After finishing their ramen, Shisui and the other two prepared to leave.
"Shisui."
Just then, Shinichi suddenly stopped Shisui, placed a hand on his head, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Want to change the Uchiha Clan's situation? Then come tonight to..."
Shisui was shaken, unable to react for a moment.
Little did he know that while he was distracted, a certain crafty fellow had already gotten what he wanted from him.
"Naruto, time to go home!"
Having finished his secret little task, Shinichi called out, looking thoroughly pleased.
He left behind Uchiha Sasuke and his brother, both looking confused, along with a utterly bewildered Shisui.
They returned to the Hatake Clan's home.
Shinichi had no idea when Kurenai had left, but he found some comfort in Kakashi's report that she seemed to have enjoyed her visit today.
Kakashi had successfully fulfilled his elder brother's assignment and finally saved the treasures in his room.
"Keep it up! You have three months to make things official with Kurenai, and aim to have a big, healthy boy within two years. Otherwise, don't bother coming back to see me!"
Shinichi's next order, however, made his handsome face fall completely.
"Big brother, do you think we're breeding pigs? These things have to happen naturally! Even if I agreed, that wouldn't help!"
Kakashi protested angrily.
Sensing Kakashi's fierce resistance, Shinichi decided he shouldn't push him too hard, lest it backfire.
At any rate, Kakashi was no longer particularly opposed to spending time with Kurenai.
In a sense, that was already a huge step forward.
All that remained was for Shinichi to keep playing matchmaker. Surely he could secure Kurenai as his sister-in-law.
So Shinichi gave Kakashi another lecture on romance that lasted more than an hour. He didn't even spare the underage Naruto. The boy was making such slow progress with Hinata that Shinichi was getting anxious just watching.
Shipping couples had to start young. Just because you were only three, Naruto, didn't mean you could escape!
Kakashi had no objections to that. In fact, he seemed rather delighted by Naruto's misfortune.
Only after lecturing his two hopeless younger brothers did Shinichi finally find the time to return to his room.
[The system has detected Shisui Uchiha's biological information. Extract it now?]
"Extract it immediately!"
[Ding! Congratulations, host. Biological information successfully extracted. Talent trait acquired: "Genjutsu Master (purple)."]
At the sight of that vivid purple text, Shinichi's eyes gleamed with greed.
[Genjutsu Master (purple): Your genjutsu has reached the pinnacle of mastery. No one can escape your control through genjutsu, and no one can challenge you in the realm of genjutsu. Make the entire Shinobi World submit to your genjutsu!] [Chakra control +1000%! Genjutsu mastery +2000%! Genjutsu resistance +2000%! Additional ability: Phantom Body Flicker Technique.]
Without a doubt, Shinichi had hit the jackpot again!
He already possessed Tsukuyomi, and now he had acquired the [Genjutsu Master] talent trait. It was like giving wings to a tiger.
It even came with the "Phantom Body Flicker Technique." If his guess was right, this was the signature skill that had earned Shisui the name "Body Flicker Shisui" throughout the Shinobi World!
Overwhelmed by excitement, Shinichi unconsciously flashed his classic villainous grin again.
"All right, time to get down to business!"
Reining in his emotions, Shinichi vanished from his room.
He arrived at the deserted Back Mountain Training Ground.
Shinichi was in no hurry. He simply sat on the ground and waited patiently, leisurely munching on potato chips.
Whoosh.
A boy slowly emerged from the darkness. It was Shisui Uchiha.
"Want some chips?"
Shinichi smiled as he offered them.
He had known Shisui would come. Having read the original story thoroughly, he knew very well that Shisui loved peace.
As a member of the Uchiha Clan, Shisui had always known that the greatest current threat to the village's peace was his own clan.
To preserve that peace, they needed to find a way to change the Uchiha Clan's situation.
"Shinichi, what exactly did you call me here to discuss?"
With the Uchiha Clan at stake, Shisui was in no mood for jokes. His tone was serious.
"Don't be so tense!"
Shinichi opened his mouth wide and poured in all the remaining chips, mumbling around them, "The Uchiha problem isn't something we can solve in a few words. We have to take our time..."
