Chapter 469: Illusion Kill
After Shisui left Mugetsu's house, he went home first. He wrote down the arguments he would use to refute Elder Shin's proposal, then headed straight to Fugaku's residence.
The next clan meeting would be held in a week. Shisui needed to move fast, leaving as much time as possible in case something unexpected happened.
"Shisui, have you run into trouble?" Fugaku asked.
It was nearly ten at night. Showing up unannounced at this hour was clearly not a social visit.
"Uncle Fugaku, Elder Shin's proposal cannot succeed," Shisui said without hesitation. "I want to stop him at the next clan meeting."
From Shisui's observation and Teacher Mugetsu's analysis, Fugaku could be a powerful ally. So Shisui did not waste time with pleasantries. He stated his intent directly.
"Elder Shin's idea does lack consideration, and the feasibility is extremely low," Fugaku replied, choosing his words carefully.
Then he continued, tone calm.
"It's good that you have this intention, Shisui, but this isn't something you need to carry on your shoulders yet. What you should do now is train, grow stronger, and that will be enough."
Fugaku did not want Shisui pulled into the struggle between hawks and doves. Both factions were Uchiha. A genius like Shisui should focus on training and becoming strong enough to support the clan, not get tangled in internal conflict.
"Uncle Fugaku, please hear me out first," Shisui said calmly.
Even after Fugaku's words, Shisui did not rush to prove himself. His expression stayed composed.
Seeing that calm face, Fugaku suddenly thought of Kagami. A strange emotion rose in his chest. He finally closed his mouth and simply watched Shisui.
Even if Shisui's plan turned out to be unrealistic, the worst outcome would be the loss of a few minutes. That was not a real price.
"I know my reputation as a genius is not enough to oppose Elder Shin," Shisui said. "But the Uchiha respect strength above all else. So I want to defeat Elder Shin in a fair battle and gain a status equal to his."
This was the first step, and the most crucial one. It decided whether Shisui could stop Shin now, and it would also shape Shisui's influence in the clan moving forward.
"You want to challenge Elder Shin?" Fugaku shook his head slightly. "Putting aside whether you can win, even if you do, it may not necessarily…"
Shin was an elder. That meant he had the strength to match his title. He was an experienced jonin with a three tomoe Sharingan.
"Uncle Fugaku, please let me finish," Shisui interrupted.
He understood Fugaku's doubt.
His opponent was an elder revered by the clan. In shinobi experience and life experience, Shin dwarfed him. On paper, it was nearly impossible for an eight year old, no matter how talented, to defeat him and then overturn his proposal through words.
But Shisui's confidence was solid.
Teacher Mugetsu had helped refine the plan. The only point of failure was if Shisui could not win the fight.
"I'm a younger junior," Shisui continued. "If I challenge him directly and lose, my reputation won't really suffer. But if Elder Shin loses to me, he loses face. That would sharpen the clan's internal conflict. Considering that, I need your help."
Now that Fugaku had stopped interrupting, Shisui explained Teacher Mugetsu's plan in full. The tournament. The framing. The "coincidence" that would place Shisui against Shin without an open challenge.
Fugaku was surprised.
He had not expected Shisui to think so far ahead, even considering how a direct challenge would humiliate an elder and worsen the clan's divisions.
That tournament plan made Fugaku look at Shisui differently.
Where did this child learn such intricate strategy?
It made Shisui feel almost unlike an Uchiha.
Only then did Fugaku begin to seriously assess the feasibility of Shisui's entire plan.
"Once the preliminary work is done, I'll formally refute Elder Shin at the clan meeting," Shisui said. He handed over the documents he had prepared.
Fugaku read them.
And as he did, his gaze changed again.
If Shisui did not die young, the Uchiha might truly return to their former glory.
That thought came uninvited, but it was impossible to ignore.
What Shisui showed tonight affected Fugaku more than any report of battlefield achievements.
Geniuses existed in every era, across the shinobi world. Shisui was one of them.
But this was not just strength.
Shisui's knowledge, his thinking, and his awareness were not what an ordinary eight year old boy should possess.
Eight year old Fugaku would not have produced such a plan. He would not even have considered an elder's reputation and the consequences of bruising it.
