Inabi and Shisui

"Down with the evil Senju Tobirama!"

"Purge the Konoha tumors Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō!"

Amidst the fervent crowd, the Uchiha began the clan meeting's staple activity: 'denouncing the higher-ups.' Naturally, the proposal to relocate the clan grounds was opposed by almost everyone.

"Fine, then we won't move! I will firmly reject the Third at the next Jonin meeting!"

The fierce-looking Uchiha Fugaku delivered his conclusion at the end of the meeting, drawing loud cheers from many clansmen before declaring the meeting adjourned.

Uchiha Chen, standing in the crowd, curled his lip, feeling not the slightest bit surprised.

Through memories of his past life and several years of understanding in this one, Uchiha Chen had already seen Uchiha Fugaku's character clearly.

Uchiha Fugaku was, in fact, a standard 'Yuan Shao' type of figure.

The man was full of schemes but lacked the decisiveness to act; he was easily swayed by others and his personal stance constantly wavered between the hawks and the doves.

He only became the clan head not because of any political talent, but simply because he was the strongest among the middle generation of the Uchiha.

However, for Uchiha Chen, having such a hollow, incompetent man sitting in the position of clan head was actually a good thing.

Uchiha Chen took one last deep look at Fugaku, who was sitting in the center of the secret chamber with his eyes closed in meditation, then turned and merged into the orderly departing clansmen, reaching out to press a hand on the shoulder of the shortest, round-nosed boy.

"Shisui, congratulations on awakening your Three-Tomoe! Want to walk together?"

"Ah? Oh, sure!"

Uchiha Shisui, who had been frowning slightly, squeezed out a faint smile and followed Uchiha Chen quite naturally toward a secluded forest.

The clan meeting had started in the afternoon, and by the time it ended, the sun was already setting.

The soft, warm afterglow spilled into the forest, as if draping the dense woods in a layer of orange-yellow gauze.

Uchiha Shisui loved his clansmen and the village, and was currently worried about the irreconcilable conflict between the two; Uchiha Chen, meanwhile, was racking his brain trying to figure out how to bind a combat force like Shisui to his own camp.

Along the way, the two chatted a bit about the situation on the Mist battlefield before falling into silence.

"Wait!"

After a rustle of fallen leaves trembling under footsteps, a young man wearing the dark blue uniform of the Military Police Force blocked their path, staring straight at Uchiha Chen.

"Chen, I have also awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. I want to challenge you again!"

Uchiha Chen raised an eyebrow, revealing a faint smile.

"It's Inabi~ Tekka really misses you, his big brother! Every time I patrol and train with him, he mentions you."

Uchiha Inabi stopped hearing anything the moment 'patrol and train' was mentioned, his square face flushing redder than the sunset.

As a fellow genius of the Uchiha, he had almost always been suppressed by Uchiha Chen, who was two years his junior.

What was even more detestable was that his own younger brother, Tekka, had actually become a fanboy of Uchiha Chen, obeying his every word.

Do you know how much inner trauma this causes to the Uchiha, who are all obsessed with their siblings?

Uchiha Inabi was boiling over.

He glared viciously at Uchiha Chen with his Sharingan active, even feeling his Eye Power rising slightly due to his anger.

When would he defeat Uchiha Chen?

Today! It would be today!

"Chen! Fight me!"

Over a dozen shuriken were thrown by Inabi in his rage. The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed through the forest as the trajectories of the shuriken traced eerie arcs after multiple collisions, enveloping Uchiha Chen.

Uchiha Chen stretched lazily and leaped up like a cat, tapping his toes lightly on the incoming shuriken, dodging the assault with ease.

"Fire Style, Great Fireball Technique! Sharingan Shuriken Technique!"

After Inabi spat out a fireball several meters wide, he manipulated the chaotic shuriken to strike at Uchiha Chen again, while he himself tried to close in for an attack while the Great Fireball obscured Uchiha Chen's vision.

Standard Uchiha tactics!

Uchiha Chen dodged Inabi's attacks like a nimble butterfly, even having the leisure to critique Uchiha Inabi's various methods.

The masterful throwing techniques, the rhythmic taijutsu maneuvers that were almost like artistic gymnastics, the powerful Fire Style interference, and the genjutsu control of the Sharingan.

With the Sharingan active, an Uchiha's combat operations were maxed out; everyone was like a top-tier Zed player, capable of effortlessly pulling off a no-damage pentakill on the battlefield with god-like stats!

This set of tactics, summarized and passed down by the Uchiha over hundreds of years, was almost flawless, with only one weakness that couldn't quite be called a weakness:

These skills all relied on the Uchiha's Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan.

You rise by it, and you must surely fall by it!

In the world of the Uchiha, the advantage of a user with stronger Eye Power over one with weaker Eye Power is overwhelming.

(Except for that one brotherly battle out at sea)

Once an Uchiha encounters a clansman with higher Eye Power than their own, they will be like Yulon's Zed encountering Faker's Zed—completely outplayed, with no power to fight back.

Avoiding Inabi's attack once again with a casual movement, Uchiha Chen caught a glimpse of Shisui out of the corner of his eye, lost in thought, and immediately lost the interest to keep playing with Inabi.

He narrowed his eyes, and while keeping his Three-Tomoe active, he exerted a tiny sliver of his Mangekyō Eye Power.

Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!

Within the mental world of Uchiha Inabi, metallic spikes rained down, pinning his spiritual form and instantly stripping him of control over his body.

"Damn it!"

Uchiha Inabi collapsed to the ground in humiliation, glaring fiercely at Uchiha Chen.

"You still need more practice, Inabi!"

Uchiha Chen pulled a marker from his robes, brushed back the bangs on Inabi's forehead, and wrote a number upon it.

"This is the one hundred and thirty-first time you've lost to me! Shisui and I will be heading out now!"

"Chen-dage and Inabi-ge have such a great relationship!"

Having witnessed a spar between his clansmen, Uchiha Shisui's mood seemed to improve, and he even chatted with Uchiha Chen with keen interest.

"It's alright, mostly because Tekka keeps asking me to 'take extra care' of his brother."

Leading the way, Uchiha Chen brought Shisui to a secluded clearing in the forest before suddenly stopping, turning around to look at Shisui with a complex expression.

"This place will do!"

Unlike Itachi, Shisui's love for his clan was no less than his love for the village, but to make him stand firmly by his side, a stronger dose of medicine was required.

"Shisui!"

The "whooshing" wind played a grim melody through the forest, and the setting sun, finally dipping low, cast its last rays upon Uchiha Chen, stretching his shadow to an almost infinite length.

"So, was it you?"

"What?"

Shisui touched his flat nose, looking at Uchiha Chen in confusion.

Whoosh!

The October autumn breeze whipped up fallen leaves, bringing a bone-chilling cold. Uchiha Chen placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, his scarlet Sharingan fixed directly on Shisui as he exuded a hint of killing intent.

"The Mangekyō can control a Tailed Beast!"

Uchiha Chen drew his blade halfway, his tone growing increasingly agitated:

"You've awakened the Mangekyō, haven't you?

Why would you harm the village? Why would you destroy the relationship between the village and the clan? Speak!"

"I..."

Uchiha Shisui was stunned that his awakening of the Mangekyō had been discovered, and for a moment, he didn't know how to explain.

I awakened the Mangekyō, something seen only once in decades, and not long after, someone uses the Mangekyō to control the Nine-Tails and attack the village.

Oh no!

Have I become the mastermind behind the scenes?