Sarutobi Hiruzen: I Didn't Tell You to Do That!

But Sarutobi Hiruzen sensed the Uchiha Clan's greater ambition. In the past, he could easily keep the Uchiha in check by using their position in the Military Police Force. Now, it seemed that wouldn't be possible anymore.

He felt a little regretful. At the meeting, he had agreed to Fugaku's request to let the Uchiha Clan pursue other kinds of business.

He'd heard all about how popular the Uchiha Restaurant had been these past few days.

Shops like that could improve ordinary villagers' opinions of the Uchiha to some extent. It was completely different from the past, when the Uchiha could only serve as the village's police. They let ordinary people see that the Uchiha Clan had a life of its own and wasn't so arrogant.

"Captain Gin cares deeply about his clan and wants to lead the Uchiha back to their former glory."

"He's an ambitious man."

Shisui answered from the perspective of the Konoha High Command.

But in his heart, he believed that although Uchiha Gin cared about his clan, he preferred to resolve things peacefully. The Konoha High Command, by contrast, said one thing to their faces and did another behind their backs.

If it weren't for Uchiha Gin, he would still be completely in the dark.

"The conflicts between the village and the Uchiha in the past were indeed caused by Shimura Danzō. However, the Uchiha Clan has always had ulterior motives. Many of them are dissatisfied with the status quo and believe they deserve more."

"But the Nine-Tails Incident dealt a devastating blow to Konoha..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen began to complain, shifting all sorts of things onto the Uchiha.

It was like some feminists: many things weren't caused by men, but they still believed men were responsible. For example, if a man had never discriminated against women, that only proved he understood every way of discriminating against them. He was still discriminating against women.

In the past, Shisui might have been talked around until he believed the Uchiha were to blame, and felt guilty.

But today, his heart was cold. Sarutobi Hiruzen's words didn't sway him at all.

"So, for Konoha's sake, and for the safety of all the people in the village, you need to continue stealing information from the Uchiha."

"Find out everything you can about Uchiha Gin, so Konoha can prepare a countermeasure."

Sarutobi Hiruzen finished.

"Yes!" Shisui replied gravely.

During Sarutobi Hiruzen's long speech, he had already used Kotoamatsukami to alter the Hokage's will.

With precise control, Shisui had ensured that Sarutobi Hiruzen would gradually focus his attention on the Akatsuki and the matter of Uchiha Madara, putting the plan to deal with the Uchiha on the back burner.

"Be sure to watch your own safety. Be careful tonight."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction, then cautioned Shisui.

Shisui left the Hokage Building and headed for the Uchiha Shrine.

A faint trace of red still lingered at the corners of his eyes, but Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't noticed.

"Hmph, has that fool Danzō stopped trusting even me?"

"The Anbu I sent to contact him could only meet his subordinates. But as long as the mission gets done, that's all that matters!"

"If Uchiha Madara really is in this organization called the Akatsuki, then we'll deal with this outside threat first. Once there are no more distractions, we can turn our attention to the Uchiha."

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood by the window, watching the lights gradually come on across Konoha in the darkness.

He bore responsibility for the survival of Konoha's hundred thousand people. He couldn't let anyone stand in his way. No one!

Quite a few people had gathered at the Uchiha Shrine.

But this time, most of them no longer wore the tense, weary expressions they usually did. Instead, they looked more relaxed.

When the meeting began, there wasn't much to discuss.

First was the news that the old dog Danzō had been driven out. It brought loud cheers from the clan members.

Then they dealt with a few other issues. After all, these meetings had mostly been for resolving internal conflicts. It was inevitable for people within the clan to have disagreements too.

After that, they urged the clan members to focus more on learning ninjutsu, take as few missions outside the village as possible, and prioritize their own safety above everything else.

The rest was a jumble of odds and ends, all handled by Fugaku. Uchiha Gin spent the day doing little more than coasting.

Even so, he had a strong presence, and people sought his opinion on many matters.

Once the meeting ended, everyone went home.

Shisui followed behind Uchiha Gin.

"Are you ready?"

When they reached a deserted spot, Uchiha Gin asked Shisui.

"Yeah. There's no turning back now. I've already used Kotoamatsukami on the Third Hokage. That should spare the clan a lot of trouble."

Shisui nodded.

He'd done a lot over the past few days.

He'd tried all his favorite foods in Konoha, paid his respects to his ancestor Kagami Uchiha, and gone out to train with Itachi a few times. He'd also written down his training insights and given them to Itachi.

He was reluctant to leave this place, but he believed he had a mission he had to complete. Staying in Konoha wouldn't let him accomplish anything. If he could learn more about Uchiha Madara and deal with him, perhaps he could dispel the village's suspicions of the Uchiha after the Nine-Tails Incident and bring peace between the two sides.

"Take this!"

Shisui caught a test tube Uchiha Gin tossed him from his pouch.

It contained a green solution with a few wispy white flecks suspended in it.

"This is a gift from Itachi."

