Uchiha Kai spoke freely.
Long before leaving Konoha, he had already prepared for this moment.
A lone hero can't stand without allies.
Even in a world of high-level shinobi, he needed true companions. And he had never forgotten how kind Shisui had been to him back in Konoha.
He wasn't someone cold-blooded or ungrateful.
As long as there was a chance, he had to help Shisui once.
In this situation, there was no way to hide certain truths.
He might be cautious, but he wasn't a coward.
Even knowing that Shisui might lose control, Kai was willing to shoulder the necessary risks.
Not to mention—
After that deep talk with Nara Kazama, his plans for the future had become clearer than ever. Right now, he decided to push a little harder, to take a gamble and try to speak more openly with Shisui.
As long as he controlled the pace and guided the conversation little by little, he believed—
Even if Shisui had been brainwashed by Sarutobi Hiruzen, he could slowly pull him back.
After all, Shisui wasn't mindless. He'd only been misled.
Besides, Kai hadn't badmouthed the Hokage at all. He was only commenting on the Uchiha clan. The odds of Shisui running to the Hokage to report him were low.
He had already tested this once.
Before leaving Konoha, he had revealed some things to Shisui.
If Shisui had tattled, Hiruzen would have taken action against him by now.
Since the first attempt had passed safely, why not a second?
With that thought, Kai narrowed his eyes, staring at Shisui's bewildered expression.
Yes—
At that moment, Shisui's mind was blank.
He had never expected Kai's evaluation of the clan to be like this.
His brows furrowed tightly as he spoke.
"I… don't understand.
Kai, why do you say that?"
Kai sighed deeply.
Looking into Shisui's eyes, he spoke in a low, somber tone.
"First—the so-called radicals.
In my eyes, they're a joke.
Shisui, you must understand: a dog that bites doesn't bark.
If they truly intended to rebel by force, they wouldn't be shouting it every day.
They'd keep their mouths shut, bow low, act like dogs—wait for the Hokage to relax his guard—then strike ruthlessly, cutting down every enemy in one blow.
But our so-called 'radicals'?
They shout loudly, but don't dare lift a hand.
They don't even dare quietly assassinate a few of the Hokage's men.
Think about it yourself.
They've been shouting rebellion for years—have they made any preparations?
No. Nothing at all.
All they want is to rally some clan support, to compete for power with Fugaku.
And the moderates? They're the same.
They think, 'With the radicals raising a fuss, the village will try harder to woo us.'
Strip it down—it's still just a power struggle.
But both sides fail to realize—
To the village, their slogans aren't just slogans.
Do they really think the ruling faction can ignore daily chants of 'rebellion'?
Especially when it's the Uchiha—a clan of unstable people who could snap at any moment.
And our clan head, Fugaku? He's the worst of them all.
If there were no external threat, then fine—play your little balancing games, pit factions against each other, keep the power in your hands.
But now?
The village already hates the Uchiha this much. Whether we choose to rebel or submit, the least a clan head should do is pick a direction and consolidate power.
Only with true control over the Uchiha can you negotiate with the village.
But Fugaku?
He's either indecisive or still clinging to his balance games. All this time as clan head—and he hasn't made a single real move.
Instead, he lets the internal strife run wild, draining away the little strength we have left.
The whole clan is full of idiots.
And me? I'm not stupid. Why would I waste my time playing with fools?"
"Hiss—"
Shisui sucked in a sharp breath.
Could it be true?
The radicals had never really planned to rebel—they just wanted power?
He had never looked at it that way before.
But now, seeing it through Kai's perspective, so many of the contradictions that had puzzled him suddenly made sense.
Still… if that was true, then what had all his years of effort been for?
He felt utterly lost.
But after a moment of silence, he blurted out in confusion:
"Wait—that doesn't add up!
If the radicals are only shouting slogans, then why do you say the Uchiha will inevitably be exterminated?
That doesn't make sense!"
Yes—
To Shisui, this was a paradox.
If what Kai said was true, then he could just inform the village of the truth.
The tension between Konoha and the Uchiha would ease drastically.
Wouldn't that be a good thing?
So why had Kai insisted that the Uchiha were doomed to destruction?
Kai's voice turned low and faint.
"Do you know what the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, said when he captured the Nine-Tails?"
Shisui froze.
These past years, he'd been too busy running between the clan and the village. He had no time to dig into such history.
So he could only shake his head helplessly.
"What did the First say?"
Kai's eyes narrowed. His words came out flat and cold.
'You're too strong.'
After a pause, his tone grew darker.
"The Nine-Tails wasn't always this violent.
Back then, it was just a happy little fox.
It lived freely in the ninja world—eating hotpot, singing songs—never harming a single human.
Then one day, Senju Hashirama appeared before it.
He said, 'Your power is too great, so I have to seal you.'
The Nine-Tails was stunned.
Too strong? That's my crime? I never hurt anyone.
But Hashirama didn't care. He slapped the fox unconscious and stuffed it into his wife, Uzumaki Mito.
Now tell me—if you were the Nine-Tails, wouldn't you be furious?
What kind of logic is that?
'I'm strong, so I must be locked away'?
If Hashirama was so strong, why didn't he seal himself?
That's why, no matter whose Jinchuriki it inhabits, the Nine-Tails will always dream of destroying Konoha."
Shisui was dumbstruck.
He had never considered that the First Hokage's sealing of the Nine-Tails might have played out like this.
But thinking about it—if he were in the fox's place, he'd be enraged too.
"Wait, no!" Shisui protested. "We were talking about the clan. Why are you suddenly bringing up the Nine-Tails?"
"The logic is the same."
Kai's voice was calm.
"To the village, the Uchiha are too strong.
Especially with the Sharingan—power that defies reason itself.
Even a weak Uchiha, once consumed by anger or grief, can awaken it in an instant.
Too strong. Too unstable.
If that were the only problem, perhaps the village could tolerate it.
But add to that the Uchiha's defiance—their open talk of overthrowing Hiruzen to claim the Hokage's seat themselves—
If you were in the village's shoes, wouldn't you panic?
The truth is, even without the Uchiha, Konoha would still stand. Weakened, yes—but not destroyed.
And if that's the case… well, you understand."
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