Shisui Uchiha's Decision

"Ensei Uchiha, the clan head has ordered that you must attend the clan meeting today."

Shisui Uchiha, dressed in his Anbu uniform, looked at the expressionless Ensei Uchiha, a very strange feeling welling up in his heart.

This clansman, the same age as Itachi, felt inexplicably out of place with the entire Uchiha clan.

He hadn't been like this when they were younger; ever since the Nine-Tails' Rampage, not only he, but the entire clan—and indeed the whole of Konoha—had undergone indescribable mutations.

The rift between the clan and the village seemed to have grown even more severe.

"Hmph! Whether I attend that loser Fugaku's clan meeting or not makes no difference."

Ensei Uchiha frowned, stared at Shisui Uchiha for a long moment, and then spoke with a look of disdain.

As his strength developed, he had gradually faced various restrictions and obstacles within the Uchiha clan, and his relationship with his clansmen had soured.

However, no one really cared about such things.

The Uchiha clan was a group that worshipped strength; as long as you were strong enough, you naturally possessed privileges.

"Ensei, are you still feeling dissatisfied because of the relocation of the clan grounds? That kind of thing..."

After hearing Ensei Uchiha's words, Shisui Uchiha was stunned, taking a long while to regain his composure.

"Shut your mouth, Shisui!"

"If Fugaku is a coward, then you are a fool!"

"Do you actually believe that you can gain the trust of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō?"

"When those Mangekyo Sharingan of yours are gouged out by someone else, I will collect them for you. It is truly a pity for such a special ability as Kotoamatsukami."

Ensei Uchiha's words immediately caused Shisui Uchiha to knit his brows, and a murderous intent involuntarily surged in his eyes.

"Ensei... where on earth... did you hear news of Kotoamatsukami?"

The murderous aura belonging to a powerhouse enveloped the ten-year-old Ensei Uchiha, thick and heavy.

If it were an ordinary ten-year-old child, they would likely have fainted from fright by now, or perhaps even been scared to death.

Even a genius like Itachi Uchiha would find it difficult to remain calm under Shisui Uchiha's current murderous aura.

But the Ensei Uchiha before him simply ignored the dense pressure, his tone remaining indifferent as he spoke:

"The Mangekyo Sharingan is truly wasted on you."

"Fool."

Following Ensei Uchiha's words, his pitch-black pupils turned white in an instant, and a pale blue halo hovered over the crimson eyeballs, looking exceptionally eerie.

Accompanying those strange eyes was a Chakra so dense it had almost condensed into substance; the sheer magnitude of this Chakra's presence alerted the entirety of Konoha the moment it appeared.

"Man... Mangekyo Sharingan... How is this possible? How could it look like this?"

Shisui Uchiha was too shocked to speak; he had never seen such bizarre eyes. Under normal circumstances, even the manifestation of a Mangekyo Sharingan should not look like this.

Could it be a bloodline mutation?

He had never heard of anyone from other clans being able to produce a mutation with the Sharingan bloodline.

"This is not the Mangekyo Sharingan, just some side effects of obtaining power."

Ensei Uchiha's eyes gradually returned to their original state, and the dense, leaking Chakra on his body also gradually returned to normal.

"Don't bother me. My experiments are at a critical moment, and I have no time to deal with the trivial matters of the clan."

Having said this, Ensei Uchiha fell silent for a moment before continuing:

"Keep the secret of your eyes well. Do not let others know about Kotoamatsukami."

"Also... if your eyes are taken away..."

"Never mind, that shouldn't have anything to do with you."

After speaking, Ensei Uchiha returned to the seemingly ordinary house behind him.

Seeing this, Shisui Uchiha wanted to say something more, but his path was blocked by two Ninja Cats guarding the doorway.

At this time, it had been just over two years since the Nine-Tails' Rampage.

During these two years, although Konoha remained calm, the current situation of the Uchiha clan was not very good.

First, they were ordered to relocate their clan grounds, moving the entire family to the edge of Konoha, extremely far from the central area.

Then, there were the changes regarding the Ninja Cat Clan.

Originally, the cooperative relationship between the Ninja Cat Clan and the Uchiha clan had progressed smoothly, but at some point, the Ninja Cat Clan seemed to have become vassals to Ensei Uchiha, beginning to appear openly within Konoha.

This situation naturally attracted the attention of the Anbu.

Consequently, the name Ensei Uchiha began to appear frequently among the high-ranking officials of both the Uchiha clan and Konoha.

Perhaps because of the Ninja Cat Clan, or perhaps because of Ensei Uchiha's age.

No one had come to cause him trouble in the last two years, only sporadic inquiries and probes.

But clearly, after more than two years, some people were losing their patience.

As it happened, Ensei Uchiha himself had gained enough power through his cloning experiments over these two years; while he could not be called invincible, he possessed enough strength to protect himself.

He... did not intend to just sit by and wait for the Night of the Clan Massacre to arrive.

After leaving the residence of Ensei Uchiha, Shisui Uchiha first went to report to the clan head, Fugaku Uchiha, and immediately afterward, he headed to the Hokage Building.

When he emerged from the Hokage Building, his eyes were filled with nothing but confusion.

The village, the clan; he did not want to give up on either.

But the situation seemed to leave him no choice; he had to make a decision!

Just moments ago, the Hokage had shared a top-secret piece of intelligence with him.

During the Nine-Tails' Rampage, an unknown faction had infiltrated Konoha using a Transformation Jutsu that was impossible to detect, one that neither the Byakugan nor the Sharingan could see through.

And at this very moment, the Hokage suspected that the enemy had replaced Ensei Uchiha, ordering him to investigate and, if necessary, to kill!

After all, even among the greatest geniuses in the history of the Shinobi World, there had never been a case of someone mastering such immense power at the age of ten.

Rationally, Shisui Uchiha sensed many suspicious points.

But emotionally, he was trapped in a struggle; he did not want to doubt his own clansman, and he wanted to doubt the Hokage of Konoha even less.

"For the sake of the village... I'm sorry, Ensei."

In the end, after a long period of hesitation, Shisui Uchiha finally steeled his resolve.

Ensei, since you possess the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan, then let my own pair of Mangekyo Sharingan test the measure of your spirit.

Rest assured, I will certainly exercise restraint; I won't let your Mangekyo suffer excessive strain.

Just as Shisui Uchiha made up his mind, Ensei Uchiha's experiment reached its most critical moment.