"It can cure the Bloodline Disease that causes Mangekyō blindness. It can also enhance your physical strength and recovery, greatly increase your chakra, and might even let you acquire Wood Release. But there's a chance it could consume you. The odds are around five percent."

Uchiha Gin tossed Shisui some First Hokage Cells.

The test tube held First Hokage Cells that Itachi had spent the past few days testing on Shisui's cells, selecting the most suitable ones.

The First Hokage Cells had now been divided into a great many different categories, with the serial numbers already in the hundreds. After all, not many people had the compatibility to treat their Sharingan like a USB drive and plug it in and out, the way Six Paths Madara could.

This was a test for Shisui. If Shisui had chosen not to go through with the plan, Uchiha Gin wouldn't have given it to him.

"This..."

Shisui was startled, and a moved expression crossed his face.

Then he looked at the object in his hand with confusion, wondering how it could have so many effects.

And Itachi had actually developed it?

"I'll tell you the details later through a Ninja Cat. For now, this is all classified information. It's meant to break the curse afflicting the Uchiha Clan."

"It's up to you whether to use it. But if you do, your body will need some time to adjust."

Uchiha Gin explained.

"I understand!"

Shisui solemnly sealed it in a scroll to keep it safe.

Even though he might be considered a spy, the clan was still willing to entrust him with something so important. He was deeply moved.

"So, are you ready?"

"If you don't make it convincing, it'll be hard to fool them."

Uchiha Gin was eager to get started.

After all, he hadn't fought anyone at Kage Level yet. Beating up weaklings had never been much fun.

If the Uchiha weren't in Konoha, he would've defected and gone roaming around the Ninja World. He wouldn't have had to deal with any of this.

"Yes. I'll take this seriously, except when it comes to my dōjutsu!"

As he spoke, Shisui's pupils transformed into the Mangekyō.

"Then let me see the strength of Body Flicker Shisui!"

Uchiha Gin activated his Mangekyō Sharingan too.

Two lights blazed beneath Konoha's night sky.

One silver, one green.

They began with a clash between their Susanoo.

Chapter 35: Sarutobi Hiruzen: I Didn't Tell You to Do That!

"???"

The sudden surge of chakra was strong enough for Sarutobi Hiruzen, inside the Hokage Building, to sense it.

He wasn't a sensory ninja, but there was no way he could ignore chakra this obvious.

He pulled a Crystal Ball out of his desk drawer and immediately used the Telescope Technique to observe the source of the chakra.

"This is... a Uchiha's Susanoo!"

"But why are there two?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared, stunned, when he saw the image in the Crystal Ball.

But he soon spotted the other, green Susanoo. The chakra signature inside it belonged to Shisui, which shocked him even more.

Good grief! When had this young man awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan? Why hadn't he told him?

On the battlefield, Uchiha Gin and Shisui were fighting fiercely.

The name Body Flicker Shisui was well deserved. If Uchiha Gin hadn't used magic to strengthen his legs, he might not have been able to touch Shisui at all.

Uchiha Gin had the advantage in ocular power, chakra, and the variety of his abilities.

Shisui, meanwhile, was better at the Body Flicker Technique and genjutsu.

Even with his Mangekyō awakened, if Shisui used genjutsu on him, Uchiha Gin would still lose focus for a moment. But he could easily dodge by using his ability to see the future.

Bang!

Their Susanoo each drew a weapon and swung at the other.

Shisui's Susanoo wielded a Spiral Sword, while Uchiha Gin's held a long, many-faceted blade that gleamed like a gemstone.

It looked like an enlarged and extended Jeweled Sword Zelretch.

The weapons collided, unleashing a powerful shock wave that burst outward and obliterated the trees and rocks around them.

People were already approaching. Seeing them, Uchiha Gin shouted.

"Shisui, I can't believe you'd do something like this! Are you trying to follow in Uchiha Madara's footsteps?"

His voice rang out, clear enough for everyone nearby to hear.

The first to arrive were naturally the Uchiha and the Anbu. Both sides looked alarmed when they heard those words.

Shisui knew it was time to make his exit.

After all, they were inside Konoha, and this wasn't a fight to the death. They only had a minute or two to keep fighting.

He trusted Uchiha Gin to handle what came next, so he didn't hesitate.

"You got lucky this time! My genjutsu won't fail next time!"

After saying this, Shisui released his Susanoo and used the Body Flicker Technique at incredible speed, vanishing from everyone's sight.

Rumble!

Uchiha Gin timed it perfectly. The moment Shisui left, he controlled his Susanoo and launched a long-range Magatama attack.

A huge cloud of smoke burst up, giving Shisui cover to escape.

The commotion instantly woke all of Konoha. It was already the middle of the night, when everyone should have been asleep.

The sudden explosion brought many people back to the night of the Nine-Tails Incident. Panicked, they rushed toward the shelters without even taking the time to gather their belongings.

"What happened, Gin?!"

When Fugaku rushed over, he still looked a little panicked.

He'd thought Uchiha Gin was about to launch a rebellion.

"Shisui ambushed me. He wanted to take my Mangekyō Sharingan so he could get eyes like Uchiha Madara's—eyes that would never go blind."