You Uchiha sure have a great relationship!

"It's getting worse and worse..."

Deep inside a cliff in the Konoha Forest, Uchiha Shisui waited for Uchiha Itachi with a heavy heart.

The Uchiha's deterioration was happening even faster than he had imagined.

The voices at those frequent Clan Meetings were growing increasingly heated, and all of it left him with a deep sense of powerlessness.

In this kind of environment, he felt more and more helpless, and it was forcing him to gradually form an idea.

He just needed to confirm it first...

"Shisui."

As he pondered, Uchiha Itachi silently appeared behind him.

"There were a lot of things to deal with. Sorry I'm late."

"You've worked hard."

Shisui gathered his thoughts. Without turning around, he spoke softly.

"I asked you to come here this time because I have some information to tell you."

"What is it?"

Uchiha Itachi walked over to Shisui in confusion. He hadn't attended a Clan Meeting recently.

After all, his captain had taken a newcomer out of the village, so he barely had any time to rest.

Even though he had always been in charge of surveillance, there were many things he couldn't see.

"The Police Department is preparing to strengthen its arsenal and purchase a large number of Explosive Tags."

Shisui turned to glance at Uchiha Itachi before speaking calmly.

"Moreover, they're handling all of this extremely discreetly."

"This..."

Uchiha Itachi froze for a moment, and his expression immediately turned solemn.

With his "Hokage mindset," he understood what this would lead to if things continued!

It seems he really is determined. I have to tell Hokage-sama about this...

"Don't act rashly. Don't forget that you're currently under my surveillance."

Shisui shook his head, then changed the subject and asked in a low voice.

"Do you really think that stopping this can only be done through unconventional means?"

"Yes."

Uchiha Itachi nodded seriously. He had already made his position clear the first time he discussed this matter with Shisui.

"I've always believed that this can only be handled through unconventional means!"

"Unconventional means..."

Shisui sank into thought for a long while. Gradually, his gaze became resolute.

"I understand. I'll find a way to deal with this."

"You..."

Uchiha Itachi was somewhat puzzled, but Shisui shook his head and smiled.

"Don't ask. Let's go. If we're not in a hurry to return, shall we get something to eat?"

"Well... all right."

Uchiha Itachi sighed. He knew Shisui didn't want to talk about it, and there was no point in continuing to ask.

He could only secretly speculate about what Shisui might do.

The two walked silently toward the outside. After an unknown amount of time, Shisui suddenly stopped.

"Someone's here."

Uchiha Itachi also raised his head. Not far away, two small figures were practicing tree climbing.

And nearby, another person was looking in their direction.

"They're working hard. It's a little like how we were when we were children."

Shisui couldn't help smiling at the sight.

"They've already noticed us. Let's go over and take a look, or it would be rude."

"Mm..."

Although Uchiha Itachi was preoccupied, he followed along.

However, as they drew closer, their expressions gradually became strange.

"Hyuga..."

Shisui recognized their identities at a glance, and he unconsciously pursed his lips.

After all, a certain Hyuga member of the Anbu had left a deep impression on him!

"Is it him?"

Uchiha Itachi couldn't help muttering. He recognized Hyuga Makoto immediately!

Even though they had never met in person, he had remained in Konoha and knew some information about the newcomers.

He really hadn't expected to run into them here.

"You know each other?"

Shisui found this strange, but before Uchiha Itachi could speak, Hyuga Makoto had already stood up with a smile.

"I never thought I'd run into the famous Uchiha Shisui and the genius Uchiha Itachi here."

Although he said that, he was still rather baffled inside.

He had just been watching the two of them "plot a rebellion," and had even complained that his Byakugan couldn't hear what they were saying.

Then, when he turned around, they were walking toward him!

Fortunately, his skin was thick enough. He could just pretend nothing had happened.

But the moment Shisui heard his voice, his pupils contracted.

That voice and that tone were unforgettable to him. No wonder Uchiha Itachi knew him!

He even vaguely felt that his eyes were beginning to ache...

"You flatter me."

Uchiha Itachi didn't know about the history between Hyuga Makoto and Shisui, so he simply spoke calmly.

"I've heard about you at school. If you chose to graduate early, you would definitely succeed."

"Really?"

Hyuga Makoto blinked, though he wasn't surprised by that assessment.

His performance at school was probably about the same as Neji's would be in the future.

Besides, this wasn't the first time he had seen Uchiha Itachi. Although there was a good chance the one he had seen before was a Shadow Clone...

Back then, he had been curious about how this future hard-core ruthless man, who came up with the ingenious solution to the Uchiha problem—

Since the Uchiha are incompatible with Konoha and even want to launch a coup, why not just kill my entire clan?

—could possibly have something wrong with his head.

Unfortunately, even the Byakugan couldn't detect the existence of insanity...

"Then thank you for the praise. But what are you two doing here as well?"

Hyuga Makoto didn't dwell on it any longer and asked deliberately,

"Don't tell me you're here to train too?"

"Well... more or less..."

Uchiha Itachi remained silent, so Shisui could only nod awkwardly.

There was no way he could tell this guy they were here to become "traitors to their clan," right?

"We were just about to head back when we happened to see you two. It reminded us of the past, so..."

"The past?"

Hyuga Makoto found this amusing and looked at Uchiha Itachi.

"Speaking of which, I heard that you used a Shadow Clone to attend class back then. Were you going to find Shisui-senpai?"

"Mm, he did come to find me."

Perhaps recalling the past, Shisui couldn't help smiling.

"And he was quick at everything."

"Yes, I really was in the wrong back then."

Uchiha Itachi nodded as well, his expression somewhat gentle.

"But thanks to Shisui's guidance, if I get the chance in the future, I'll properly teach... someone else."

"..."

Hyuga Makoto blinked. This "someone else" is Sasuke, isn't it?

Suddenly, he felt that Sasuke was truly pitiful.

He had encountered an older brother who was wholeheartedly determined to drag him into the family of lunatics as well.

The fact that he hadn't gone insane was genuinely rare!

Could it be that the ninja world has more sunny days?

"Your Uchiha and our Hyuga are truly different..."

Although his mind was wandering, Hyuga Makoto followed their lead and sighed with an expression full of praise.

"Your clan seems to have an excellent relationship. What a happy clan."

"..."

That one sentence immediately made Shisui and Uchiha Itachi lose their composure!

Although they both understood the problems within the Hyuga Clan, saying this to the two of them was more than a little inappropriate, wasn't it?

"Well, thank you..."

Shisui was truly unable to bear it any longer. He felt that both of his encounters with Hyuga Makoto had been exceptionally awkward.

He scratched his head and forced a smile.

"I don't think you need our help here, so..."

"That's right. We have other matters to attend to as well."

Uchiha Itachi nodded repeatedly. His "new teammate" had completely short-circuited him!

"We won't bother you any longer. We'll be taking our leave first."

"Then forgive me for not seeing you off. Take care."

Hyuga Makoto maintained his politeness, but even he found the sight of the two fleeing figures somewhat amusing.

"People from the Uchiha?"

At that moment, Neji asked curiously from the side.

"You know them?"

"More or less."

Hyuga Makoto nodded, but soon glared at him.

"Who told you to meddle? Look at Hinata, then keep practicing!"

"Tch..."

Neji snorted softly, but quickly returned his attention to his training.

Hyuga Makoto's gaze, meanwhile, lingered vaguely on Shisui.

Because that guy had truly given him an unexpected surprise...

[New Side Quest Obtained]

[Help Danzo obtain Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyo]

[Death by Fate? Save Uchiha Shisui's life]