Shisui's Probing

Uchiha Ao was very surprised.

He had not expected his mother to agree so easily to him leaving the Uchiha clan.

He had originally thought it would take some effort.

He hadn't expected it to be this simple.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but just as the words reached his lips, his younger brother Uchiha Ran walked in from outside.

"Brother, Shisui is here."

Ran was the same age as Shisui, and the two had been in the same class at the Ninja Academy, but Shisui had already successfully graduated and was considered a contemporary of Ao.

Meanwhile, Ran was still just a student at the Ninja Academy.

There was a huge gap in their status.

"Go on! I'll make dinner for you both; ask Shisui to stay and eat."

His mother smiled and pushed the two of them out.

Ao arrived in the living room and saw Shisui wearing a pair of white socks, sitting cross-legged on the tatami mat with a cup of tea on the small table in front of him.

His little sister was curiously sizing up this genius who had made a name for himself in the Uchiha clan.

"Brother Shisui, are you very strong? Are you stronger than my brother?"

Little Uchiha Zi asked, full of curiosity, her small hands propping up her chin as she examined Shisui without any reservation.

Her delicate and cute face made Shisui chuckle.

"Of course, your senior's talent is stronger; he is a genius valued by Lord Orochimaru."

Shisui said without hesitation.

His attitude was humble.

He was not arrogant about his own talent like other clansmen.

As he spoke, he noticed Ao's arrival and immediately stood up from the tatami, bowing respectfully: "Senior Ao, sorry for the sudden visit, I hope I'm not disturbing you!"

"Do you have something to find me for?"

Ao picked his sister up from the tatami and asked.

He gently stroked his sister's smooth long hair, smoothing out two cowlicks as he did so.

Shisui nodded.

A hint of hesitation appeared on his face.

Seeing this, Ao handed his sister to his brother Ran, then picked up the gray coat hanging on the rack, draped it over his shoulders, and said to Shisui: "Want to go for a walk?"

Shisui nodded heavily and followed him.

The two of them stepped out.

Walking along the empty street, there were no figures around; when they encountered the occasional clansman, both sides nodded slightly as a greeting.

The relationships were distant.

Although Shisui had some reputation now, he was not yet prominent.

Compared to those genius ninjas who graduated early during the war, the age of nine was nothing special.

However, his talents in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu were all recorded in the clan's assessments.

His performance was excellent.

He had already been noticed by the clan's higher-ups.

Every move he made was being watched by someone.

Ao quickly noticed that there were two tails behind them.

Their gazes were focused entirely on Shisui.

Clan guards?

These were troubled times.

After Shimura Danzō failed to seize the position of Hokage, he would surely vent his resentment on the Uchiha.

The clan had made preparations for this.

First, they had shrunk their range of activities to avoid unnecessary actions being targeted by Root.

Then, they arranged for elite clansmen to secretly protect important members of the clan.

Manpower was limited, and those on the protection list were either exceptionally talented or had deep backgrounds.

Ordinary clansmen like Uchiha Ao could not even come into contact with such things.

After practicing the Spirit Transformation Technique, his soul strength had been greatly enhanced, and in terms of spiritual perception, he was already comparable to an elite Chunin.

After detecting these tails, Ao did not show any signs of abnormality, continuing to chat with Shisui in a casual, disjointed manner.

At this moment, Shisui was telling him many things regarding his training, as well as his views on the current state of the clan.

He was deeply worried about the clan's predicament.

He wanted to ease the tense relationship between the clan and the village.

"Senior Ao, we are about to become neighbors."

"After I finish my missions in the future, would I be able to seek you out for training together?"

After laying the groundwork with small talk, Shisui finally couldn't help but state his purpose.

He felt a sense of mystery emanating from Ao.

It made one unable to resist the urge to explore.

In his view, Ao was not as simple as he appeared on the surface.

"You're moving near my house?"

Ao asked in surprise. Their house was located at the very end of the Uchiha district, a very remote area, and not far from the rather dangerous Forest of Death.

Those who lived nearby were basically fringe members of the clan.

Given Shisui's status, he shouldn't be living here.

"You didn't know? The clan is relocating soon, and your new home is in the same area as mine..."

Shisui said, looking surprised.

