Itachi and Shisui Waver!

Itachi and Shisui Waver!

"You're being too extreme!"

Itachi said, somewhat agitated. He could find no reason to refute Bai Ye.

Yet he could not convince himself to abandon what was in his heart, because this was something he had contemplated and held to for years.

If he agreed with Bai Ye on this matter—

Would that mean everything he had upheld all these years would completely collapse?

"Itachi, aren't you being extreme too? Was the Uchiha clan really the one in the wrong? Tell me specifically, what exactly did the Uchiha clan do wrong? If Konoha is unwilling to trust the Uchiha, then the Uchiha can choose to leave for another ninja village. Other villages would welcome the Uchiha's arrival, but would Konoha let the Uchiha clan leave? In the end, aren't all your thoughts merely Konoha's own thoughts?"

"Come to think of it, Hiruzen Sarutobi told you about Konoha's difficulties, and Danzo threatened you. He said that if our Uchiha clan acted, we would be exterminated, right? Itachi, you really are naive. Do you think that if we don't rebel, they won't act against us?

"As long as the Senju line remains in power, we will never be trusted. This is a problem left over from the Sengoku era. If the First Hokage had not died so early, or if the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had not died, this matter would have been resolved. Even if Tobirama Senju had remained in office a little longer, things would not have become like this. But it just had to be Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo in power.

"While those two were in power, the White Fang was driven to suicide by rumors, the Sannin left the village, Hashirama Senju's legitimate grandson Nawaki Senju was blown to death before Orochimaru's eyes and had his organs hollowed out, during the Nine-Tails' Rampage they ordered our Uchiha clan not to fight, only to settle accounts with us afterward, they promised the Fourth Hokage to take care of Naruto, yet Naruto could only eat expired food, and they handed Hizashi over to Kumogakure in exchange for peace. Tell me, which of those things was something a Hokage should have done?"

Bai Ye felt as though a raging fire were bottled up inside him.

When he had first transmigrated into this world, Bai Ye had always thought of himself as merely a spectator.

But the longer he stayed with the Uchiha clan, the more stifled he felt.

So many things should never have been this way!

So as long as something threatened their rule, as long as it was a destabilizing factor, it had to be suppressed.

"Itachi, Konoha was founded by us. We no longer need to integrate into it. You've lost sight of what matters."

Looking at Itachi, whose cold sweat was pouring down and whose pupils had dilated, Bai Ye could not help but sigh inwardly.

This so-called Will of Fire—how was it any different from brainwashing?

Or rather, had the Will of Fire already deteriorated by the time it reached the Third Hokage?

Madara had actually said something very right. Things had been put before their cause. The moment Hashirama chose to turn on his former brother for the sake of the village, it had already changed. Konoha had long ceased to be the Konoha Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha had envisioned when they first founded it.

Why was the Uchiha clan targeted?

In the end, it was because of the Second Hokage's policies and distrust. Naturally, people like Hiruzen Sarutobi, who continued those policies, would keep targeting them unless the Uchiha clan completely fell apart.

"You're right. But if we truly rebel, the Uchiha clan cannot possibly succeed. And Konoha will be affected by the turmoil of war, eventually triggering the Fourth Great Ninja War!"

Shisui's heart wavered slightly, but he was still struggling. Bai Ye was right. Sometimes, he too found Konoha's treatment of the Uchiha inexplicable.

But he did not want to see war break out, nor did he want internal conflict between the Uchiha clan and Konoha. That was why he had always tried to mediate between both sides.

After Shisui spoke, a flicker of emotion crossed Itachi's face. He looked at Shisui in shock.

He clearly had not expected Shisui to agree with Bai Ye's views.

Yet he truly could not find any reason to refute them.

"You're wrong. Our Uchiha clan must resist, but we are not becoming enemies of all Konoha. Our enemy is the Elder Council led by Hiruzen Sarutobi."

Bai Ye shook his head. He was not so arrogant as to make enemies of all Konoha.

Although he could do it, his eyes would probably go blind in the process.

That was why he had never planned to launch an armed rebellion.

In the end, there was often no need to resort to force. How had the White Fang died? How had the Sannin left the village?

Because of rumors within the village, wasn't it?

If he could make use of that, then there would be no need for him to use force at all.

It was true that Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others had done far too many dirty things.

Force was only the final option. Before that, he would first wage a war of words.

He would not only kill people—he would destroy their hearts as well!

"Come to think of it, Shisui, you came to test my attitude on behalf of the Third Hokage, didn't you? You can tell him directly that I am not one of the compromise faction. From now on, however Konoha treats us, I will treat Konoha the same way. That's fair, isn't it?"

"Is there really no room for compromise at all?"

"Shisui, you know that I don't want this either. The reason I told you so much is because I hope you can think more about the clan. No one in the clan wants to rebel. If we were not forced into a corner, think about how many people in the clan would be disappointed in you for doing this. Konoha belongs to everyone, not just the Third Hokage and his people. Before doing anything, the first people you should consider are your family. You may want to be loyal, but family comes first. Go back and think about it carefully. The clan meeting is about to begin, so I'll be leaving first."

As Bai Ye spoke, he stood and patted Shisui on the shoulder.

The Great Filial Son was not particularly useful to Bai Ye at the moment. Without awakening the Mangekyo, he was no longer Bai Ye's match.

Shisui's Mangekyo posed a great threat to him, so Bai Ye needed to win Shisui over. And once Shisui was brought to his side, the Great Filial Son's stance would no longer matter.

At this point, the Great Filial Son did not have as much independence as he would later. On one hand, Shisui was still around, and in many matters, he simply followed Shisui.

On the other hand, he was not under much pressure yet. In the original story, after Shisui died, all the pressure fell upon Itachi.

At that time, Itachi had to face Danzo's pressure. He knew full well that Danzo had taken Shisui's eye, yet he could do nothing about it.

Furthermore, all sorts of people in the clan said that he had killed Shisui. Then Obito came looking for him. Under all those circumstances, as the rebellious sentiment within the clan grew ever stronger and he could see no hope, he chose to exterminate the clan.

What Bai Ye found contemptible was that if he was going to exterminate the clan, he should have done it thoroughly instead of leaving behind a younger brother.

Shaking his head, Bai Ye left first, leaving Shisui and Itachi staring at each other. For a time, neither knew what to say.

"Should we tell the Third Hokage?"

For a moment, Shisui suddenly felt that he did not even know what to say.

"We should. But there's no need to mention what he said earlier. Just tell him the latter part. Judging from Bai Ye's demeanor, he'll probably take action soon. Whether we tell the Third Hokage or not, he'll find out anyway."

Itachi fell silent for a while before finally deciding to tell him.

Judging by Bai Ye's demeanor just now, he would probably start acting immediately. Even if they said nothing, wouldn't Hiruzen Sarutobi learn of it soon enough?

As for what Bai Ye had said earlier, Itachi decided not to tell Hiruzen Sarutobi for now. There was already some hesitation in his heart.