Mangekyō Sharingan

"What did you mean by that, Itachi?"

Shisui's expression turned solemn, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Those words had carried a strong sense of hostility.

They frightened him.

Itachi's words had actually targeted that person!

Was that Itachi's own thought, or the thought of most of the Uchiha Clan?

And he kept talking about the clan!

Originally, Shisui had regarded Itachi as a companion, a comrade-in-arms.

He had believed that Itachi understood and trusted him—that he was a kindred spirit who had risen above the narrow-minded concept of "family." He thought they would work together to change the clan and allow the Uchiha to fully integrate into the village.

What had changed him?

He subconsciously looked at Kazuna.

Kazuna smiled and nodded at him.

Shisui's mouth twitched.

...What the hell are you nodding for? Do you even know what I'm thinking?

Kazuna, why couldn't you ever be serious?

Itachi's expression was indifferent. "Brother Kazuna once told me something."

So it really was Kazuna?

"When judging someone, don't listen to what they say. Look at what they do."

"What do you mean?"

Shisui's voice rose instinctively. "Hasn't Hokage-sama done plenty for the Uchiha?"

"Shisui, calm down." Kazuna smiled. "Don't be nervous. The three of us are friends. This is just a conversation between friends."

"I feel like you're telling a joke!"

Your words are full of hostility, and you're directly targeting that person. This is such a huge matter, and you're telling me not to be nervous?

My head is sweating already.

Shisui was a mess.

"Shisui!" Kazuna put on a wounded expression. "Aren't the three of us friends? Oh, my heart, it hurts so much!"

Shisui irritably ruffled his hair. "Kazuna, that's not what I meant. Stop fooling around and be serious."

"Fine." Kazuna spread his hands. "Itachi asked the same question as you back then. I simply responded with a question."

"What question?"

Shisui stared at Kazuna nervously.

Kazuna spread his hands. "Please provide an example."

"What?"

Kazuna looked at the stunned Shisui with amusement. "Didn't you say that person had done a lot for the Uchiha? Give me an example."

"I'm not asking for many. Just one will do. Don't imitate that old Hokage and keep babbling with nothing but your mouth. What the hell are you babbling for? What use is there in talking flowers into existence?"

Shisui opened his mouth to speak, but under Kazuna and Itachi's gazes, he closed it again.

Had the Hokage done anything for the Uchiha?

He definitely had!

It was just that those things were too insignificant. Saying them now would only make them seem pale and powerless.

He needed a decisive event to refute Kazuna!

Was there one?

Apparently, there wasn't!

Shisui might have had a somewhat soft personality and been rather naive, but he had one good quality.

He listened to reason!

Unlike the later Uchiha Itachi, who was truly ruthless—he would slash anyone he caught!

Grit his teeth, stomp his foot.

Other than the Uchiha Four Laughing Geniuses, wipe out the entire clan!

Seeing that Shisui could not speak, Kazuna shrugged.

"Actually, if you look at it as an outsider, you'll realize that the Third Hokage was merely cooperating with Danzo!"

"What?"

"Shimura Danzō."

Kazuna said calmly, "Everything Third Hiruzen Sarutobi did, when traced to its root, was nothing more than constantly soothing the Uchiha on one side while letting Shimura Danzō strike hard at the Uchiha on the other. Those two brothers worked together quite well."

"You throw a punch first, then I soothe them. Once the Uchiha calm down, another punch comes, then we switch roles!"

"That was how the Uchiha were squeezed bit by bit until things reached their current state."

"Otherwise, how do you explain the Uchiha's current situation?"

Shisui's breathing grew heavier.

Kazuna continued, "Shisui, once some things are laid bare, they're really nothing more than that."

"The sharpest conflict between the Uchiha and the village was the Night of the Nine-Tails, the night the Fourth Hokage died in battle."

That night, Kushina Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, gave birth.

An unfamiliar Sharingan controlled the Nine-Tails, bringing endless bloodshed to Konohagakure.

"That night completely divided the village and the Uchiha!" Kazuna said calmly. "The Uchiha were suspected, maliciously slandered, and ultimately forced to leave their original clan grounds and relocate to a remote corner of the village."

"With our current status, we should be able to investigate and learn that the Uchiha Clan had nothing to do with that night. So here's the question: why did Konohagakure's higher-ups, that person you trust, refuse from beginning to end to stand up and say a single word for the Uchiha? Instead, they kept applying pressure to us."

"Especially when rumors constantly spread throughout the village that the Uchiha had controlled the Nine-Tails, blaming the village's losses on the Uchiha and provoking the village's hatred and resentment toward us."

"Even when someone refuted those claims, they would say: the Uchiha did not support the Fourth Hokage, which led to Minato Namikaze's death."

"I have to laugh. Wasn't that the Third Hokage's order? The Uchiha were forbidden from leaving the clan grounds, and Danzo led Root in watching us like hawks!"

"The Uchiha and Root, two enormous forces, just stood there as spectators. It practically looked like they were deliberately trying to get Minato Namikaze killed!"

"Huh? Could someone really have wanted Minato Namikaze dead?"

Kazuna rubbed his chin and fell into thought.

He truly had never considered that possibility before.

