Uchiha Itachi, a young genius of the Uchiha Clan, possessed immense strength and outstanding talent. He was also one of the few who were not bound by narrow clan chauvinism. At the age of 7, he was praised by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, for being able to think from a Hokage's perspective.
As an illiterate Ninja who went to the battlefield at the age of four, the influence of the fire will was far deeper on him than on others. Now, he had already awakened his Three-Tomoe Sharingan and joined the Konoha Anbu.
By the Naka River.
Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui sat on stone stools, facing the rising sun.
This was their usual spot for training, meeting, and relaxing, but the atmosphere at this moment was incredibly heavy.
Uchiha Itachi opened a scroll, his face solemn.
The scroll depicted Uzumaki Naruto's disguise from earlier that morning: a hooded figure in a white robe with leather protective gear, an outfit completely unlike anything seen in the Ninja World.
However, his unusually tall and robust physique somewhat resembled the appearance of people from the Land of Lightning.
"To be honest, even with this drawing, it won't be of much use."
Shisui couldn't help but sigh, his expression bitter. "The opponent used a very clever Transformation Jutsu to conceal his appearance. Even I couldn't see through it; I could only detect traces of the Transformation Jutsu being used."
Uchiha Shisui only realized later why the opponent seemed to have so many weaknesses during their fight—because the opponent's original physique was not like that at all. During combat, this naturally created a sense of disharmony, making him appear full of openings.
"Even Shisui-niisan can't see through it?"
Uchiha Itachi's face showed great surprise. Uchiha Shisui had never hidden anything from Uchiha Itachi, so he naturally knew that Uchiha Shisui's eyes were not ordinary Three-Tomoe Sharingan, but Mangekyo Sharingan. Was it a Transformation Jutsu that even the Mangekyo Sharingan couldn't see through?
Uchiha Shisui nodded. "That's why this matter is so tricky. If the opponent hides in the shadows and seizes opportunities to acquire other Bloodline Limits, it could cause irreparable consequences for the Village."
Uchiha Itachi also lowered his head, his face grim, clutching the scroll tightly with both hands. He would not allow anyone to harm his beloved Village.
Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he abruptly looked up at Uchiha Shisui, gritting his teeth, his voice trembling slightly as he asked, "Shisui-niisan, is... is there nothing your eyes can do?"
Uchiha Shisui naturally understood what Uchiha Itachi meant. He had told Uchiha Itachi about his Mangekyo's ocular jutsu long ago. His left eye's Kotoamatsukami was considered the strongest genjutsu, but he also wasn't sure if this ability would work on someone who also possessed a Mangekyo, and even if it did, he wouldn't dare to try.
Because if he did, he wouldn't be able to resolve the conflict between the Village and the Uchiha.
"Itachi... I have already confessed my ocular jutsu to Lord Third, and I will use these eyes to resolve the Uchiha Clan's problem."
Uchiha Shisui's face was filled with complexity, his heart in immense pain, yet he found no way to escape it.
Sometimes, pain is not entirely due to the individual's lack of ability; it can also be due to one's own foolishness.
Uchiha Shisui was blinded by the fire will. His blind trust prevented him from seeing the true face of Hiruzen Sarutobi, who hid behind the fire will. At the same time, he couldn't abandon the family that raised him, which is why he was caught in the middle, enduring the pain alone.
One could only say that his fire will was not as pure as Uchiha Itachi's. Uchiha Itachi would not hesitate between the Village and the Uchiha. In his eyes, all Uchiha, except for Shisui and Sasuke, were arrogant, foolish, inherently evil individuals. That's why he could righteously slaughter all the old, weak, women, and children of the Uchiha in the name of the Village.
"Shisui-niisan, what do you mean?" Uchiha Itachi's face showed surprise upon hearing this.
Uchiha Shisui gritted his teeth. He knew his actions might hurt Itachi, but besides this, there was no other way to stop the Uchiha's coup.
He looked at Uchiha Itachi with an apologetic expression, saying with some self-reproach, "I'm sorry, Itachi. Yesterday, I suggested to Lord Third that I would use the Kotoamatsukami of my left eye to control Clan Head Fugaku, thereby preventing the Uchiha's coup."
After speaking, Uchiha Shisui involuntarily lowered his head, feeling very ashamed. To tell Itachi that he would turn his father into his puppet made him want to curse himself.
Besides that, he still couldn't tell the truth. That the mysterious person was from the Uchiha Clan was something he alone needed to know; the relationship between the Village and the Uchiha could not worsen any further.
...
After a long silence, Uchiha Itachi spoke. To Uchiha Shisui's surprise, Uchiha Itachi did not blame him; instead, he seemed somewhat relieved.
"Shisui-niisan, it's okay. If this can solve the Uchiha coup problem and keep the Village peaceful, it's a good thing for the Village. I think Father would also be happy about it."
Uchiha Shisui looked at his friend in a daze. He suddenly felt as if he was meeting him for the first time, his expression bewildered.
Compared to the Uchiha, Itachi seemed to care more about the Village.
Itachi...
--
It was high noon, already approaching midday.
Naruto finally woke up from his sleep, looking at the familiar yet strange ceiling, his eyes blurry, his head groggy.
There was nothing he could do; staying up late and waking up late was like this.
No choice, he was overly excited yesterday, tossing and turning until very late, and even tried Susanoo, so he overslept.
Grumble grumble--
Just as the world in front of Naruto's eyes transformed from 360p to 1080p, his stomach suddenly rumbled like a horn.
So hungry.
"Ah--ugh--"
Naruto yawned widely, took a few expired instant noodle cups from the fridge. Although they were expired, they were still edible. Of course, expired milk definitely couldn't be drunk.
"Kurama, do you think I can beat that Uchiha head-on?"
Naruto asked the Nine-Tailed in the Sealed Space while brushing his teeth.
"Ah--ugh--" The Nine-Tailed also yawned, answering without thinking, "I don't know. You two fought cautiously yesterday, it was no fun at all."
Naruto smiled, unsurprised. Although he briefly activated the Susanoo yesterday, the battle was still not satisfying enough.
Uchiha Shisui wanted to resolve him without alarming the Village, and he only wanted to test his own strength. When both sides were holding back, it was indeed difficult to determine the true gap in their strength.
"But that guy's Mangekyo, his ocular power is far above yours. I feel his Susanoo could probably reach two more stages."
"Is that so?"
Naruto wasn't surprised by this. He remembered that in the original story, the other party could activate Susanoo with one eye, so his ocular power must not be low.
"Naïve, foolish, and indecisive people are the most miserable."
"What do you mean?" The Nine-Tailed didn't understand.
"It's that Uchiha," Naruto smiled, wiped his face, and left the washroom. The hot water had just boiled, so he poured it into all the instant noodle cups and sat down to wait.
"He clearly believes in the fire will, yet he can't let go of his family. He wants to protect his family, yet he still trusts that old man, Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"You should know, everyone is hostile towards the Uchiha. If he could be lenient towards the Uchiha, how could he have held the position of Hokage for decades?"
The Nine-Tailed pondered the meaning of Naruto's words. "So you want him to help you deal with Konoha?"
"Heh."
Naruto couldn't help but scoff, saying disdainfully, "Kurama, don't you understand yet? People who have been brainwashed by the fire will are the most troublesome."
"I just want his Sharingan."
Uchiha Shisui, I've already warned you.
I hope you can keep your right eye.