Fugaku Glimpses the Future

An immense force descended upon Shien's lifeless body in an instant.

Thump! Thump!

His heart, which had stopped beating, began to pound again at that moment!

Suddenly!

Shien's eyes flew open!

He lowered his head to look at his chest. The hole through his heart had already been repaired.

It was as if he had never been injured at all.

Yet the bloodstains on his clothes made it abundantly clear that what had just happened was no illusion.

Then, the cold mechanical voice rang out in his mind once more:

[Your existence is like a stone cast into the river of fate. The ripples it creates will alter the trajectories of others' lives.]

[The deeper the bonds and intervention you invest, the more generous the rewards the world will grant you.]

[In plain terms: change the life paths of characters from the original story to receive corresponding rewards.]

Although Shien's chest still ached faintly, he could not help laughing when he heard the plain-language explanation.

The announcement continued:

[Ding! Beginner's gift pack issued:]

Choose One Secret Technique Trial x1:

Flying Thunder God Technique, Yamata no Orochi Technique, Lightning Release: Chakra Mode, Izanagi, Izanami, Super Multi-Size Technique: Butterfly Transformation, Eight Gates: Seventh Gate, Susanoo: Armored Form, Nine-Tails Tailed Beast Transformation: Seven-Tail Form, Impure World Reincarnation...

[Note: Secret Technique Trial ignores activation requirements and consumes nothing.]

The dense, lengthy list of secret techniques before Shien's eyes left him somewhat dazzled.

With any one of the techniques here, he could fight his way out of the clan compound.

[Am I going to defect on my own?!]

He split his attention, browsing the secret techniques while thinking.

To gain greater benefits, he had to save more people!

Whether for profit or because of the lingering feelings this body held for its clansmen—

Shien immediately decided to save as many people as possible!

Judging by what had just happened, not everyone in the clan had died yet!

[In that case...]

He flipped through the techniques and chose Edo Tensei outright!

[Note: Secret Technique Trial ignores activation requirements and consumes nothing.]

Shien glanced at the note. With a mere thought, the technique activated automatically without him even forming hand seals.

"Impure World Reincarnation!"

As profound runes spread across the ground, chilling winds began to swirl around them, as though ghosts were wailing.

Amid the countless corpses nearby, the scene seemed especially sinister.

[It really ignores activation requirements. The chakra in my body hasn't decreased.]

Shien could not help feeling exhilarated!

At the center of the formation, a body entwined with dust and scraps of paper rapidly formed and took shape.

Short hair, a button nose, an Uchiha clan uniform, and a short sword on his back.

It was none other than: Shisui Uchiha!

[Hm, is this the Uchiha clan's biggest coward?]

Shien rubbed his chin as he looked at the boy not yet twenty years old.

His personality was indeed cowardly, but at this moment, he was the best choice.

With a thought from Shien, Shisui stirred.

When those tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, even his Edo Tensei face could not conceal the utter shock and confusion.

"Where is this... I... Shien? Is that you? No, I clearly already..."

Shisui Uchiha lowered his head to stare at his cracked hands, sensing the cold, peculiar chakra flowing through his body. His voice was full of disbelief.

"There isn't time to explain in detail, Shisui!"

Having already prepared his speech, Shien quickly drew a breath. He spoke at a rapid pace, his eyes sharp with grief and pain.

"Listen, I'm Shien, but not entirely. You can understand it as me having learned of the future—a future where you are gone and the Uchiha walk toward destruction!"

He pointed at the deathly silent streets and the corpses scattered everywhere. His voice carried barely restrained fury and a choked sob.

"Look! Tonight, right now! Itachi Uchiha is carrying out orders to slaughter the entire clan!"

"Clan Head Fugaku and Lady Mikoto have given up resisting. They intend to use their deaths to buy Sasuke an illusory future!"

"This is the path chosen by the Itachi to whom you entrusted your eyes and convictions! This is the ending the Uchiha received after your sacrifice!"

Shisui followed the direction Shien pointed. His eyes, once filled with the Will of Fire and a longing for peace, now clearly reflected the hellish sight upon the clan streets.

Familiar clansmen lay silently in pools of blood, and the heavy stench of death washed over him.

"How could... this happen...?"

Shisui staggered back a step, his Edo Tensei body trembling faintly.

Overwhelming shock, the agony of betrayal, and regret crashing down like a landslide and tsunami instantly drowned him.

"Was it my fault... If I hadn't... hadn't given up so easily... if I were still here..."

He had believed his sacrifice could prevent civil war, illuminate Itachi's path forward, and give the Uchiha a chance at survival.

But reality dealt him its cruelest blow! Not only had his death failed to stop the disaster, it had instead been like knocking down the first domino, accelerating everything!

"Now isn't the time for regret, Shisui!"

Shien grabbed Shisui by the shoulders, forcibly pulling his attention back. His eyes blazed with the resolve of someone staking everything on a single gamble.

"Listen! It has already happened, but we haven't lost completely!"

"I have a plan—a plan that can save as many people as possible and keep the Uchiha name from vanishing completely tonight!"

"But I need your power. I need you to believe me and follow my commands!"

Shisui abruptly raised his head and looked at Shien.

The gentle, dove-leaning friend he remembered now had a fiery will burning in his eyes, one more intense than anything Shisui had ever seen.

That was right. If even he could be summoned back into this world through such a forbidden method, what was impossible?

"Shien..."

Shisui's voice remained hoarse, but the confusion and regret within it were being replaced by resolve. "Tell me, what should I do?"

"Good!" A sharp gleam flashed through Shien's eyes. "First, you need to..."

Inside the Uchiha residence, the air was as stagnant as lead.

Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha sat in the living room, their expressions holding a heartbreaking calmness born of seeing through fate.

Fugaku's Mangekyo Sharingan flickered faintly in the darkness.

He was using his ocular technique: "Izanagi-no-Mikoto."

This ocular technique allowed him to see countless fragments of the future.

At this moment, every future fragment he had foreseen pointed toward one tragic outcome.

Resistance would only bring more complete destruction. Only his and Mikoto's deaths could buy Sasuke a sliver of hope.

As a father and clan head, this was the only thorny path toward a "future" he could see in the depths of despair.

After a long time, he let out a sigh. His face bore a weariness and tranquility Mikoto had never seen before.