"Ensei Uchiha, the clan head ordered you to attend the clan meeting today."
Shisui Uchiha, dressed in Anbu attire, looked at Ensei Uchiha's expressionless face, a strange feeling welling up inside him.
This clan member was the same age as Itachi, yet for some reason, Shisui always felt he didn't fit in with the Uchiha Clan at all.
He hadn't been like this when he was little. Ever since the Nine-Tails' Rampage, not only had he changed, but the entire clan—and even Konoha as a whole—had undergone an indescribable transformation.
The rift between the clan and the village seemed to have grown even worse.
"Hmph! There's no point in attending one of Fugaku's useless meetings."
Ensei frowned and stared at Shisui for a while before speaking with disdain.
As his strength grew, he had gradually faced all kinds of restrictions and obstacles within the Uchiha Clan. His relationships with the other clan members had also soured.
Still, it wasn't as though anyone really cared.
The Uchiha Clan revered strength. As long as you were strong enough, you naturally had privileges.
"Ensei, are you still upset about the clan's relocation? This sort of thing..."
Shisui froze when he heard Ensei's words, and it took him a long while to recover.
"Shut up, Shisui!"
"If Fugaku's a coward, then you're an idiot!"
"Do you really think Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō will trust you?"
"When someone digs those Mangekyō out of your head, I'll keep them safe for you. What a shame to waste a rare ability like Kotoamatsukami."
Ensei's words made Shisui frown. A murderous glint crept into his eyes.
"Ensei... where... did you hear about Kotoamatsukami?"
The killing intent of a powerful shinobi settled over Ensei, a ten-year-old child, with overwhelming force.
An ordinary child his age would probably have fainted from fright by now, and it wouldn't have been impossible for one to die of fear outright.
Even a genius like Itachi Uchiha would have struggled to keep calm under Shisui's killing intent.
But Ensei simply ignored the oppressive aura and replied in his usual indifferent tone:
"What a waste of the Mangekyō Sharingan on you."
"Idiot."
As Ensei spoke, his pitch-black pupils turned white in an instant. A pale blue glow hovered over his crimson irises, giving his eyes an especially eerie appearance.
With those strange eyes came Chakra so dense it seemed almost solid. The moment it appeared, its immense pressure had already alerted all of Konoha.
"M-Mangekyō Sharingan... How is that possible? Why does it look like that?"
Shisui was too shocked to speak. He had never seen such bizarre eyes. Even if the Mangekyō Sharingan had awakened, it shouldn't have looked like this.
Could his bloodline have mutated?
He had never heard of someone from another clan mutating the Sharingan bloodline.
"These aren't the Mangekyō Sharingan. They're just a side effect of gaining power."
Ensei's eyes gradually returned to normal, and the Chakra pouring out of his body slowly settled.
"Don't bother me. My experiment is at a critical stage, and I don't have time for the clan's petty affairs."
Ensei fell silent for a moment, then continued:
"Keep the secret of your eyes safe. Don't let anyone else find out about Kotoamatsukami."
"And if your eyes are ever taken..."
"Forget it. That probably won't concern me."
With that, Ensei returned to the seemingly ordinary house behind him.
Shisui wanted to say something, but the two Ninja Cats guarding the doorway blocked his way.
It had been just over two years since the Nine-Tails' Rampage.
Though Konoha had remained peaceful during those two years, the Uchiha Clan's situation had been far from good.
First, they had been ordered to relocate. The entire clan had been moved to the outskirts of Konoha, extremely far from the central district.
Then there was the Ninja Cat Clan's change in behavior.
At first, the cooperation between the Ninja Cat Clan and the Uchiha Clan had gone smoothly. But at some point, the Ninja Cat Clan seemed to become Ensei's subordinate, openly appearing in Konoha.
Naturally, this drew the attention of Anbu.
Before long, Ensei Uchiha's name began appearing frequently in reports reaching the Uchiha Clan and Konoha's leadership.
Perhaps it was because of the Ninja Cat Clan, or perhaps it was because of Ensei's age.
No one had come after him over the past two years; there had only been a few casual inquiries and tests.
But clearly, after more than two years, someone had run out of patience.
As it happened, Ensei had also gained plenty of power through his cloning experiments over those two years. He wasn't invincible, but he had acquired enough strength to protect himself.
He... had no intention of waiting quietly for the Night of the Clan Massacre to arrive.
After leaving Ensei's residence, Shisui first reported to Fugaku, the clan head, then went to the Hokage Building.
When he came out of the Hokage Building, his eyes were clouded with confusion.
He didn't want to give up the village or his clan.
But it seemed the situation left him no choice. He had to decide!
Just moments ago, Lord Hokage had told him some top-secret information.
During the Nine-Tails' Rampage, an unknown force had infiltrated Konoha using an unfamiliar, undetectable Transformation Jutsu. Neither the Byakugan nor the Sharingan could distinguish the intruders.
Now, Lord Hokage suspected that the enemy had taken Ensei's place. He had ordered Shisui to investigate and, if necessary, kill him!
After all, the Shinobi World had never seen even its greatest prodigy wield such immense power at the age of ten.
Rationally, Shisui had noticed many suspicious details.
But emotionally, he was torn. He didn't want to suspect one of his own clan, and he didn't want to suspect Konoha's Hokage, either.
"For the village... I'm sorry, Ensei."
At last, after a long period of hesitation, Shisui made up his mind.
Ensei, since you possess the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, let my own Mangekyō test your mettle.
Don't worry. I'll show restraint and make sure your Mangekyō doesn't get overtaxed.
Just as Shisui made his decision, Ensei's experiment reached its most critical stage.
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