Shisui Uchiha

"I'll be heading back as well."

Uchiha Setsuna rose and walked toward the door. As he stood, several Jonin seated beside him followed closely. Among them, Uchiha Yashiro, Uchiha Inabi, and Uchiha Tekka were leading figures of the Uchiha's established generation.

Clearly, they all seemed to side with this forceful clan elder.

Uchiha Fugaku gave a slight nod in acknowledgment. Beside him, several Jonin remained seated cross-legged. One ninja who bore a striking resemblance to Uchiha Yashiro watched Uchiha Setsuna's retreating back with a thoughtful expression.

This Jonin was Uchiha Yakumi, a highly capable assistant whom Uchiha Fugaku trusted.

Uchiha Hui stood near the doorway and moved aside to make room for Uchiha Setsuna and his group. Just as Setsuna was about to leave, however, he suddenly turned to look at the composed Uchiha Hui.

Uchiha Hui was puzzled, but showed no fear, meeting Uchiha Setsuna's gaze with a questioning look.

"The Third will never let this rest. Fugaku, I hope you won't disappoint me!"

Uchiha Setsuna's gaze merely swept over Hui before he spoke again. Clearly, those words were meant for Uchiha Fugaku, who was still seated behind him.

Uchiha Fugaku said nothing. Or rather, he had considerations of his own.

At that, Uchiha Setsuna swept his sleeve sharply and strode away. His seemingly frail back inspired no contempt; instead, standing so close, Uchiha Hui felt an imposing presence radiating from him.

"You should all go as well. Set the clan members' minds at ease. I'll come find you later."

Uchiha Fugaku gestured to the Jonin who remained.

The ninja led by Uchiha Yakumi nodded, then rose and walked past Uchiha Hui. In moments, they had disappeared from the dojo.

There was still plenty to attend to within the clan grounds. They were not as idle as they appeared.

Only Uchiha Hui and Fugaku remained in the dojo.

Uchiha Hui hesitantly approached Uchiha Fugaku, seemingly unsure why he had been asked to stay.

"After the Nine-Tails rampaged last night, the Third and the Konoha High Command began to suspect that we Uchiha were behind it..."

Uchiha Fugaku spoke slowly, his voice grave.

Yet instead of the furious Uchiha Hui he had expected, he found Hui as calm as ever, as though the matter had nothing to do with him.

"Don't leave the clan grounds for the time being."

Uchiha Fugaku knew his younger brother very well. There was not much of an age gap between them: he himself was only in his early thirties, while Uchiha Hui was twenty-four. However, the latter's talent as a ninja and breadth of vision were severely limited. He had only become a Chunin thanks to the Sharingan's unique abilities.

In stark contrast to his actual strength, Uchiha Hui had done plenty of foolish things, possessing an inexplicable confidence in both his own abilities and the Uchiha's power.

"I know."

Naturally, Uchiha Hui would not run around during such a chaotic time. He was still hoping to escape Konoha once things blew over, so he would hardly be foolish enough to draw attention to himself in the meantime.

Once again, Uchiha Fugaku was surprised by Uchiha Hui's reaction.

He had assumed that revealing the Konoha High Command's suspicions would make his younger brother curse the Third or the advisers. Instead, Hui was unusually calm, seemingly unconcerned even about being confined to the clan grounds.

Had he matured?

That seemed like a good thing.

Yet vaguely, Uchiha Fugaku felt that the Hui before him was somewhat unfamiliar. He had an instinctive feeling that his brother might cause trouble behind the scenes.

"You haven't met Sasuke yet, have you? Come home for dinner tonight. Mikoto misses you, and so does Itachi..."

Uchiha Fugaku spoke again.

Before he became clan head, Uchiha Hui had been like his shadow, always following behind him. But after he took over the clan, they gradually grew distant. He knew it was because his "inaction" as clan head had disappointed Uchiha Hui.

