The chain reaction sparked by one honest remark

Jin Uchiha was utterly dumbfounded.

What the actual fuck was this?!

A bitter smile tugged at his lips as he inwardly cursed his luck.

Why the hell did I bring up this damn topic?

Who didn't know what Shisui was like?

And the most fucked-up part was this.

In any other world, it would have been fine. Learning the truth would, at worst, make someone lose their temper. They would kick up a fuss, and that would be that.

But this damn place was different!

The world of Naruto, otherwise known as the world of eyeballs.

The Uchiha clan was even more bizarre. Once those negative emotions surged, they might just awaken their Sharingan.

Who was the Shisui standing before him?

A peerless genius acknowledged by the entire Uchiha clan.

If he got worked up enough to awaken his Mangekyo, Jin could probably kiss any hope of a peaceful life goodbye.

Keep my head down?

With the Hidden Leaf's higher-ups and the Uchiha leadership watching me?

Go on, try keeping a low profile then!

Before Jin could finish that train of thought, Shisui took a deep breath.

"Jin, I'm sorry!

I used to focus entirely on getting stronger. I never had time for anything else.

But that's all in the past.

Now that I know about this, there's no way I'll let them get away with it!

Just wait. I'll get you the justice you deserve!"

With those words delivered,

Shisui vanished in the blink of an eye.

They didn't call him Shisui the Teleporter for nothing.

But the problem is, I never fucking asked you to go!

Jin had wanted to talk him down some more, but Shisui was long gone before he could even open his mouth.

Jin Uchiha stared at the empty doorway, utterly speechless.

He had ten thousand curses bottled up inside him and no idea who to aim them at.

What did I do to deserve this?!

All he wanted was to quietly keep his head down through the Third Shinobi World War and gradually make it to the day he could protect himself.

Why did it have to be so damn hard?

He was worried. Truly worried.

It wasn't as though he hadn't considered revealing his strength and slowly growing stronger while maneuvering between the various powers.

But that path simply wasn't viable.

Madara Uchiha might have been old, but he was still alive.

That old bastard had long since given up on the shinobi world and devoted himself entirely to his Eye of the Moon Plan.

He couldn't care less whether the entire Uchiha clan lived or died.

If Jin stood out, he would either become Madara's pawn or be eliminated on the spot as an unpredictable factor.

Not to mention that sneaky old bastard, the Sage of Six Paths, who was still lurking in the Pure Land.

Who the hell knew what he was plotting?

Would he discover that my soul wasn't from this world at all?

Leaving those distant threats aside,

Hiruzen Sarutobi and that scapegoat Hokage, Danzo, alone were more than he could handle right now.

Forget it. Stop thinking about it.

Racking his brains wouldn't help. He could only take things one step at a time.

Jin shrugged and flopped back onto the sofa.

[Chakra +12]

[Fire Release +11]

[...]

The numbers ticking upward on the panel made him feel a lot better.

The pleasure of getting stronger just by lying around swept all those frustrations away.

The corners of his mouth lifted of their own accord.

What about the future?

Who cares!

He was keeping a low profile, not being a coward.

Elsewhere,

Shisui headed straight for the Clan Head's house, seething with anger.

"Shisui, are you done with your mission?"

Little Itachi came up to greet him as soon as he entered the courtyard.

At the sight of that young face, Shisui's icy expression softened, and he forced a smile.

"Yes, I'm done.

I'm on leave for seven days. Is your father home?

There's something I'd like to discuss with the Clan Head."

Itachi frowned.

He was a genius too, and he could tell Shisui was in a bad mood.

But he didn't pry. He simply nodded.

"Father is in the living room. You can go right in.

Once you're finished, could you take me out for a bit?"

Shisui smiled and ruffled Itachi's hair before giving him an earnest nod.

There was nothing to hesitate over.

After parting with Itachi, he went straight into the living room.

"Clan Head."

"Ah, Shisui. Have a seat."

Fugaku's expression had been neutral, but a small smile appeared when he saw Shisui.

As Clan Head, the more geniuses the clan had, the happier he was.

With an exceptional talent like Shisui, Fugaku was even willing to speak to him as an equal.

"Clan Head, I..."

Shisui drew a breath, but the moment he opened his mouth, he faltered.

For a moment, the words stuck in his throat.

Fugaku noticed and smiled reassuringly.

"If you've run into any difficulties, just tell me. However troublesome it is, I'll help you find a solution."

Life in the Hidden Leaf wasn't easy for the Uchiha.

That was why Fugaku sincerely wanted to win over the clan's geniuses.

As long as they hadn't done something utterly disastrous, he would cover for them.

Those words finally untied the knot in Shisui's heart.

He held nothing back and embellished nothing.

He recounted all the suffering Jin Uchiha had endured over the years, along with what had happened to his grandfather Kagami Uchiha's former subordinates after Kagami's death.

By the end, he could no longer hold back his tears.

He took a deep breath and looked straight at Fugaku, his tone little different from an accusation.

**"Clan Head!

Even if those people used to follow my grandfather, they shouldn't have been treated like that, should they?

Aren't they Uchiha too?

What right did anyone have to treat them that way?

If Teuchi and his wife hadn't been looking after Jin all this time, he probably wouldn't have lived to adulthood."

Shisui's words landed hard, leaving Fugaku stunned for quite some time.

Something like that had actually happened?

He hadn't known a thing about it!

That wasn't entirely his fault.

Although he was the Uchiha Clan Head, he also served as head of the Konoha Police Force.

Every day, he had mountains of work to deal with.

The clan's petty day-to-day matters were usually handled by a few elders.

More importantly, his authority as Clan Head wasn't nearly as extensive as outsiders imagined.

When Kagami was alive, Fugaku's father had held power.

Only after Kagami died had Fugaku been hastily put in the position.

Back then, he had held the title of Clan Head, but Uchiha Setsuna had wielded the real power. Only in recent years had Fugaku taken that power back.

So the shock on his face when he heard about this was entirely genuine.

"How could this have happened?

Shisui, I'm very sorry. This is the first I've heard of it too.

You know I only took over a few years ago. Before that, Elder Setsuna called the shots in the clan.

Ah, enough of that!

I'll deal with this immediately. Trust me, Shisui. I, Fugaku, don't operate like those people in the Radical Faction."

With that, Fugaku stood up and hurried out.

He was genuinely alarmed.

The Uchiha were already in a vulnerable position within the Hidden Leaf, yet the clan was still tearing itself apart. And now this damned mess had come to light.

What were they trying to do?

Were they worried the Uchiha wouldn't get wiped out?!

As Clan Head, now that he knew about it, he had to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, watching Fugaku's reaction, Shisui finally showed a hint of a smile.

He had known the Clan Head was a good man.

Even if some people were misbehaving, it was only a handful.

Once everything had been cleared up, Shisui spent the afternoon playing with Itachi.

By the time he left the Clan Head's house, it was already getting late.

A ninja wearing a rabbit mask suddenly stepped into his path.

"Shisui, the Hokage has summoned you."