Bow Down

"Lord Yashiro!"

Inohi and Tekka snapped out of it and rushed forward with cries, trying to wake Yashiro.

Shisui didn't give them the chance.

Whoosh.

He darted in front of them, and his figure suddenly split in two, each one attacking a different target.

Shadow Clone Jutsu.

The Secret Room was cramped, so Fire Release Ninjutsu and the like were out of the question. In addition, all the clan members had left their weapons and ninja tools outside as required. They couldn't bring them in.

So aside from Genjutsu, their only option was to fight with their fists and feet.

Inohi and Tekka were Jonin, after all, and no pushovers. They immediately fought back, each taking on Shisui's real body and his clone.

Only after they struck did they realize the truth.

Both Shisuis before them were illusions. Neither was the real one.

The real Shisui had silently appeared behind Tekka at some point and swung a hand strike.

It hit the artery at the back of Tekka's neck with pinpoint accuracy.

As his carotid artery constricted, Tekka's brain was suddenly deprived of blood, and he passed out.

"Damn it!"

Seeing his friend fall, Inohi angrily threw a punch, striking Shisui squarely in the face.

But something strange happened.

The Shisui Inohi had struck turned into an illusion, while the illusion he'd been fighting just a second earlier became Shisui's true body.

Then it attacked him from the side.

Oh no.

By the time Inohi realized what was happening, it was too late.

"Thud!"

Shisui punched Inohi in the stomach with such force that he doubled over like a shrimp before collapsing to the ground in agony.

The flurry of attacks was dazzling, yet flowed together seamlessly.

This was Body Flicker Shisui.

A ghostly speed that even the Sharingan's ability to track movement couldn't keep up with, combined with a Shadow Clone Jutsu that even the Sharingan couldn't distinguish from the real thing. This was—

Phantom Flicker Technique.

It had taken just ten seconds.

Shisui had cleanly defeated the Radical Faction's three leading figures. The difference in strength between them was so astonishing it seemed impossible.

The Secret Room fell silent.

The clan members were so stunned they couldn't speak.

There was no denying that Shisui was the strongest in the clan. Everyone knew that.

But his opponents were no pushovers, and he'd been outnumbered three to one. Yet the result...

It wasn't a close fight, nor had one side narrowly lost. It had been a one-sided crushing defeat.

Why?

They were all Jonin with Three-Tomoe Sharingan. How had Yashiro and the others proved so utterly helpless against Shisui?

Fugaku remained silent. The outcome had been just as he'd expected.

Unfortunately.

Yashiro and the others were all bark and no bite. Shisui had dealt with them so easily that they hadn't forced him to use his true power: the—

Mangekyō Sharingan.

As Clan Head, Fugaku was the only person in the clan who knew Shisui had the Mangekyō. He understood better than anyone how powerful those eyes were.

That was why Fugaku had always favored the Moderate Faction.

He believed that as long as Shisui was willing to join forces with him, the Uchiha would never be driven to a dead end.

Of everyone present,

Itachi was the most delighted.

He could tell that Shisui had grown stronger and stronger. His speed in particular was as fast as lightning. Even compared to the Fourth Hokage, the "Yellow Flash" of his time, Shisui probably wasn't much slower.

And as the mysterious masked man had said, speed was precisely his uncle's weakness.

In other words, Shisui's abilities countered Dan's.

Thinking this, Itachi glanced at his uncle nearby and saw that, sure enough, Dan's brow was furrowed. He seemed quite wary of Shisui.

After taking down the Radical Faction's three leading figures,

Shisui swept his gaze around the room and finally fixed it on Uchiha Setsuna.

Setsuna immediately looked frightened. He and the remaining members of the Radical Faction all shrank back.

"From now on, the clan and the village must live in peace. And I, Uchiha Shisui, will be the bridge between them."

Shisui looked at Setsuna and the others and declared in a firm, loud voice that echoed through the Secret Room.

Faced with his declaration,

not one member of the Radical Faction dared to object.

Those who already supported Shisui spoke up in agreement, backing his decision.

It seemed that tonight's Clan Meeting had become Shisui's personal show, and would soon end in a complete victory for the Moderate Faction.

Shisui had lived up to the Third Hokage's trust and single-handedly averted a crisis.

Was that really how it would go?

Shisui looked toward Uchiha Dan.

If Dan was planning to make a move, now was the time.

Unexpectedly, Dan looked completely unconcerned. He had an arm around his older sister Mikoto's shoulders, chatting and laughing with her.

He seemed like an outsider.

Seeing this, Itachi guessed:

Uncle saw Shisui's strength and decided to lie low. He doesn't dare show himself anymore.

Just then,

Yashiro, Inohi, and Tekka got to their feet.

Then,

the three seemed to reach a decision. Led by Yashiro, they walked through the crowd and stopped in front of Dan.

Thump!

The three gritted their teeth and dropped to one knee in unison, stunning every clan member present.

"Dan, we misunderstood you last time. I, Uchiha Yashiro, apologize. From now on, we hope you'll become the backbone of our faction and lead us forward!"

Yashiro raised his head, gazed intently at Dan, and spoke words that stunned everyone.

On that night not long ago, when Yashiro had seen Dan defeat the Masked Man, a seed had been planted in his heart.

Now, after experiencing Shisui's terrifying strength firsthand, Yashiro realized:

There might be only one person in the entire Uchiha Clan who could defeat Shisui: the Uchiha Dan standing before him.

So,

even if Dan was a member of the fanatical Suicide Attack Faction, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was strong enough!

What was going on?

Yashiro and the other two bowing to Dan and swearing allegiance left everyone present astonished.

Wasn't the Clan Head's brother-in-law just a musclehead who ran a gym?

Even Fugaku frowned, finding it very strange.

He'd seen for himself how Dan's moderate stance had led to a falling-out with the Radical Faction. Back then, Yashiro had even shouted that he'd have Dan thrown into the Police Force Prison.

Could Yashiro be so desperate that he'd grasp at any straw?

Or did he know Dan was strong and was deliberately putting him forward, hoping to use him against Shisui?

Fugaku's mind worked quickly.

He walked over and said to Yashiro with a frown, "Yashiro, get up. What are you doing?"

At the same time, Fugaku discreetly signaled Dan with his eyes.

He didn't want to see Shisui's Moderate Faction dominate the clan, either. If the Will of Fire took hold within the Uchiha, it would undoubtedly harm the clan.

As Clan Head, Fugaku couldn't personally fight Shisui. That would make things difficult to resolve.

So he used his eyes to signal his brother-in-law:

If you're confident, step up.

Dan shook his head.

Tonight's Clan Meeting had confirmed one thing for him: Yashiro and the others really were a bunch of rabble.

He didn't say a word. Turning around, he headed for the Secret Room's exit, apparently planning to leave early.

Was he backing down?

Everyone naturally assumed from Dan's reaction that he was afraid of Shisui.

But what no one expected was—

When Dan reached the door, he suddenly turned around and said to Shisui:

"Fight me. But not here. If we bring down the Secret Room, everyone in here will be buried alive."

If Shisui gained the upper hand, events would follow the Original Work's course. Dan didn't want to see that happen.

So it had finally come to this.

Shisui wasn't surprised. He immediately nodded and followed Dan out of the Secret Room.

He knew that as long as he could defeat Dan, he could completely suppress the clan members' restless ambitions and finally make the Uchiha truly settle down.

"Excellent!" Yashiro stood up and eagerly followed them.

Seeing this, the other clan members also filed out of the Secret Room.