Shisui's face darkened. "Could you pick one-talking or eating?" he snapped.
Left with no choice, Shisui waited for a certain someone to slowly swallow everything in his mouth.
"Because of the Nine-Tails' Rampage three years ago, the villagers suspected the Uchiha Clan of being behind it, so the clan was forced to move to the village's outermost district. But the less contact the Uchiha have with the villagers, the deeper that prejudice grows. It's a vicious cycle."
As he laid out the Uchiha Clan's current predicament, Shinichi grew unusually serious. "Under all that outside pressure, I'm sure plenty of Uchiha are dissatisfied by now. Some probably even want to launch a coup and seize the Hokage position, don't they?"
Shisui's expression changed drastically.
Shinichi's analysis cut straight to the heart of the Uchiha Clan's problems.
For a moment, Shisui couldn't work out what he was thinking.
He had dissected the clan's internal situation with such precision. If he told the Konoha High Command, wouldn't relations between the village and the Uchiha Clan deteriorate even further? At that point, things might even escalate into a brutal war!
"Shisui, don't overthink it."
Seeing Shisui's wariness, Shinichi couldn't help smiling. "I'm your friend, not your enemy. Don't forget, Uchiha blood runs through my veins too. When it comes to protecting the village and the Uchiha Clan, we're actually on the same side."
With the powerful boost from [Talk no Jutsu King], Shisui instinctively believed Shinichi's words.
"Shinichi, I believe you love peace just as I do. We both want the Uchiha Clan to live peacefully with the village. But I truly don't know what to do. Please tell me!"
Shisui bowed solemnly.
"I knew I hadn't misjudged you."
Shinichi smiled in satisfaction. "On the surface, the Uchiha Clan's problems seem to stem from the Nine-Tails' Rampage, but their root cause is the will left behind by the Second Hokage."
"Even if we found the true culprit behind the Nine-Tails' Rampage, the Uchiha Clan's standing in the village wouldn't change much. As long as the Uchiha Clan continues to monopolize the Konoha Military Police Force, this problem will never be resolved."
"Your clan leader, Fugaku, also loves peace, but his abilities are limited. He simply can't break free of this predicament. So from this moment on, you must trust me without reservation. I, Hatake Shinichi, promise you that I will help the Uchiha Clan escape this crisis and live peacefully with the villagers."
At that moment, Shinichi's expression was utterly sincere. Every word came from his heart.
Since he had come to this Naruto world, he had to change a few things. Averting the Uchiha Clan's tragic annihilation was also on his list of goals!
Perhaps it was his genuine sincerity that instantly pushed [Talk no Jutsu King] to its full power!
Shisui cast aside every doubt in his heart and decided to trust the young man from the Hatake Clan wholeheartedly.
Even Shisui himself couldn't understand it. They had only met today, yet he trusted Shinichi so deeply. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that he could truly feel Shinichi's determination to save the Uchiha Clan.
"Shinichi, I'm counting on you!"
With a resolute expression, Shisui bowed again.
The two then exchanged information.
Notably, Shisui had already awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan.
He even told Shinichi everything about his ability, "Kotoamatsukami," holding nothing back. That alone showed just how much he trusted Shinichi now.
"Shisui, I will never betray your trust."
Shinichi spoke with some emotion.
It seemed the power produced by the converted [Talk no Jutsu King], combined with his genuine sincerity, was truly astonishing.
Given how much Shisui trusted him now, he might not even refuse if Shinichi asked him to go to his death.
Of course, Shinichi would never do such a thing.
In his previous life, "Kotoamatsukami" had been hailed as the strongest genjutsu. Its importance was beyond question, and he would need Shisui to carry out a crucial task in the future.
That was also why he repeatedly warned Shisui never to use "Kotoamatsukami" lightly without his permission. The ability's cooldown was simply too long-easily more than a decade.
Such a valuable asset had to be saved for where it mattered most. He absolutely couldn't let this opportunity go to waste.
In any case, Shinichi had now truly won Shisui over. Tonight's gains had been tremendous!
Before you continue