Shisui Uchiha

Ding~

In a dense forest near Konoha, Kakashi and Shisui Uchiha finished yet another round of their match.

Kakashi was surprised. Although he had long heard of the Uchiha Clan's reputation for the Body Flicker Shisui, he himself was a rare genius in the entire Ninja World, so he had never taken Shisui Uchiha seriously.

He hadn't expected Shisui to be so powerful. Shisui, who was a few years younger than him, already possessed the strength of Elite Jonin, and his Sharingan was incredibly skillful. His Body Flicker Technique even showed some of the flair of his teacher, the Yellow Flash.

Kakashi thought to himself that if he hadn't fought so many matches back in Iwagakure, greatly increasing his combat experience, he might not have been able to consistently defeat Shisui Uchiha. They almost ended in a draw.

"Shisui, your Body Flicker Technique has improved again. If it weren't for Obito's Sharingan, I might not have been able to defend against your attack," Kakashi said to Shisui opposite him.

Shisui was still a little shy and embarrassed by Kakashi's praise. He said, "Kakashi- senpai is amazing. Your Sharingan is getting smoother and smoother."

Kakashi said, "I must thank Shisui for your guidance, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to master the Three-Tomoe Sharingan so easily. By the way, Shisui, what are your thoughts on what I told you last time?"

Upon hearing Kakashi mention that incident, Shisui's good mood immediately vanished.

"Kakashi- senpai, do you think there's really no room for maneuver between our Uchiha Clan and the High-ranking officials?" Shisui was still subconsciously avoiding this possibility.

Kakashi thought for a moment and said, "This is just an analysis. If no one intervenes, the High-ranking officials and the Uchiha Clan could very well become complete adversaries. But since we've discovered the problem, there's still hope."

Shisui took a deep breath, internally encouraging himself, and said, "Kakashi- senpai, you're right, we still have hope. I won't give up. I've investigated what you mentioned last time. The War Faction in our clan is led by these people..."

"However, there's something else. I learned from the Second Elder that our clan leader doesn't seem to be War Faction. Although he hasn't explicitly stated his stance, the Second Elder suspects that he's likely Peace Faction."

Kakashi's eyes lit up. It was indeed a good idea to gather information from Shisui. Previously, Fugaku Uchiha had been his biggest hypothetical enemy.

If Fugaku Uchiha hadn't been War Faction, his plan would have had a much greater chance of success.

While Kakashi was gathering intelligence on the Uchiha Clan, the higher-ups of Konoha were having a meeting.

Kirigakure Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned as he looked at a report in his hand. After a long while, he said, "Does Hiruzen Sarutobi believe that their Fourth Mizukage was controlled by the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan?"

"How many times has this happened recently? The Mist ninja have been provoking us repeatedly, causing our missions to fail multiple times. We can't let this go any longer, or the village's reputation will be damaged."

Tsunade frowned and said, "Teacher, is it really possible that there are Uchiha bloodlines scattered outside?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and remained silent; he didn't know either.

Utatane Koharu said, "Hiruzen, if there really are Uchiha Clan bloodlines scattered outside, then what about what happened with the Nine-Tails?"

Seeing that things were going wrong, Danzo immediately chimed in, "What Sharingan Genjutsu? It's all the Tsuchikage's scheme. You can tell from how quickly that Fifth Mizukage signed an alliance with Iwa ninja; the Tsuchikage behind the scenes."

"If nothing unexpected happens, the Kirigakure Tsuchikage present on the day of the incident in Kirigakure. He was definitely the one who Sharingan incident; this isn't the first or second time he's framed Konoha."

Utatane Koharu, also began to doubt her own judgment.

Seeing that it had an effect, Danzo quickly pressed his advantage and continued, "The Mist ninja Bloodline Ninja Clan were able to join forces to overthrow the Fourth Mizukage's rule. If the Uchiha Clan sees this, won't they also harbor some inappropriate thoughts?"

Tsunade frowned and said unhappily, "Danzo, don't slander our fellow villagers."

Ever since Tsunade was lectured by Hiruzen Sarutobi and others during her last visit to the Uchiha Clan, she has been secretly trying to improve relations between the higher-ups and the Uchiha Clan.

However, she was powerless in High-Level Meeting, and the alliance between Hiruzen Sarutobi and others against the Uchiha Clan was so strong that it baffled her.

This left her, who hadn't even grasped the power of the Hokage, unable to find Wind Release: Breakthrough.

"I wonder if Kakashi gained anything from his contact with Shisui Uchiha. That silly boy really thinks he can fool everyone," Tsunade thought to herself.

Ever since Kakashi became the captain of her Shadow Guard, Tsunade had been keeping a close eye on Kakashi every move. As the Hokage, Tsunade wasn't stupid; although she disapproved of Danzo and the others' actions, Tsunade was still somewhat wary of Kakashi.

After observing Kakashi for a while, she noticed that he had indeed changed, but this change did not diminish Kakashi love for the village.

