Uchiha Kai was dumbfounded.
What kind of crap was this?!
He gave a bitter laugh—why bring up something like that? Didn't Shisui know his own personality?
More importantly—
If this were another world, fine. At worst Shisui would just get angry, maybe cause a scene, and that would be it.
But this was different. This was the Naruto world—the so-called "World of the Eye." Especially the Uchiha clan: once they were hit with negative emotions, the odds of awakening their Sharingan skyrocketed.
And the guy in front of him wasn't just anyone—he was Uchiha Shisui, the clan's peerless genius.
If this ended up pushing him into awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan, Kai's life of peaceful "hiding" would be completely over.
Hide? Try doing that while both Hidden Leaf Village's upper brass and the Uchiha elders had their eyes locked on you!
While Kai was still wrestling with his thoughts, Shisui suddenly drew in a deep breath.
"Kai-kun, I'm sorry!
In the past I cared too much about training and power, and never paid attention to anything else.
But that's over. Now that I know the truth, I won't let it slide.
Wait here—I'll go demand justice for you!"
The moment he finished speaking—
In the blink of an eye, Shisui vanished.
The name "Shisui of the Body Flicker" wasn't an exaggeration.
But damn it—
Kai didn't need this kind of justice!
He had been planning to persuade Shisui further, but before he could even open his mouth, the man was already gone.
Uchiha Kai: "…"
He had a thousand curses stuck in his throat, but couldn't tell if he should even say them out loud.
This was a disaster.
All he wanted was to quietly scrape by until after the Third Shinobi World War, slowly building up enough strength for himself. Why did it have to be so hard?
He was genuinely distressed.
It wasn't like he hadn't considered showing off some strength, trying to rise step by step by playing his cards right.
But that was impossible.
Uchiha Madara, that old monster, was still alive somewhere. He had already lost all faith in the shinobi world, and now only cared about his Eye of the Moon Plan. Whether or not the Uchiha clan was exterminated, he didn't care in the slightest.
If Kai suddenly rose as an anomaly, Madara would either rope him into his plan—or erase him outright.
Not to mention the old fox Hagoromo Otsutsuki watching from the Pure Land—who knew what that schemer was thinking, or if he'd notice Kai's soul wasn't from this world?
Forget those distant threats—just Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura alone were enough to crush him at this stage.
But… whatever.
Thinking too much was pointless. He'd deal with things as they came.
With a helpless shrug, Kai collapsed back onto the sofa.
[Chakra +12]
[Fire Style +11]
[…]
As the joy of lying flat washed over him, the earlier frustration faded away. A faint smile curled his lips.
As for the future?
Let it be.
He was hiding, not cowering.
…
Meanwhile, on the other side of the village—
Shisui, seething with rage, went straight to the clan leader's residence.
"Shisui-nii, you're back from your mission?"
The moment he stepped into the yard, a young Itachi ran over.
Seeing the boy, Shisui's icy expression softened into a smile.
"Yeah, I'm done. I've even got seven days of leave this time. Is your father home? I need to see the clan head about something."
Itachi frowned slightly. Even at his age, he was a genius, and he could feel that Shisui wasn't in a good mood. But he didn't pry.
"Father's in the living room. Go ahead. When you're finished, can you take me out to play?"
Shisui chuckled, ruffled Itachi's hair, and gave a solemn nod.
Then, without delay, he headed inside.
"Clan leader."
"Ah, Shisui. Sit."
Uchiha Fugaku's face was calm, but when he saw Shisui, he smiled faintly.
As clan head, the more geniuses in the family, the happier he was. For the clan's brightest talent, Fugaku was even willing to treat him as an equal.
"Clan leader, I…"
Shisui drew in a deep breath, but hesitated.
For a moment, he didn't know how to put it into words.
Fugaku noticed his struggle and chuckled.
"Whatever's troubling you, speak freely. No matter how difficult, I'll help resolve it."
The Uchiha clan's position in Hidden Leaf Village was precarious. Naturally, Fugaku wanted to win over their geniuses. As long as it wasn't something outrageous, he would lend a hand.
Hearing that, Shisui finally unburdened himself.
Without hesitation, without embellishment, he laid out Kai's plight in full detail—his parents' deaths, the clan's cold shoulder, and the ruthless persecution of Uchiha Kagami's old subordinates and their children.
By the end, Shisui's eyes were brimming with tears.
Drawing a sharp breath, he looked straight at Fugaku, his tone almost accusatory.
"Clan leader! Even if they once followed my grandfather, that doesn't mean they should've been treated like this! Weren't they Uchiha all the same? How could they be cast aside so cruelly?
If not for Teuchi and his daughter looking after him, Kai-kun might not have even survived to adulthood!"
Shisui's voice was low and heavy.
Fugaku, however, was completely at a loss.
What? Something like that happened? He had no idea!
And it wasn't really his fault.
Yes, he was the clan head, but he was also captain of the Hidden Leaf Village Military Police. His daily workload was enormous, and most of the clan's internal affairs were left to the elders.
Besides, his power as clan leader wasn't as absolute as people assumed.
Back when Kagami was alive, leadership rested with Fugaku's father. When Kagami died, Fugaku had only just inherited the title, while in reality it was Elder Setsuna who held sway over the clan. Only in the past few years had Fugaku slowly reclaimed his authority.
So upon hearing this, he too was shocked.
"This… impossible…
I'm sorry, Shisui. This is the first I've heard of it. You know I only became clan head a few years ago—before that, Elder Setsuna was the one in charge.
But enough excuses! I'll deal with this at once. Shisui, please trust me—I'm not like those radicals."
Without another word, Fugaku rose and hurried out of the house.
Yes—he was genuinely anxious.
The Uchiha already had a weak position in Hidden Leaf Village, and with constant infighting inside the clan, now this kind of scandal too?
What next—did people want to make sure the Uchiha would be wiped out?
As clan leader, now that he knew, he had no choice but to act immediately.
Watching Fugaku rush off, Shisui couldn't help but smile faintly.
He knew it—the clan leader was a good man. A few rotten apples didn't define the whole clan.
With that matter set in motion, Shisui spent the afternoon playing with Itachi.
But just as he was leaving the compound, a masked shinobi with a rabbit mask appeared before him.
"Shisui. The Hokage summons you."