tightly shut door, then its gaze fell upon the envelope lying on the table.

"Lord Madara said not to gather intelligence on Uchiha Asuka. He doesn't want to hear that name."

"Lord Madara also said that if anything concerning him happens in the ninja world, it must be reported exactly as it is."

"But Uchiha Asuka is related to this intelligence, eek. What should I do?"

The White Zetsu that had suddenly appeared in Asuka's room paced around for a long while. Its arms drooped at its sides, and its eyes stared fixedly at the letter as the two orders Uchiha Madara had given it began fighting in its mind.

Bang! After a puff of white smoke, a small sapling suddenly sprouted from the top of its head because the two orders had fought too fiercely. Then its body jolted, and it muttered, "I won't mention the name Uchiha Asuka. I'll just say this letter was picked up at the Uchiha Clan Grounds."

With that thought, it tossed the letter onto the ground, bent down to pick it up again, then sank slowly into the earth as though falling into quicksand. It sped off toward the Grass Country.

"Lord Madara!"

"Lord Madara!"

Uchiha Madara, floating in darkness, heard that familiar call once more. He watched the departed figures from his past flash before his eyes like a revolving lantern, and immediately let out a contemptuous snort.

"So I'm not dead yet!"

Madara slowly opened his eyes. The dim yellow light in the cave entered his vision, and a blurry white figure stood not far from the light.

After cultivating Uchiha Obito, he had secretly given the White Zetsu some orders as well. Unless it was something particularly important or intelligence concerning him, they were not to disturb him.

These past days had truly been disrupting his sleep.

As he thought that, his blurry vision gradually cleared. He raised his head toward White Zetsu and asked in a hoarse voice, "What is it?"

"Lord Madara, I picked up a letter in the ninja world. It has Lord Izuna's name on it."

After thinking it over on the way, this White Zetsu felt it could not mention the words Uchiha or Konoha, so it had tossed the letter onto the ground halfway there and picked it up again.

Hmm? Hearing Izuna's name again, Uchiha Madara's eyes abruptly flickered.

He took the envelope White Zetsu offered him, pulled out the letter inside, and unfolded it at once.

"..."

"A letter in Izuna's own hand?"

"When was this written?"

As sealed memories gradually opened up, Uchiha Madara closed his eyes and slowly leaned back against his stone chair, beginning to recall his younger days.

The dim cave became extraordinarily quiet. Apart from the crackling of the flames, there was no other sound.

White Zetsu watched as a faint smile suddenly bloomed across Madara's expressionless face, only to turn to sadness, then anger, and finally a trace of helpless dejection. Lord Madara could actually make so many expressions at once.

Was this the feeling Tobi called the urge to relieve oneself? Just as White Zetsu marveled, Uchiha Madara opened his eyes again. His gaze seemed to pierce through countless obstacles toward the Uchiha Clan Grounds, and he remained silent for a long time.

Izuna and he had both once taken pride in being Uchiha, but in the end... After a soundless laugh, he silently sensed his broken, aged body, unable to stop himself from wondering.

"I wonder if, after being buried beside Izuna, I'll have a chance to see him again after death."

"Haah!"

Outside the gates of the Hatake House in Konoha, Land of Fire.

Asuka leaned against the tightly shut gates of the Hatake House and let out a heavy sigh.

Kakashi had not returned home for two days. Dust had settled on the table.

No wonder Might Guy got so excited every time he caught sight of Kakashi on the street and challenged him to a match.

Seeing him even once was truly not easy.

"Lord Asuka!"

At that moment, a ninja spotted Uchiha Asuka as well. Looking at Asuka, who was leaning against someone else's front gate like an old grandpa basking leisurely in the sun, he said in a low voice, "The Clan Head wants to see you!"

That familiar voice pulled Asuka from his daydream. Looking at the round-nosed clansman who had suddenly appeared before him, he frowned. "Shisui, why do I get the feeling the Clan Head treats you like some fool he can order around? He has you running errands everywhere every day. Don't you need to train?"

