Restore the Glory of the Uchiha, It Is Our Duty!

"Enough, enough, I get it." Uchiha Ao frowned, pulling Shisui up from where he was slumped in the corner with a look of feigned disgust.

Dust fell in soft flurries from his robes, yet it could not hide the concern deep within the young man's eyes.

"Ao-kun, you really are gentle." Shisui tilted his head back, a lazy smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, completely unbothered by the other's look of disdain.

After all, if he were truly disgusted, he wouldn't have stepped in to stop him.

"Shisui, what do you plan to do now?"

Hearing Ao's question, Shisui let out a soft chuckle, allowing Ao to support him as he slowly rose to his feet and brushed the dust from his clothes.

"What do I plan to do?" Shisui tilted his head, a cunning glint appearing in his eyes. He suddenly reached out, slung an arm around Ao's shoulder, and pulled him closer. "Naturally, we go eat some Three-Color Dango first. The shop on the corner has the best red bean filling."

After being persuaded by Ao-kun, he already knew what he was most capable of doing right now.

If he wanted to change the Uchiha clan and save them from the fires of destruction, only Ao-kun could make that a reality.

He would protect Ao-kun as he grew, even if it cost him his own life.

"You guy..." Uchiha Ao didn't know what else to say. He knew that if Itachi reported this to the Konoha higher-ups, Shisui's situation would become dire.

"Alright, alright, the Konoha higher-ups won't do anything to me for a while." Shisui had always been clever; he had simply been bewitched by Konoha's so-called Will of Fire before.

Ao looked at Shisui's carefree smile and sighed.

Forget it. In any case, give him a few more years, and he would be able to turn all of Konoha upside down.

What he needed to do now was trigger the next main quest as quickly as possible to accelerate his growth.

Shisui, unaware of what was running through Ao's mind, walked to the side and fished a roll of bandages from his ninja pouch. Leaning against the mottled stone wall, he deftly unwound his blood-stained shirt, revealing the dark purple bandages wrapped around his ribs.

Sigh, he hadn't expected Itachi to awaken the Mangekyo because of him—and with such bizarre flames that simply wouldn't go out.

If not for that, he wouldn't have lost an arm.

On the other side, in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe, gray ash falling in soft flakes into the bronze ashtray.

Uchiha Itachi stood before him.

"Lord Third, that is the situation. Shisui attempted to incite an internal rebellion within the Uchiha clan."

Uchiha Itachi described everything that had just occurred without omitting a single detail.

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes slightly, his wrinkled hand stroking his pipe as smoke swirled before him. "Itachi, you and Shisui have worked together for many years. He has always made it his duty to maintain peace between Konoha and the Uchiha. How could he suddenly..."

Itachi didn't understand Shisui's actions either. It was Shisui who had taught him the meaning of the "Will of Fire" hand-in-hand, Shisui who had taken him to practice shuriken under the cherry blossom trees in the clan grounds, and Shisui who, when he was lost and struggling with the loss of control over his Sharingan, had firmly told him that "protecting Konoha is protecting the Uchiha."

But the Shisui of today had become someone he no longer recognized.

"I... I don't know." Itachi's voice trembled, a rarity for him.

"Sigh, Itachi, you may go for now." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, his aged voice heavy with exhaustion.

Itachi hung his head and turned to leave; he needed some time alone.

Once the sound of Itachi's footsteps had completely faded, a hunched figure slowly emerged from the shadows of the office.

"Hiruzen, the Uchiha clan is an evil clan by nature. If you ask me, they shouldn't be allowed to stay in Konoha. Don't forget the Nine-Tails Rebellion." Danzo had been hiding nearby and had heard the news about Shisui possessing a Mangekyo.

Danzo dragged his hunched frame to the desk, his bandaged right hand unconsciously stroking the writhing Sharingan beneath his sleeve, his murky pupils swirling with greed and malice. "Hiruzen, Shisui has awakened the Mangekyo and attempted to incite an Uchiha rebellion—this is a heaven-sent opportunity."

His withered finger jabbed heavily at the location of the Uchiha compound on the map. "As long as we wipe out the Uchiha in the name of rogue ninjas, Konoha will be rid of this threat forever!"

The veins on Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand tightened around his pipe, the embers in the bowl flickering. "The Uchiha clan is a part of Konoha. Danzo, you've gone too far."

"Too far?!" Danzo let out a sharp, mocking laugh.

Having worked with Hiruzen for so many years, did he really think he didn't know his character?

Hypocritical and sanctimonious, that was all.

"Danzo, leave this matter alone for now. Itachi will give us an explanation." Hiruzen Sarutobi sat down slowly, rubbing his temples in fatigue.

"Hmph!" This was exactly what Danzo despised most about Hiruzen.

As the leader of a village, he was indecisive and lacked the resolve of a true ruler.

If he were the Hokage...

"Hiruzen, you will regret this!" Knowing the matter was settled for now, Danzo flicked his sleeve and prepared to leave.

"Danzo, I am the Hokage." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was low but carried unquestionable authority. He tapped his pipe heavily against the ashtray, sending sparks flying. "Until the truth is uncovered, any action taken against the Uchiha must have my approval."

Upon hearing this, Danzo trembled with rage.

Hokage, Hokage—if you hadn't gotten there before me, how could Tobirama-sensei have ever appointed you as Hokage?

At a street corner in Konoha, Uchiha Ao followed Shisui to the shop he had mentioned.

Warm yellow lanterns swayed beneath the eaves, stretching and shortening their shadows.

Shisui familiarly ordered two skewers of Three-Color Dango, the sweet scent of red bean and the soft aroma of glutinous rice wafting toward them.

"It's not that great, honestly." Uchiha Ao bit into a dumpling, deliberately frowning as he gave his assessment.

He didn't actually like sweets; he usually saved them for Sister Izumi.

"Ao-kun, your mouth is still as stubborn as ever." Shisui shook the bamboo skewer in his hand, fine lines crinkling at the corners of his eyes as he smiled. "Even though you were eating faster than me just a moment ago."

Seeing that the Three-Color Dango were finished, Shisui stood up again to order a few more skewers.

"Eating too many sweets isn't good for you." Uchiha Ao's brow furrowed even tighter as he watched the three extra skewers in Shisui's hand when he sat back down.

"It's fine. This is the only time I can eat to my heart's content; I won't have many chances like this in the future." Shisui's words caused the air to grow suddenly heavy.

"Fine, I'll indulge you just this once." Uchiha Ao actually felt quite a bit of sympathy for a man like Shisui.

In the original story, aside from Shisui, who truly cared for the clan, the other Mangekyo users were either busy killing their brothers or shouting every day about creating a world that included Rin.

"Shisui, I want to change the Uchiha clan."

[Ding, Main Quest triggered: Restore the Glory of the Uchiha, it is our bounden duty.]