Shisui and Itachi

After clarifying his thoughts, Yu prepared to take action. Without hesitation, he invested the Malice Points he had earned today into Alchemy and Formation Technique.

A massive surge of knowledge regarding alchemy and formations flooded Yu's mind. The formation diagrams he previously possessed, which were limited to the basic Spirit Gathering Formation, instantly diversified. The addition of illusion, killing, trapping, and defensive formations greatly compensated for the gaps in his mastery of formation techniques.

"So this is the difference between ordinary and proficient! The gap between the two is truly immense," Yu sighed faintly.

Although these were only basic diagrams, formations are static while people are dynamic. By combining various basic formations, one could create an entirely new, powerful array; the most fundamental things are often the most important.

Every powerful formation is built upon a strong and complete foundation.

Moreover, with Yu's powerful control—which allowed him to utilize any knowledge the system instilled in him with ease—a mere Heart-Refining Formation would be child's play.

The same applied to alchemy. Originally, he only possessed basic recipes for healing and body-tempering, but now, he had gained categories for recovery and spirit-nourishing.

Looking at the newly acquired recipe for the Spirit-Nourishing Pill, a wicked smile curled at the corners of Yu's lips.

His confidence in his earlier plan grew significantly, and as it happened, Yu had plenty of one of the main ingredients for the Spirit-Nourishing Pill growing in his backyard.

Yu remembered that the place where he had originally found those herbs was by a river in the Uchiha Back Mountain.

He still had a vivid memory of that sea of flowers, which looked much like poppies.

However, back then, through the Hundred Herbs Appraisal Canon, he had only sensed that the herbs were related to the spirit, never imagining they would become a vital ingredient for Mind-Calming Powder.

One had to say that everything had come easily; it was destiny. How could his Uchiha not dominate the entire Shinobi World?

Having digested the vast knowledge in his mind, the time was right. Yu prepared to rise and head out; it was time to take his most important step.

Once he stepped out of this door today, the Uchiha would welcome their true master.

However, not long after Yu left, Itachi, who had regained his composure, ran downstairs in a hurry. Seeing the living room empty, a trace of desolation appeared on his small face.

Is Brother still angry with me? Itachi felt a slight pang of sadness in his heart.

The painful emotion made him desperately want to find someone to confide in.

He walked out of the house alone. Mikoto, who had followed him downstairs, watched Itachi's lonely back and couldn't help but shake her head helplessly.

This child, though usually calm and precocious, is also quite impatient! It's not as if he won't see his brother again; why be so disappointed? He can apologize whenever he wants! Mikoto sighed helplessly in her heart.

As Itachi walked under the dim streetlights, he eventually arrived at a familiar courtyard. Looking at the closed gate, he hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to knock on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Three crisp knocks echoed, followed by the sound of footsteps in the courtyard.

Shisui opened the gate to see Itachi looking dejected. His expression immediately turned to one of concern. "Itachi! What's wrong?"

Itachi lowered his head, remaining silent for a moment. He didn't know if he should tell Shisui about his brother.

Seeing Itachi's silence, Shisui grew even more anxious; he held this junior from his clan in high regard.

"Itachi! Is there something you can't tell Brother Shisui?" Shisui crouched down and looked at Itachi with a gentle expression.

"Brother Shisui, I..." Itachi started, then stopped.

Seeing Itachi in this state, Shisui immediately understood. It likely had to do with the events in the clan today; he had only learned of the situation upon returning from his mission.

Thinking of the self-reproach the Third Hokage had shown when speaking to him about it earlier, Shisui felt a hint of resentment. He hadn't expected his clansmen to clash head-on with the Konoha leadership, let alone that the leader was Yu, the Clan Head's son.

When he heard the news, he was filled with shock. Seeing the Third Hokage's remorseful expression, he felt even more guilty.

If he hadn't been sent away on a mission by the Hokage, he surely could have stopped Yu's impulsive choice.

Looking at the hesitant Itachi, Shisui couldn't help but pat his head. "Itachi, the clan's affairs have nothing to do with you, so don't be so sad."

Itachi looked up at Shisui. "Brother Shisui, I argued with my brother today!" Itachi revealed something that left Shisui dumbfounded.

He knew how close the two brothers usually were; they were practically inseparable. Whenever Itachi was alone with him and mentioned Yu, his eyes were always filled with adoration. Yet, even such brothers could have an argument.

Shisui fell silent. "Was it because of what happened today?"

Itachi nodded.

Shisui looked at Itachi with complex emotions. He hadn't expected Itachi to be so firm on this matter, to the point of contradicting the brother he had never dared to defy before. Shisui knew that Itachi's thinking was similar to his own.

"Can you tell Brother Shisui the reason?" Shisui continued to ask patiently.

"Brother Shisui! It's all my fault for not understanding Brother's feelings, which made him incredibly disappointed!" At this, Itachi's eyes turned red.

Seeing Itachi on the verge of tears, Shisui felt a wave of panic. In Shisui's impression, Itachi was a child who could be treated as a peer; their relationship had always been that of teacher and friend.

Yet, this same Itachi was crying because of today's events. It could be said that the conflict with Yu was a severe blow to his young heart.

"Itachi! Can you tell Brother Shisui exactly what happened?"

Itachi wiped away his tears and slowly recounted the sequence of events. After finishing, he looked at Shisui with anticipation, hoping he would offer a different perspective.

Shisui fell into a long silence after listening. He could not question the facts in Yu's words; it was true that the families living well in Konoha were undoubtedly those belonging to the Konoha Elder Council.

He often teamed up to go on missions outside the village, yet he rarely had the chance to team up with ninjas from the Sarutobi or Shimura clans.

They were all ninjas, and all from significant clans. While ninjas from other families had to go out on missions to make a living, why were the ninjas of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans able to stay in the village and live just as well?

Anyone would find it hard to believe there wasn't something fishy going on. But precisely because of that, looking at Itachi, who was waiting for his answer, Shisui felt an incomparable sense of distress.

He could talk to Itachi about the Will of Fire, or discuss the shortcomings of the clan, but he could not use falsehoods to deceive this junior who looked up to him.

"Itachi! I cannot refute your brother's words!" After a long silence, having tried to find flaws in Yu's argument, Shisui replied helplessly.

Itachi's small face revealed a look of disbelief. Could everything my brother said be true? In that moment, Itachi suddenly felt as if his entire worldview had been reconstructed.

"Itachi! But we Uchiha are different from the Sarutobi and Shimura clans. At the very least, those two clans don't face the same situation we do—being completely unable to integrate into the village and being excluded from its core."

Shisui looked at the confused expression on Itachi's face and hurriedly explained.

Itachi's expression turned solemn as he fell into deep thought. "Is it because we cannot enter the upper echelons of the village?"

Shisui nodded. "Therefore, our most important task right now is to gain the trust of the Third Hokage and build a true bridge between the Uchiha and the village. Otherwise, an untrusted Uchiha clan will never be able to integrate into Konoha."

Upon hearing Shisui's explanation, Itachi immediately understood the underlying reasons and nodded in agreement.

To enter the upper echelons of Konoha, the only way is to gain the trust of the Hokage. A new line of thought suddenly seemed to open up in Itachi's young mind.

As he looked at Shisui, his eyes once again filled with admiration.