Konoha's Tatsuya

At the Uchiha clan compound, in the courtyard of Shisui's residence.

Drip, drip, drip...

Shisui, dragging his not-yet-fully-healed body, sat on the veranda. To his right, Itachi's small figure also sat beside him. Dense raindrops continuously fell on the trees in the courtyard, creating a long, quiet pattering sound.

"Shisui-nii, how is your injury recovering?" After the two had sat quietly on the veranda for a while, Itachi turned to Shisui and asked.

"It's much better! Don't worry, Itachi," Shisui reached out and patted Itachi's head, smiling gently.

"Shisui-nii, the atmosphere in the clan has been a little off lately..." Hearing this, Itachi's expression first relaxed, then he furrowed his brow again, his tone filled with worry.

A wry smile appeared on Shisui's face. "Even you have noticed it?"

"Yes! Kota-nii and the others seem very excited, always shouting about wanting Father to start a coup..." Itachi nodded and said.

Since Shisui's return to the village, Itachi had clearly felt that the atmosphere within the clan had changed. From the mouths of those clan elders who frequently sought an audience with his father, Itachi had heard many times their demands to launch a coup.

Shisui sighed. "It's all because of me."

A look of realization dawned on Itachi's face. "Is it because you awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, Shisui-nii?"

"Yes," Shisui nodded.

"Does the Mangekyo Sharingan really possess the legendary power?" Curiosity and a desire for knowledge flickered in Itachi's eyes.

Various legends about the Mangekyo Sharingan had always circulated within the Uchiha clan. The most recent owner of the Mangekyo Sharingan was Uchiha Madara. It was said that Uchiha Madara possessed power strong enough to contend with the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju. Even someone as mature as Itachi couldn't help but be filled with curiosity about such a peerless powerhouse who had dominated an era.

Meeting Itachi's curious gaze, Shisui sighed softly. "It's a cursed power. I wish I had never possessed it."

Hearing this, Itachi murmured quietly, "A cursed power?"

Shisui nodded. "Yes. When your Sharingan evolves from the three-tomoe Sharingan to the Mangekyo Sharingan, it is the most desperate moment of your life. Its appearance is often accompanied by a suffocating reality!"

Itachi remained silent. He heard the deep sorrow in Shisui's words.

After a moment of silence, Itachi raised his head. "Shisui-nii, will there be a war between the clan and the village?"

Shisui's expression was firm. "Itachi, don't worry. Even if I have to gamble everything, I will prevent such a thing from happening!"

"Shisui-nii!" Itachi's eyes flickered with emotion.

Thump, thump, thump...

The light rain gradually stopped, and a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the veranda. A figure appeared in their sight, and he looked at Shisui, saying, "Shisui, the clan leader is holding a clan meeting in the main house. You're the only one left!"

"Okay! I understand." Facing this clan member who had come to deliver the message, Shisui responded calmly.

"Itachi, you should go back first, too." After saying that, Shisui turned to Itachi and smiled slightly, then got up and followed the clan member away.

Behind him, Itachi watched Shisui's departing figure, a flicker of worry in his eyes. However, Itachi soon left as well. Thinking of his young little brother at home, a smile couldn't help but appear on his face.

Arriving at the main house, Shisui's gaze instantly swept over everyone inside. In the room, Clan Leader Fugaku Uchiha sat in the center with his arms crossed. Surrounding him on both sides were the elites of the Uchiha Military Police Force, more than a dozen jonin.

Seeing this, Shisui's heart couldn't help but tighten. To gather so many of the clan's jonin at once, the matter to be discussed must be extraordinary. Vaguely, Shisui could guess that this clan meeting was probably related to his Mangekyo Sharingan.

"It's Shisui."

"Shisui's here."

...

Seeing Shisui enter, everyone in the room turned their gazes to him. Some of them had unconcealed excitement on their faces, whispering to Shisui. In the eyes of most Uchiha clan members, Shisui was now the Uchiha clan's strongest fighter.

"Clan Leader," meeting everyone's gazes, Shisui approached Fugaku Uchiha. After greeting him, he silently sat down to the side.

Seeing Shisui's cold reaction, some people frowned slightly.

"Alright, since Shisui has arrived, let's officially begin today's clan meeting," Fugaku's gaze swept over Shisui lightly, and then he announced the official start of the clan meeting.

As soon as Fugaku's voice fell, an elite Uchiha jonin from the Military Police Force stepped forward and said, "Captain, we have received accurate information. In this war between the village and Kumogakure, the village lost more than thirty jonin alone. There were jonin casualties among the Hyuga, Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Aburame, and Inuzuka clans. Countless chunin and genin were killed or injured. After suffering such a great loss, the Third Hokage actually agreed to peace talks with Kumogakure. Many people in the village are dissatisfied with this. This is the best opportunity for us to seize power!"

This elite Uchiha jonin became more and more excited as he spoke, and by the end, his voice was almost a shout.

After he finished, another elite Uchiha jonin immediately and impatiently continued, "That's right! Captain, it is said that the Hokage's ANBU, which is directly under the Third Hokage's command, also suffered heavy losses this time. Now, most of the village's forces have been taken away by Jiraiya and Orochimaru and are still near the border of the Land of Fire, facing off against Kumogakure and Iwagakure. Our clan's strength wouldn't be at a disadvantage against the Third Hokage's forces. And now that Shisui has awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, our advantage is significant!"

"Yes, Captain, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our Uchiha clan!"

"Captain, let's do it!"

...

As soon as this Uchiha elite jonin finished speaking, the Uchiha in the room immediately became agitated.

Seeing this, Shisui's pupils contracted sharply.

"Shisui, is this the situation?" At the central main seat, Fugaku's expression remained unchanged. He ignored the clamoring of the Uchiha and turned his head to look at Shisui, seeking confirmation.

With that, everyone's gaze in the room once again focused on Shisui. Among these gazes, Shisui clearly perceived the excitement and anticipation contained within.

At present, Shisui was the only person in the entire Uchiha clan who had joined ANBU. The relationship between the clan and the other high-level forces in the village was not harmonious, so the real intelligence from the ANBU side could only be obtained by the Uchiha clan through Shisui.

In response, Shisui felt both disgusted and helpless, causing a violent emotion to rise within him. He had a strong urge to use the Mangekyo Sharingan to summon Susanoo and end all of this. But thinking of the many innocent members of the clan, Shisui could only reluctantly suppress the violence in his heart. His voice low, he said, "I don't know much, probably about five ANBU squads were lost. However, if you think that the village's strength is very weak at this time, you are gravely mistaken!"

At the end, Shisui's words couldn't help but carry a trace of sarcasm.

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