The Third Hokage did not want to relinquish power, while the Fourth Hokage was gradually taking control. That was the point of conflict!

Shisui said weakly, "That wasn't Hokage-sama's order. It was Danzo's order."

Kazuna glanced at Shisui and gave a dry laugh. "So I wronged him? Do I need to apologize to you? I promise I'll be very sincere."

"...No!"

"Even if it was Danzo's order, the Third Hokage still never explained a single thing for the Uchiha. He was unwilling to do even something so simple, yet you tell me he did a lot for the Uchiha?"

Kazuna shook his head.

To be fair, as Hokage, the Third Hokage wanted to trust the Uchiha. He also wanted to acknowledge that the Uchiha were members of the village.

But!

What he felt toward the Uchiha was more fear and wariness.

In his eyes, the Uchiha, who were prone to extremes, were like a volcano that could erupt at any moment.

Yet the Uchiha Clan's strength was far too great!

As Hokage, the aging Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted stability more than anything.

Weakening the Uchiha was the best method, such as through the village's exclusion.

Leaving the Uchiha isolated and helpless, even making them the target of everyone's hatred—that was the best way to weaken them.

But Kazuna was an Uchiha. From his perspective: What the hell did I ever do to you? Why do you keep provoking me every day?

Therefore, conflict between the two sides was inevitable.

Shisui fell silent.

After a long time, he finally muttered, "Is there really no way for the village and the Uchiha to coexist?"

Kazuna curled his lip. "A desperate rabbit bites people. When Uchiha eyes turn red, they're much scarier than rabbits."

Shisui looked dazed.

Kazuna's words had dealt him a tremendous blow.

He subconsciously touched his eyes.

There had to be another way!

For example, these eyes...

After noticing Shisui's movement, Kazuna said casually, "Actually, there is a way for the village and the Uchiha to coexist!"

"What?"

Shisui's eyes widened at once, like a drowning man seizing his final hope.

He grabbed Kazuna and urgently asked, "What did you just say?"

"Calm down, Shisui!"

Kazuna smiled and pushed Shisui away.

A stinky man should stay farther away from him.

"I don't want Konohagakure destroyed, and I don't want the Uchiha harmed either. A solution that benefits both sides would be best."

Shisui nodded repeatedly.

"So..."

"So, for the next period of time, obediently listen to me. I'm coming out of retirement. Watch my performance—I'll change all of this!"

Kazuna's expression was full of confidence!

"This..."

Shisui hesitated somewhat.

Coming out of retirement?

Did that mean he intended to seize power?

He trusted Kazuna deeply, yet he was also somewhat afraid of him.

He understood all too well just how decisive his friend was.

Once Kazuna made up his mind, he would cut off all retreat and see it through to the end!

Countless enemy heads during the Third Shinobi World War had already proven that.

Even the Yellow Flash's Flying Thunder God could not compare to Kazuna in the number of enemies slain!

Blood Flame Kazuna.

Would those blood-red flames ignite in Konohagakure?

With Kazuna's temperament, he absolutely would not mind setting the flames of war ablaze!

An Uchiha Clan armed with Uchiha Kazuna would inevitably see its combat power soar. It would be nothing like the era when Fugaku Uchiha led the clan!

Then perhaps...

Kazuna smiled at him and said, "Shisui, unless someone as powerful as Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha appears, no individual can change the current situation. The only person you can rely on is me. Besides, you are a person, not a puppet. If you believe something I ask you to do would harm the village, you have the right to refuse. The judgment is in your hands."

"Of course, you can also choose to use those eyes!"

Kazuna stared into Shisui's eyes. "Use them on the Clan Leader, use them on me!"

"But do you think that will solve the problem? I guarantee that the result will only be worse."

Shisui subconsciously glanced at Itachi.

He had only told Kazuna about the Mangekyō.

Yet Itachi's expression remained calm. "Brother Shisui, I know everything about you. But how much do you know about me? How much do you know about Brother Kazuna?"

He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the Three Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly, eventually transforming into a shuriken-like pattern.

Mangekyō!

Shisui's hands trembled, his expression horrified.

"Itachi, you..."

The Uchiha actually had two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan!

As a Mangekyō wielder, he knew better than anyone the power contained within those eyes.

If the clan learned it possessed two pairs of Mangekyō... Shisui did not dare think any further.

Wait!

Kazuna!

Shisui suddenly turned his head, fixing his gaze on Kazuna and staring intently into his eyes.

He had a powerful intuition!

Itachi trusted Kazuna so completely!

Kazuna dared to proclaim that he would change the village and the clan!

How far could Kazuna's eyes see?

Kazuna grinned. "Shisui, that look in your eyes is pretty scary!"

Shisui's expression remained solemn and unmoved.

"Fine!"

Seeing Shisui's persistence, Kazuna spread his hands. Three tomoe first appeared in his eyes.

That was nothing!

During the Third Shinobi World War, both he and Kazuna had already possessed the Three Tomoe Sharingan.

What he wanted to see was the deeper power within those pupils.

Kazuna did not disappoint Shisui.

The three tomoe slowly merged, forming a strange triangular pattern.

A cold, despairing power spread through the air, pressing down so heavily that Shisui struggled to breathe.

A third pair of Mangekyō!