What's the Difference Between This and Killing Us?

Shisui Uchiha stood at the street corner, his expression complex.

He watched the townspeople leaving in indignation and the members of the Police Force shouting in triumph, a trace of regret rising in his heart.

Things seemed to have escalated a bit too far.

The relationship between the village and the Uchiha was already increasingly rigid, and now there was an additional point of contention.

That point of contention was the handling of Arata.

Thinking of this, Shisui's gaze drifted slightly backward.

The boy at the center of the vortex stood quietly behind him, his eyes wandering as if he were lost in thought, seemingly detached from the chaos surrounding them.

However, if he were to truly speak of regret, could he have just stood by and watched as two Jōnin-level Root ninja suppressed and dragged Arata away?

He could not do it.

He truly could not!

When it came down to it, this matter was the village—no, it was Shimura Danzō—who had gone too far!

Arata was merely an eight-year-old junior, yet he had dispatched a battle-hardened elite squad to design an ambush! Was this truly treating the Uchiha as outsiders?

For a moment, Shisui Uchiha's state of mind wavered even more violently.

If he had previously been inclined toward Konoha, maintaining only a bottom line of protecting his clan, then now, the scales had balanced!

Last night, when reporting Arata's situation to Clan Head Fugaku, he had posed a question: "Clan Head, I heard that when Sasuke was born, the Fourth Hokage's wife was also about to give birth?"

Hearing such a question, the usually stern-faced Fugaku Uchiha became even more somber.

This was a simple question, one that for many was not even a particular secret.

But the Clan Head remained silent for a long time, his sharp eyes seeming to peer directly into the essence of the matter.

"Yes."

After a long while, he uttered a single word.

"Then—"

Having received the answer, Shisui Uchiha wanted to continue his inquiry.

Was the Fourth Hokage's wife's delivery successful before the Nine-Tails descended, and was that little one called the Nine-Tails Demon Fox truly their offspring?

After all, the boy was the same age as Sasuke, yet there was no record of his origins in the standard files—only a simple line stating he was an orphan of the Nine-Tails Incident. The truth seemed to have been buried by an invisible hand.

"Yes."

"It is as you suspect."

"So, what do you intend to do?"

This time, before Shisui could even voice the question, Fugaku Uchiha had already provided the answer.

Although he did not lay everything out on the table, both the questioner and the one being questioned clearly understood they were speaking of the same thing.

"I..."

"I don't know."

Shisui opened his mouth, but in the end, he could not reach any conclusion.

The offspring of Minato being treated as a Demon Fox, suffering endless ridicule and exclusion—if the Fourth Hokage knew of this in the afterlife, would he be so enraged as to overturn this village?

Even someone as gentle as Shisui could not help but feel a cold, trembling fury after learning such inside information.

That was the hero of Konoha, the hero who had saved half of Konoha from the claws of the Nine-Tails!

This was also the most direct reason he had followed Arata today.

He wanted to truly understand the boy.

Why could an eight-year-old see through things that they found so difficult to resolve?

He just hadn't expected that the moment Arata stepped out of the clan grounds, he would be targeted by Root.

It must have been the boy's strong performance against Itachi and his status as a dual Kekkei Genkai user that made the ever-cautious Danzō feel uneasy, unwilling to let him continue to grow.

After all, Arata's stance was too clear; he stood firmly and undoubtedly on the side of the Uchiha.

"Follow me."

Taking a deep look at the silent little one, Shisui Uchiha dropped these words and left the street corner first.

To this, Arata did not reply, merely following along in silence.

At this moment, his mood was complex; his agitated thoughts were as messy as a vast grassland trampled by ten thousand alpacas.

Arata was hostile toward Shisui!

The mere fact that the man intended to use Kotoamatsukami to control the entire clan was absolutely unforgivable.

Even if his starting point was good, even if he wanted to avoid war.

But to have the people of one's own clan have their thoughts controlled like puppets—how terrifying and powerless a feeling was that?

Added to that was the day the dark green Susanoo blocked his killing blow against Itachi, which caused Arata's perception of Shisui to plummet to freezing point.

Although he had compromised when facing him yesterday, that was merely a concession forced by the situation and a necessary paving of the way to utilize the other party.

However, the way Shisui Uchiha stepped in to save the day today left him feeling somewhat at a loss.

Arata was a simple person who drew a clear line between love and hate.

If someone treated him well—even if they were a ninja from another clan or an Anbu member under the Third Hokage—he was willing to respectfully address them as "teacher."

But when this person who treated him well was an existence he viewed with hostility, the clash between two wills left him without a clear conclusion for the moment.

At the same time, Arata was acutely aware of the fate that awaited him once he was taken away by Root.

Being able to barely survive would already be considered fortunate.

That old man Shimura Danzō had ten thousand ways to shirk responsibility and frame others.

And if Uncle Yashiro were to desperately choose to go to war for his sake, then faced with the betrayal of Shisui and Itachi, the entire clan would be plunged into an abyss of no return.

So, how should I treat him?

Arata's mood was truly chaotic.

Shisui Uchiha walked for a long time.

They passed through the bustling commercial district and walked by the tranquil residential area.

He rarely spoke along the way, only offering warm greetings when he encountered a few children he knew well.

He seemed to be very fond of children.

Arata did not take the initiative to speak, nor did he try to guess where Shisui intended to take him; he simply followed step by step.

If the other party truly wanted to harm him, it would be the simplest thing in the world.

Finally, when the sound of rushing water reached his ears, Shisui Uchiha stopped.

Naka Waterfall.

Here again.

He seemed to have a unique love for this place.

"The relationship between the village and the clan is worsening. If the two go to war, which side will you stand on?"

Shisui Uchiha asked softly.

This was his first utterance after walking through the long clan grounds.

Arata was a bit stunned; he had not expected the other party to ask such a question so bluntly.

However, didn't he find it a bit pointless to ask him this?

Just as Arata prepared to respond, Shisui, who had his back turned, continued, "Think about the answer to this question carefully tonight, and tell me tomorrow."

"But you must understand, war is not as simple as you children talking on paper. Once war begins, it will bring irreversible, catastrophic consequences."

"The village will fall apart, foreign enemies will seize the opportunity to invade, and there will be many orphans like Naruto and yourself."

Shisui did not say much more, because he knew that Arata was different from other children; he possessed more mature and independent thoughts and would not be as extreme as Inabi.

Arata remained silent.

Heeding the request, he did not provide an answer immediately.

"My eyes are different from yours; I can control the will of everyone in the clan, make them abandon the idea of being enemies with Konoha, and live together in peace. What do you think?"

Shisui Uchiha spoke again.

It was a probe, and also a showdown. He wanted someone who could provide him with guidance, but the high-ranking members of the clan were unsuitable. He had originally thought Itachi shared his will, but recently, the other party had developed other hidden thoughts.

At this moment, Shisui felt an unprecedented sense of loneliness.

"Would the proud Uchiha tolerate living forever in an illusion?"

"How is that any different from killing us?"

This time, Arata did not hesitate at all.

His words were cold and sharp.

It was as if he were standing in the opposing camp.