"Do you think you'd do a better job than Clan Head Fugaku?"
"At least I couldn't do worse than things are now."
"You've got some nerve!"
"I'm already doing something about it."
Shisui stared wide-eyed at Uchiha Sōken, astonished, as if he were seeing his friend in a new light.
Uchiha Sōken calmly met Shisui's searching gaze.
"Shisui, you're not the only one who sees the clan's predicament. There are plenty of clever people in the clan! It's just that the tide is against us, and three or five people can't turn it around. To keep the clan from ending up in the worst possible situation, we've all been working toward that."
"We?"
A sudden, involuntary feeling of loneliness and desolation washed over Shisui.
When had he stopped being part of that "we"?
Had he been pushed out?
He had to have been pushed out!
"Don't think everyone's excluding you. Don't forget, you're currently the only Uchiha in Anbu. You're much too close to the Third and the others. Of course, it's not that everyone thinks you'd betray the clan. They just think you probably wouldn't support our ideas, so..."
"Then why are you telling me this now?"
"Things have changed."
Sōken turned and looked toward the Ninja Academy. Haruto's enrollment was a clear signal. Following the original course of history, the bloody Night of the Massacre would arrive in about two years.
Even if his arrival had thrown the original course of events into disarray, who could say whether the Night of the Massacre would be delayed, brought forward, or twisted out of existence entirely?
All he knew was that under Clan Head Fugaku's leadership, the Uchiha Clan was close to embarking on the path of planning a Coup. If no one intervened, then even without the Night of the Massacre, the Uchiha Clan would plunge into an abyss from which there was no return.
A sense of urgency, stronger than ever before, took hold of him.
After all, the Third and the village's upper ranks weren't the only ones who wanted the Uchiha Clan destroyed. There was also Obito Uchiha, who had already gone mad...
"We don't have time to prepare more thoroughly. Once Clan Head Fugaku openly sides with the Radical Faction and wins the support of the majority... he won't be easy for us to sway. The Coup plans will move forward, and there'll be no turning back. So we have to act before then and produce results."
Sōken's words landed with the weight of a hammer.
His firm resolve rang out loud and clear, leaving no room for doubt.
Shisui fell silent for about two minutes before asking, "If—just if—you really did take Clan Head Fugaku's place, what would you do?"
"That's a question... I can't remember which book I read it in, but it recorded the words of a great man: 'Seek peace through struggle, and peace will endure. Seek peace through compromise, and peace will perish. Peace isn't something you beg for; it's something you fight for.' I deeply agree."
"Only when the Third, Danzo, and the others realize the Uchiha aren't toothless old tigers—that we have both the resolve and the strength to fight to the bitter end—will they stop pushing us around like they do now."
"But doing that would also drive a wedge between the Uchiha and the village."
Shisui stayed calm as he voiced his doubts.
"I know."
Sōken didn't deny it. "But if we don't do that, will the Third and the others sincerely accept the Uchiha Clan as part of the village? As I see it, they're set on wiping our clan out. I never expected to live peacefully with these old fossils anyway. Once the Fifth takes office, that'll be the Uchiha's chance to rise anew."
"The Fifth?"
Shisui racked his brain, trying to keep up with Sōken's reasoning.
"The Third, Danzo, Elder Utatane, Elder Mitokado... Those old men formed their opinions of our clan long ago, and they're set in stone. There's only one way to make them change their minds: you'd have to use Kotoamatsukami to alter their thoughts. But your ocular powers probably aren't enough to change that many people's minds, and I doubt you'd like doing something like that."
Sōken spread his hands.
"If we can't count on the Third and the others, then we can only set our sights on the Fifth. In my view, the only ones qualified to succeed the Third are Jiraiya or Tsunade, two of the Sannin."
"But they're also the Third's students."
"They are, but from what I know, those two don't share the same ideas as the Third's generation. At the very least, they shouldn't be so hostile toward our clan. Of course, relying on others' goodwill in the end isn't wise. The Uchiha also need to adapt as the times change."
"That's why I need your help."
"Shisui, for the sake of the clan's survival, I hope you'll stand with me."
Sōken extended the invitation openly and honestly.
"...I can't give you an answer right now. I need to see what's going on in the clan with my own eyes." Shisui reserved judgment. No matter how persuasive Sōken sounded, hearing only one side of the story was bound to raise doubts. He needed to learn more about the situation in the clan before he could decide.
"Just don't keep me waiting too long."
Sōken wasn't disappointed.
He knew what Shisui was like. He hadn't expected to win him over so easily in the first place.
Planting a seed was enough for now.
With time, he could water and fertilize it. It would naturally sprout, bloom, and bear fruit.
"All right, enough about that. Shisui, do you have anything else to do today?" Sōken changed the subject.
"Nothing much. I just finished a mission, and Anbu gave me two days off. I haven't decided what to do with them yet." Shisui went along with the change of subject. He was already under enough pressure; he needed to relax a little. Even an iron man couldn't withstand that kind of strain forever.
"Perfect. Come over to my place! Keep me company while I train. I haven't been on many missions lately, and I feel like I'm getting rusty."
"Cut the crap. Don't try to fool me."
Shisui scoffed.
He wouldn't believe that ridiculous lie about getting rusty if his life depended on it. Sōken was a sly one. Back on the battlefield, he'd said he was out of ninja tools, only to whip out a shuriken and kill a Mist Ninja who'd crept up on them. He'd claimed he was out of chakra and couldn't fight anymore, then burned the Mist Ninja chasing them to a crisp with a Fire Style Jutsu the very next second...
There were countless examples like that, but fortunately Sōken had never played any tricks on his comrades. He saved those little ploys for his enemies.
On the battlefield,
Sōken could give people an indescribable sense of security.
Perhaps that was why, despite both being Uchiha Clan prodigies, Shisui had few friends, while Sōken managed to get along with everyone?
Before you continue