Shisui's heart sank heavily.
This Land of Stars has become a sanctuary for these bloodline orphans abandoned by the mainstream of the Shinobi World?
He suppressed his turbulent thoughts and fixed his gaze on Kimimaro: "So, those Byakugan are for---"
"To balance the Kaguya Clan's excessively violent Kekkei Genkai Disease," Uzumaki Fuka said frankly.
"When Yang Release is excessive, Yin Release is needed to balance it. The Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan is the perfect medium." Her words were casual, yet they stirred up a storm in Shisui's heart.
Steal the Byakugan from the Hyuga Main House!
This horrific event was presented to the other party as if it were as natural as mixing medicine.
The actions of the Land of Stars have long exceeded the scope of "heretical" and are practically a declaration of war against the entire Shinobi World order!
" Asura, you have taken us all in." Kimimaro spoke for the first time, his voice clear and cold, yet carrying an undeniable firmness.
"It gave us strength, and it gave us a reason to exist."
Looking at the complex expression on Shisui's face, Uzumaki Fuka sighed softly, " Shisui- kun, I know what you're thinking."
The Uchiha of Konoha, and the Hyuga of Konoha. But please think about it...
Her gaze became deep and sharp.
"In Konoha, has your Uchiha Clan truly found a place to settle down and make a living? Or, like our Uzumaki Clan back then, are you merely regarded as a 'useful force,' shrouded in the name of allies, yet always separated by an invisible barrier?"
These words were like a cold awl, precisely piercing the deepest, most hidden pain in Shisui's heart, a pain he himself was unwilling to delve into.
The isolation of the Military Police Force, the suspicion of higher-ups, and the escalating resentment within the clan...
The past flashed through my mind like shattered glass.
He instinctively took the teacup from Vanilla, the scalding tea burning his palms through the cup, but he was completely unaware.
" Konoha was founded by the First Hokage and the ancestors of the Uchiha," Shisui said in a low, hoarse voice, as if trying to convince himself.
"It should be the best destination for all ninja clans."
"Ah, a final destination?" Uzumaki Fuka's lips curved into a smile, a smile devoid of mockery, but filled with a compassionate and desolate understanding of the ways of the world, like faded ink on an ancient scroll.
"Back then, our Uzumaki Clan also firmly believed in this. The Land of Eddies and Konoha were allies for generations, unbreakable? But when disaster truly struck, when the Land of Eddies was besieged by other nations and the Fire Clan was attacked, where were Konoha's reinforcements?"
Her voice remained steady, but each word was like a heavy stone thrown into Shisui lake, stirring up a cold echo.
"The promises of allies are fragile and easily broken in the face of realistic interests and calculations. The annihilation of the Uzumaki Clan is the most bloody reality of this cruel rule. Uchiha, the suspicion and exclusion you are experiencing now are just another version of the Uzumaki's predicament back then."
Shisui tightened his grip on the teacup, a subtle yet clear "crack" sound emanating from the cup's surface, and a thin crack silently spread outwards.
The scalding hot tea seeped out from the crack, burning his skin, but he was completely unaware.
Vanilla's words are peeling away layer by layer the bloody reality he's trying to conceal with " the Will of Fire " and "family responsibility."
Konoha's hesitation, procrastination, and scheming...
A ruthless choice made in the face of genocide.
Could the Uchiha be the next Uzumaki?
This thought, like a venomous snake, gnawed at his reason.
"No---No way!" Shisui suddenly looked up, his newly formed Three-Tomoe Sharingan trembling slightly.
" The Lord Third promised that as long as we communicate, as long as we find a way—"
"The method?" Uzumaki Fuka interrupted him, her tone carrying an almost cruel calm.
"It's actually very simple, Shisui. Your predecessor, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, already provided the answer."
Second Hokage?
Shisui Uchiha was puzzled; how did this involve the Second Hokage?
"Recently, I've been researching the advantages and disadvantages of the ninja village system, especially the history of Konoha's founding. I have a certain understanding of the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and Konoha's history over the past fifty years," Uzumaki Fuka said slowly, looking at Shisui's puzzled expression.
