The Arrival of Uchiha Shisui

After finishing breakfast, Uchiha Ao prepared to head out. He planned to teach Hinata how to walk on water today and, while he was at it, test her current progress.

His mind was entirely occupied with training, completely forgetting how angry Uchiha Izumi had been the night before.

"Auntie, I'm heading out," Uchiha Ao said as he pulled the door open. The morning sun poured onto him without reservation, warm and cozy, making him feel exceptionally cheerful.

"Ao-kun, good morning." A gentle voice drifted over, drilling straight into Uchiha Ao's ears.

In an instant, Uchiha Ao's smile froze on his face. Subconsciously, he reached back to lock the door, then turned and pressed his back tightly against it, exclaiming in his heart: WTF, why is "Button-Nose" outside?

"Button-Nose" was the nickname Uchiha Ao had privately given to Shisui.

A year ago, by a stroke of coincidence, he had run into Shisui.

That day, Shisui had just finished high-intensity training and looked extremely exhausted. A bold idea had suddenly popped into Uchiha Ao's mind.

Of course, he wasn't naive enough to think he could defeat Shisui. As the saying goes, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse; besides, Shisui was just tired from training, not severely wounded.

Uchiha Ao had thought at the time that since they had run into each other, he might as well see if he possessed Naruto's "Talk-no-Jutsu" ability; perhaps he could persuade Shisui.

The result was self-evident. Uchiha Shisui's firm convictions were like a wall of copper and iron, barely shaken by his words.

In the end, he had been soundly taught a lesson by Shisui. If it hadn't been for Shisui kindly carrying him back, given his miserable state at the time, he probably would have spent the entire night out in the wilderness behind the mountain.

So now, the moment he saw Shisui, Uchiha Ao subconsciously touched his backside, as if it were still aching faintly.

"Ao, what's wrong?" Izumi's Mother heard the commotion from the kitchen and poked her head out, looking around in confusion.

"N-nothing, Auntie." Uchiha Ao forced a smile that looked worse than crying.

"Ao-kun, I'm not here to spank you," Uchiha Shisui's voice, tinged with a hint of teasing, came clearly from outside the door.

Once those words were out, Uchiha Ao was so angry he nearly jumped. He wanted nothing more than to open the door right now and land a heavy punch on Shisui.

However, after quickly weighing the disparity in their strength in his mind, he suppressed the impulse. After all, he didn't want to get beaten up again.

"If you have something to say, spit it out!" Uchiha Ao snapped through the door, trying his best to sound imposing, though he was actually panicking inside.

"Don't be so hot-headed." Shisui chuckled outside the door, seemingly recalling the previous incident, his voice carrying a trace of mockery. "I really have serious business this time."

"Ao, is there someone outside?" Izumi's Mother seemed to have vaguely heard voices and poked her head out of the kitchen again, asking Uchiha Ao with a face full of doubt.

"No, Auntie." Uchiha Ao said, shaking his head with feigned composure, trying to convince her that there was truly no one there.

Hearing this, Izumi's Mother felt reassured and returned to her work in the kitchen.

"What exactly is it? Stop beating around the bush." Uchiha Ao carefully opened the door, stepped out twice, quickly closed it, and then, lowering his voice, dragged Shisui away toward the distance.

Although Shisui was as stubborn as a mule, Uchiha Ao knew deep down that he generally wouldn't lie. Thinking back to the main quest he had inexplicably completed earlier, Uchiha Ao decided to hear what Shisui had to say.

"It was my fault before; I trusted the village too much." Uchiha Shisui remained silent for a long while before speaking slowly, his voice carrying an unconcealable sense of desolation and reflection.

"What, not being stubborn anymore?" Uchiha Ao let go of his arm, stopped, and looked at Shisui.

Uchiha Shisui didn't answer immediately, just standing there quietly.

He pondered silently in his heart: was he really that stubborn? In the past, he had never felt that way. Back then, he was devoted entirely to the village and the clan, naively believing their interests were perfectly aligned. But the cruel reality had struck him like a heavy hammer, waking him up.

The conflict between the clan and the village was growing increasingly sharp, like a bottomless chasm lying before him, leaving him feeling incredibly desperate and helpless.

"Ao, I've been thinking about what you said back then." Shisui looked into the distance, his expression grave. "I thought I could skillfully balance everything, but now it seems I was wrong—wrong to the core."

