Shisui Comes Calling

Hm? A main system quest has been triggered?

Uchiha Ao paused slightly, then immediately opened the system panel.

[Name: Uchiha Ao]

[Main Quest: Restore the Glory of the Uchiha, a duty we cannot shirk.]

[Quest Objective: Unify the Uchiha clan and change the status of the Uchiha clan within Konoha.]

After reading it, a thoughtful look appeared in Uchiha Ao's eyes as he tapped his fingers lightly against the table.

Since the era of the First Hokage, the balance of power between the Senju and the Uchiha had begun to tilt. Using "fear of their power" as a pretext, the Konoha high command had gradually stripped the Uchiha of their eligibility to hold key positions.

When the Second Hokage established the Military Police Force, he ostensibly granted them glory, but in reality, he isolated the Uchiha clan from the core of Konoha's power.

By the time the Third Hokage took office, the suspicion and prejudice had reached their peak.

"Shisui, if you were to fight Itachi again, could you win?"

Shisui was in the middle of popping a piece of three-color dango into his mouth. At these words, his movements stalled, and he looked up at the serious-faced Uchiha Ao sitting across from him.

His amber eyes reflected the warm, yellow glow of the lanterns. After a moment of contemplation, he replied, "If I still had that arm, I would be confident in defeating him."

Shisui paused, then gently set the bamboo skewer in his hand onto the plate. "But in my current condition, the most I can do is hold him off."

For the average ninja, unless they are at the level of Hashirama, almost everyone requires hand seals to release ninjutsu.

Losing an arm is, for a ninja, no different than having one's wings snapped while in flight.

Not only does the speed of ninjutsu release slow down, but the power is also significantly diminished.

As for Shisui, although his strength does not rely heavily on ninjutsu, but rather on the power of the Mangekyo.

Itachi, however, also possesses a Mangekyo.

In the original story, Itachi awakened his Mangekyo because he witnessed the death of Shisui, a dear friend who shared his same ideals.

In reality, in Itachi's eyes:

Shisui, who betrayed their shared philosophy, is no longer the person he knew.

The true "dear friend" Shisui is already dead.

Under the "same" stimulus, Itachi awakened his Mangekyo earlier than in the original story.

Furthermore, to a certain extent, the utility of Itachi's Mangekyo is higher than Shisui's.

Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu have no usage limits; as long as the user's body can withstand it and their ocular power is sufficient, they can be released infinitely.

Meanwhile, Shisui's Mangekyo ability is not only limited to a single target, but its cooldown is also ridiculously long.

Uchiha Ao nodded. "That is enough."

For him, the biggest obstacle to unifying the Uchiha clan is Itachi.

That Shisui, in his current state, can hold Itachi off is already a gain beyond his expectations.

However, he still needs a bit of a guarantee regarding his strength.

Uchiha Ao thought silently, then looked at Shisui.

"Shisui, I need to draw some of your blood."

After drawing Sister Izumi's blood last time, his Otsutsuki Bloodline reached five percent, allowing him to awaken a one-tomoe Sharingan. After he completed that quest involving Hinata and brought his Otsutsuki Bloodline to ten percent, his Sharingan had already reached the three-tomoe state.

He wanted to see if, by fusing with Shisui's bloodline, his Sharingan could advance further to awaken the Mangekyo.

"Hm?" Shisui looked puzzled, though he didn't refuse. "Alright, how much do you need?"

Uchiha Ao coughed lightly, gestured with his hands to indicate the size of a bowl, and spoke sheepishly under Shisui's suddenly widened gaze: "Just... just this much."

The veins on the hand Shisui used to hold the bamboo skewer bulged. You call this a little?

Give me back my gentle Ao-kun.

"Cough, cough, if that's not possible, a little less is fine." Uchiha Ao also felt he had gone a bit too far.

After all, the bowl size he had just gestured was actually much larger than a standard bowl—it was about the size of a washbasin.

Shisui stared at the exaggerated gesture Uchiha Ao had made, complex emotions churning in his amber eyes, which finally settled into a helpless sigh.

He placed the bamboo skewer in his hand gently onto the plate, producing a crisp clinking sound. "Ao, you don't actually think my blood is like three-color dango soup, capable of infinite refills, do you?"

"Of course not!" Ao chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

"Sigh, fine. I'll bring you the blood you need tomorrow." Shisui sighed helplessly, his voice tinged with indulgence as he reached out to beckon the owner for the bill.

The moment they stepped out of the dango shop, a breeze carrying the scent of osmanthus, unique to Konoha, washed over them.

Ao watched Shisui's slender back, the empty sleeve of the other man swaying gently in the wind.

"What are you thinking about?" Shisui turned his head, a familiar smile on his face.

"Don't get any crooked ideas; I won't let you drain me into a dried corpse." In the teasing words, Ao heard a heavy sense of trust.

Early the next morning, before the morning mist in Konoha had fully dispersed, Shisui had already arrived at Uchiha Ao's doorstep.

He raised his hand and knocked lightly on the wooden door.

Before long, the door creaked open, and Uchiha Ao still looked drowsy.

"You're here early."

Shisui smiled without a word, instead pulling out the scroll from behind his back.

Shisui spread the scroll out on the table, revealing five antique porcelain bottles arranged neatly inside, their mouths tightly sealed with blood-stained cloth strips.

"Many thanks."

Uchiha Ao reached out to take the porcelain bottles.

"Little brother, why didn't you wake me when a guest arrived?"

Uchiha Izumi walked out, holding a light purple kimono-style outer garment.

The moment she saw Shisui's empty sleeve, Uchiha Izumi's pupils constricted slightly.

However, she returned to normal in an instant.

"Little brother, who is this?" In her brother's memory, she did not know Shisui, having only heard of him.

"Oh, this is Shisui." Uchiha Ao had no intention of hiding it.

Shisui met Izumi's gaze and nodded slightly.

"Hello, I am a friend of Ao, Shisui."

"I didn't expect you to be Shisui." Uchiha Izumi nodded slightly, then looked at Shisui's empty sleeve, asking as if inadvertently: "Your arm?"

Shisui lowered his eyes to his empty sleeve, his voice calm: "Just an accident while on a mission."

His understated attitude caused Uchiha Izumi to knit her brows, a trace of scrutiny flashing in her eyes.

Uchiha Ao sensed the subtle atmosphere and hurriedly took the porcelain bottles to change the subject: "Sister Izumi, Shisui just came to bring me something; he has to head back soon." Uchiha Ao winked at Shisui: "Isn't that right, Shisui?"

Shisui looked at Ao's hint and fell silent.

Ao-kun, do you have to be so obvious?

Shisui's mouth twitched, but in the end, he cooperated and nodded: "Indeed, I still have some urgent matters to attend to."

After Shisui finished speaking, the three of them stood motionless.

Just as the atmosphere grew increasingly awkward, Uchiha Izumi suddenly chuckled: "Very well, I won't ask about the business between you two."

She looked at her brother: "However, if you are planning to do anything dangerous, don't keep it from your sister." Her words were gentle, yet carried an unquestionable sense of pressure.

Facing Sister Izumi's gaze, Uchiha Ao had an inexplicable illusion, as if she already knew what he was doing.

Uchiha Ao's Adam's apple bobbed, and he scratched his cheek with a dry laugh: "How could that be, Sister Izumi? What could I possibly hide from you?"

"I hope not." Uchiha Izumi turned and headed back into the house after saying this.

Seeing this, Shisui also prepared to leave: "Ao-kun, I shall take my leave then."

Uchiha Ao nodded.