Shisui rolled his eyes at Kai's words.
Give up?
Even now, with confusion gnawing at him, the idea of giving up had never once entered his heart.
And yet—
After listening to Uchiha Kai's long, relentless explanation, Shisui suddenly felt as though his entire worldview had collapsed.
Never had he realized just how dire the Uchiha clan's situation had become.
And the Sarutobi clan…
He recalled the times he had gone to visit Sarutobi Hiruzen to report on the clan's condition. Along the way, he often caught glimpses of the Sarutobi compound.
Houses packed tightly together. Ninjas everywhere.
Back then, he had only thought: As expected of Hokage-sama's family—how prosperous!
But now, looking back…
Wait.
When Konoha was first founded, the Sarutobi were just a minor clan.
How many years had Hiruzen even been Hokage? How could the Sarutobi clan suddenly grow so large? Where did the wealth come from to raise so many shinobi?
Kai had given him the answer.
The village treasury.
He thought of the Uchiha Police Force—always scraping by, their funding cut year after year.
And yet, the Fire Daimyo allocated over two billion Ryo annually to Konoha. Where had all that money gone?
The village itself hadn't improved. If anything, it was in decline.
Mission rewards? Those were paid by clients—the village didn't spend a coin, and even skimmed a portion off the top.
Konoha Hospital? A drop in the bucket.
The Anbu? Costly, yes, but tens of millions at most.
Interrogation Division? Mission Hall? Academy?
None of those required significant funding.
Only war consumed money—kunai, tags, supplies.
But wars always came with special allocations from the Daimyo!
So again—where had the regular funds gone?
Shisui didn't want to believe it, but deep down he knew Kai wasn't lying.
The money had been swallowed by Hiruzen and his allies, poured into raising their own clans' shinobi.
A bitter sigh escaped him.
Thinking back to all he had done before… he actually felt a chill of fear.
The Uchiha are already in decline—and I put my faith in such a Hokage. If this continues, what will become of us…?
"Is there really no way?" Shisui whispered.
Kai only shrugged.
"I'm just a child. The fate of the Uchiha clan isn't really my concern.
But you, Shisui—you've treated me well. I don't want to see you walk the wrong path and throw your life away.
You're my friend. I have to keep you alive."
Shisui gave a wry smile.
Never had he imagined that this boy—someone he had always worried over and treated like a younger brother—would see him that way instead.
But the more he thought about it, the more it seemed true.
In front of Kai, he was the child.
His ideals—too naïve, too unrealistic.
What now?
He knew Kai's view of the clan couldn't be changed overnight.
But he himself… he loved the Uchiha. As the descendant of Uchiha Kagami, he had a duty to fight for their future.
After a long silence, he finally spoke again:
"Kai, I won't force you.
But I have my own goal. If you really consider me a friend—give me some advice.
What should I do?"
Yes.
He was lost.
He had just realized his entire path so far had been wrong.
Now, more than anything, he needed a new road—one that led toward a future.
On the other side, Kai was momentarily taken aback.
He hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.
Is Shisui actually this easy to sway?
Then again—thinking of Shisui in the original story, he really had no one to rely on. Even Itachi, his "kindred spirit," could never offer him guidance.
In fact, Itachi himself needed guidance.
But now, with Kai present, Shisui—kindhearted, devoted to the clan—wasn't radical.
If you gave him a convincing argument, he would listen.
In that sense, he was far better than that "dutiful son" Itachi.
"Shisui, it won't be easy." Kai sighed. "For the Uchiha, only by breaking everything apart can we rebuild anew."
But Shisui simply shook his head.
"I don't care. As long as there's a road forward."
"…Fine."
Kai thought deeply for a moment, then began slowly:
"To truly change the Uchiha, the first step is unifying the clan's voice.
There must be only one voice.
To achieve that, you need your own faction—power to challenge the other two.
What you need now is a clear doctrine, something others can rally behind.
This first step is the hardest.
But once you succeed… the next steps won't be easier. You'll need to be ruthless.
Divide, manipulate, use every scheme possible—until the other two factions are destroyed and your own grows strong.
That means framing, propaganda, deliberate provocations…
For example, spark a conflict between them, then at the crucial moment assassinate someone and pin it on the other side, forcing them to fight.
When both are weakened, make sure their leaders 'accidentally' die—or at least are crippled.
Then launch a smear campaign, just like what was done to Hatake Sakumo. Destroy their reputations completely.
Finally, clean up the mess, swallow the remnants, and force Fugaku to step down.
Only when you've united the Uchiha under a single banner will you barely earn the right to negotiate with the village.
As for what comes after… that's a problem for later."
Shisui trembled all over.
His scalp prickled, his mind went blank.
Yes, he wanted to change the clan—but not through this.
"This… this is far too ruthless!" he protested. "Does it really have to be like this? Can't it be done more gently?"
Kai rolled his eyes.
"This is a power struggle, Shisui.
You need to understand—power isn't a dinner invitation. If you want to hold the reins of the Uchiha, you'll be shattering other people's livelihoods.
They won't sit idle—they'll fight you to the death. This is a matter of survival!
If you don't have the resolve, then give up now.
Look at Hatake Sakumo—that's what happens to those who remain 'kind' in a struggle for power.
In battles like these, there is no good or evil.
The victor takes everything."
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