A short while later, it was Shisui who spoke up.
"The Third Hokage will not permit something like that to happen."
"If the Uchiha clash with Konoha, it will only devastate the village's strength. The Hokage will surely find a way to reconcile our differences."
As someone who believed in peaceful solutions, Shisui spoke up with conviction.
He couldn't allow the situation to escalate further.
If the clan head truly agreed to lead the Uchiha clan and leave, even if only a portion followed, the conflict would then spiral completely out of control.
This was not the outcome he desired.
"The hope of escaping Konoha successfully is almost impossible," Fugaku said, but it didn't seem like he was against it but rather, as if he was seriously thinking about the possibility Yami had raised.
"Even if we do manage to flee, there may be little left of the Uchiha by the end. That outcome differs little from complete annihilation."
Fugaku evaluated the proposal with cold pragmatism.
The success rate was abysmal.
During Konoha's inevitable pursuit, countless casualties would mount along the way.
In the end, perhaps only a dozen, maybe even fewer, would successfully escape.
In such a scenario, could what remained truly still be called the Uchiha clan?
For now, Yami decided to focus on Shisui, the clan head was open to the suggestion, which meant he understood the current state well.
"The one behind this crisis is the Third Hokage himself," Yami declared bluntly, refusing to let Shisui maintain his illusions.
"For the sake of Konoha's stability, during the Nine-Tails' attack, he should have helped clear the Uchiha of suspicion. Instead, he chose to acquiesce while Danzo poured poison into the village's ears against us."
"He simply didn't anticipate the situation would deteriorate this far. With no suitable candidate ready to assume the Hokage mantle and Danzo's influence growing unchecked, he can only watch as tensions escalate. For the sake of maintaining order, he's prepared to sacrifice the Uchiha as scapegoats for the village's internal conflicts."
"They intend to recoup the losses from the Nine-Tails incident at our expense, just as they once bled the Senju clan dry until nothing remained."
"If the Uchiha take no decisive action, we will meet an even worse fate than the Senju!"
Yami spoke with brutal honesty, dismantling Shisui's naive hopes piece by piece.
This was the unvarnished truth.
The Senju clan had suffered the highest casualties during wartime, yet afterward, some families had grown notably stronger: the Sarutobi, the Shimura, and their supporters among the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance.
Originally, Konoha's foundation rested on the Senju, Uchiha, and Hyuga clans.
But now the Senju had vanished entirely, the Uchiha faced systematic persecution, and the Hyuga had been reduced to mere tools of the village hierarchy.
Meanwhile, the families that had attached themselves to Konoha's leadership began to flourish.
Was this truly because they were inherently stronger?
Absolutely not.
They had simply fed well on the corpse of the Senju clan, absorbing its wealth and influence.
Otherwise, why would Tsunade have departed Konoha in such bitter disillusionment?
"How is that possible!" Shisui's face showed complete disbelief.
Yet deep down, he sensed that Yami wasn't lying to him.
Everything he described aligned with current events.
What shattered him most was realizing that the Third Hokage had been a willing participant rather than an impartial mediator seeking to resolve the conflicts between competing factions.
"We've already reached such a dire point?" Fugaku said heavily.
The clan leader had already suspected as much, but hearing Yami articulate it so clearly forced him to confront the inevitable reality.
Those greedy parasites would never release their grip on the Uchiha.
If they continued to offer no resistance, the Uchiha would simply perish.
As clan leader, he naturally refused to accept such a fate.
However, if open conflict erupted, victory would depend on who possessed greater ruthlessness and willingness to sacrifice everything.
"There is no path back," Yami continued relentlessly.
"Konoha's leadership claims to want peace, so they deceived you into serving as their spy within the clan, feeding them intelligence about our movements."
"But after all this time, have they implemented even a single measure to ease the tensions?"
"They've simply watched the situation deteriorate while Danzo secretly fans the flames of hostility toward our clan!"
