Causality Perception

"Shingetsu, you really don't seem like a nine-year-old."

"After last night, I can't keep acting like a nine-year-old anymore."

Shisui looked at him, a flicker of remorse in his eyes.

"Sorry."

Shingetsu shook his head.

"You don't need to apologize to me, Shisui."

"If you really feel sorry, then please try to think more clearly."

Shisui froze.

Shingetsu continued, "You're a genius of the clan."

"A lot of people believe in you."

"So every choice you make could affect the fate of many people."

"Don't casually decide that someone else should be sacrificed."

"Especially in the name of peace."

Shisui fell silent for a long while.

After some time, he said quietly, "I'll remember that."

With that, Shisui turned and left.

He paused when he reached the door.

"Once you've recovered, if the clan leader agrees, I can teach you the basics of the Body Flicker Technique."

Shingetsu's heart stirred.

The Body Flicker Technique.

It was Shisui's signature ability.

Even the basics would be incredibly valuable.

Shingetsu nodded.

"Thank you, Shisui."

Shisui smiled.

"Get some rest."

The door closed.

Shingetsu leaned back against the hospital bed, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Itachi had come by.

Shisui had come by, too.

Fugaku had also started paying attention to him.

That meant last night's events had brought him into the sight of the Uchiha inner circle.

That was a good thing.

But it also meant more people would be watching him.

The clan.

Root.

The Third Hokage.

And even Obito and Black Zetsu, lurking in the darkness.

Of course, at this point, Obito probably wouldn't notice a nine-year-old Uchiha orphan.

But if Shingetsu kept changing the story, sooner or later he'd draw the attention of the real masterminds behind the scenes.

So he had to move fast.

Faster than the original story unfolded.

Faster than Danzo could act.

Faster than Black Zetsu could catch on.

Shingetsu looked at the system panel.

[Current Causality Points: 500]

[Sharingan: One-Tomoe, Fully Matured]

[Causality Points Needed for Two-Tomoe: 3000]

Two thousand five hundred more to go.

"I need to find a way to keep earning Causality Points."

Shingetsu muttered to himself.

Killing enemies was the fastest way.

But he couldn't just strike at random right now.

He could also earn Causality Points by influencing key figures.

He'd already had some influence on Itachi, Sasuke, and Shisui.

Pushing them again so soon might not have much effect.

Then who else?

Naruto?

Kakashi?

The Third Hokage?

Danzo?

At the thought of Danzo, Shingetsu's gaze turned cold.

Two Root shinobi had died last night. Danzo couldn't possibly ignore it.

Root might already be investigating him.

At the same time.

Beneath Konoha.

At Root Base.

Candlelight flickered in the dim stone chamber.

Shimura Danzo sat on a stone chair, half his face hidden in shadow.

A Root shinobi knelt before him.

"Lord Danzo."

"The two men sent to the Uchiha Clan Grounds last night have been confirmed dead."

"The Uchiha have retrieved their bodies."

Danzo's face darkened.

"Two trained shinobi died at the hands of a nine-year-old brat?"

The Root shinobi lowered his head.

"Based on the traces at the scene, the target used the fire, Explosive Tags, wire, and the collapsing surroundings to turn the tables."

"Additionally, the target awakened his Sharingan during the battle."

Danzo's one eye narrowed slightly.

"The Sharingan..."

The stone chamber fell silent.

After a moment, Danzo spoke slowly.

"Uchiha Shingetsu."

"His parents died in the Nine-Tails Incident. He has no close relatives and was originally considered a low-value specimen."

"I didn't expect him to awaken it."

The Root shinobi asked, "Should we continue the retrieval?"

Danzo didn't answer at once.

Something had just happened at the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

If he acted again now, Fugaku would seize the opportunity to escalate matters.

The Third Hokage might not allow him to provoke the Uchiha further at a time like this, either.

But leave the boy alone?

Impossible.

A nine-year-old who could turn the tables in a desperate situation, kill two Root shinobi, and awaken the Sharingan was not to be underestimated.

Especially not with Uchiha blood, which tended to awaken under emotional stress.

Today, One-Tomoe.

What about the future?

Two-Tomoe?

Three-Tomoe?

Or even...

Greed and apprehension flickered in Danzo's eye.

Mangekyo.

"Don't touch him for now," Danzo said coldly.

"Have him watched."

"Find out whether last night was a fluke or whether he's hiding something."

"Also, keep a close eye on Uchiha Fugaku and Shisui."

The Root shinobi replied solemnly, "Yes."

Danzo tapped his cane, his voice low.

"The Uchiha Clan has been growing more and more restless lately."

"If this seed keeps sprouting, it'll cause trouble in the future."

"If necessary..."

He paused, a killing intent flashing in his eye.

"Pull it out early."

The Root shinobi bowed his head.

"Understood."

In the shadows, the candle flame wavered.

Danzo slowly closed his eye.

In his view, the Uchiha were the village's greatest source of instability.

A power like the Sharingan shouldn't belong to a clan ruled by its emotions.

If the Uchiha couldn't be made to serve the village,

then Root should take control of them.

Including that brat named Uchiha Shingetsu.

In the hospital room.

Shingetsu suddenly opened his eyes.

His special trait, [Causality Perception], stirred faintly.

A cold sensation, like someone watching him, flashed through his heart.

Shingetsu looked out the window, his gaze growing distant and intense.

He was here.

He knew Danzo had noticed him.

That was dangerous.

But it suited him just fine.

Because after last night, there was no path to reconciliation between him and Danzo.

One day, he would drag that old bastard out from beneath Konoha with his own hands.

Then he would show the entire Shinobi World

just how rotten the so-called "Darkness of the Hokage" really was.

Shingetsu slowly closed his eyes.

"Danzo."

"Don't rush."

"I'll settle every last part of this debt with you."

Night fell.

But the Uchiha Clan Grounds did not grow quiet as they usually did.

Outside Naka Shrine, torches blazed one after another.

Uchiha clan members streamed from every corner of the grounds toward the shrine.

Most wore dark clan clothes. Their faces were grim, their eyes simmering with rage.

Word of last night's events had spread throughout the entire Uchiha Clan.

A nine-year-old orphan from the clan had been attacked in the middle of the night by unidentified shinobi.

They had even tried to take him away as a "specimen."

Those two words had completely ignited the Uchiha's fury.

What was the most precious thing to the Uchiha?

Their bloodline.

Sharingan.

The so-called "specimens" made their intentions almost painfully clear.

Someone wanted to experiment on the Uchiha.

Someone wanted their eyes.

This wasn't an ordinary attack.

It was an insult.

A trampling.

And, more than that, a declaration of war against the entire Uchiha Clan.

Inside Naka Shrine.

Uchiha Fugaku sat kneeling in the seat of honor, his expression calm.

But everyone who knew him could tell the clan head was in a foul mood.

Seated on either side of him were the Uchiha Clan's senior members.

The Police Force's elite.

Representatives of the clan's various branches.

And several highly respected elders.

Uchiha Shisui sat farther back.

Uchiha Itachi stood quietly behind Fugaku.

Given his age, he wasn't normally qualified to attend a clan meeting like this.

But he was Fugaku's eldest son, and a recognized genius within the clan.

More importantly, he had already joined Anbu and had direct contact with the Konoha High Command.

So Fugaku had him stand there.

Partly to give him experience.

But also so he could hear his clansmen's voices firsthand.