"The root of the Uchiha clan's problem lies in their hearts, in the mutual suspicion between them."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice continued, weary yet remarkably clear: "I promised you I would do my best to find a way to communicate, to find a solution acceptable to both sides."
"You should also understand that your and Itachi's joining was my choice of compromise with them, but..."
He paused there, not continuing.
But Shisui understood the unspoken words, adding in his mind: 'But the Uchiha clan's dissatisfaction and resentment have not diminished in the slightest.' Those shortsighted fools even regarded the two of them as tools to gather information on the higher-ups.
"I can also assure you now that as long as there is a glimmer of hope, I will not give up. But forcibly pressing down the lid of a boiling pot with genjutsu will only lead to a greater explosion in the end..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was still speaking, but Shisui felt a daze, his ears filled only with a buzzing sound. Every word was like a needle piercing his heart, leaving him unable to refute.
Of course, Shisui didn't genuinely want Hiashi Hyuga to use genjutsu to help the Uchiha clan. He merely wanted to test the Third Hokage's opinion of his plan to "use Kotoamatsukami to manipulate Fugaku Uchiha to quell the dispute and resolve the coup."
However, it was clear that even the Third Hokage did not approve of this plan, let alone the other three Hokage advisors who were even more wary of the Uchiha clan.
Yes, resentment, suspicion, and dissatisfaction had long filled the eyes of the clan members. Lord Fugaku was merely a banner pushed to the forefront by this torrent. As the clan head, Lord Fugaku's thoughts were important, but even more important were the wills of those clan members. Forcibly changing Lord Fugaku's will would only make him a traitor in the eyes of the clan. Even if it delayed the coup, that dissatisfaction and opposition would not disappear.
Kotoamatsukami could change Fugaku's will, but it couldn't change the deeply ingrained sentiments of the clan members, nor could it extinguish the flames of resentment burning in their hearts. They would seek new breakthroughs, more intensely, more dangerously! By then, the conflict would only erupt in an even more tragic manner!
"That's right."
"Itachi, you were wrong."
Shisui Uchiha's gaze was lost, and he thought: 'The reason I awakened these Eyes That Reflect the Heart (Mangekyo Sharingan), the reason I awakened Kotoamatsukami, wasn't because I hoped to prevent further conflict.'
'It was because I was escaping...'
'Escaping the choice between the village and the clan.'
'Escaping the most fundamental contradictions and problems between the two.'
So, what should he do? No, that's wrong, he can't escape anymore, he must not escape anymore.
"I've known the answer all along, haven't I?"
At this thought, Shisui Uchiha painfully closed his eyes. Yes, at this point, he had to make a choice. There was no longer any possibility of avoiding bloodshed or sacrifice. How to sacrifice a very small number of people to save the majority was what he needed to consider.
"Shisui, do you understand what I'm saying?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked softly.
"Yes, I understand." Shisui Uchiha's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible.
He slowly and deeply lowered his head, his black hair falling forward, covering his eyes which were once bright, but now held only cold resolve. Deep within those eyes, the Mangekyo, which he had originally intended to reveal, silently dimmed and vanished completely, as if it had never appeared. He chose to conceal his eyes and his unique ocular jutsu.
Since the village's higher-ups didn't approve of his plan, rather than speaking out and inviting potential suspicion, it was better to execute a new plan in secret.
"If I cannot save everyone," Shisui thought calmly, "then I will sacrifice the few incurable radicals, trading the smallest cost for the greatest peace..."
This was his choice. However, to complete this plan, he still needed to control Lord Fugaku to execute it. After all, those radical clan members didn't trust him and Itachi; he couldn't even lure them out to kill them.
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Shisui Uchiha lower his head, mistakenly believing that Shisui had come to his senses because of his admonition, feeling depressed and disappointed by the shattering of his fantasies.
"Shisui, I understand your intentions."
A hint of compassion surged within him, and he softened his tone, comforting: "To have a child like you, who cares for the village and considers the clan, is a blessing for both Konoha and the Uchiha clan."
"Cheer up, and strive. Seek opportunities for communication, become a bridge for communication between the village and the clan, and at the same time..."
He paused there, and then said softly: "Maintain the internal stability of the village. This is also a paramount responsibility as a Konoha ninja."