Yet after taking charge of the Uchiha Clan, he had worked hard to change it. Sometimes, though, matters were beyond his control, especially when the Uchiha's reputation hardly inspired the easy affection that clans like the Senju or Sarutobi enjoyed.

Uchiha Hui fell rather silent.

He had not been surprised when Uchiha Fugaku brought up what had gone unmentioned at the clan meeting—the leadership's suspicion that the Uchiha had controlled the Nine-Tails. But this sudden change of subject, and the invitation to dinner at his brother's home, genuinely caught him off guard.

"You don't want to?"

Uchiha Fugaku looked at Uchiha Hui somewhat distractedly, as though he had expected this.

"Sure!"

Unexpectedly, before he could say anything else, Uchiha Hui nodded lightly and answered, "If there's nothing else, I'll head back first. I didn't sleep well last night."

With that, Uchiha Hui turned and left, leaving Uchiha Fugaku with the sight of his straight-backed figure.

Uchiha Fugaku watched Uchiha Hui for a long time before a faint smile appeared on his face. Soon, however, his expression darkened again, and he turned his gaze toward the distant Kage Rock, where four enormous faces gleamed in the sunlight.

"The Fourth Hokage..."

He murmured softly, then slowly rose. His gaze shifted toward the doorway. "Shisui, what is it?"

Whoosh!

A figure appeared before Uchiha Fugaku. It was Shisui Uchiha, currently the Uchiha Clan's foremost prodigy, known as Body Flicker Shisui. Not long ago, he had been admitted to the Anbu as an exception.

"Lord Fugaku, the Third wishes to see you!"

Shisui Uchiha was still young at this point and looked somewhat fresh-faced, but no one dared underestimate him. Some within the clan even believed his strength rivaled that of Uchiha Fugaku, a Jonin who had been renowned for years.

"Understood."

Uchiha Fugaku nodded, then regarded Shisui with a deep, searching gaze, seemingly pondering something.

Shisui had inherited his ancestor's aspirations. Not only had he followed in his footsteps by joining the Anbu, but he had even stood a chance of becoming a member of the Fourth Hokage's Hokage Guard Platoon. Now, however, the Fourth Hokage's death had dashed all those hopes.

"Lord Fugaku, I'll take my leave."

Shisui Uchiha noticed Uchiha Fugaku's gaze. His feelings were much like Fugaku's: what he sought was to eliminate the divide between the clan and the village. But with the Fourth Hokage gone, it seemed that much of their past work would have to begin anew.

Thus, he planned to remain in the Anbu at the side of the Third, who had temporarily resumed power. Once a new Hokage was selected, he would establish a good relationship with him.

With a rush of wind,

Shisui Uchiha vanished from the spot.

However, just as he was about to leave the clan grounds, he spotted a figure from behind. It was Uchiha Hui, who had inherited all the Uchiha's arrogance. That had left a deep impression on Shisui, and his opinion of Hui was not particularly good.

"Finally home."

Uchiha Hui returned to his little home, a small two-story house backed by woodland. There were not even any neighbors nearby; it was almost unnervingly secluded.

Still, Uchiha Hui liked this environment very much.

He had secrets of his own.

And he had no desire to let too many people see them.

However, in the story, after the Nine-Tails incident ended, the extensive destruction within the village, coupled with mounting suspicion, seemed to have led to the Uchiha being relocated away from the village's central district.

Uchiha Hui tried to recall the details, but soon gave up.

He went into his room and sat cross-legged, his gaze settling on the panel that only he could see.

--

Fusion (Yes/No)

--

Without the slightest hesitation, he firmly selected "Yes." As waves of pain swept through him, Uchiha Hui instinctively activated his Sharingan. A single tomoe spun continuously in his eyes, while countless things seemed to writhe beneath his skin.

"Fuck!"

He had known it would hurt, but Uchiha Hui still could not help swearing. He pounded the floor repeatedly with his fists, blood slowly seeping from them.