Mangekyō Sharingan

Uchiha Yushu went straight to his grandfather's place early the next morning, declaring his intention to become clan head and bluntly stating that he hoped for his support.

He then thanked him for arranging Xuanyue and the other two to protect Natsuri.

After Uchiha Yushu finished speaking, Uchiha Yan smiled and said,

"What are you thanking me for? She's your little sister, but she's also my biological granddaughter. Still, you've got some nerve, kid. You even dared to set your sights on the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki."

Uchiha Yushu said helplessly, "It really wasn't my idea. Natsuri just couldn't stand by and went over herself. It was really just a coincidence."

"That's because you've spoiled Natsuri rotten. She dared to jump in without even knowing what was going on." The old man continued to scold him.

Hearing that, Uchiha Yushu rolled his eyes. Speaking of which, everyone knew that he was the one who spoiled Natsuri the most. Whenever the parents of some child bullied by Natsuri came knocking, the next day he would lead a whole group of jonin to pay them a visit at their homes.

Not wanting to dwell on the matter, Uchiha Yushu pressed, "Grandpa, do you support me becoming clan head?"

"As my grandson, how could I not support you? Us old fellows decided long ago that the next clan head would be either you or Shisui. What I'm curious about is why you've been in such a hurry these past few years."

"I naturally have my reasons. You only need to support me."

"Fine. I won't ask what secrets you have. I'll do my best to persuade the other old fellows to support you as well."

Seeing Uchiha Yan agree, Uchiha Yushu added, "There's one more thing I need Grandpa's help with. I hope you can organize a clan meeting the night after tomorrow. I'll begin acting that night."

"Is there really a need to rush so much? More preparation would give you a better chance."

Uchiha Yushu shook his head with a bitter smile. "Time waits for no one." He then told Uchiha Yan about his conversation with Fugaku.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, and those bastards... after all these years, they're still using the same tricks. They never intended to let you reach the border alive!"

Uchiha Yan truly deserved to be an old hand who had lived through three Shinobi World Wars and the reigns of three Hokage. With only that little information, he had pieced together most of the truth.

Seeing how shrewd the old man was, Uchiha Yushu couldn't help thinking of the saying: having an elder at home was like having a treasure.

He also decided that unless absolutely necessary, he would never stage a coup. There was already such a shrewd old man in his own family; with so many shinobi clans in Konoha, there were no shortage of old monsters.

"It doesn't matter whether their methods are original. At the very least, they're effective." Uchiha Yushu replied with a smile.

After leaving the old man's house, Uchiha Yushu went to the Konoha Military Police Force and the clan compound, informing his subordinates of his plan before wandering aimlessly through Konoha's streets.

Natsuri and Sasuke Uchiha had still gone to the Ninja Academy. Although it had already been decided that they would withdraw, Konoha's higher-ups were not that impatient.

After all, in their eyes, the greatest threat at present was still him—Uchiha Yushu, the "Vermilion Bird."

His unparalleled Fire Release techniques, ability to fly at high speed, and his fire barrier, which was comparable to a Tailed Beast Ball when unleashed at full strength, had not only inflicted enormous losses on Kirigakure but had also made Konoha's higher-ups deeply wary.

For a time, both the higher-ups and the clan had suspected that Uchiha Yushu had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. The higher-ups suspected it because of his unreasonable Fire Release techniques; after all, they had never seen a Fire Release ninjutsu that was not only unaffected by Water Release, but directly suppressed it instead.

In truth, this was an effect brought by the ability template. Human Torch could absorb heat from the environment to create flames. These were completely natural flames, fundamentally different from the flames created by Fire Release chakra.

The clan, meanwhile, suspected it because Yushu's ability to control fire through the Human Torch template looked exactly like the Mangekyō ocular technique recorded in the clan archives: Kagutsuchi.

"Yushu!"

While Uchiha Yushu was wandering around, he heard a familiar call. Turning his head, he saw a ninja around his age, gentle and handsome in appearance. The only thing marring his looks was his button nose. Wearing clothes bearing the Uchiha crest and carrying a short sword on his back, he smiled at Yushu.

It was Uchiha Shisui, the Uchiha Clan genius who was as famous as him.

"Ah! Shisui, you were gone for quite a while this time. About half a year, right? How did the mission go?"

At the mention of the mission, a trace of sorrow flashed across Uchiha Shisui's smiling face.

"The mission succeeded, but my teammates sacrificed themselves covering my retreat."

Uchiha Shisui spoke heavily.

"Ha! Shisui, now that you're back, don't think about such unhappy things for the time being. Isn't that just how shinobi are? Come on, I'll treat you to your favorite three-color dango."

As he spoke, he grabbed Shisui and headed toward the dango shop.

Shisui let himself be pulled along, a wry smile on his face.