Kakashi seems to have only become interested in the Uchiha Clan.

After a series of subtle probes, Tsunade learned of Kakashi's thoughts. He wanted to save the Uchiha Clan and avoid conflict between the village and the Uchiha Clan.

Tsunade is currently unsure of Kakashi's specific thoughts. However, in Tsunade's view, these are minor matters; even if Kakashi is radical, he would never Betrayal of the Village.

Tsunade also disapproved of Hiruzen Sarutobi and his group's indiscriminate suppression of the Uchiha Clan. Since Kakashi shared her thoughts, she decided to let him pave the way for her.

So when Kakashi first started investigating the Uchiha, Tsunade was secretly covering for him, cleaning up the mess Kakashi left behind while endorsing his illegal actions.

However, as Kakashi and Shisui began to interact, Tsunade started to lose control of Kakashi's investigation progress. Tsunade had no way of knowing what Kakashi and Shisui discussed when they were alone.

"How about transferring Shisui to the Anbu as well? But would Danzo agree?" Tsunade pondered to herself.

Tsunade had considered transferring Shisui directly to the Shadow Guard, just like she did with Kakashi last time. But it was obvious that Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others would never agree to that.

Having an Uchiha skilled in Genjutsu as the Hokage's bodyguard means the Hokage could be controlled by him one day without anyone knowing. They don't want Konoha to follow the same path as the Mist ninja.

Therefore, the only hope lies in moving the Shisui to the Anbu.

Just then, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others brought up the topic of the Uchiha Clan, specifically Shisui Uchiha.

"Danzo, how has Shisui been performing lately?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

Danzo narrowed his eyes, suspecting that Hiruzen Sarutobi was trying to poach his employee.

"Shisui Uchiha is still just a child. His main task at Root is to receive training." Danzo left himself some room for maneuver and did not draw a conclusion directly.

As Danzo's best friend, Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally understood Danzo's thoughts. He snorted and said, "Danzo, don't forget to teach this child the Will of Fire."

Tsunade said, "Let Shisui come to the Anbu. Teacher, you can personally explain the Will of Fire to him. The effect will definitely be better than some people who only know how to train killing tools."

Danzo furious and wanted to retort, but he held back; it wasn't good to dwell on this matter. He wanted to ignore Tsunade, but then he suddenly saw Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart-fluttering expression.

Danzo panicked and quickly said, "Fifth Hokage, don't worry. Shisui mainly received brainwashing from the Will of Fire at Root. I didn't assign him many tasks."

Tsunade immediately retorted, "That won't do, Danzo. You're being unprofessional. The inheritance of the Will of Fire requires a bond, just like between you and your teacher."

"If we don't carry out missions, how can we deepen our bond? Teacher, I think you should train him yourself. With your status as Hokage, Shisui Uchiha would surely be grateful for your personal instruction."

"It would be even better if we could train an outstanding ninja like Uncle Kagami back then. The village needs such a successor."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was becoming increasingly tempted by Tsunade, and when he heard her Tsunade Kagami Uchiha fist on the table and said, "Alright, then this old man will train a few more juniors for the village."

Danzo was greatly alarmed and quickly said, "Hiruzen, there's no need for you to worry about such a trivial matter. Just relax and retire. When you have time, call Asuma back and give him a proper lesson."

Tsunade quickly interjected, "Perfect! Let Asuma and Shisui Uchiha interact more. It would be even better if they could build the same bond as you and Uncle Kagami."

Hiruzen Sarutobi, and he immediately said seriously to Danzo, "Danzo, you don't need to say anything more. I have more experience in teaching disciples than you. Have Shisui report to the Anbu tomorrow."

"Also, you're not young anymore. It's time to let go and give more opportunities to the younger generation. Tsunade is already familiar with the work of the Hokage. Danzo, you shouldn't interfere in matters outside of Root. Trust the juniors we chose ourselves."

"Damn it, how dare they say I'm old! "Hiruzen Sarutobi thought angrily.

Danzo, not expecting Hiruzen Sarutobi to pull this stunt. He'd been careless; he'd accidentally blurted out his true feelings. He'd been too hasty.

Let's swallow this for now and find Hiruzen to meet alone later, catch up, talk about life, and discuss our past and future together. As for how to appease Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo says: I'm a professional.

Tsunade suppressed her joy. Danzo had changed his tactics recently, no longer always staying underground, and had started interfering in all sorts of things in the village, which annoyed her to no end.

Now that things can finally calm down for a while, Tsunade begins to plan how to take advantage of this opportunity to plant some of her own people in the village.

Furthermore, since Shisui Uchiha is about to join the Anbu, it would be appropriate to assign him some missions to allow him to interact more with Kakashi. Perhaps this could be the Wind Release: Breakthrough to break the stalemate Uchiha Clan and the village.

The second update today will be a little late; I've been too busy lately and haven't been getting enough sleep.