Hiruzen Sarutobi truly didn't want the Uchiha clan to cause any more trouble, especially since the recent casualties on the battlefield in the Land of Rain still pained him deeply. However, he clearly didn't realize that his words, instead, strengthened the resolve of Shisui, who had been avoiding his choices. But this was also because he was still unaware of the Uchiha clan's reasons for planning a coup. If he had known, he would have started to waver again.
"Yes, Third Hokage, I will continue to work hard."
Shisui Uchiha looked up, a smile appearing on his face, seemingly re-energized.
"Good, go."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled with relief, and Shisui stood up, bowed, and then his figure vanished before him.
In a training ground far from the Uchiha compound, Itachi Uchiha leaned against a tree, his figure almost merging with the darkness. Only the crimson eyes in the darkness testified to his current unease.
Just then, footsteps approached from a distance, light and swift. Shisui Uchiha's figure appeared before him. Their gazes met. No words were needed; a heavy understanding and resolve permeated the air.
"Itachi," Shisui's voice was low and hoarse, carrying the coldness of burning bridges: "The Third Hokage did not approve of my plan, but I did not reveal my ocular jutsu."
"I have a new plan."
Hearing that Shisui hadn't revealed his ocular jutsu, Itachi Uchiha's brows subconsciously furrowed. But upon hearing the next words, he quickly asked, "What plan?"
Shisui Uchiha looked into the distance, his gaze seemingly piercing through the darkness towards the Uchiha clan's compound.
"I plan to use 'Kotoamatsukami' to control Lord Fugaku, to make him lure out those radical clan members who are already blinded by hatred and beyond saving, and even... make him kill those clan members with his own hands."
"With the minimal sacrifice, we will achieve peace for the vast majority of the Uchiha clan, and peace for Konoha!"
Upon hearing this, Itachi Uchiha's pupils first constricted. He subconsciously lowered his head to consider the feasibility of this method, and light gradually appeared in his eyes.
However...
"Shisui," he looked at Shisui, reminding him, "Can your ocular jutsu completely override my father's own consciousness? If he retains self-awareness and awakens his eyes due to emotional stimulation..."
Seemingly surprised by Itachi's calmness, Shisui Uchiha was momentarily stunned, but soon nodded and chuckled: "Don't worry, a person controlled by Kotoamatsukami has no self-awareness."
At these words, Itachi Uchiha breathed a sigh of relief, then realized the inherent ruthlessness and cruelty of the plan, and couldn't help but be surprised by Shisui's resolve. But immediately thereafter, he felt genuine approval and admiration for Shisui's courage and responsibility—the spirit to bear the darkness, the infamy, to stain his hands with blood, and to secure a glimmer of hope for their clan.
No hesitation! No retreat!
Itachi Uchiha suddenly looked up, and an unprecedented determination flickered in his crimson Sharingan!
"Shisui!" He stepped forward, looking into Shisui's eyes, and said decisively, "I'll help you lure Father out!"
At these words, Shisui Uchiha's body subtly trembled. Looking at Itachi's unreserved trust and determination, he slowly extended his hand and heavily pressed it onto Itachi's shoulder, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly: "Good! Itachi, together!"
Two pairs of crimson Sharingan mirrored each other.
Meanwhile, in the distant darkness, listening to White Zetsu relaying the events beside him, Obito Uchiha and Zetsu fell into a long silence.
"...Wow, are all Uchiha clan members insane?"
Finally, White Zetsu, possessed by Black Zetsu, couldn't help but exclaim: "How do they manage to say such things with such a righteous air?"
Noticing Obito Uchiha glaring at it, White Zetsu raised its arm and made a zipping motion over its mouth.
"At least, we don't have to worry anymore," Black Zetsu said hoarsely. "We just need to check for gaps and let nature take its course."
"No," Obito Uchiha corrected beside him. "Don't forget, we still need Itachi Uchiha to kill his father or mother with his own hands to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan."
"But it seems now, Fugaku must be kept alive, so it can only be Mikoto Uchiha."
At these words, Black Zetsu instantly understood his meaning and gave a sinister chuckle. That's right, the other clan members mustn't discover Shisui and Itachi's actions, but Itachi Uchiha's mother must notice something abnormal. Only then could Itachi, for the sake of "justice" and to prevent the plan from being exposed, personally kill his own mother.
"Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha. One with talent and potential close to Madara Uchiha, and one born at a time consistent with Madara Uchiha's death."
