After returning from the Land of Water, Shisui devoted himself entirely to training, rarely concerning himself with clan affairs anymore.
He had seen through it all.
The Uchiha—this bunch of fools—were already teetering on the edge of no salvation. Especially the older generation, who seemed hell-bent on dancing back and forth on the brink of self-destruction.
A clan like this…
Best to set it aside for now. After all, at six or seven years old, he was nowhere near strong enough to save the clan.
But…
He couldn't stop Inahori from constantly running to him.
"Shisui, at least say something. With things like this, what should we do now?"
"What else can we do? Wait. These are matters for the big names to deal with. Our worrying won't change a thing. Inahori, I think you should settle down and train too—raising your strength is the real priority."
Shisui spoke while steadily practicing his swordsmanship.
Inahori hesitated.
Strength first…
Of course he knew that. But with the Uchiha's situation as it was, he simply couldn't calm his mind. Fugaku's apparent inaction only deepened his anxiety.
Watching Shisui practice with such intense focus, he sighed.
"I really can't compare to you. In times like this, you can still focus on sword practice, but I just can't…"
"It's nothing special. I've just figured something out."
Seeing how restless he was, Shisui finally sheathed his sword, turned, and spoke seriously.
"Recently, I went on a mission with my teacher, and I realized something."
"What's that?"
Inahori was puzzled.
What kind of thing could make him this calm?
"My teacher, before the age of fifteen, was practically unknown, with no real achievements to speak of. His best moment was at fourteen, when he earned some minor merit during the war and was barely promoted to chūnin."
"Looking only at that, you could say many in our generation were far stronger than my teacher, right?"
Shisui's tone was filled with respect and admiration.
After pausing a moment, he went on without waiting for Inahori's reply:
"Judging from that time, his talent and ability were nothing special—not even 'outstanding.' And that's not even mentioning that wartime promotions were completely different from peacetime."
"That's true."
Inahori thought carefully and nodded in agreement.
During the war, with chūnin and genin dying every day, anyone with decent survival ability was quickly promoted.
Take Kakashi, for example.
He went to war at five, became a chūnin at six—one of the youngest in Konoha's history. Something impossible in peacetime.
And Kyoichi?
He entered the battlefield at twelve, but didn't become chūnin until fourteen. Compared to geniuses like Kakashi, he seemed far less gifted.
But now—
Who would dare say Kyoichi lacked talent?
"Accumulate deeply before unleashing. He spent the early years building knowledge, developing new jutsu, not scrambling for fame or hollow promotions. Maybe he didn't make a great mark on the battlefield then, but…"
"Konoha doesn't need just another chūnin or jōnin. It needs someone like the First or Second Hokage. That was my teacher's vision. Maybe what the Uchiha need now is the same."
Shisui's voice was quiet, but firm.
Inahori fell into long thought.
He couldn't deny it.
The Uchiha had no shortage of powerful shinobi. But they were all just jōnin. Not a single one like the Sannin, or the Third Hokage—and certainly none like Kanda Kyoichi, who could even stand against Madara.
That was an entirely different tier, one they could only look up to.
What the Uchiha lacked now… was exactly that.
If they had one such person, the clan wouldn't have to live so anxiously. Within the village, they'd have standing. Outside, they wouldn't have to fear Madara's shadow so much.
Looking at Shisui, Inahori felt a deep respect.
Here he was, still fretting and worrying over the clan's future. But Shisui had already seen the bigger picture.
That was the difference between them.
—A heavy silence hung in the air—
A heavy feeling welled up in Inahori's heart.
"Haha, don't take it so seriously… These are just my own thoughts."
Everyone had their own path.
As for Shisui, he still believed he had a chance at awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan…
Even if the conditions were extreme, his eyes had already reached the stage of double tomoe, his ocular power far greater than when they first awakened.
And he was only six.
The Mangekyō wasn't out of reach within his lifetime.
Even if he never achieved it, swordsmanship was still the right choice. His teacher's kenjutsu was no less powerful than many great ninjutsu, and it required no hand seals.
It was an entirely new system.
If he could grasp even seventy or eighty percent of his teacher's sword mastery, he would surpass the vast majority of jōnin. Maybe not at the Sannin's level, but enough to become a pillar of the Uchiha.
And with that…
His voice would finally carry weight.
Because at the end of the day, being ignored was all about lacking strength. With true power and a clear head, even the old fools of the clan wouldn't dare disregard him.
Just as he was about to say more, he sensed someone approaching outside. He shot Inahori a glance, and the two immediately shifted into sparring, dropping the talk.
Fugaku, that old fox…
Neither of them had any fondness for him. Whatever he was coming for, the best approach was to play dumb.
For small fry like them, sticking their heads out now was suicide.
If Fugaku sought them out, it wasn't because of their abilities, but because of the people behind them. And once the job was done, he'd just snatch the credit anyway.
Shisui didn't care about recognition, but with how little faith he had in Fugaku, he wasn't about to keep giving him chances.
As for Kyoichi…
That was a different mystery.
Just today, more odd rewards had come his way.
Strange ones, every single day.
The biggest one this time was:
[Completed "Guidance on Thought and Principles"]
[Evaluation: Good]
[Reward: Fire Release – Great Dragon Fire Technique]
That?
No doubt.
Judging from the nature of the reward, it had to be tied to the Uchiha.
After a moment of thought, Kyoichi realized it must have come from some realization on Shisui's side. Scratching his head, he recalled he hadn't actually spoken much with Shisui lately.
Truth be told…
Once he returned to the village, he practically forgot about the kid.
Couldn't be helped—
He was too busy!
Madara kept stirring trouble. Black Zetsu, White Zetsu… their appearances were only growing more frequent. He hardly had time to breathe.
Luckily, the kid was sharp.
Most of the time, he didn't need Kyoichi to say a word—he'd figure things out on his own. In fact, much of the genjutsu knowledge Kyoichi had mastered lately came straight from Shisui's side.
Forget it…
For now, the priority was figuring out how to help Nagato grow stronger, faster.
After some thought…
Tailed Beast chakra seemed like a promising option.
True, ordinary Tailed Beast chakra wouldn't turn him into a Sage like the Ten-Tails could. But it would still provide a powerful boost.
And then there was the Yin Seal.
His trouble with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was fundamentally because his chakra and body couldn't sustain it. With support from external sources, the difference could be enormous.
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