The thought made Jin's scalp tingle. He quickly raised his hands in alarm.
"Shisui, calm down!"
"It's fine — I don't resent you."
"Besides, I'm an adult now. Please don't get so worked up!"
"Damn it, I'm begging you here!"
For a tense moment, the air was thick enough to cut with a kunai.
---
Jin was utterly bewildered.
What kind of mess was this?
Why now? Why here?
He gave a strained smile, though his thoughts were far from calm.
If this were a normal world, this would just lead to shouting, maybe a few punches thrown, and then everyone would calm down.
But this was the shinobi world.
And worse — this was the Uchiha Clan.
Negative emotions could awaken the Sharingan. For a genius like Shisui, a surge of hatred might even trigger the Mangekyō.
And if that happened here?
Goodbye, peaceful life.
Forget about lying low — the entire Uchiha Police Force and the Third Hokage's Anbu would be all over him.
He wouldn't just lose his chance to stay in the shadows — he'd lose his freedom.
---
But before Jin could say anything else, Shisui took a deep breath, his tomoe slowly returning to normal.
"Jin-kun… I'm sorry," Shisui said at last. "I was too focused on missions, on getting stronger. I didn't have time for anything else."
His eyes hardened with determination.
"But now that I know what's happened to you, I won't let it go unanswered."
"You wait here — I'll get justice for you."
Before Jin could even open his mouth, Shisui was gone — vanishing with a whisper of wind.
Body Flicker.
Damn it.
"I don't need justice!" Jin groaned aloud, flopping face-first onto the sofa.
Seriously — what a disaster.
All he wanted was to survive the Third Shinobi War, lay low, and slowly build strength.
Why was that so hard?
Sure, he had considered showing his true strength and maneuvering between Konoha and the Uchiha clan.
But with Madara still alive and lurking in the shadows, that would be suicide.
Madara didn't care about the Uchiha's survival anymore — he only cared about the Moon's Eye Plan.
If Jin stood out, he would either be forced into Madara's plan or erased as a potential threat.
And that was ignoring Hiruzen, Danzo, and the rest of the village leadership — who would absolutely "recruit" him the moment they realized his value.
No thanks.
He shook his head, pushing the thoughts away. Overthinking was pointless.
He'd deal with problems one at a time.
With a sigh, he collapsed back onto the sofa.
> Chakra +12
Fire Release +11
The familiar system notifications brought a faint smile to his face.
Yes, this was the life.
He wasn't being cowardly — he was being strategic.
---
Meanwhile, across the Uchiha compound—
"Shisui-nii! You're back?"
Young Itachi greeted him the moment he stepped into the garden.
The sight of Itachi softened Shisui's expression slightly, though his eyes still burned with anger.
"Yes," Shisui said with a small smile. "And I have seven days off. Is your father home? I need to speak with him."
Itachi tilted his head, sensing Shisui's foul mood, but said nothing.
"He's in the living room. You can go in. When you're done, will you train with me?"
Shisui ruffled his hair, smiling faintly.
"Of course."
Then, with his expression hardening again, he strode into the living room.
"Clan Head-sama."
"Shisui," Fugaku said, gesturing for him to sit.
For a rare moment, the stoic Clan Head smiled.
The more geniuses the Uchiha had, the better. And Shisui, the clan's brightest star, was someone even Fugaku treated as an equal.
"Clan Head-sama, I..."
Shisui took a deep breath, fists clenching at his sides.
For a moment, words refused to come.
Fugaku's sharp eyes narrowed.
"You seem troubled," he said, voice calm but commanding. "Speak. Whatever it is, say it plainly."