Uchiha Ao raised his eyebrows slightly, a flicker of imperceptible surprise crossing his face. He truly hadn't expected such a massive shift in Shisui.

The Shisui who had once been so firm and convinced of his own philosophy was actually starting to waver. "So, what do you want with me? Surely you didn't just come here to apologize."

Shisui withdrew his gaze, looked at Uchiha Ao, and said earnestly, "I need your help. I want to stop the conflict between the clan and the village. We cannot let war break out on the soil of Konoha."

Uchiha Ao frowned and fell into a brief silence. A moment later, he said, "Shisui, do you know where the root of the conflict between the clan and Konoha lies?"

Shisui was slightly startled, clearly not expecting Uchiha Ao to suddenly throw such a question at him.

However, he quickly regained his composure and spoke slowly with a steady expression: "On the surface, it's a struggle for power. The village leadership fears the Uchiha clan's immense strength, especially the terrifying power of the Sharingan. They worry we threaten their ruling position."

"As for the clan, they feel they have sacrificed so much for the village—shedding blood and sweat—yet they receive no respect or status in return. Neither side is willing to yield, so the conflict naturally deepens, like a knot being tightened ever further."

Uchiha Ao shook his head gently, his expression growing more solemn. "Those are only the superficial reasons. The root of the conflict lies in the lack of trust and the difference in perspectives between the two sides."

"When the village was first established, the Senju and Uchiha joined hands to create Konoha. But ever since then, the seeds of suspicion have been quietly sown."

"The leadership uses the excuse of maintaining village stability to continuously suppress the Uchiha clan. Our clan has been gradually marginalized, holding no status in the village. How could we not harbor resentment?"

"And the clan, meanwhile, remains immersed in past glories, unable to extricate itself, obsessed with returning to the center of power. But the methods they've chosen are too radical, which has only served to escalate the conflict to this current state of swords drawn."

Shisui fell into deep thought. These were issues he hadn't failed to consider, but he had been struggling to find an effective solution. "Then, in your opinion, how should this deadlock be resolved?"

Uchiha Ao looked toward the village and said, "There are three ways."

"First: You replace Fugaku as the clan head."

A flash of surprise crossed Uchiha Shisui's eyes. He subconsciously shook his head and said, "Ao, this... that wouldn't be appropriate. Clan Head Fugaku is experienced and holds immense prestige within the clan. How could I..."

Uchiha Ao raised a hand to interrupt him, his expression exceptionally serious. "Shisui, listen to me. While Clan Head Fugaku has many virtues, in my view, he is not suited to be the head of the clan. His personality is too indecisive; he always hesitates at critical decision-making moments."

"Shisui, surely you know why we were moved to the outskirts of Konoha."

Uchiha Ao's gaze was sharp as an eagle's, staring fixedly at Shisui. "After the Nine-Tails incident, because the Sharingan symbol appeared in the Nine-Tails' eyes, the village became even more wary of us and drove our clan to the outskirts of Konoha."

"Clan Head Fugaku didn't put up much of a fight; he just silently accepted this unfair arrangement. While this may have been out of consideration for the bigger picture, in the hearts of the clansmen, it inevitably leaves an impression of being spineless and weak."

Uchiha Ao paused, took a deep breath, and continued, "All these years, the development of our clan has been restricted at every turn, and he has failed to employ firm, effective measures to secure the rights and interests the clan deserves."

"Faced with the village's relentless pressure, he has remained indecisive. He wants to resist, yet he fears a complete rupture, and as a result, he has missed the best opportunities to ease tensions time and again, leading our clan into an increasingly difficult position."

Shisui furrowed his brows. Recalling the various hardships the clan had endured over the years, he had to admit that there was some truth to what Ao said. "But even so, the moderates still hold the majority in the clan right now. If we rashly force Clan Head Fugaku to step down, I fear the clan elders won't easily agree to it."

"Shisui, what is it that the Uchiha clan upholds?"

Without waiting for Shisui to answer, Uchiha Ao immediately continued, "It is strength! As long as you can demonstrate power strong enough to command respect within the clan, the elders will find it difficult to object. After all, in our Uchiha clan, the belief that the strong reign supreme is deeply rooted in everyone's hearts."