"Although the Second Hokage was most wary of the Uchiha Clan, he was also the outsider who understood them best. Faced with the Uchiha Clan's restlessness, he established the Konoha Military Police Force, giving the Uchiha dignity and respect. The Ninja Academy he founded not only accepted students from various ninja clans but also commoner ninjas, giving young Uchiha an opportunity to integrate into the village."
"As a result, the Konoha Military Police Force wielded so much power that, even in peacetime, it threatened the power of the Third Hokage Hokage."
"But the Second Hokage's greatest effort was taking on a disciple from the Uchiha, your ancestor Kagami Uchiha. The master and disciple lineage may differ in bloodline, but their wills and paths can be connected. This was originally a clear path to bridge the gap."
She paused, her gaze seemingly piercing through time and space, landing in the shadows of Konoha's power center. "Then may I ask, since the Second Hokage,..."
Did the Third Hokage ever take on Uchiha disciples?
"Or, which Konoha High Command official truly regarded Itachi Uchiha, the genius on whom your Uchiha Clan placed such high hopes, as his successor?"
"Give me everything you know?" A series of rhetorical questions, like a cold hammer, shattered the last remaining hope in Shisui's heart.
"They would rather watch the cracks of suspicion widen, watch the Uchiha sink deeper and deeper on the isolated island, watch the flames of resentment burn fiercely within your clan—" Vanilla's voice lowered, carrying an all-knowing understanding.
"They are also unwilling to truly extend a helping hand, like the Second Hokage accepted Kagami Uchiha back then, to incorporate a young Uchiha into the ' Hokage ' succession system."
"Why?
"Because the power of the Sharingan is both coveted and terrifying. What they need is never Uchiha who are 'integrated' into Konoha, but rather Uchiha who are 'controlled' and 'utilized.' Just like—"
Her gaze swept over Kimimaro, over Haku and Yukimi, and finally settled on Shisui, her expression meaningful.
"Like treating a powerful and dangerous ninja tool."
boom!
It felt as if a thunderbolt had exploded in Shisui's mind!
The teacup finally gave way and shattered completely in his palm!
The scalding tea mixed with porcelain shards pierced the flesh, and blood gushed out instantly, staining the broken white porcelain and the boiling tea red, dripping onto the clean gravel ground of the courtyard, blooming into several dazzling dark red plum blossoms.
He felt no pain whatsoever, only a bone-chilling cold that spread from his spine to every part of his body.
His guiding principle has always been to change his family's situation and maintain peace in the village through hard work and communication.
It collapsed at that moment.
Vanilla's words ruthlessly exposed the cold calculations hidden beneath the warm facade of Konoha High Command.
The isolated case of Kagami Uchiha's ancestor was not the beginning of a solution, but rather became a final echo!
An answer that has been deliberately ignored and shelved!
The Lord Third's gentle smile masked aloofness; Danzo's Root forces pressed relentlessly; the radicals' furious roars at the clan meeting; Itachi's increasingly heavy struggle between the Anbu and his clan.
At this moment, all the clues were strung together by Vanilla's words into a cold and clear chain!
It turns out that the so-called "capacity" and " Will of Fire " are so pale and powerless in the face of deep-rooted vigilance and the balance of power!
In Konoha's game of chess, the Uchiha were, from beginning to end, merely pawns to be guarded against, used, and sacrificed when necessary!
They were never truly regarded as "one of their own" to whom they could entrust their legacy!
Cold sweat instantly soaked through Shisui's back. His newly formed Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun wildly, trying to comprehend this disruptive impact, but he only felt a chilling bewilderment and a despair that penetrated to the bone.
"Imagine if the Third Hokage Hokage had taken Itachi Uchiha or you, Shisui Uchiha, as disciples of the ' Hokage lineage.' Then the rebellious voices within the Uchiha Clan would have been easily silenced, and might even have become a driving force. The entire Uchiha Clan's resources and expectations would have been placed on you, striving to become the Fifth Hokage."
"Even if the Fifth Hokage doesn't become the Hokage, we can still look forward to the Sixth, because both you and Itachi Uchiha are very young, much younger than those in Konoha who are qualified to compete for the Hokage Position."