"Uncle Fugaku, I'm finished," Shisui said, watching him quietly.
As long as Fugaku stood for the clan as a whole, he would have to help. Helping Shisui now meant helping the Uchiha.
"I owe you an apology," Fugaku said instead of answering immediately. "For interrupting you earlier."
He understood now. Shisui was not acting on impulse. He truly wanted to do something for the clan, and he had thought it through carefully.
"You won't need to worry about anything moving forward," Fugaku said, voice deep. "Just prepare for the battle."
With a plan this detailed, Fugaku simply had to use his authority as clan head.
Then, after a moment, he added, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Even if you lose, I have a backup plan."
Shisui needed to defeat Shin to gain equal standing. But Fugaku did not need to rely on something so complicated. He also feared that if Shisui lost by accident, the blow might break his spirit, and that would be a far greater loss to the clan than Shin's unrealistic proposal.
"I will win," Shisui said firmly.
This battle mattered too much. He could not afford to lose.
Fugaku nodded, offering silent encouragement. Since Shisui spoke with that certainty, comforting him further would be disrespectful.
The next day, Fugaku summoned the Uchiha's high ranking members to discuss the tournament.
The clan was naturally martial. Even though Fugaku's proposal was sudden, no elder objected.
Among them, Shin supported it most strongly. He even said that if other elders were busy, he could personally take full responsibility for guiding the participants.
Naturally, the other elders refused. If Shin handled it alone, things would absolutely go wrong.
"As long as I show strength and generosity, more clan members will support me," Shin calculated, his thoughts sharp and cold.
While Fugaku moved, Shisui moved as well.
Before the tournament began, Shisui sought out Teacher Mugetsu for special training, making one final push for the plan.
A few days could not create a breakthrough in raw power. Unless one comprehended the Transparent World, a sudden leap was impossible.
And the Transparent World was the ultimate mastery of a Breathing Technique. Among Mugetsu's disciples, only Kakashi had grasped it so far. Shisui did not aim to increase raw strength.
He aimed to refine his overall combat ability.
For several days, Shisui fought Mugetsu's main body over and over. Each battle ended with healing and rest, then another battle.
In a single day, Shisui experienced countless "injury postures."
He was instantly killed by consecutive Flying Thunder God teleports.
He was crushed by Mugetsu's high output ninjutsu.
He was beaten down by Mugetsu's taijutsu until his vision blurred.
If Mugetsu had not been able to use Transformation to become Tsunade for healing, Shisui would likely have been covered in permanent scars by now.
Those days of high pressure training forged Shisui's resilience into something sharp.
On the day before the tournament, Shisui even challenged Guy once.
He lost, but he could feel the improvement in his bones.
"Teacher Mugetsu, thank you for putting up with me," Shisui said sincerely.
He truly felt he had troubled Mugetsu.
This special training did not only test Shisui's endurance. It demanded extraordinary control from Mugetsu.
Mugetsu had to maintain strength that created crushing pressure without completely disabling Shisui. His attacks had to be severe enough to injure Shisui, but never cross the line into killing him.
Constantly controlling output like that consumed tremendous mental energy. In some ways, it could be more exhausting than an ordinary fight.
"How can a teacher teaching his disciple be called trouble?" Mugetsu smiled gently.
Then Mugetsu reached into his ninja tool pouch and took out an iron spoon. He handed it to Shisui.
"This is a ninja tool that enhances the effect of Yin Release techniques," Mugetsu explained. "When you use it, inject chakra into it. The more chakra you pour in, the stronger the amplification. Use it wisely in battle."
This was the reward Mugetsu had drawn when Shisui became a jonin.
He had not given it earlier because the other disciples only received eggs. If Shisui received both an egg and a tool, it would stand out too much. So Mugetsu had waited.
Shisui accepted the bent spoon, studying it with curiosity.
He had not expected such an ordinary looking spoon to be a ninja tool, and with such a strange effect.
"I won't let Teacher Mugetsu's teaching go to waste," Shisui swore silently, his desire to win surging even higher.
He had already asked so much of his teacher. Losing now would be unforgivable.
