Uchiha Shisui, Sasuke: My Foolish Brother

"Shisui!"

Near the Uchiha clan's private training grounds, in a secluded forest—the place where Shisui and Itachi first met and where they often gathered—a voice rang out.

"Itachi? Why are you here?" Shisui seemed surprised to see Itachi at this hour. Could he have been spurred on by some news? he wondered. Is he here for extra training?

"Shisui, have you heard?"

To his surprise, Itachi looked excited, unable to resist acting mysterious. Shisui immediately realized this wasn't about training or being spurred on by a setback, but rather some good news. His heart stirred as he guessed, "Is it about the negotiations between the village and the Cloud Ninja?"

"Mm!" Itachi nodded vigorously, staring straight at Shisui, but he didn't elaborate.

Shisui's mouth twitched. He immediately wrapped his arm around Itachi's neck and growled, "You brat, playing coy with me, are you? Out with it!"

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you!" Itachi raised his hands in surrender. Once Shisui let go, he said with excitement, "Father said the village and the Cloud Ninja are about to sign a peace treaty!"

A peace treaty? Not a ceasefire?

"That's truly wonderful!" Shisui couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion, but the faint trace of worry in his eyes didn't escape Itachi's keen gaze. "Shisui, what's wrong?"

Shisui sighed and turned his back to Itachi, looking toward the clan compound in the distance. "While I should be happy for the village, the absence of an external threat means the village can now focus on internal issues. And that means the conflict between the clan and the village..."

The clan and the village!

"This...!" Itachi's pupils constricted. "Shisui, is it really impossible to reconcile?"

"I have been working toward that, and the Third Hokage has placed great trust in me." Shisui looked troubled. "But the end of the conflict with the Land of Lightning means all the clan members on the border will return. I fear I alone cannot suppress the voices within the clan..."

Itachi understood what the full restoration of the clan's combat power meant. He asked anxiously, "Does Father also...?"

Shisui had never been able to clearly discern the stance of Fugaku Uchiha, the clan head. From Itachi's words, it was clear that the clan head never revealed these issues at home either. He could only shake his head. "I fear Fugaku Uchiha is also a prisoner of his circumstances..."

"How can that be!" Itachi exclaimed.

As I thought, even Itachi doesn't know... Shisui turned back and stared into Itachi's eyes. "Resolving the conflict between the village and the clan is urgent. I need like-minded friends. Itachi, can you help me?"

"Me?" Itachi was stunned, then lowered his head in disappointment. "What can I do as I am now?"

As he spoke, he realized something, his pupils constricted, and he jerked his head up.

Shisui stared into his eyes and nodded slowly. Itachi's face showed hesitation and struggle.

Seeing this, Shisui realized the time wasn't ripe yet, so he changed the subject. "By the way, Itachi, you haven't heard yet, have you?"

Itachi looked bewildered. "Heard what?"

"Izumi performed brilliantly on the Land of Lightning border. She has made great contributions and is about to be promoted to Chunin."

There are generally two ways to be promoted to Chunin.

One is through the Chunin Exams, intended for Genin who lack the opportunity to perform meritorious service but possess the strength of a Chunin.

However, the pass rate for this method is extremely low; only a handful of ninja succeed each year.

The other way is promotion through merit, which is how most Chunin are elevated.

After all, no matter how perfect the exam rules are, they are never as convincing as the results of real combat.

Has she completely surpassed me? Itachi felt a sense of loss.

He had worked so hard, and he had already awakened his Sharingan, yet he hadn't expected to be surpassed regardless.

In this life, while he was still a genius within the clan and the pride of his parents, he hadn't reached the heights he once had.

Especially with Izumi's rapid progress and Sasuke growing older.

Every time he achieved something, his parents would acknowledge it, but then they would use Izumi—who awakened her Sharingan at five and had only been training for so long—or Sasuke—who could speak and walk before he was one, read and write by eighteen months, extract chakra at two, and perform ninjutsu at three—to spur him on, telling him to keep working hard and to remain humble.

With Shisui above him, and Izumi and Sasuke below, Itachi couldn't feel like a genius at all.

Every time he received praise from outsiders, he felt awkward, feeling that he was mediocre and unworthy of the title of genius.

Shisui sighed inwardly. Having trained with Itachi for so long, he was well aware of the pressure Itachi felt. It was a classic case of "why must heaven create both Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang."

However, he didn't offer comfort; he knew Itachi didn't need it, and it would only make him feel more embarrassed.

Bringing this up wasn't intended to make Itachi feel down, but for other considerations.

Shisui stepped forward and patted Itachi on the shoulder. "She has only been training for two years, and the clan has completely changed their view of her. The cold looks of the past have turned into genuine respect, and the clansmen often praise Fugaku Uchiha for his keen eye for talent in private."

A keen eye for talent? Itachi's mouth twitched.

That wasn't the result of his father's keen eye, but rather because Sasuke had latched onto her...

Rather than saying his father had a keen eye, it would be more accurate to say it was Sasuke.

But at the time, Sasuke's mind wasn't fully developed; it was more of a stroke of luck.

Naturally, these things were hard to say, as they concerned his father's glorious image. Itachi could only say, "It's not just Father; it's mainly because Izumi is hardworking enough."

Hardworking?

There were plenty of people willing to put in the effort.

But without sufficient talent and guidance, it was impossible to reach her current height.

An eight-year-old Chunin was not considered the absolute peak in the history of Konoha.

But if you add two years of training to that... the situation becomes incomparable.

As for Itachi, Shisui heard his words as an admission that Izumi had indeed received guidance from Fugaku. He asked curiously, "Itachi, you've also awakened your Sharingan for over half a year now. Has Lord Fugaku not personally guided your training?"

Itachi replied, "Father is busy with official duties and rarely finds time for it."

Guidance existed, but the sessions were always extremely brief.

At the same time, realizing that Shisui assumed his father was playing favorites and was speaking up for him, he added, "Izumi also just trains at home; she rarely receives guidance from Father. At least, I've never seen it."

"This... that can't be right, can it?" Shisui was somewhat stunned.

Even Itachi, who lived under the same roof, had never seen the Clan Head guide Izumi's training? How was that possible?

According to information from the clansmen and the Third Hokage, Uchiha Izumi possessed extremely rich combat experience, clearly honed through rigorous tempering. How could she have achieved that simply by training in isolation?

He felt certain there must be an issue, yet he also understood that Itachi would not lie to him.

Guessing what was on Shisui's mind, Itachi said with a touch of melancholy, "Perhaps... this is talent."

Talent, is it? Shisui sighed inwardly.

When everything else fails to provide an explanation, perhaps this is the only answer left.

Of course, just because Itachi hadn't seen it didn't mean it hadn't happened.

But this also suggested that the Clan Head didn't actually favor Uchiha Izumi as much as he had imagined, which was undoubtedly a good thing.

In the shadows.

What should I use to save you? My foolish brother...