Huh? Had the system's main quest been triggered?
Uchiha Ao froze for a moment, then opened the system panel.
[Name: Uchiha Ao]
[Main Quest: Restore the Glory of the Uchiha. It is our duty.]
[Quest Objective: Unite the Uchiha Clan and change the Uchiha Clan's status in Konoha.]
After reading it, Uchiha Ao's eyes took on a thoughtful look. He lightly tapped the table with one hand.
Ever since the First's time, the balance of power between the Senju and the Uchiha had begun to tip. Using "fear of their strength" as an excuse, Konoha's High Command gradually stripped the Uchiha of their eligibility for important posts.
When the Second Hokage established the Military Police Force, it seemed to bring them glory on the surface, but in truth, it kept the Uchiha Clan outside the core of Konoha's power.
By the time the Third Hokage took office, suspicion and prejudice had reached their peak.
"Shisui, if you and Itachi fought again, do you think you could beat him?"
Shisui was putting a Three-Color Dango into his mouth. At the question, he paused and looked up at the stern-faced Uchiha Ao across from him.
The warm glow of the lanterns reflected in his amber eyes. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "If I still had that arm, I'd be confident I could beat him."
Shisui paused, then gently set the skewer in his hand on the plate. "But in my current condition, I can only hold him off."
Ordinary shinobi, unless they were on Hashirama's level, almost always needed to use Hand Seals to perform ninjutsu.
Losing an arm was like having a wing clipped for a shinobi.
Not only would it slow down their ninjutsu, but it would also considerably weaken its power.
As for Shisui, his strength didn't rely much on ninjutsu, but on the power of his Mangekyo.
But Itachi had a Mangekyo too.
In the original story, Itachi awakened his Mangekyo after witnessing the death of his dear friend Shisui, who shared his beliefs.
But in reality, in Itachi's eyes,
Shisui had betrayed their shared ideals and was no longer the person he knew.
The true "friend" Shisui was already dead.
Under the same kind of shock, Itachi awakened his Mangekyo earlier than he had in the original story.
And in some ways, Itachi's Mangekyo was more practical than Shisui's.
Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu had no limit on how many times they could be used. As long as the user's body could withstand the strain and they had enough ocular power, they could use them endlessly.
Shisui's Mangekyo abilities, on the other hand, were not only limited to a single target but also had an incredibly long cooldown.
Uchiha Ao nodded. "That's enough."
The biggest obstacle to uniting the Uchiha Clan was Itachi.
That Shisui could hold Itachi off in his current state was already more than Ao had expected.
Still, he needed some insurance in the form of extra strength.
Uchiha Ao thought it over silently, then looked at Shisui.
"Shisui, I need to draw a little of your blood."
After drawing Sister Izumi's blood last time, his Otsutsuki Bloodline had reached five percent, awakening a One-Tomoe Sharingan. Then, after completing Hinata's quest and raising his Otsutsuki Bloodline to ten percent, his Sharingan had advanced to the Three-Tomoe stage.
He wanted to see if combining his bloodline with Shisui's would let his Sharingan awaken further into a Mangekyo.
"Hm?" Shisui looked puzzled, but didn't refuse. "All right. How much do you need?"
Uchiha Ao gave a light cough and held his hands apart to indicate the size of a bowl. Under Shisui's widening gaze, he said sheepishly, "J-just this much."
The veins on Shisui's hand, gripping the skewer, bulged. You call that a little?
Give me back my gentle Ao-kun.
"Ahem. If that's too much, I can take less," Uchiha Ao said. Even he felt he was asking a bit much.
After all, the bowl he'd just indicated was much larger than an ordinary one—about the size of a washbasin.
Shisui stared at Ao's exaggerated gesture, a mess of emotions roiling in his amber eyes before finally giving way to a helpless sigh.
He gently set the skewer on the plate, where it made a clear clink. "Ao, you don't think my blood is like Three-Color Dango soup, do you? That you can just keep refilling it forever?"
"Of course not!" Ao said with an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his head.
"Fine, fine. I'll bring you the blood you want tomorrow." Shisui sighed helplessly, his voice indulgent, and beckoned the owner over to pay.
The moment they stepped out of the Three-Color Dango shop, a breeze carrying Konoha's distinctive osmanthus scent swept over them.
Ao watched Shisui's slender back, his empty sleeve swaying gently in the wind.
"What are you thinking about?" Shisui turned back, a familiar smile on his face.
"Don't get any funny ideas. I'm not letting you drain me dry." Though he said it teasingly, Ao heard the weight of trust in his words.
Early the next morning, before the morning mist had fully cleared from Konoha, Shisui was already at Uchiha Ao's door.
He raised a hand and knocked softly on the wooden door.
A short while later, the door slid open. Uchiha Ao still looked sleepy.
"You're up early."
Shisui smiled but said nothing, instead taking a scroll from behind his back.
Shisui spread the scroll out on the table. Inside were five neatly arranged antique porcelain bottles, each sealed tightly at the mouth with a bloodstained strip of cloth.
"Thanks."
Uchiha Ao reached for the bottles.
"Little brother, why didn't you wake me when a guest arrived?"
Uchiha Izumi came out holding a pale-purple, kimono-style outer robe.
The instant she saw Shisui's empty sleeve, Uchiha Izumi's pupils contracted slightly.
But the change passed in a flash, and she quickly composed herself.
"Little brother, who is this?" As far as she knew, she didn't know Shisui, only of him.
"Oh, he's Shisui," Uchiha Ao said, making no attempt to hide it.
Shisui met Izumi's gaze and gave a slight nod.
"Hello, I'm Ao's friend, Shisui."
"I didn't realize you were Shisui." Uchiha Izumi gave a slight nod, then looked at Shisui's empty sleeve and asked, as if casually, "What happened to your arm?"
Shisui lowered his eyes to the empty sleeve. His voice was calm. "Just an accident on a mission."
His offhand manner made Uchiha Izumi furrow her brows slightly, a trace of curiosity flashing in her eyes.
Sensing the subtle shift in the mood, Uchiha Ao hurriedly took the bottles and changed the subject. "Sister Izumi, Shisui just came by to bring me something. He'll be leaving soon." Uchiha Ao winked at Shisui. "Right, Shisui?"
Shisui fell silent at Ao's hint.
Ao-kun, do you have to make it so obvious?
Shisui's mouth twitched, but in the end he played along and nodded. "That's right. I still have some duties to attend to."
After Shisui said that, the three of them stood there without moving.
Just as the awkwardness grew, Uchiha Izumi suddenly chuckled. "All right, I won't pry into your business."
She looked at her younger brother. "But if you're planning to do something dangerous, don't hide it from your big sister, okay?" Her voice was gentle, but carried an undeniable pressure.
Facing Sister Izumi's gaze, Uchiha Ao had the strange feeling that she somehow knew what he was up to.
Ao's throat bobbed. He gave an awkward laugh and scratched his cheek. "How could I, Sister Izumi? What could I possibly hide from you?"
"See that you don't." With that, Uchiha Izumi turned and went back inside.
Seeing this, Shisui prepared to leave as well. "Ao-kun, I'll be going, then."
Uchiha Ao nodded.
Before you continue