Uh... Shisui's mouth twitched, but he did not take up Asuka's remark.

Whenever he had free time, he went to the Clan Head's house to find Itachi. Over time, Uchiha Fugaku naturally began sending him on errands more often.

"I have a set of the Eight Gates Release Formation here. Want to learn it?"

Hearing Asuka tempt him, Shisui pondered for a moment before replying, "I'm already learning it."

Asuka stood and walked over to Shisui. Then he patted him on the shoulder and began painting a bright future for learning the Eight Gates Release Formation.

"Since you're learning it, learn it properly. The Eight Gates Release Formation is insanely powerful.

"Do you know the One-Tail?

"Open the Fifth Gate, and you can beat the One-Tail senseless all by yourself.

"Open the Seventh Gate, and you become a tailless Tailed Beast.

"Open the Eighth Gate, and you're a god. The Uchiha's predicament will naturally disappear."

After all, what he said was true.

Li, with the Fifth Gate open, had pressed Gaara into the ground.

Guy, with the Seventh Gate open, had defeated Kisame Hoshigaki, the "Tailless Tailed Beast."

And after opening the Eighth Gate, could he not kick a few Konoha Elders to death???

At that moment, Shisui was not swayed by the "bright future" Asuka had described. He knew his limits, so he shook his head calmly.

However, since Asuka had mentioned the Uchiha's predicament... Shisui thought of how, whenever he had visited Itachi's home lately, he often saw Itachi's mother sitting on the sofa, occasionally blurting out curses. Combining that with the rumors circulating through the clan over the past two months, Uchiha Shisui looked at Asuka walking ahead and asked, "Lord Asuka, are the rumors in the clan true?"

"What rumors?"

"That you used ninjutsu alone to move the clan Elders, destroy the Clan Head's marriage, make Lady Mikoto weep every night, and cause Itachi to lose his original family."

Asuka gave the little bean a very serious look, then cut off whatever he was about to say next. "That's slander. Lady Mikoto even smiled and greeted me when she saw me two days ago."

Uchiha Shisui shook his head. Looking at Asuka, who was much older than himself, he hesitated before asking, "Lord Asuka's ideas... aren't they a little too extreme?"

Extreme? Asuka looked Shisui up and down and secretly curled his lip.

Since the Uchiha had joined Konoha, how many Mangekyō Sharingan had there even been? Yet two had appeared in the same era, and both had turned against the clan. If the Uchiha did not perish, who would?

And you say my ideas are extreme. You want to mentally control your clansmen, strip them of their ability to think independently, and turn them into zombies. Such a vicious, cruel technique, and you want to use it on your own people instead of your enemies.

Uchiha Itachi's idea is even simpler: wipe out the clan.

I only want the Clan Head to get divorced.

So which of us is more extreme? With that thought, Asuka waved at him casually. "Mine is a peaceful way to break the deadlock. Only three or four people get hurt, but it preserves the interests of the majority.

"Once you become a jonin in a couple of years, go attend a clan meeting yourself. If your ideas surpass mine, I'll move a table behind you and become your supporter."

"But..." Uchiha Shisui sniffed. Of course he knew about the conflict between the village and the clan, but was there really no better way? Advising the Clan Head to marry into another clan was one thing, but the Clan Head's son was already four years old.

"There's no but.

"Every Uchiha clansman has their own ideas and their own will. No one will easily change anyone else.

"Unless your ideas surpass mine..."

After saying that, Asuka turned and headed toward the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

The Uchiha Clan was fucking incapable of listening to advice. Back then, Uchiha Itachi had even left Kotoamatsukami to Sasuke, which showed that he too knew Uchiha clansmen's thoughts could not be easily changed in any ordinary sense.

Even if Uchiha Madara himself stood before Asuka, he would not be able to change Asuka's mind.

I wonder if I'd get flamed for writing a book called Konoha: The Uchiha Clan Is Too Willing to Listen to Advice.