[System: You gifted the ninja tool, Bent Spoon. Due to your disciple's immense gratitude, the reward was a critical hit. You received Earth Release: Earth Flow Divide (Mastery Level).]
Mugetsu nodded inwardly.
Earth Flow Divide was a solid high level Earth Release. It could restrain massive creatures like Tailed Beasts, and when used against people, its offensive power was formidable.
That night, Shisui experimented with the Bent Spoon and discovered something even better.
It was simple. Crude. No hidden technique, no complicated mechanism. Pure amplification.
And it did not even need to be held.
As long as it was on his person, as long as he could inject chakra into it, it would work.
On the day the tournament began, the training ground buzzed with anticipation.
Fugaku stood before all participants alongside several Uchiha high ranking members and delivered the opening remarks.
"For a shinobi, the most important thing is strength," Fugaku said solemnly. "Strength allows you to overcome every difficulty."
"Today, we will hold the first Uchiha Ninja Tournament. Battles will be decided by lottery. The top eight will all receive ranking rewards. The top four will receive guidance from an elder on the spot."
"Whether you seek power or rewards, fight with everything you have."
Fugaku did not say much more. The Uchiha did not favor long speeches before an event.
Even so, the Uchiha present were fired up, eyes bright with fighting spirit.
The shortest and youngest among them, Shisui, drew the most attention.
No one dared underestimate him.
He was one of the few jonin in the tournament, and he had a record of facing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist directly.
"As long as I defeat Shisui, I'll take first place," Yawei thought, scanning the crowd. "No one else will be a real opponent."
The Uchiha had many jonin, but a large number were from the same generation as the high ranking members. Even if they were weaker than the leadership, they would not lower themselves to enter a tournament just to be guided by former peers.
So very few jonin participated.
Only three.
Most contestants were chunin, with relatively few genin.
Yawei knew the other Uchiha jonin. He had defeated him before. That was why Yawei believed Shisui was the only wall in his way.
The lottery was completed quickly, and the tournament began immediately.
"Match one, Uchiha Shisui versus Inabi," the referee shouted after checking the order.
A flicker of regret crossed Inabi's face.
His goal had been to win at least two matches. He had not expected to face Shisui in the first round.
Shisui was an opponent he could not defeat. The gap between them was simply too wide.
"Inabi, that's rough," a familiar Uchiha murmured sympathetically. "Facing one of the only three jonin in round one."
With Inabi's strength, if he avoided those three, he could fight most people and win.
"Shisui," Inabi said with a smile, stepping forward anyway, "let me experience the true power of an Uchiha genius again."
His thinking was straightforward. Since he had drawn Shisui, he would test the result of his recent effort.
Shisui nodded slightly.
For his future influence, he needed victories that were decisive from start to finish.
"Begin!" the referee called.
Shisui gathered chakra into his eyes.
Both irises turned a deep crimson, and three tomoe patterns spun into clarity.
Then Shisui injected chakra into the spoon to amplify his Yin Release and cast a single glance at Inabi.
Crimson flooded Inabi's vision.
It expanded without limit.
Then his consciousness snapped away.
Thud.
When Inabi regained awareness, he was already on the ground.
Shisui stood beside him, a kunai in hand.
Silence.
The entire scene froze.
Not only the arena, but even the high ranking members and the remaining participants watching were quiet. The faint rustle of wind through the grass sounded unnaturally loud.
Everyone knew Inabi was no match for Shisui. No one believed Inabi could win.
But no one imagined Shisui would take him down instantly with a single glance.
"Wasn't Shisui known for Fire Release and Body Flicker?" someone muttered, stunned. "How is his genjutsu this strong?"
Many had watched Shisui during the Chunin Exams. He mostly crushed opponents with Fire Release. His battlefield title was Shisui of the Body Flicker.
Genjutsu did not fit the image they held of him.
"This guy is a monster," Yawei thought, cold sweat breaking across his forehead.
He felt his chances of taking first place were shrinking by the second.
He had a Sharingan too, but only two tomoe. He could not even imagine defeating a chunin like Inabi with a single glance.
"Uchiha Shisui wins!" the referee finally reacted and shouted the result.
The tournament had barely begun.
And yet Shisui had already left everyone staring at him as if he were something unreal.
.....
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