Blood Oath

"It wasn't me, it really wasn't me!"

Watching Uchiha Chen look like he was bristling with rage, ready to eliminate a great threat to the village and the clan, Uchiha Shisui waved his hands frantically with a bitter expression, his eyes welling up with tears of anxiety:

"Brother Chen, you have to believe me! It really wasn't me!

By the way, I have proof. On the night of the Nine-Tails Incident, I was still on the Eastern Front. Many people can testify to that!"

The people who wrongly accuse you often know better than you do just how innocent you are.

Uchiha Chen figured that since he would definitely have to use the Eye Power and dōjutsu of his Prosthetic Eye later, he had to stage a 'confession session' with Shisui first to prevent being suspected as the mastermind behind the Night of the Nine-Tails.

"Really? I don't believe you!"

Feeling that the tension wasn't quite high enough, Uchiha Chen maintained his killing intent and snorted coldly:

"The Mangekyō is the eye that reflects the heart; the awakened dōjutsu is closely related to one's own desires and specialized skills.

Aside from the Fourth, you are the person in the village most skilled at the Body Flicker Technique. It is entirely possible for you to have awakened a space-time dōjutsu similar to the Flying Thunder God, allowing you to travel between the village and the front lines in a single night."

Having an alibi doesn't mean you couldn't have committed the crime—gotcha!

Even though Uchiha Shisui was intelligent and precocious, he was still just a twelve-year-old child. In his desperation, he blurted out the truth:

"I don't have a space-time dōjutsu. My dōjutsu is of the genjutsu type, and it's called Kotoamatsukami—"

"Stop talking!" Uchiha Chen barked, interrupting Shisui with a look of exasperation:

"Your dōjutsu is your most important trump card. How could you leak your own intelligence the moment I asked?"

"I..."

Seeing Shisui speechless, Uchiha Chen slid his half-drawn blade back into its scabbard, sat down quite relaxed on a protruding blue stone on the ground, and said irritably:

"Now I believe it wasn't you, because the mastermind behind the Night of the Nine-Tails would never be as stupid as you."

With that, the tomoe in Uchiha Chen's eyes spun rapidly, merging into a single pattern.

"Chen, you also..."

Just as Shisui had let out a sigh of relief due to Uchiha Chen's trust, he saw another pair of Mangekyō. With his emotions swinging wildly, his brain momentarily stalled.

"It wasn't me that night either." Uchiha Chen looked at the complex expression on Shisui's face and began a tongue-twister of sorts:

"I believe it wasn't you, and I believe that you believe it wasn't me, but right now, we lack a foundation of mutual trust."

Shisui was silent for a moment, organizing his chaotic thoughts before nodding.

If Uchiha Chen were the mastermind, there would be no need to confess to him; upon discovering that he had awakened the Mangekyō, Chen could have even framed him for the incident.

"I believe you!"

"Good!" Uchiha Chen revealed a faint smile.

"But we still need to strengthen this trust. We need a true blood oath, a countermeasure in case one of us turns out to be the mastermind.

Shisui, do you dare?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

Shisui had a clear conscience.

"You know the Transcription Seal, right?" Uchiha Chen took out a Kunai and sliced his palm, letting drops of blood seep out.

"We will use the Transcription Seal to seal a portion of our Eye Power into each other's bodies. If one day we discover that the other is acting against the clan or the village, triggering that Eye Power will be enough to severely wound them."

"Agreed!"

Shisui followed suit, using a Kunai to cut his palm, and then extended his bleeding hand toward Uchiha Chen.

"Transcription Seal!" X2

The large and small palms pressed together. Under their deliberate control, their blood, containing their respective Eye Power, completed the exchange smoothly and lay dormant within each other's bodies.

'Foreign Eye Power detected. Would you like to Mark it?'

The light screen suddenly projected in Uchiha Chen's vision caused him to lose focus for a moment.

