So, forget it!
Uchiha Jin sighed inwardly, then forced a smile.
"What are you apologizing for?"
"I know you're usually busy. You're a shinobi — that's perfectly normal."
He stepped aside and gestured politely.
"Don't just stand there. Come in — let's talk."
Shisui nodded and entered, along with the quiet Uchiha clansman accompanying him.
The house was small and plainly furnished, almost austere. Shisui's brows furrowed slightly, but he said nothing as they entered the living room.
Uchiha Jin brewed a pot of tea, then handed a cup to Shisui.
"Here. Have some tea."
Shisui accepted it but remained quiet for a moment before speaking.
"How have you been these past few years? And… why did I see you eating at Ichiraku Ramen this morning?"
Ah. So it was confirmed.
The surveillance he'd felt earlier really had been Shisui.
Jin exhaled softly, deciding not to hide anything.
"Eating," he said simply.
"When my parents died on a mission eight years ago, I was too young to support myself. Ichiraku was cheap, so I started eating there.
"You know how it is — my parents' inheritance wasn't much, and I'm not a genius. I wouldn't have been able to earn mission pay until I graduated from the Academy. So I went to Teuchi-san and asked if I could eat there regularly — maybe even get a discount for being a long-term customer."
A faint smile tugged at Jin's lips as he continued.
"Teuchi-san has a kind heart. Even if the shop wasn't open, he'd feed me. For lunch and dinner, he only charged me the cost, sometimes less. I owe him a lot. Honestly, I see him as a father."
Shisui froze, his eyes widening.
He had never imagined Jin had lived this way for so many years.
But something didn't add up. His father's death had been around the same time as Jin's parents', yet he himself had been taken care of since childhood.
"Wait," Shisui said, unable to hide his confusion. "Doesn't the clan have an orphanage for our children? As far as I know, any Uchiha who loses both parents is cared for.
"And your parents… they sacrificed themselves on a mission for the clan. You should have been given priority. Why were you left like this?"
Jin stayed silent for a long moment, then finally spoke in a quiet, calm voice.
"The reason is simple."
"My parents were loyal to your grandfather, Uchiha Kagami. After Kagami-dono died, his followers were purged.
"You can check for yourself — the children of those who served him… most of them lived even worse lives than I did."
Shisui's breath caught.
His face turned pale. His hands trembled as he set the teacup down.
Jin sighed softly.
In the original timeline, he remembered that only Shisui and Itachi had stood against the clan's coup. The old comrades of Uchiha Kagami — those still alive — hadn't supported Shisui at all.
In his past life, he hadn't understood why.
But after transmigrating, he understood immediately.
Kagami's loyalists had been purged after his death. Most had died on dangerous missions, and their children either never reached adulthood or grew up resentful.
Why would they support Shisui?
Only Jin himself, with two lifetimes of memories, understood that Kagami and Shisui had been good people. His parents hadn't been wrong to follow Kagami — they simply hadn't expected him to die so young.
And Shisui?
He had been just a child back then. None of this was his fault.
Jin had never resented him. But he had kept his distance — because he understood how dangerous "plot characters" were to his quiet, safe life.
It was easier to avoid trouble.
Shisui, meanwhile, was visibly shaken.
"No," he said through clenched teeth.
"That's not right."
"How could the clan do this?"
"Those bastards!"
Creak.
His gentle nature was overshadowed by fury. His Sharingan spun to life, the tomoe rotating rapidly until the air in the room seemed to thicken.
Jin stiffened.
Even Shisui, the most kind-hearted of the Uchiha, had been driven to rage — and his killing intent was palpable.
And his Sharingan…
Was it evolving?
Jin's mind raced.
If Shisui awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan here, in his home, it would draw attention from the entire clan — and possibly the Hokage and Danzo as well.
If that happened, there was no way Jin could stay "low-key."
No way he could hide.
This was bad. Really bad.