Are You Expecting Me to Control You?

"Escape the fate of being an Uchiha!"

After saying that and leaving behind the words, "I'll wait for you," Fugaku Uchiha departed alone, leaving Uchiha Itachi by himself.

Three days later, at Naka Shrine.

Underground, firelight flickered.

Uchiha Itachi stared blankly at Fugaku Uchiha's Mangekyo, unable to put the shock in his heart into words.

Aside from Uchiha Shisui, Jinghuo Uchiha, and himself, his father, Fugaku Uchiha, actually possessed a Mangekyo as well!

The Uchiha Clan's combat strength far exceeded his imagination!

Unfortunately, that strength came with a limit on the number of uses.

Jinghuo Uchiha had been crippled because of that limitation.

Yet Fugaku Uchiha's Mangekyo possessed the ability to see the future!

It was something he had never expected.

Within that future, Uchiha Itachi saw the clan members capture Uzumaki Naruto, the Jinchūriki. Fugaku Uchiha controlled the Nine-Tails and freely devastated the village, while the clan members excitedly slaughtered villagers and vented the twisted resentment in their hearts.

Uchiha Itachi returned from the visions of the future.

His entire body went weak. He dropped to his knees, braced himself against the ground, cold sweat pouring down his face as his pupils trembled in disbelief.

"Th-this... this..."

"Quite a few people in the Uchiha Clan harbor resentment toward the village. If they're pushed too far, they'll absolutely be capable of doing it. Both sides will likely suffer terrible losses." Fugaku Uchiha's voice grew impassioned as he looked expectantly at Uchiha Itachi. "But Itachi, as long as you are there, you can seize the chance to control the higher-ups when they're unprepared! Small-scale fighting may be unavoidable, but if you, as an Anbu, lend us your aid, the Bloodless Revolution can succeed!"

"A bloodless... revolution?"

"Itachi, you're my son. I'm begging you—help the Uchiha Clan!" Fugaku Uchiha gave a slight bow.

Uchiha Itachi emerged from Naka Shrine.

He gazed at the moon in the sky, his expression full of sorrow and disappointment.

"Father, Konoha can lose the Uchiha, but it cannot lose the Hokage!"

He could not understand why his father failed to see the threats beyond the village and only saw this petty internal conflict.

Yes, he could help the Uchiha win.

But what came after that?

Would the people of the village truly submit to a rule gained through force?

No! They would only resist, perhaps even join forces with those outside the village to fight the Uchiha.

Then Kumogakure and Iwagakure would come, intervening in Konoha's rule in the name of restoring order while manipulating everything from behind the scenes.

By then, Konoha would be destroyed as well.

The path the Uchiha Clan had chosen was far too narrow, as narrow as their own vision.

If the Uchiha coup failed, the village would suffer devastating losses, and Konoha would perish;

If the Uchiha coup succeeded, the villagers would not submit. Konoha would still perish.

Under these circumstances, there was only one path left.

But he did not want to do this.

"Shisui..."

At the center of the Uchiha Clan Land.

Uchiha Shisui calmly opened his eyes and saw Jinghuo Uchiha approaching slowly with his eyes closed and a tranquil expression.

"Jinghuo, you've grown taller." He felt somewhat emotional.

For most of the past year, he had been alone. Even Jinghuo Uchiha, the person closest to him, had only been glimpsed from afar a couple of times.

It was to reassure Konoha's higher-ups, and also to deny Shimura Danzō any opportunity to frame the Uchiha.

Yet Jinghuo Uchiha had now entered this sensitive place on his own initiative. Shisui's first thought was not concern, but emotion and joy.

Ignoring the four Anbu hidden in the shadows, Jinghuo Uchiha walked inside and sat kneeling across from Uchiha Shisui.

The two faced each other.

Jinghuo Uchiha kept his eyes closed;

Uchiha Shisui, however, could not stop staring at him. A trace of irrepressible joy surfaced on his calm face.

"Brother, the clan is going to stage another coup," Jinghuo Uchiha said calmly.

The instant Uchiha Shisui heard that, his smile turned bitter.

Last time, he had stopped it by taking that one step forward.

But this time, it would probably be difficult.

Even if he could stop it, the higher-ups would find a way to deal with him.

Because he would change from a deterrent into a threat.

Is controlling Konoha's higher-ups the only way... he thought, but then he heard Jinghuo Uchiha speak.

"I hope that when the time comes, you'll stand behind me."

"When the time comes? Stand behind you?" Uchiha Shisui was uncertain and bewildered.

By then, Jinghuo Uchiha had already risen to his feet and left with a slight bow.

His calm back resembled a tranquil flame.

Yet Uchiha Shisui seemed to see a fierce, violent Rage Flame hidden within Jinghuo Uchiha's tranquil fire, waiting for its chance to roar.

Uchiha Shisui closed his eyes and sat quietly, like a wooden statue, neither sorrowful nor joyful. No one knew what he was thinking.

About half an hour later, he opened his eyes.

"It's rather lively today." He smiled and looked toward Uchiha Itachi at the entrance.

"Yidaqi, long time no see." Ever since he had become Clan Head, he had not seen Uchiha Itachi again.

He did not know whether Uchiha Itachi had been avoiding him or simply busy with work.

"Shisui." Uchiha Itachi glanced at the four hidden Anbu around them, then calmly walked inside.

He came before Uchiha Shisui, sat kneeling, and held his back straight.

"What do you want me to do?"

Uchiha Itachi's words puzzled Uchiha Shisui.

"Why would you say that?" He had never asked Uchiha Itachi to do anything.

Uchiha Itachi directly voiced what was in his heart. "Shisui, you had Jinghuo instigate Sasuke into bringing that child with the sensitive identity over, didn't you? Wasn't it to force me to choose a side?"

Uchiha Shisui froze.

Looking at Uchiha Itachi, who stared straight into his eyes, he said something completely unrelated. "Are you expecting me to control you?"

Uchiha Itachi's pupils suddenly contracted, and he lowered his head slightly.

For a moment, the atmosphere fell silent.

More than ten seconds later, Uchiha Shisui murmured thoughtfully, "So it was Jinghuo who instigated Sasuke..."

Warmth rose in his heart, and his smile became radiant. "That kid is trying to stand up for me again."

"What do you mean?!" Uchiha Itachi was horrified.

The one who had instigated Sasuke was not Uchiha Shisui, but Jinghuo Uchiha?

How was that possible!

Both his eyes were ruined. What could he still do under these circumstances?

"Yidaqi, you are my best friend. Don't run away. Right or wrong, believe firmly in your own path," Uchiha Shisui said.

Uchiha Itachi opened his mouth, staring blankly at Uchiha Shisui, who smiled at him.

"Shisui... I... I..."

Uchiha Itachi knew what he wanted to do.

But if he did that, the final result would be... he would kill Uchiha Shisui.

Uchiha Itachi was not merely Uchiha Shisui's best friend.

Uchiha Shisui was also Uchiha Itachi's best friend!

Killing his best friend...

How could he... how could he possibly do it?!

As if seeing through everything, Uchiha Shisui smiled. "I won't just surrender without a fight."

There were people he absolutely had to protect. He could not surrender without resistance as Fugaku Uchiha had.

At the same time, he could not abandon the clan members.