Chapter 15 Change History
It had already been more than a month since the Academy term began.
During that time, it also took a while before Shisui began formally teaching him. Meanwhile, the atmosphere within the Uchiha clan was gradually growing more tense by the day.
At this rate, Makoto feared that the clan might attempt a rebellion much sooner than expected.
This was what unsettled him—something didn't line up. He felt as though he was overlooking something crucial.
The Uchiha massacre took place when Sasuke was still attending the Academy. But now, the signs of the clan's uprising seemed to be appearing earlier.
There were only two possible explanations, Makoto reasoned.
The first was that something in the timeline had already changed. His own arrival—Uchiha Makoto, a traveler from another world—might have triggered a butterfly effect. But he doubted his presence alone had such weight, especially since no drastic events had happened recently.
The second possibility was that, in the original timeline, the Uchiha had already begun laying the foundations of their coup at this very stage, but for some reason the actual outbreak was delayed—leading to Sasuke becoming an orphan while still in school.
During his training with Shisui, Makoto also had the chance to meet Uchiha Itachi—the very shinobi who would one day carry out the clan's annihilation.
Itachi's heart was sharp and perceptive. He could already sense the subtle hostility directed at him by some of the Academy children, though he brushed it off. Perhaps it was simply because he occasionally interrupted Makoto's time with Shisui.
To Makoto, this young man with the faint tear troughs beneath his eyes hardly resembled the cold-blooded murderer of the clan. Aside from his calm, detached expression—which sometimes made Makoto uneasy—there was nothing monstrous about him.
Shisui and Itachi's training bouts felt like contests between brothers. Their age difference was slight—Shisui, though older, was still not yet an adult. Yet both already stood out as prodigies among the Uchiha.
Though Makoto initially harbored resentment toward Itachi, he couldn't help but admire his genius. Why would someone like him ever turn his blade against his kin?
Wait… a sudden thought struck him.
If Itachi slaughtered the Uchiha two years later… where was Shisui at that time?
Shisui, who had sworn to protect both the clan and the village, would never allow Itachi to massacre his family—unless… he was no longer alive.
A dreadful realization settled in Makoto's chest: Shisui's death must have occurred before the massacre.
Could it be that Shisui's death this very year was what caused the clan's rebellion to be delayed? The more he thought about it, the more sense it made.
That must be the truth.
And when Itachi lost his only true confidant, he shouldered both the burden of the clan and the orders of the village, until, for reasons Makoto now suspected, he became the executioner of his people, sparing only his younger brother Sasuke.
Perhaps… Konoha itself interfered.
Makoto's chest grew heavy, sinking with unease.
Though he had only been with Shisui for a short time, this bright and warm young man had already treated him as both apprentice and family. To Makoto, Shisui had become the older brother he never had.
"Makoto, want to grab some dango together? Itachi recommended these three-colored ones—they're surprisingly good."
Shisui smiled as he held out a skewer of dango to him after training.
"Well, I wouldn't mind barbecue after today's session," Makoto replied.
Shisui patted his bulging purse with a grin. "I've saved plenty of mission pay recently. Don't hold back."
Scenes of Shisui's kindness flickered through Makoto's mind, as though they had all just happened moments ago.
No—he could not allow Shisui to die.
Not only because Shisui was the one who treated him best, but also because, from a purely practical standpoint, Shisui was his mentor and a powerful ally. With his strength and character, he could be brought into Makoto's own future organization, "Red," to reshape the shinobi world.
But even knowing Shisui's fate, Makoto did not know the exact time or the hand that would strike him down.
Even if he revealed the truth outright, who would believe such a claim? Simply telling Shisui he was in danger would be useless.
The more he thought, the more Makoto's suspicions turned toward Konoha's higher-ups.
He already knew Shisui was an Anbu captain, serving directly under the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
As such a renowned shinobi, respected by the entire clan, Shisui could hardly be killed by his own people.
Then the conclusion became clear—the ones behind his death must be from the Hokage's side.
Perhaps… the culprit was none other than the Third Hokage himself.
Makoto clenched his fists. The water in Konohagakure ran far deeper than he could yet grasp.
Uchiha Makoto was still thinking about tomorrow afternoon's training. After finishing the day's practice with Tenten and the others at the Academy, he planned to seek out Shisui again.
But no matter what, one truth weighed heavily in his mind—history had to be changed. Shisui must survive.
His gaze fell to the words projected before him in the "Ancient Matters," the mysterious system that tracked his progress. By now, Shisui had already taught him several techniques.
Name: Uchiha Makoto
Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan (Single Tomoe)
Shinobi Rank: Genin-level
Ninjutsu:
Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Claw Red
Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
Genjutsu: Sharingan Genjutsu
Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique
Shadow Clone Technique
Clone Technique
Transformation Technique
Substitution Jutsu
Coir Cloak Concealment Technique
Shurikenjutsu
The "Phoenix Flower Claw Red" was his own attempt to combine Phoenix Fire Jutsu with shuriken before Shisui corrected and refined it into a usable form.
The Shadow Clone Technique, unlike the basic Clone Jutsu taught at the Academy, produced real physical copies capable of independent thought and combat. Makoto had insisted Shisui teach him after realizing how useless the ordinary Clone Technique was in a real battle. But Shisui had also warned him: the Shadow Clone splits one's chakra evenly among the copies, which for someone with low reserves could be crippling.
Makoto clenched his fist. I need to increase my chakra capacity.
The "Ancient Matters" panel still evaluated him as no more than Genin-level. With chakra so shallow, there was no way he could stand alongside Shisui, let alone change fate.
But the question gnawed at him: other than the natural growth of the body with age, was there any way to increase chakra more quickly?
Turning to the next page of the book he had borrowed from the clan library, he found an explanation:
"In addition, some shinobi naturally possess more chakra than the average person."
"They are often either members of kekkei genkai clans or jinchūriki."
"Those who inherit bloodline limits usually have stronger chakra reserves, and their dōjutsu or special abilities further enhance their overall strength."
"Jinchūriki are those who have a tailed beast or its chakra sealed within them. By drawing upon the power of the beast, a strong jinchūriki can greatly expand their chakra pool."
Makoto frowned as he finished reading. The book cut off abruptly, providing little detail about jinchūriki or the tailed beasts themselves.
So that's what it is… a jinchūriki and a tailed beast. Isn't a tailed beast basically like a built-in chakra battery?
The thought flashed through his mind. If I became a jinchūriki, I could instantly solve my problem of low chakra reserves.
Of course, in Konoha, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki was already known—Uzumaki Naruto, the very protagonist of this world.
And that was where the real trouble began. How could he possibly transfer the Kyūbi from Naruto's body?
Jinchūriki weren't just individuals—they were living weapons, national military assets. A single tailed beast was considered equal to an entire hidden village's strength. Their hosts were monitored constantly. On top of that, Makoto was Uchiha—part of a clan already under suspicion from the village leadership.
Trying to take the Nine-Tails would be suicide.
The thought gave him a headache. This is far too difficult.
He exhaled slowly and shook his head. Forget it. For now, I'll focus on finding a way to get closer to Naruto after I meet with Shisui tomorrow.