Clearly, it was Itachi Uchiha who loved them. He didn't dislike sweets either, but every time, Yushu insisted that three-color dango was his favorite.

Not long after, the two walked through Konoha's streets, each holding several skewers of dango.

"Shisui, what day did you get back?"

"Last night. I went straight home to rest. When I came out today, I heard people talking about what happened last night. That was you, wasn't it, Yushu?"

"Yeah. Shisui, a lot has happened during the half year you were away. The relationship between the clan and the village has grown more and more tense, and more and more people in the clan support a coup."

"Yushu, I've always wanted to find a path where the clan and the village could coexist peacefully, but I can't find one."

Shisui looked around as he spoke.

The many villagers who saw the clan crests on Yushu and Shisui showed disgust, but when they saw Uchiha Yushu's Konoha Military Police Force uniform, they were also somewhat afraid.

"Shisui, are our clansmen really demons? Why do the villagers hate us so much?"

Shisui fell silent.

Although many clansmen were arrogant and often acted roughly, they had never harmed the villagers. During the many wars, they had even sacrificed countless clan members to protect the village.

"Shisui, plainly speaking, the villagers' opinions are actually very easy to manipulate. The reason our clan has fallen into such a terrible reputation is partly due to the arrogant and conceited nature of our clansmen, but more importantly, someone has been constantly stirring up public opinion from behind the scenes, making these villagers, who know nothing of the truth, hostile toward the Uchiha."

After hearing Uchiha Yushu's words, Uchiha Shisui neither refuted nor responded. He merely fell into thought.

"Then who is the person behind it all, Yushu?" Uchiha Shisui asked after thinking for a while, posing a question with no real value.

"Shisui, that question is meaningless. Whether it's Danzo or the Third Hokage, things haven't improved after all these years. They'll only get worse in the future."

"Yushu, the Third... it can't be him. It must be Danzo."

Shisui tried to defend the Third Hokage, though he did not sound very confident.

At this point, Shisui still believed in the Will of Fire and still wanted to find a path to peace between the clan and the village.

However, unlike in the original story, he was not close to Konoha's higher-ups. This could be considered Uchiha Yushu's doing. The two had known each other since the Ninja Academy, and Yushu's intentional and unintentional remarks had broadened Uchiha Shisui's horizons, allowing him to see issues more comprehensively.

"Shisui, I'll say it again: who's behind it doesn't matter at all. What matters is that the Third Hokage didn't stop it. That shows he never intended to repair the relationship with the Uchiha Clan."

Shisui fell silent once more. As Uchiha Kagami's grandson, he had been taught by the clan elders from childhood to view problems from the village's perspective. Thus, he often did not view the clan as a member of the Uchiha Clan.

But he was, after all, born into the Uchiha Clan. His friends, relatives, and elders were almost all clan members, making it impossible for him to view all of this entirely from an outsider's perspective.

During this mission, he had obtained the legendary Sharingan. At first, its immense power had made him feel that he could change everything, but now that he had calmed down, he felt that he could change nothing.

"Yushu, why are you telling me all this? I know you. You must be planning something, aren't you?"

"Yes, Shisui. I've found a path for the clan and village to coexist peacefully, but before that, I must become the Uchiha Clan's head."

Then Uchiha Yushu looked at Shisui solemnly and said, "I hope you, and your second grandfather as well, will support me. I've already found the path to peaceful coexistence between the clan and village that you wish for. Believe in me, Shisui!"

Looking at the suddenly serious Yushu, Shisui said, "You've always been smarter than me since we were children. If it's you, I believe you can do it. But if you want to become clan head now, what about Clan Head Fugaku?"

"Shisui, I'll handle it properly, whether it's Clan Head Fugaku or the relationship with the village."

"Mm, I believe you. I'll try to persuade Grandpa, but I'm not very confident."

Shisui spoke with some uncertainty.

"Thank you, Shisui. That's enough. As long as I have your support, that's enough. You've already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, haven't you?"

A flash of shock passed through Shisui's eyes. "How could that be, Yushu? How did you find out?"

How did I find out? Of course, it's because standing in front of you makes me feel threatened. You never made me feel that way before.

Yushu smiled and shook his head. "A secret. But Shisui, you can tell your second grandfather, Clan Head Fugaku, or even the Third Hokage about this."

"But remember this, no matter what! Do not tell anyone about your ocular technique!"

Yushu warned Shisui almost word by word.

"I understand, Yushu." Shisui nodded very solemnly.

"Then can you let me see your Sharingan?" After Shisui agreed, Yushu asked with a smile.

"No problem."

Shisui immediately activated his Sharingan, but he did not stop at the three tomoe stage. The three tomoe spun rapidly, soon transforming into the four-bladed pinwheel pattern Yushu remembered.

Looks like it's still Kotoamatsukami. With me here, Shisui, I won't let the plot kill you again.