Black Zetsu thought coldly: "No matter which of you is the reincarnation of Indra, you will not escape my grasp." Having collected the Uchiha clan's specific birth months and years, he had already realized the possibility of Sasuke Uchiha being Indra's reincarnation. However, he ultimately held back from Obito, not telling him this speculation, merely keeping it silently to himself.
But at this moment, neither Shisui and Itachi, who were the "cicadas," nor Zetsu and Obito, who believed themselves to be the "mantises," detected the pair of eyes observing them from the shadows.
Those were the eyes of the "oriole." The "oriole" in the phrase "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."
Hiashi Hyuga, cloaked in his shadow robe, merged into the darkness, silently taking in everything that transpired.
"Did it really happen earlier?" Hiashi Hyuga pondered. "And with new changes..."
But it didn't matter. He had never been constrained by worries about changing the original plot. If he truly worried about such things, he wouldn't have ignited the Fourth Great Ninja War. The changes to the entire ninja world's structure didn't concern him, much less the changes to the Uchiha clan massacre night.
Black Zetsu and Obito were focused on the chessboard, unaware that they had already become pieces within the game. Sitting before them, Hiashi Hyuga had long since arranged his pieces, looking up at them, waiting for them to fall into his trap.
Late at night, the darkness was like ink, thick and impenetrable.
Fugaku Uchiha's study was brightly lit, yet it couldn't dispel the heavy suppression. Fugaku Uchiha sat behind his desk, brows tightly furrowed, reviewing several scrolls concerning the purchase of clan supplies. The candlelight cast shifting shadows on his face, adding to his solemnity. Undoubtedly, the radical faction intended to acquire a batch of supplies for the upcoming coup. But their methods were too crude; even if they truly intended to prepare supplies, they should have used other, more secret routes, otherwise, once discovered...
Tap tap tap.
Just as he was pondering, a knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," Fugaku said without looking up.
The door was pushed open, and Itachi Uchiha's figure appeared at the doorway.
"Father," his expression was somewhat grim, his voice low and hesitant.
Fugaku Uchiha looked up, his gaze sweeping over his son's expression. A sense of unease rose in his heart, and he quickly pressed: "What happened?"
"Shisui, he intercepted a secret message from Root."
Itachi Uchiha's voice was deliberately lowered, carrying a hint of tension and hesitation: "Danzo seems to already know about our preparations for a coup, and, and..."
"What?" Fugaku Uchiha suddenly stood up, his face turning ashen as he sternly demanded, "And what? Speak!"
Danzo! Danzo again! That persistent old man!
"I... I can't explain it clearly," Itachi Uchiha shook his head. "The secret message is with Shisui. He told me to notify you immediately..."
Fugaku's hands rested on the tabletop, his knuckles white from gripping, feeling a surge of fear and alarm. If, if the village's higher-ups really intended to move against them...
"Go!"
At this thought, he unhesitatingly put on his clothes, his steps hurried, walking in front of Itachi Uchiha. Itachi followed behind him out of the study, gently closing the door. The moment the door closed, all anxiety in his eyes receded, leaving only cold calm.
Click.
The moment Fugaku Uchiha pushed open the door and stepped out, in the darkness outside, a pair of crimson Mangekyo Sharingan suddenly lit up! The eerie and profound patterns slowly rotated, emitting a heart-pounding power fluctuation.
Ocular Jutsu: Kotoamatsukami!
"Wh—"
Fugaku Uchiha opened his mouth, but the next moment his body stiffened. There was no earth-shattering commotion, no dazzling light. The terrifying ocular power that tampered with will was formless and colorless, instantly piercing through Fugaku Uchiha's eyes, silently invading his consciousness!
Fugaku was already mentally and physically exhausted from the radical faction's affairs, and now, struck by the sudden "bad news" and overwhelming fear, his defense against genjutsu had dropped to its lowest point. This ocular power from the Mangekyo Sharingan, like a breaking dam, instantly washed away the barriers of his mental world!
Fugaku felt his vision go dark and instantly lost consciousness. An indescribable influx of information instantly filled his mind. It wasn't sound, nor images, but an undeniable truth.
But at this moment, an invisible ripple suddenly arose, like waves spreading on the water's surface gently touched by Shisui, but someone else also gently touched the water's surface from afar, and the two ripples collided and intertwined.
In the deepest part of Fugaku Uchiha's consciousness, in the mental space about to be overwritten, a crack opened.