After completing all this, Uchiha Shisui swept away his previous gloom and tension, smiling quite brightly:

"Shouldn't we say some vows about never betraying each other at a time like this?"

"Spare me! That would be way too gay!"

The Eye Power of Kotoamatsukami was already inside his body, so it wasn't going anywhere.

Afraid of being detected by Shisui, Uchiha Chen did not choose to Mark the Eye Power immediately. Instead, after chatting and laughing with Shisui for a few moments, he changed the subject to the relationship between the village and the clan.

As soon as this topic was raised, the smile on Shisui's face vanished instantly, and an inescapable bitterness and gloom clouded his brow.

"In recent years, the clansmen have already caused dissatisfaction among many in the village, and now with the Nine-Tails Incident, I fear the rift between the village and the clan will only grow wider."

Speaking of this, Shisui even looked at Uchiha Chen with a sense of grievance, "Brother Chen, you even made up those excuses to shirk responsibility. I fear that the village leadership will be even more dissatisfied with the clan later. Even if the Third doesn't hold it against us, others will..."

Uchiha Chen frowned as he listened to Shisui's words.

Shisui still held onto trust and unrealistic expectations for the Konoha leadership, especially the Third.

This is not good!

"Shisui, let me ask you." After listening to Uchiha Shisui's complaints, Uchiha Chen crossed his legs.

"What exactly did our clansmen do that was so infuriatingly heinous that the reputation of the Police Force stinks for miles, and the Uchiha are ostracized by the villagers?

Is being arrogant a crime? Is looking down your nose at people a crime? Is enforcing the law according to regulations wrong?"

Shisui fell silent.

The Uchiha were indeed self-important and condescending, and their law enforcement could certainly be considered harsh.

But that alone shouldn't have been enough to make the Uchiha the target of resentment and exclusion from almost every social stratum in Konoha.

"Let me state first that I do not support a coup or rebellion; regardless of success or failure, that would only result in a lose-lose situation for both the village and the Uchiha."

Uchiha Chen first gave Shisui some peace of mind, then continued:

"However, the Uchiha have fallen into their current predicament partly due to our own faults, but it is mostly because there are bad actors among the village's high-ranking officials!

Someone is deliberately suppressing the Uchiha, which is what has triggered such a massive conflict."

Shisui did not argue; instead, he offered a word of comfort:

"The higher-ups may indeed have prejudices against the Uchiha, but at the very least, the Third still cares for the Uchiha."

"Hmph!"

Uchiha Chen sneered, staring straight into Shisui's eyes as he said:

"Shisui, you are too arrogant!"

"Chen! In what way am I arrogant?"

At this point, Shisui didn't even call him 'big brother,' frowning as he waited for Uchiha Chen's explanation.

"You think that because you possess the Sharingan, you can see through everything, and you only ever believe what you see." Uchiha Chen locked eyes with Shisui and said coldly:

"But how far can those Sharingan of yours actually see?

In your eyes, the Third is a gentle and kind man, while Danzo and the other advisors are the villains discriminating against the Uchiha?"

"Isn't that the case?" Shisui was clearly unconvinced.

"Of course not!" Uchiha Chen curled his lip:

"Danzo is indeed sparing no effort to suppress the Uchiha, but what benefit has he gained from it?

His reputation in Konoha is ten times worse than the Uchiha's.

The one who truly benefits is Sarutobi Hiruzen!

The Fire Style secret techniques handed over by the Uchiha have become the foundation of the Sarutobi clan, the power and assets surrendered by the Uchiha have been divided among his cronies, and even those Uchiha clansmen who yearn for peace, like you—"

Uchiha Chen patted the shoulder of the stunned Shisui and whispered into his ear like a devil:

"—haven't you also been deceived by him, becoming his tool to counter the Uchiha?

Danzo and the others are merely the knives cutting the Uchiha's flesh; the one who divides and eats the meat is the true architect of the conflict between the village and the clan!

The fact that the village and the Uchiha are at odds today is the fault of Sarutobi Hiruzen!"