"As long as you live, you are ' Hokage's direct descendants,' which will at least ensure the stability of the Uchiha Clan for about thirty to fifty years."
"But why didn't the Third do that?"
" Shisui!" Uzumaki Fuka frowned slightly, took a step forward, and instantly enveloped his bleeding palm with pale green medical chakra.
Gentle life energy seeps into the wound, quickly stopping the bleeding and repairing the injury. The shattered porcelain shards are gently pushed out by chakra, and the wound heals at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"I'm sorry—I lost my composure," Shisui's voice was terribly hoarse, carrying the weakness of a broken heart and immense mental exhaustion.
Vanilla shook her head, withdrew her chakra, and her gaze was calm as still water. "Pain can make one clear-headed, but more importantly, it can help one see the road ahead clearly. The Land of Stars may not be heaven, but here, power will not be suspected, bloodlines will not be judged by others, and choices will not be predetermined."
"What Lord Asura seeks is the complete end of this old order, which has lasted for thousands of years and is built upon fear and greed."
Her gaze swept over the boys in the courtyard.
"We, the Uzumaki Clan, the Kaguya Clan, and the Yuki Clan, were all victims of the old order. Now, we choose to take up arms, for ourselves and for all those like us who have been rejected and oppressed, to fight for a different future."
She looked into Shisui's eyes, her tone carrying a strange weight. " Shisui, you lost your eyes, which you were so proud of, but fate gave you a new pair of eyes, and a chance to see the world anew. The chains of Konoha, the vortex of Uchiha's destiny—do you really want to go back and jump into that predetermined ending?"
"Why not consider relocating the entire Uchiha Clan to the Land of Stars?"
Migration?
The entire Uchiha Clan?
Leaving Konoha?
The impact of these words combined is even greater than the previous subversive statement!
Shisui suddenly looked up, his newly Three-Tomoe Sharingan staring intently at Uzumaki Fuka, trying to find a trace of a joke or probing on her gentle and calm face.
No.
Her eyes held only a calm seriousness and a profound expectation.
The thought itself was enough to terrify any Uchiha clansman!
Leaving Konoha?
Leaving the village founded by Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama?
Leaving the burial place of our ancestors?
This is nothing short of betrayal!
"This—impossible!" Shisui blurted out, his voice trembling with extreme shock.
" The Uchiha are the founding clan of Konoha! Our roots—the roots have rotted, Shisui." Vanilla's voice was calm, yet carried the power to sever everything.
"Forcing them to stay will only cause the whole tree to wither and collapse. Look at your current situation; doesn't it resemble the Land of Eddies when it was heavily besieged? The barriers of suspicion are higher than the city walls, and the internal cracks are more deadly than the enemy's blade."
" Danzo taking your eyes is just the beginning, a clear signal. Some in Konoha High Command can't wait any longer; they're about to make their move."
"You should know yourself that even if you go back to Konoha and tell the Third you were Danzo, do you think you can make Danzo pay the price?"
Danzo!
Shisui's eyes seemed to be filled with another phantom pain.
Vanilla's words were like a cold scalpel, precisely dissecting the naked malice behind the attack.
Danzo's sneak attack was not the end, but the prelude to the elimination plan!
"Here." Vanilla pointed to the ground beneath her feet, then to Kimimaro, Haku, and Yukimi, and finally to the direction of the Hoshinin Academy, which was faintly visible in the distance.
"Power is the foundation of survival, the tool for creating the future, not the original sin of being feared and plundered. Kekkei Genkai are not a curse."
Rather, it's talent. Asura needs all the power that dares to break free from old cages, the power of the Uchiha, and especially the Sharingan: Insight reality and control the mind—that's crucial."
She leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice to a whisper, with the solemnity of sharing a core secret. "Telling you is no trouble, Shisui. The enemies we face are far more than just the ninja villages of the Five Great Nations and those corrupt daimyo."
She paused slightly, a hint of seriousness about the unknown flashing in her eyes.
"There are even more distant and terrifying threats lurking in the Shinobi World. The old-fashioned ninja village structure is nothing more than a fragile fortress on the beach in the face of this all-encompassing tidal wave."
