Phantom Body Flicker

"I wanted to help you, but didn't you trust the Third Hokage?" Uchiha Shu encouraged him. "Don't underestimate the bond between you and the Third Hokage!"

Shisui gave a bitter smile. "I really know I was wrong. Forgive me, okay?"

"Hmph, fine. Since you've asked so sincerely, I'll mercifully tell you! But remember..." Xiu snorted and raised one finger. "This is the first time, and the last time. If there's a next time, then just go die!"

"Alright!"

Shisui nodded solemnly. He knew what Xiu meant.

He had always believed that the conflict between the clan and the village had not yet reached the point of being irreconcilable.

But after Xiu put it that way, he suddenly realized that the Uchiha Clan had long become frogs in slowly boiling water, unable to advance or retreat.

From the look of it, Xiu had probably wanted to warn him that morning.

But because of his own naivety and arrogance, he had not taken it seriously, dismissing it as the nonsense of a child.

Now, it seemed that while he did not entirely agree with some of Xiu's views, Xiu's perspective was far broader than his own.

So Shisui sat properly, putting on the appearance of a good student as he seriously looked at the boy before him, who was only six years old. The contrast was somewhat comical.

"Actually, there are plenty of ways to change the Uchiha Clan's current situation. You're just constrained by your identity as a ninja." Xiu plopped down in a chair and began speaking freely. "First, the simplest method—the outlive-the-old-men strategy!"

"Outlive... the old men?" Cracks began to appear in Shisui's serious expression.

"That's right. The higher-ups are all old men in their sixties and seventies. Outlast them for twenty or thirty years, and even if they want to do anything, they won't have the strength for it."

Xiu grinned. "But the prerequisite is that you can't die. The Uchiha Clan must have enough top-tier strength holding the line, and your Mangekyo is a very effective deterrent."

"Isn't that a little too long? The people in the clan definitely won't agree." Shisui shook his head.

"That's right. Like you said, there are also major problems within the Uchiha Clan. And there could be another incident like the Nine-Tails Attack from a few years ago. During that time, someone will definitely try to provoke conflict between both sides."

Xiu nodded. "But in terms of the overall direction, we still need to follow this line of thinking: don't take the initiative to stir up conflict."

"What's the second method?" Shisui hurriedly asked.

"Forge alliances and actively befriend the other ninja clans in the village. Make more friends and fewer enemies."

As he spoke, Xiu shook his head. "Though given the Uchiha Clan's personality and reputation, it'll probably be hard to achieve."

Shisui nodded, deeply agreeing.

If the Uchiha Clan had known how to say a few kind words, they would not have ended up in their current state.

The Sharingan gave the Uchiha Clan extraordinary combat talent, but it also caused some of them to develop arrogant, spoiled attitudes.

"Is there a way to solve that?" There was a trace of expectation in Shisui's voice. Since Xiu had brought it up, he surely had a solution.

"Of course." Xiu raised a brow. "The Uchiha Clan may be stupid, and even worse with words, but they have one advantage that makes people overlook all that—good looks!"

"..."

Shisui's lips twitched, and his face faintly reddened. "You mean... selling our looks?"

"It's political marriage, idiot!" Xiu's face darkened as he flew up and kicked Shisui in the shin. "Use your brain! If you married the Third Hokage's daughter, would he still move against you?"

"I understand what you mean." Shisui nodded awkwardly. "But the Third Hokage doesn't have a daughter."

"If you can't win over his daughter, winning over his son works too."

Anyway, Asuma's daughter looked like you. It did not matter who fathered her.

Xiu bared his teeth in a thoroughly wicked grin. "You alone might not have much effect, but what about ten of you? If ninja status isn't noble enough, what about the Daimyo's Court? With your reputation as Body Flicker Shisui, you should have plenty of admirers, right?"

"The advantage of this method is that although the Uchiha Clan is a ninja clan, it has still been passed down for a thousand years and is famous far and wide. It can barely be considered an aristocratic house. Other ninja clans don't have that kind of standing."

Shisui's lips moved, as if he felt somewhat embarrassed. "Are... are there any other methods?"

"Closet pervert!" Xiu sneered. "There's also retreating in order to advance! Give up the Police Force's duties. I've even thought up the excuse: say that the Uchiha Clan has a poor reputation and the villagers have long harbored grievances, so we will voluntarily step down and reflect behind closed doors. That gets us out of the Police Force's mess."

Shisui frowned. "This... would probably provoke fierce opposition from the clan."

To most members of the Uchiha Clan, work in the Police Force was not a burden at all, but an honor they could not abandon.

"Then have you noticed that in every plan, the greatest obstacle does not come from outside, but from the clan members themselves?"

Xiu's expression was cold. "This is also the last point I want to make. Weakness and ignorance are not obstacles to survival. Arrogance is. It's because they can't let go of their so-called honor that the Uchiha Clan has reached this point."

"As for Uchiha Fugaku, he isn't forceful enough when advancing and not patient enough when retreating. Externally, he can't withstand the pressure from the higher-ups. Internally, he can't suppress the voices within the clan. He wants to be a virtuous woman but can't stop scratching, and wants to be a whore while still erecting a chastity arch. He hesitates and wavers, and he isn't a qualified leader."

"Harsh measures are needed in troubled times. To repel external threats, one must first secure the interior. Looking across the Shinobi World, I have only realized one word—kill!"

Shisui was rendered speechless.

To be honest, he had vaguely sensed earlier that Xiu seemed dissatisfied with some of the clan members.

He had also expected that Xiu's attitude toward them might be quite extreme.

But when Xiu truly said it aloud, Shisui did not know what to say instead.

He wanted to advise Xiu not to be so extreme, but when he recalled the increasingly radical attitudes of the clan members lately, Shisui felt deeply exhausted as well.

Xiu saw Shisui's conflicted expression. After all, in the original story Shisui would eventually choose suicide, and the clan members' radicalism and pressure had contributed greatly to it.

Body Flicker Shisui's reputation had caused the clan members to place great expectations on him. On top of that, Yellow Weasel was a rebellious bastard, so whether they were hawks or doves, most people in the clan hoped Shisui could inherit the position of clan head. That was also what troubled him the most.

"Is there no other way?"

"There is. Kill a little less!"

"..."

The two talked for quite a while. When they returned to the living room, Shisui's face looked somewhat pale.

Hazuki and Izumi sat beside the dining table, which was covered in a lavish dinner. A small cake, about nine inches across, sat in the middle.

"Come eat." Hazuki smiled gently and beckoned to them.

Izumi patted the chair beside her. "Xiu, over here!"

Remembering that it was Xiu's birthday today, Shisui temporarily set aside his worries and adjusted his mood.

"Oh, right. I still haven't given you your birthday present." As he spoke, he took out a scroll tied with a red ribbon.

Xiu accepted the scroll. "What is this?"

"I call it Phantom Body Flicker." Shisui scratched his cheek awkwardly. "It can be considered my signature Ninjutsu."

Xiu's eyes lit up. "The technique that can be used like a Shadow Clone, yet ignore attacks?"

Shisui nodded. "Now that I think about it, this technique is extremely compatible with your ability."

The two exchanged a look, both clearly understanding what that meant.

Intangibility combined with Phantom Body Flicker was practically sinister beyond measure.