"Shisui, do you even understand what you're saying?"
While Yuhara was lounging around reading in the streets of Konoha, Shisui was instead seated in a private room within the Uchiha compound, silently facing an elder of the clan.
This elder was Uchiha Sō, and at that moment, his face was a mixture of shock and disbelief, as if he couldn't accept the words he had just heard.
Shisui had grown up under Sō's watch. Many of Shisui's ideals and beliefs had been shaped by this man, who had always treated him like a beloved junior.
Their shared belief was in harmony—peace between the Uchiha clan and the village. A world where the clan and Konoha could truly coexist.
That belief had never wavered. They had tirelessly worked toward that vision, hoping that through sincere communication with the village leadership, the Uchiha would one day be accepted, embraced, and trusted once more.
But reality had proven harsher than expected. Ever since the Nine-Tails incident, the rift between the Uchiha clan and the village had grown beyond repair. It was a rift Sō and his faction had been unable to bridge.
The clan had turned inward, frustration and resentment festering after being blamed and sidelined. The number of voices calling for action—radical, aggressive action—had grown stronger.
Sō and the other so-called doves in the clan were now marginalized, reduced to relying solely on Shisui's standing within the ANBU and his connection to the Third Hokage. They believed that through Shisui, they could keep hope alive.
After all, Shisui was a descendant of Uchiha Kagami, a man who had once stood by the Second Hokage's side. Shisui was the pride of their faction—and he had even awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Among all the Uchiha alive today, few had even reached the three-tomoe stage, much less the Mangekyō. As far as Sō knew, Shisui was the only one with such power.
Not only that, Shisui had brought the clan head's son, Uchiha Itachi, into their faction as well. That alone had given them tremendous leverage.
Still, Sō didn't particularly like Itachi. The boy's extreme loyalty to the village over the clan rubbed him the wrong way. But his faith in Shisui remained unshaken.
So when Shisui returned from a mission not to debrief but to report that he had gone on assignment with Uchiha Yuhara instead, Sō didn't question it at first.
Yuhara was undeniably talented. He had reached the three-tomoe Sharingan at a young age, and he was both Shisui's friend and classmate. However, Yuhara had always been an odd one—someone who refused to align with any faction in the clan, someone who didn't even bother to join the Police Force, instead choosing to serve as a mission ninja.
Sō had once hoped Shisui could persuade Yuhara to join them, to strengthen their influence. But he never imagined that one joint mission would lead to this.
Because now Shisui stood before him, not with a report, but with a shocking proposal—a proposal so dangerous that cold sweat had started to bead on Sō's back.
"I know exactly what I'm saying."
Shisui's voice was calm, but his eyes were resolute as he reaffirmed his words.
"I said the clan has become too divided, too chaotic. We've lost all sense of unity, and we're no longer capable of facing the challenges ahead as one."
"And the root of it all is the clan head. If it weren't for his indulgence, his hesitation, we could've been united already. Instead, we're still stuck arguing about our ideals, wasting time and energy."
The sheer conviction in Shisui's voice made even the seasoned elder tremble slightly.
As someone who had spent his life navigating the clan's treacherous internal politics, Sō knew better than anyone how fractured they had become.
But knowing and acting were two very different things.
Because what Shisui was proposing—removing Uchiha Fugaku from his position as clan head—was nothing short of a coup.
"You're being reckless!" Sō cut him off immediately, glancing around nervously before lowering his voice.
"Do you realize what you're suggesting? Taking down the clan head? That's a rebellion! That's a political uprising!"
"And even if you succeed, who do you think should take his place? Who has the qualifications? I won't deny that Fugaku has his failings—he's let the clan fall apart. But if you force consolidation now, what will that look like? The radicals, the warmongers—they're the ones with numbers!"
"No," Shisui interrupted again, firm and unwavering. "The real majority are the ordinary Uchiha."
Sō was stunned silent.
Shisui looked him in the eye and continued quietly but with force:
"Yuhara told me this: in any political system, the clan head and the elders are the executors of power—they're the top."
"But the ones who grant that power are the majority of the clan. Real authority comes from their compliance."
"If they support us instead of the radicals, then the radicals no longer have the right to claim they represent the clan."
Sō stared at Shisui, feeling as if the young man before him had changed entirely—his words sharp and cutting, his tone bordering on defiance.
Yet as much as he hated to admit it, Shisui had laid out the structure of power with terrifying clarity.
"We've been wrong all along," Shisui said after a brief pause, his voice tinged with disappointment. "All of us—radicals and doves alike."
"We've spent all our time arguing, infighting, when we should've been uniting."
"And as for the village… the Third Hokage and his advisors are the inheritors of the Second Hokage's ideology. Deep down, they've never trusted the Uchiha."
"We've failed to unify, which means we've failed to make our political demands known. We've failed to define a clear path forward."
"We're a house divided. We're disorganized. And all we've done is watch things fall apart, helpless to stop it."
"I don't know exactly how the village will act toward us in the end. But Yuhara said one thing: if we don't make them hear us—clearly and without ambiguity—then we're finished."
Sō was speechless.
As much as he wanted to deny it, every word Shisui had spoken pierced straight into the truth of the matter. He was right. The village didn't trust them. The clan was fragmented. And their indecision would destroy them.
And all of this… had been told to Shisui by Yuhara.
"It's Uchiha Yuhara, isn't it?" Sō muttered, half in disbelief.
"Yes," Shisui answered without hesitation.
"It was Yuhara who opened my eyes. He's the one who laid out the state of the village, the clan, and what must be done."
"He said only he and I have the potential to change the clan's fate. Only the two of us have what it takes to lead the Uchiha into a new future."
"But between the two of us… I believe he's the only real choice."
"He's my choice."
"And—"
Shisui took a deep breath. His voice grew even more solemn, even more decisive.
"He has the Mangekyō Sharingan too."
If you like this story, please don't shy away from adding to the collection, giving a power stone, and leaving a review.