"Abandon those foolish fantasies, Shisui."
Yami directly exposed Shisui's dual allegiance without hesitation.
He had brought Fugaku here specifically to apply pressure and corner Shisui into making a choice.
Nevertheless, Yami still hoped Shisui would stand with the Uchiha.
After all, his strength could prove invaluable to both the clan and Yami's own plans.
"You've known about this all along, haven't you?" Shisui looked at Yami with a complicated expression. "Yamikage-san..."
Yet he showed no immediate signs of hostility or preparation to attack.
Fugaku stared at Shisui in shock, clearly stunned by the revelation that one of their most promising members had been reporting to Konoha's hierarchy.
He had never suspected that Shisui served as a double agent.
'Sigh, as clan head, I'm not living up to expectations…' he lamented.
"Since you also desire coexistence between our clan and the village, I have no intention of opposing you," Yami stated firmly.
"I'm not asking you to betray Konoha and side against it, but you also can't side against your family and betray it."
"I'm not proposing a conflict with Konoha either. I simply wish to lead our people to safety. Will you help me achieve this?"
Yami laid out his position with absolute clarity.
If Shisui refused, it meant he chose the village over his family.
Then he and Fugaku would be forced to act against him. Because at this moment, Fugaku knew about Shisui being a spy.
Even if he was willing to forgive and forget, he couldn't let him go back and continue spying now, can he?
'Yamikage is truly exceptional,' Fugaku looked at the young man with a hint of admiration.
As for whether they could beat Shisui...
Yami possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan as well, though he understood its limitations all too clearly.
The Mangekyō granted Kage-level power, nothing more.
Such strength fell far short of what he needed to change everything decisively.
"Shisui, the Mangekyō Sharingan won't help you much,"
Yami, seeing he was taking too long, added.
"You possess the Mangekyō Sharingan?" Fugaku asked, his astonishment evident.
The clan leader felt as though he knew nothing about the young people around him.
Each seemed to harbor secrets and power that dwarfed his understanding.
His emotions churned with complexity.
"Yes," Shisui confirmed with a nod, then continued with his persistent idealism.
"My Mangekyō technique is called Kotoamatsukami, it allows me to alter memories and control minds."
He further explained the left and right abilities and how they differed.
"I had planned to use this ability to resolve the conflict between the clan and the village."
"Yamikage-san, tell me, I had spoken about this to the Third Hokage and Danzo and convinced them that I would use it on people from our clan, they agreed, but of course, I won't really do it."
"I think that would make them seek reconciliation because they would think they are under control… wouldn't that solve everything?"
Shisui clung to his naive solution, still believing in the possibility of a peaceful resolution.
"Shisui… tell me this, are you crazy? Were you beaten in the head a lot as a child?" Yami snapped, his voice sharp with exasperation.
Shisui scratched his head… he was a bit embarrassed.
"Since you informed Konoha's leadership about such an ability, they'll be losing sleep every night, terrified you might use it against them!"
"They'll only feel secure once that power is completely under their control. If you spoke about this already… then you are done for."
"Danzo will move against you. That's a certainty,"
"Time is running out, Shisui. You must answer today: will you help the Uchiha escape and avoid a war with Konoha? Or will you persist with these delusional notions, ensuring our clan's destruction?"
Yami's rebuke was harsh but necessary.
The timeline was unclear to him, but he knew events were accelerating toward their tragic conclusion.
He had attempted to alter the course of history before, but his Uchiha identity had made it impossible to approach the Fourth Hokage during his lifetime.
His Mangekyō had only awakened recently, and during the Nine-Tails' attack, he could only watch helplessly as events unfolded.
Now, finally, an opportunity had presented itself, and he refused to let it slip away.
This was his chance to save the Uchiha clan.
"I..." Shisui's face showed his internal struggle.
At this moment, he was dealing with the harsh reality of the ninja world.