Shisui Uchiha's Decision

"Uchiha Yansheng, the clan head ordered that you must attend the clan meeting today."

Dressed in ANBU attire, Shisui Uchiha looked at the expressionless Uchiha Yansheng, a strangely peculiar feeling rising within him.

For some reason, this clansman, who was the same age as Itachi, always seemed completely out of place within the entire Uchiha Clan.

He clearly had not been like this as a child. Ever since the Nine-Tails' Attack, not only he, but even the entire clan and Konoha Village as a whole had undergone an indescribable change.

The rift between the clan and the village seemed to have grown even worse.

"Hmph! It doesn't matter whether I attend that trash Fugaku's clan meeting or not."

After staring at Shisui Uchiha with a frown for quite a while, Uchiha Yansheng spoke with disdain.

As his strength developed, he gradually encountered all kinds of restrictions and obstacles within the Uchiha Clan. At the same time, his relationship with his clansmen had worsened.

But really, no one cared much about that sort of thing.

The Uchiha Clan revered strength. As long as you were strong enough, you naturally possessed privileges.

"Yansheng, are you still dissatisfied over the relocation of the clan grounds? This matter..."

Upon hearing Uchiha Yansheng's words, Shisui Uchiha froze. It took him a long while to recover.

"Shut up, Shisui!"

"If Fugaku is a coward, then you're an idiot!"

"You actually think you can earn the trust of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura?"

"When those Mangekyo Sharingan of yours are dug out, I'll keep them safe for you. It would be such a shame to lose an ability as special as Kotoamatsukami."

Uchiha Yansheng's words immediately made Shisui Uchiha frown, killing intent involuntarily surfacing in his eyes.

"Yansheng... where exactly... did you hear about Kotoamatsukami?"

The killing intent of a powerful man enveloped ten-year-old Uchiha Yansheng, exceptionally dense.

If he had been an ordinary ten-year-old child, he would likely have already fainted from fright. It would not have been impossible for him to be scared to death outright.

Even a genius like Itachi would have found it difficult to remain calm beneath Shisui Uchiha's killing intent at this moment.

Yet Uchiha Yansheng before him simply ignored that dense killing intent and spoke in the same indifferent tone:

"Having the Mangekyo Sharingan is truly wasted on you."

"Idiot."

As Uchiha Yansheng spoke, his pitch-black pupils instantly turned white. Pale blue halos floated over his crimson eyeballs, making them look exceptionally strange.

Along with those bizarre eyes came chakra so dense it had nearly solidified. The instant that overwhelming chakra pressure appeared, it alerted all of Konoha.

"M-Mangekyo Sharingan... How is that possible? How could it look like this?"

Shisui Uchiha was so shocked that he could not speak. He had never seen such bizarre eyes before. Ordinarily, even a Mangekyo Sharingan should not look like this.

Could it be a bloodline mutation?

He had never heard of anyone from another clan causing a mutation in the Sharingan bloodline.

"This isn't the Mangekyo Sharingan. It's merely a side effect of obtaining power."

Uchiha Yansheng's eyes gradually returned to normal, and the dense chakra leaking from his body gradually subsided as well.

"Don't bother me. My experiment has reached a critical stage, and I have no time for those trivial clan matters."

At this point, Uchiha Yansheng fell silent for a moment before continuing:

"Protect the secret of your eyes. Don't let anyone else learn about Kotoamatsukami."

"And... if your eyes are taken away..."

"Forget it. That probably has nothing to do with you."

After saying that, Uchiha Yansheng returned once more to the seemingly ordinary house behind him.

Seeing this, Shisui Uchiha wanted to say something else, but the two Ninja Cats guarding the doorway blocked his path.

At this time, just over two years had passed since the Nine-Tails' Attack.

During those two years, although Konoha Village remained peaceful, the Uchiha Clan's situation was far from good.

First, they had been ordered to relocate their clan grounds. The entire clan had been moved to the outskirts of Konoha Village, extremely far from the central district.

Then came the changes in the Ninja Cat Clan.

Originally, cooperation between the Ninja Cat Clan and the Uchiha Clan had progressed smoothly. But at some point, the Ninja Cat Clan seemed to have become Uchiha Yansheng's vassals, openly appearing throughout Konoha Village.

Naturally, this drew the ANBU's attention.

Thus, Uchiha Yansheng's name began appearing frequently among the higher-ups of both the Uchiha Clan and Konoha Village.

Perhaps because of the Ninja Cat Clan, or perhaps because of Uchiha Yansheng's age.

No one had come looking for trouble with him in the past two years. There had only been scattered inquiries and probing.

But clearly, after more than two years, someone could no longer hold back.

As it happened, through his cloning experiments over those two years, Uchiha Yansheng had gained enough power. Though he could not be called invincible, he now possessed enough strength to protect himself.

He... had no intention of silently waiting for the night of the clan's destruction to arrive.

After leaving Uchiha Yansheng's residence, Shisui Uchiha first reported to the clan head, Fugaku Uchiha, before heading to the Hokage Building.

When he emerged from the Hokage Building, his eyes were filled with confusion.

He did not want to abandon either the village or the clan.

But the situation seemed unwilling to allow that. He had to make a choice!

Just moments ago, the Hokage had told him an extremely confidential piece of intelligence.

During the Nine-Tails' Attack, an unknown force had infiltrated Konoha Village using an unknown transformation technique that could not be detected. Neither the Byakugan nor the Sharingan could distinguish it.

And now, the Hokage suspected that the enemy had already replaced Uchiha Yansheng. He had sent Shisui to investigate, and if necessary, he could kill him!

After all, even the most gifted person in the ninja world had never possessed such immense power at the age of ten.

Rationally, Shisui Uchiha noticed many suspicious points.

But emotionally, he was torn. He did not want to suspect his own clansman, much less the Hokage of Konoha Village.

"For the village... I'm sorry, Yansheng."

In the end, after hesitating for a long time, Shisui Uchiha finally made up his mind.

Yansheng, since you possess the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan, let my Mangekyo Sharingan test the breadth of your heart.

Don't worry. I'll definitely show restraint and won't let your Mangekyo suffer excessive damage.

Just as Shisui Uchiha made up his mind, Uchiha Yansheng's experiment had also reached its most critical moment.