There Is Never Any Shortage of Uchiha Who Understand the Will of Fire

A few days later, news of Shisui's disappearance spread throughout the Uchiha Clan Compound.

With Shisui, the Uchiha's strongest member, gone, the Military Police Force's coup plan naturally came to nothing. If even the clan's strongest could vanish without a trace, then a coup could never succeed.

Compared to death and the destruction of the clan, accepting their current state of being treated differently was not so hard to accept.

But the Uchiha ninja cared more about something else: where had Shisui gone? Had he defected and left the village, or had he been assassinated? Why could they not even find his body?

After several fruitless days of searching, the Uchiha Jonin turned their attention to Itachi.

When the clan meeting to discuss the coup had been convened that day, only Itachi and Shisui had been absent. Itachi definitely knew the inside story—or perhaps he himself was Shisui's killer.

Under such circumstances, several Uchiha Jonin blocked the entrance to Fugaku's home, waiting for Itachi to show himself.

With his own subordinates surrounding his residence, Fugaku opened the door with an ugly expression. Staring at the aggressive Uchiha Jonin, he snapped, "Yashiro, Inaho, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Yashiro Uchiha said bluntly, "Captain, we suspect Itachi killed Shisui!"

Fugaku's expression shifted uncertainly. "Shisui and Itachi were close friends. How could Itachi possibly kill Shisui?!"

"Shisui was indeed Itachi's close friend, but what if Itachi coveted Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan? Those are legendary eyes. To take the Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi would kill Shisui!"

Hearing this, Fugaku fell into thought. Itachi might really have killed Shisui.

Inside the study, Itachi heard every word of the conversation outside the courtyard. A lingering gloom clouded his face. He had found the suicide note Shisui left behind in his room.

Shisui had committed suicide, hoping to stop the clan's coup through his death. He had also left the Mangekyō Sharingan, along with his dream of peaceful coexistence between the clan and the village, to Itachi.

The note and the dream remained, but Brother Shisui's body had vanished without a trace.

If he had not recognized Brother Shisui's handwriting, he would have begun to suspect that someone else had forged the note.

Yet the clan's current behavior irritated Itachi. Shisui had used his life to stop the coup, but these clansmen did not appreciate it. They even suspected that he had killed Shisui and sabotaged the coup.

Were clansmen like this truly worth saving? Sooner or later, their arrogance would get them killed!

His emotions stimulated his mind as massive amounts of Yin-nature Chakra gathered in his eyes. Before he knew it, Itachi's face had twisted into a ferocious expression, and his Triple Tomoe Sharingan had transformed into the shape of shuriken.

At the same time, the methods for using Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu appeared in Itachi's mind.

"Mangekyō Sharingan!"

Itachi was somewhat surprised, but his gaze quickly became resolute again. He was no longer lost about the future. The Sharingan reflected the heart, and the Mangekyō had already told him where his future path would lead.

Vanishing from the study and leaving behind several crow feathers, Itachi appeared on the street outside the courtyard.

Using both fists and feet, he effortlessly drove back several Jonin before directly grabbing Yashiro by the neck and slamming him against the wall. His Sharingan emitted an eerie gleam.

"How could people like you possibly understand Shisui's and my capacity? If you want to criticize me, first obtain eyes like mine."

With that, Itachi threw Yashiro to the ground and left without looking back.

Half a minute later, Yashiro climbed up from the ground. Looking at Itachi Uchiha's retreating figure, he said with lingering fear, "Itachi awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan too—and his eyes are completely different from Shisui's."

The other Jonin were equally shocked upon hearing this. That was the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Fugaku, meanwhile, fell into deep thought. Itachi had awakened the Mangekyō. If Shisui had not died, the Uchiha might not have been unable to take the Hokage's seat.

More than ten minutes later, Itachi Uchiha appeared at the Hokage Building and met with Konoha High Command.

In response to Konoha High Command's questions, Itachi Uchiha explained that Shisui had chosen to commit suicide for the sake of peace between the Uchiha and the village, using his death to stop the coup.

Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage and the elder advisors all sighed with regret, lamenting Shisui's loss.

The Third Hokage looked at Itachi Uchiha before him with a complicated expression. "What happened to Shisui is regrettable. The Uchiha and the village have lost another bridge of communication. Itachi, are you willing to become the new bridge?"

Itachi Uchiha nodded. "I am willing to become the new bridge. However, Shisui's body is still missing, and I hope the village can provide assistance."

"I will send people to search for it. Shisui was, after all, a hero of the village. We cannot let his body lie exposed in the wilderness."

The Third Hokage sighed. Losing Shisui as a subordinate was truly painful, but Shisui's Kotoamatsukami had indeed posed an enormous threat to him. Deep down, he even felt faintly relieved.

At that moment, Danzo suddenly said, "We do need to find Shisui's body. Kotoamatsukami absolutely cannot fall into the hands of another ninja village. It belongs to the village."

Itachi glanced at Danzo before saying, "My lords, I will take my leave first. The clansmen's emotions are rather unstable. I need to prevent them from entertaining thoughts of a coup again."

After Itachi left, the Third Hokage looked at Danzo and reproached him. "Danzo, are you trying to destroy the only bridge of communication between us and the Uchiha? Shisui has only just died!"

Danzo said dismissively, "Hiruzen, do not forget Shisui's eyes. Kotoamatsukami may very well be in Itachi's hands. That is an enormous threat to us."

"We have yet to find the true reason behind Shisui's suicide. You may have had a hand in it. Haven't Root's recent personnel movements been rather strange?"

The Third Hokage's gaze turned icy as he retorted without restraint. However, with the elder advisors still present, he did not expose Danzo outright.

At that moment, the Elder Council Duo stepped in to mediate. "Enough, stop arguing. Think about how to deal with the Police Force instead. Shisui's death can at most delay the coup. The Uchiha will eventually launch another one."

At those words, the Third Hokage and Danzo immediately fell silent. The elder advisors were right.

After pondering for a while, the Third Hokage said, "I believe that with Itachi there, the village can coexist peacefully with the Police Force. There is never any shortage of Uchiha who can understand the Will of Fire."

Danzo's face darkened. "I believe we should strike first. While the Uchiha are insufficiently prepared, we should lead people to wipe them out and eliminate this hidden danger once and for all."

The Third Hokage glanced at Danzo. "Will Elder Danzo lead the charge himself? The Uchiha are members of the village, not our enemies. If we strike first, how will the other ninja villages view the Hokage Building?"

"The Uchiha are already enemies of the village."

Danzo spoke with a serious expression, then left the Hokage's Office directly, intending to summon Itachi Uchiha at Root.