"Moving..."

Ao's pupils constricted, and he was slightly shocked.

But he quickly remembered that after the Uchiha suffered a purge by the high-ranking officials of Konoha, they were forced to move away from the core area of the village and relocate near Kaga Shrine, where they were confined by Konoha and subjected to twenty-four-hour surveillance.

This measure further intensified the already strained relationship between the village and the clan.

It laid the groundwork for the Uchiha's future rebellion.

One could even say that this lack of trust was what pushed the Uchiha clan step by step onto the path of insurrection.

No one would want to live under someone else's twenty-four-hour surveillance, without a shred of privacy or the slightest bit of trust.

Anyone would go crazy under such circumstances.

Not to mention the sensitive and fragile-nerved Uchiha clan.

"Has the village's punishment been handed down?"

Ao looked at Shisui, stopped in his tracks, and subconsciously gripped the corner of his clothes.

No wonder his mother said the clan had been in chaos lately.

Under these circumstances, the doves, hawks, and moderates within the clan were all unable to remain calm.

His teacher choosing to leave at this time...

Could it be that he had discovered something in advance?

Ao couldn't help but think of the time Orochimaru had been away; perhaps he was planning his escape route.

With Orochimaru's snake-like, cunning personality.

Knowing he had fallen out with Danzo, he wouldn't fail to leave himself a way out.

"Senior, why did the Hokage pin the blame for the Nine-Tails incident on us, the Uchiha?"

Shisui's question pulled Ao back from his deep thoughts.

He couldn't help but look at the puzzled Shisui, only to realize upon regaining his senses that the two of them had walked to the edge of the village, and a hundred meters ahead lay the entrance to the Forest of Death.

The surroundings were silent.

Only two ninja were trailing them, perched on the eaves of a house a few hundred meters away, thinking they were well-hidden.

But judging by Shisui's expression, he had likely discovered their tracks as well.

Judging solely by his Chakra levels, Shisui, who had just graduated, already possessed Chunin-level Chakra, and with his talent for Genjutsu and Taijutsu, he had likely already stepped over the threshold of a Chunin.

Ao did not answer directly, but instead spread his mental energy, enveloping Shisui within it.

"Genjutsu!?"

Shisui's expression didn't change, but he exclaimed in surprise.

The Chakra within his body stirred slightly.

He immediately broke free from the control of the Genjutsu.

His vision cleared once more, revealing the scene of the Forest of Death.

Then, Ao's voice rang in his ears.

"Because it was the Sharingan of our Uchiha clan that controlled the Nine-Tails; that night, the mark was clearly branded in the pupils of the Nine-Tails, and the vast majority of people in the village noticed it."

"On this point, we have no way to defend ourselves."

The voice conjured by the spirit of Uchiha Ao echoed within the mind of Shisui.

"The death of the Fourth Hokage, the sacrifice of the villagers, and the replacement of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki... all of these require someone to step forward and take the blame, and the Fourth Hokage, who was the most suitable scapegoat, died on the battlefield."

"The Uchiha... given our current situation, there is no possibility of ever clearing our name..."

"We can only walk, step by step, toward the opposite side of Konoha."

"I have no interest in any of this."

"I do not wish to expend my energy on a meaningless struggle."

A sense of powerlessness regarding the fate of the Uchiha permeated the words of Uchiha Ao.

At most, he possessed the strength of a Chunin.

At this stage, he had no way to change the predicament of the Uchiha.

Shisui's face turned deathly pale; from the words of Uchiha Ao, he sensed a massive crisis.

The future of the clan was in jeopardy.

And the detailed analysis provided by Uchiha Ao made it impossible to doubt him.

"Impossible... as long as we actively cooperate with the village's investigation, find the true culprit, follow the orders of the Hokage, and complete our various missions, we will surely be able to regain their trust..."

Shisui spoke instinctively, attempting to persuade Uchiha Ao not to be so pessimistic and to hold onto hope for the clan.

But the moment his voice faded.

Uchiha Ao had already spoken first:

"The only way out for the Uchiha is to leave..."

"Leave the clan, leave the village, and find a brand-new path for the clan."

His pair of black eyes were filled with an inexplicable sense of confidence.

It left Shisui stunned.