Shisui Uchiha

It could be said that when Uchiha Fugaku returned with this news,

the Uchiha Jōnin qualified to attend the clan's high-level assembly all wore grim expressions. A few of the hotheaded younger members even directly raised the extremely radical slogan of "coup," causing Uchiha Fugaku's expression to change abruptly as he forcibly rebuked them.

Only after Fugaku's reprimand did those clansmen come to their senses.

They no longer mentioned the idea. After all, only a few days had passed since the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's Attack, and the clan's resentment had yet to build to the fever pitch it reached later in the Original Work. Even so, as they sat in silence, every one of them still wore angry expressions.

Even the highly respected elders of the Uchiha Clan looked exceptionally grim and solemn. Especially after seeing the clan's specific relocation site and the distribution of the other ninja clans around it, they realized that the Third, Shimura Danzō, and the others regarded the Uchiha Clan as "potential criminals."

Otherwise, there was simply no way to explain the placement of the Inuzuka Clan, Aburame, Kazematsuri Clan, Ise Clan, and Tsukikage Clan compounds around them!

They had practically placed the Uchiha Clan at the center of a subtle encirclement.

The elders wanted to persuade their clan head to reject the proposal, but they were also wary of the clan's current situation. Each of them became cautious with their words, and in the end, Uchiha Fugaku barely managed to persuade his clansmen during that assembly with reasons such as "considering the bigger picture."

As for just how reluctant they were,

one only had to see the confusion, bewilderment, and anger shown by the thousands of clansmen after the meeting, once the news spread throughout the clan.

This is only the first step!

Standing outside his home and watching the furious expressions on his fellow clansmen's faces,

Shōji merely shook his head, thinking silently to himself.

However, this was already part of the predetermined plot in the Original Work that he knew so well, so it did not stir the slightest ripple in Shōji's heart.

Instead, he set off toward the residence of the elder of his branch family.

If he wanted to save the Uchiha Clan, even restore the clan's former glory, the first thing he needed to do was expand his influence within the clan, gaining the recognition of its members and even making them willing to follow him.

Only then could he carry out his subsequent plans smoothly.

Even someone as powerful as Uchiha Madara still needed helpers. Shōji was still separated from that ancestral figure by an enormous gap. Only by better uniting the Uchiha Clan and thoroughly gathering the clan's strength together

could he achieve his goals.

To that end,

entering the clan assembly was the first step.

It was a simple step, but an extremely important one. For that, Shōji needed to pay a visit to an elder of his branch.

Having the strength to attend the meeting was one requirement. Having an elder of the family bring him into the assembly was another.

This was a rule that had been passed down through the Uchiha Clan to this day.

When Shōji arrived at the home of the elder from his branch, who could also be considered his granduncle, and was led by a servant into the reception hall, he discovered that another upright figure was already inside.

That figure was none other than

the greatest genius of the Uchiha Clan's current younger generation, even hailed by some idle gossips as the strongest person in the Uchiha Clan—Shisui Uchiha.

When Shōji saw Shisui's familiar profile,

his expression froze slightly.

Shisui, on the other hand, showed a hint of warm delight when he saw Shōji.

He took the initiative to greet him. "Shōji, it's been a long time. Uncle Satoru told me a couple of days ago that you had an accident and fainted. Are you feeling better now?"

Shisui had always been one of the few gentle-tempered people in the Uchiha Clan. Moreover, Shōji was one of the relatives closest to him by blood within the clan. Counting from the older generation, Shisui's father and Shōji's father were cousins!

In other words, their grandfathers were biological brothers. They were already very closely related clansmen!

"Yeah, I just overtrained. It wasn't anything serious. You, on the other hand, must have been exhausted these past few days."

Shōji smiled faintly, sat down beside Shisui with ease, and replied softly.

"It's nothing. It's for the clan, and for the village!"

Shisui still appeared as gentle and refined as jade.

But no matter what, Shisui was only a twelve-year-old boy.

It was difficult for him to truly conceal the emotions on his face.

At the very least, Shōji could see a trace of worry between Shisui's brows.

This Uchiha genius, who had always been caught between the clan and the village and had been deeply influenced by his ancestor Kagami Uchiha's Will of Fire,

must have been terribly troubled by this sudden incident!

After all, for more than a year before the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's Attack, everything in the Uchiha Clan had been going smoothly. Although they were still suspected and feared by the Konoha High Command led by Shimura Danzō and Sarutobi Hiruzen, the newly appointed Fourth Hokage—Minato Namikaze—clearly held no prejudice against the Uchiha Clan.

The clan head's wife, Mikoto Uchiha, was even said to be close friends with Lord Fourth's wife, Kushina Uzumaki. Shisui had always believed that as long as the Uchiha Clan followed the Fourth Hokage's lead, they would surely escape the clan's predicament. And if that did not work, they could simply wait a little longer—wait until the Third, Shimura Danzō, and the others died of old age.

Then the Uchiha Clan would truly welcome a brand-new future.

Yet all of it,

had come crashing down so suddenly!

The Fourth had died in battle, and the Sharingan that had appeared in Nine-Tails' fox-like eyes during his rampage

became the clan's most immediate and terrifying death sentence.

Now the higher-ups wanted to forcibly relocate the Uchiha Clan compound to the outskirts. How could Shisui fail to see that this was the Third, Shimura Danzō, and the other higher-ups openly suspecting and guarding against the Uchiha Clan?

Then there was the atmosphere at yesterday's clan assembly, along with the terrifying idea raised by some of its members.

It made Shisui feel utterly worn down.

"Well, everything has its limits. Shisui, you need to keep a proper sense of balance yourself."

Combining the plot of the Original Work with what "he" had always known about Shisui,

Shōji could more or less guess what his "younger brother" was thinking. Thus, he spoke with a double meaning.

However, Shisui naturally could not understand the second layer of meaning in those words.

Taking it merely as Shōji's concern, he smiled lightly and said, "Yeah, don't worry, Shōji. Come to think of it, it's rare to see you at Elder Genran's home. Is there something important today?"