They don't even respect the Five Great Shinobi Villages?
A threat even greater than the Five Great Shinobi Villages?
Each piece of information, more alarming than the last, struck Shisui's already crumbling mental defenses like a hammer blow.
He felt like a small boat adrift in a raging storm, the familiar world map beneath his feet being completely overturned, shattered, and reassembled through Vanilla's words!
" The Land of Stars is the ark that Lord Asura forged to fight against all of this, and it is also a sharp sword." Vanilla's voice was filled with unwavering conviction.
"We need like-minded partners. The Uchiha Clan possesses the wisdom and power of the Sharingan. If Kiku, who has broken away from Konoha, joins us, it will be like adding wings to a tiger."
" Shisui, you possess eyes that see the truth, and a heart that yearns for peace. Your choice may change the fate of countless people, including your beloved clan."
She said no more, but simply watched Shisui quietly, giving him time to process this massive flood of information.
As the last rays of the setting sun sank into the distant mountains, twilight descended, bathing the Star City in a tranquil blue-purple hue.
A heavy silence fell over the courtyard, broken only by the soft rustling of the wind through the maple leaves.
Kimimaro had already stopped practicing and retreated to the corridor with Haku and Yukimi, but their eyes were all fixed on the dejected Uchiha in the center of the courtyard.
Shisui stood there, like a petrified statue.
In the newborn's eyes, three Tomoe slowly rotated, each rotation seemingly bearing an immense burden.
The words of the Uzumaki Fuka swirled and collided repeatedly in his mind.
Konoha's suspicions and cold-blooded scheming; Danzo's dazzling Danzo a naked intention to eliminate others; and the mysterious mastermind behind the Night of the Nine-Tails' attack—an unknown threat even more powerful than the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
And, " Asura " Menma's astonishing ambition to use the Land of Stars as a foundation to break the thousand-year-old pattern of the Shinobi World and even fight against the cataclysmic disaster!
Each new understanding was enough to overturn his previous worldview.
When these realizations came crashing down on him like a tsunami, Shisui felt a pang of guilt for everything he had believed in, protected, and fought for over the past twenty years.
The Will of Fire, the bonds of the village, the honor of the clan—
All of them suddenly became incredibly fragile amidst the towering waves, collapsing as quickly as a sandcastle.
A profound sense of confusion and inner turmoil nearly consumed him.
After an unknown amount of time, a cool breeze swept through the courtyard, carrying the faint sound of the bells from the distant Hoshinin Academy.
Shisui finally struggled out of that out-of-body state.
He raised his head extremely slowly, his newly formed Three-Tomoe -like eyes gleaming with a complex and unfathomable light in the twilight—a mixture of weariness and shock.
A wavering, and a sharp exploration that glimpses a new path amidst despair;
"I need time." His voice was dry and hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time.
"A lot of time..." He didn't directly respond to Vanilla's suggestion, but this wasn't a firm rejection.
Uzumaki Fuka nodded understandingly, her face showing no disappointment, but rather a calm acceptance. "Zhai Ran, Shisui. Seeing the true nature of the world takes time. The Land of Stars is right here, the lights of the Star City— "
She raised her hand and pointed out the window. In the distance, the lights of the houses in the town were like stars falling to earth, lighting up one after another as the darkness deepened, outlining the vibrant outline of this newborn nation.
"It will stay lit. Once you have your answer, feel free to contact me anytime, or Lord Asura."
She said no more, and turned to gesture to the young men and women under the eaves.
Kimimaro, Haku, and Yukimi silently retreated back into the house, leaving Shisui standing alone in the courtyard.
The night breeze grew cooler, carrying the unique, free, and wild atmosphere of the Land of Stars.
Shisui slowly raised the hand that had just been healed by the Vanilla; the newly grown skin was smooth and there were no traces of the wound.
He clenched his fist, then slowly released it, feeling the power coursing through his veins.
He raised his newly formed Sharingan and gazed at the vast expanse of space.
In the sky, the moon shines brightly like a full moon, and the ancient tile hangs there unchangingly.
Beneath it, the spark of the Star City dares to ignite the entire Shinobi World!