Qiu Shan Uchiha searched all over the Uchiha compound, and finally found Shisui Uchiha in a secluded spot by the river.
As the strongest member of the new generation of the Uchiha, Shisui Uchiha lacked the arrogance and overbearing nature typical of the Uchiha Clan; on the contrary, Shisui was very kind and gentle with people.
When Qiu Shan Uchiha found him, Shisui Uchiha was sitting quietly by the river, gazing at the water's surface.
"Shisui, you're here again. What are you doing?" Qiu Shan Uchiha walked over and greeted him with a smile.
Hearing the voice, Shisui Uchiha shifted his gaze away from the water. Seeing that it was Qiu Shan Uchiha, he turned his eyes back to the river and replied,
"I just got back from a mission and came here to sit for a while. What about you? How come you're here too?"
"You're hiding away for some peace and quiet again. I'm different; I have something to talk to you about." Qiu Shan Uchiha had no intention of beating around the bush and spoke straight to the point.
Hearing the very serious tone in Qiu Shan Uchiha's voice, Shisui Uchiha looked back at him, his previously calm expression turning serious as well.
"What is it? I've never seen you this serious before."
Thinking of how tense the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and the village had been lately, Shisui Uchiha assumed something else had happened, and his heart could not help but tighten.
Seeing Shisui Uchiha's expression, Qiu Shan Uchiha, as a close friend who had grown up with him, knew what he was worrying about and comforted him:
"Don't worry, nothing's happened in the clan recently. It's just that I have something I want to discuss with you."
Shisui Uchiha let out a sigh of relief and smiled.
"If you have something to say, just say it. Why so serious?"
Looking at Shisui's smiling face, Qiu Shan Uchiha said nothing and immediately circulated his chakra, revealing his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Seeing Qiu Shan directly display his Sharingan, Shisui looked somewhat confused, wondering what he was up to.
He watched as the three tomoe in Qiu Shan Uchiha's Sharingan spun faster and faster, the tails of the tomoe faintly outlining several patterns.
Shisui Uchiha was startled by this sight, as if the greatest secret in his heart had been exposed, and he blurted out in shock:
"What's wrong with your Sharingan?"
Seeing Shisui Uchiha's reaction, Qiu Shan Uchiha smiled with satisfaction, his eyes filled with the amusement of a successful prank.
Instead of answering Shisui's question, he slowly deactivated his Sharingan, looking at Shisui with a beaming smile without saying a word.
Seeing that Qiu Shan just kept staring at him in silence, Shisui understood his meaning and said in a strained voice:
"You guessed it all?"
Qiu Shan Uchiha shook his head and said, "I didn't guess it. I saw it."
Hearing this, Shisui shook his head in disbelief. "Impossible. I only awakened my Mangekyō Sharingan not long ago, and I've never revealed it to anyone outside."
Qiu Shan Uchiha was silent for a moment before pointing at his own left eye. "The dōjutsu of this Mangekyō of mine is called the 'Rift of Time'. Its ability is to see glimpses of the future-not many, but I happened to catch a fragment involving you."
"It sounds a bit absurd. At first I thought it was just an illusion, but judging by your expression, it must be correct. Shisui, you really are a genius of our Uchiha Clan, awakening even the Mangekyō Sharingan before I did."
After hearing what Qiu Shan said, Shisui Uchiha thought about the dōjutsu of his own Mangekyō Sharingan. Since something as outrageous as his Kotoamatsukami ability could exist, then Qiu Shan Uchiha's Mangekyō dōjutsu didn't seem all that hard to accept.
In reality, Qiu Shan Uchiha had no ability to see the future whatsoever; he was simply using his knowledge of the plot to bluff Shisui Uchiha. As for his own Mangekyō, it had merely manifested early under the influence of his massive spiritual energy and the system-it just looked intimidating, but was actually a completely blank Mangekyō with no abilities at all.
Although Shisui Uchiha was kind-hearted, he still possessed the basic composure of a strong individual. He steadied himself, sensed that something was amiss, looked at Qiu Shan Uchiha, and asked:
"Based on what I know of you, you didn't just come to confirm my Mangekyō, did you?"
Qiu Shan Uchiha decided to drop a bombshell on Shisui, looking right into his eyes as he spoke:
"I saw that you died. The exact time isn't very clear, but it shouldn't be too far from now."
Qiu Shan Uchiha watched the pupils in Shisui's eyes contract violently, his face twitching uncontrollably, before continuing:
"Not many years after you died, the Uchiha were wiped out too."
Hearing this, Shisui Uchiha could no longer sit still. He sprang to his feet with a start and retorted:
"Impossible! Our Uchiha Clan is, after all, the premier clan in Konoha, and we've been here since Konoha was founded. Our Konoha Village is also the top ninja village-how could we possibly just be wiped out like that? Who would have the guts, and who would have the capability?"
Seeing the agitated Shisui Uchiha, Qiu Shan Uchiha did not try to soothe him, but instead said with a profound look:
"People outside Konoha Village don't have the capability, but what if it's people inside Konoha Village?"
Upon hearing Qiu Shan Uchiha's words, Shisui Uchiha seemed to associate them with something, and he suddenly fell silent. His lips trembled slightly as he asked in a hoarse voice:
"What else did you see?"
Qiu Shan Uchiha paused to gather his thoughts. "The scenes I saw actually weren't very many. Aside from some ordinary daily routines, the useful ones left over were very few."
"Your Sharingan must be extremely precious. I saw you lying on the ground with both eyes gouged out. Standing beside you were the Third Hokage and Shimura Danzō, and your eyes were held in Shimura Danzō's hand. There were many Anbu members all around."
Shisui Uchiha had not really believed that he, having awakened the Mangekyō, would easily die. But when Qiu Shan Uchiha mentioned that the Third Hokage was standing nearby when he died, and coupled it with the abilities of his own Mangekyō, his trust in the Third Hokage, and the ruthless Shimura Danzō, Shisui Uchiha connected the dots and practically figured the whole matter out.
Given my trust in the Third Hokage, after a little while longer, I probably would have told him about awakening the Mangekyō and its Kotoamatsukami dōjutsu. Even if the Third Hokage couldn't bring himself to kill me and steal the Sharingan, my Kotoamatsukami ability is far too terrifying. If the Third Hokage mentioned it to Danzō, Danzō would most likely advocate killing me to take the eyes, and the Third Hokage would very likely tacitly allow it.
If it's not a frontal assault, but rather a sneak attack, given my trust in the Third Hokage, the success rate would indeed be very high.
Thinking of this, Shisui Uchiha could not help but feel his heart sinking lower and lower, the light in his eyes dimming significantly.
Never mind others, even the Third Hokage cannot tolerate my Kotoamatsukami.
Connecting the cause and effect of his death, Shisui Uchiha asked Qiu Shan Uchiha once more: "What else?"
Before you continue