I Am a Truly Good Person

Clever Eiji could figure out why Shisui had come to him with his toes.

What Shisui wanted was simple: peace and love.

But the clan was growing more and more radical, at daggers drawn with Konoha.

Any day now, they might follow in the footsteps of their predecessor Setsuna and take a blade to the Hokage.

Shisui was frantic with worry, yet utterly helpless.

So he had to come talk to Eiji, hoping this rising star would see the bigger picture.

And help him change the Uchiha's current state of affairs.

"Eiji."

"Shisui, big brother," Eiji showed a friendly smile.

Shisui gave a slight nod. "There's something I'd like to discuss with you. Is that convenient?"

Eiji grumbled inwardly—it was actually not convenient at all. You're delaying my late-night snack.

Does Shisui even know the etiquette of visiting? Next time, could he at least bring something?

That said, Eiji still invited Shisui into his home.

He tidied up the messy room, clearing a spot barely fit for sitting.

"Shisui, big brother, just say what you need to say."

Shisui didn't beat around the bush either, stating directly, "You should be able to see that the tension between the clan and Konoha is growing by the day."

Eiji gave a slight nod, playing along with Shisui for now.

Seeing Eiji silent, Shisui continued, "But Eiji, you should also understand that if a real rebellion broke out, the Uchiha would be no match for the village."

"And even if, by some stretch, they won, both the village and the clan would be crippled. Who knows how many comrades would have to be sacrificed."

Eiji nodded slightly. "I understand. People living in peace naturally don't realize how precious peace is."

Hearing this, Shisui suddenly froze.

From the sound of it, didn't Eiji get it pretty well?

Then why had he been pulling off one dangerous stunt after another lately?

Shisui took a deep breath and spoke slowly.

"Eiji, I want to know—which side are you on?"

"Which side?"

Shisui's brow furrowed deeper. "Will you stand with me, doing your best to maintain peace between the clan and the village, or..."

Eiji chuckled inwardly. Foolish Shisui.

Here in the shinobi world, he still naively believed in some kind of peace.

So-called peace only came from two reasons.

You couldn't beat the other side, so you backed down.

Or the other side couldn't beat you, so they backed down.

But Eiji naturally wouldn't say that.

He knew Shisui was already leaning toward the Hokage. Switching sides now would just be asking for trouble.

So he adjusted his expression, putting on a sincere look.

"Shisui, big brother, of course I hope for peaceful coexistence. My parents died in the war. I don't want to see any more bloodshed."

Shisui suddenly felt an itch on his scalp.

Wait, wasn't Eiji a rebel?

Then how was his behavior supposed to be explained?

Seeing Shisui's bewildered expression, Eiji almost couldn't hold back his laughter.

No wonder you made such foolish decisions. Your CPU just isn't up to the task.

"Shisui, big brother, don't forget—my father was a student of Senior Kagami. He taught me many times to embrace the Will of Fire."

Shisui was even more confused.

As Kagami's descendant, he too had inherited Kagami's blazing Will of Fire.

But he couldn't connect Eiji to any single tenet of the Will of Fire.

"Eiji, you..."

Shisui thought for a moment, then asked cautiously, "It's just the two of us here. I want to ask you—have you truly never considered a violent coup, walking the path of rebellion?"

Eiji's eyes went wide. "Shisui, big brother, what are you saying? The Uchiha have always been part of the village. What coup? That kind of thinking is very dangerous."

Shisui felt sweat about to break out. "I didn't..."

Eiji suddenly stood up. "Shisui, big brother, I have to criticize you here. As a junior of Lord Kagami, how could you harbor such a dangerous idea?"

"I'm not—"

"Not what, not," Eiji declared with fervor, afraid that if he paused he'd lose it and laugh. "I actually looked up to you as a role model, and yet you..."

Shisui clamped a hand over Eiji's mouth. "Don't talk nonsense."

"Mmph mmph—Shisui, I'm going to report you to the clan head!"

Shisui couldn't figure out for the life of him how things had taken such a miraculous reversal.

If he remembered correctly, he'd come today to convince Eiji to work with him to maintain peace between the clan and Konoha.

How, after just a few words from Eiji, had he become the one accused of wanting to use force?

Wait. Shisui remembered something else.

"Eiji, tell me the truth. When you approached Naruto, did you have some other motive?"

Eiji shook his head. "As fellow orphans, I know how hard survival can be."

"I just wanted to let him feel a little warmth, so he wouldn't end up with an indelible shadow."

Shisui pressed on. "And what about today's incident?"

Eiji pointed at the Security Division insignia on his uniform. "I've said it ten thousand times—I was just carrying out my duties as a member of the Security Division."

Seeing Eiji's righteous expression, Shisui couldn't find anything to say.

By now, he had come to see Eiji as a clansman who loved the village.

From him, Shisui could almost see the same blazing Will of Fire that burned within himself.

"Eiji," Shisui said, gently patting his shoulder. "That's enough. I'll be going now."

Eiji gave a slight nod and stood up as well.

"It's about time. I need to start my night shift."

Eiji slung Xiao Er onto his back and carefully straightened his uniform.

"Protecting every villager's safety is the Security Division's responsibility."

Hearing this, Shisui showed a relieved expression.

To have a genius ninja who loved peace like this was truly a blessing for the Uchiha.

After Shisui left, Eiji could no longer suppress the upward curl of his lips.

At that moment, he was like a crooked-mouthed dragon king.

Naive Uchiha Shisui—for all his powerful Sharingan, he'd still driven himself into a corner.

Eiji sighed softly, picked up Xiao Er, and began his patrol.

In the dead of night, Konoha was silent everywhere.

Eiji pondered how to complete the system's quest as quickly as possible, and before he knew it, he'd wandered near the Memorial Stone.

"Huh?" Eiji scratched his head. "How did I end up here?"

He was about to turn and leave when he caught sight of a blurry figure.

Eiji stepped forward a few paces and made out who it was.

Kakashi, wiping dust off the Memorial Stone, muttered to himself.

"Obito, I met a strange guy. He's also from the Uchiha clan."

"I don't know what's in his head, giving me a book in a situation like that."

At this, Kakashi's face flushed a little.

Come to think of it, the one who gave the book was an oddball, and the one who accepted it probably wasn't too bright either.

Not far away, Eiji felt a bit annoyed.

What kind of talk was that? If you don't like it, give it back. Who accepts a gift and then complains about it?

"Ahem, Senior Kakashi, it's not polite to talk behind someone's back."