Uchiha Shisui went to see Uchiha Fugaku.
After clearly explaining the stakes and consequences, Fugaku merely nodded in silence, offering no further response.
This left Shisui deeply puzzled.
In the world he came from, Fugaku had been one of Clan Head Yuzuru's most steadfast supporters—a full-fledged radical through and through.
So why was it that after Shisui told him about his plan to unite the people and launch a coup, Fugaku showed no reaction at all?
"Forget it. Maybe Fugaku has other considerations," Shisui muttered to himself.
Shisui did not dwell on it.
Fugaku's lack of opposition was effectively tacit consent.
Since that was the case, he would proceed according to plan.
With Lord Yuzuru absent from this world, it fell upon him to shoulder the burden of carrying on Lord Yuzuru's will.
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————
In the days that followed, Shisui tirelessly moved among the clan members.
Relying on his formidable strength and uncompromising ideals, he quickly became the representative figure of the hawkish faction.
Around him, more and more outstanding clansmen gradually gathered.
As time passed, the weather grew increasingly scorching.
Shisui sat alone at the edge of a cliff, silently wiping down his short blade.
Three days later, the coup would begin.
He would lead the Uchiha clan through a path of bloodshed and reclaim the rights that should have been theirs.
"Shisui, have you really made up your mind?"
A familiar voice—one he had not heard in a long time—came from behind him. It was Uchiha Itachi.
Without lifting his head, Shisui replied, "So you found out after all. Looks like the village has already gotten word too."
"Are you here as a negotiator?"
Itachi stepped forward and stood beside him, his gaze fixed on the river flowing beneath the cliff.
"The village can try its best to satisfy whatever it is you want."
"Have Hiruzen Sarutobi step down. I want to run for the next Hokage."
"…" Uchiha Itachi was momentarily at a loss for words.
How could the village possibly agree to such a condition?
"Shisui, have you considered how many people will be dragged into the mire once a war begins?"
"Once the other villages hear the news, they will definitely seize the opportunity to attack Konoha."
Shisui chuckled softly. "Let them come. The attitude other villages have toward the Uchiha clan may not necessarily be harsher than that of Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others."
"No matter how the situation develops, we—who possess such a powerful bloodline limit—will always be prizes fought over by every major power."
He had never truly felt any sense of belonging toward Konoha in the first place, so he naturally did not care about the consequences brought about by the coup.
Lord Yuzuru had once told him that as long as their population was large enough, the Uchiha clan would only grow stronger the more they fought.
Uchiha Itachi left.
Not long after, Uchiha Fugaku was appointed as a Hokage Advisor, and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi himself, promised to recommend him for the next Hokage election.
This news sent all the Uchiha clan's ninja into rapturous celebration.
Ever since Uchiha Madara's defection from the village, this was the first time they had returned to the core of the village's power structure. The dream of becoming Hokage now seemed within reach.
Uchiha Shisui, however, felt uneasy.
He realized that the clan members had completely lost their former fighting spirit. The radical followers who once gathered around him were gradually dwindling in number.
Most of the Uchiha believed that their struggle had already achieved the desired results, and that continuing to apply pressure would only backfire.
This was not a good sign, yet Shisui was powerless to stop it.
With nothing more than the title of "Advisor" and an empty promise, the village's upper echelon had undone all his efforts.
Shisui tried everything.
He attempted to instill in the clan the idea that Konoha's leadership was insidious, only to be told he was suffering from paranoia.
He tried to lead the clan away from Konoha, but was instead treated as an outcast, with others keeping their distance.
He even tried to assassinate Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō, only to find that he had no opportunity whatsoever.
He went to see Uchiha Fugaku several times, but Fugaku only ever said that he knew what he was doing. In the end, Shisui could only leave in frustration.
When the number of followers at his side dwindled further and further, Uchiha Shisui finally realized just how difficult it was to change everything through his own efforts alone.
He often wondered—if Lord Yuzuru were faced with this situation, what would he do…
Time passed into a deep winter night.
Shisui suddenly caught a heavy stench of blood.
He sent out a signal to gather his subordinates, but only a little over thirty people arrived.
As the smell of blood grew stronger, Shisui led his men to Fugaku's residence.
"Clan Head Fugaku, the village has moved against us! Quickly organize our forces and counterattack!"
Yet what he saw left him stunned.
Fugaku sat silently in the room, a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan radiating terrifying dōjutsu power.
"Shisui, I won't do anything. The fate of our clan has already been decided. There's no need for futile struggle."
Shisui suddenly understood.
Fugaku had defected to the enemy!
As both Hokage Advisor and clan head of the Uchiha, Fugaku chose to bare his neck to the executioner's blade when faced with the enemy.
He could not understand it. The Uchiha Fugaku of the two worlds had nearly identical personalities—so why had he made such completely different choices?
"Shisui, don't resist. Use our clan's lives to preserve the village."
"If you're angry, then come and take my life. I won't resist."
The sounds of slaughter were growing closer and louder. Shisui shot Fugaku a furious glance, then swung his blade and severed his head before leading his men in a charge outward.
But outside, a vast net had already been laid. He and his subordinates became trapped beasts, surrounded layer upon layer.
What Shisui found hardest to accept was that many Uchiha clansmen still clung to a sliver of hope. When facing the Anbu ninja, they offered no resistance, kneeling on the ground as their chakra was sealed, then being dragged away to gather in deserted areas.
Some even shouted angrily at Shisui, telling him to stop resisting, insisting that once the village confirmed they had no intent to rebel, justice would be restored to the Uchiha.
Hearing the clan's pleas, even Shisui's remaining subordinates gradually lost their will to fight.
By the time Shisui was utterly exhausted, not a single person remained at his side.
Shimura Danzō walked up to him and said coldly, "Shisui, watch carefully. This is the gift I prepared for you."
"I will gouge out every one of their eyes and turn them into the power with which I will rule Konoha."
With that, he sharply waved his hand behind him. "The innately evil Uchiha clan—disappear from this world forever!"
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
…
In an instant, the Anbu executioners' blades fell upon the clansmen who had long since abandoned resistance.
In just a short moment, every single member of the Uchiha clan lost their life.
Blood pooled into streams, mixing with mud as it flowed onto Shisui's body.
"No! No! No!"
Shisui's eyes split open, his face twisted with unwillingness.
The Uchiha clan had possessed limitless potential, yet it had fallen to the end of total extermination.
From beginning to end, not a single person had been willing to inherit Lord Yuzuru's will alongside him.
Especially Uchiha Fugaku!
If he had been able to control Fugaku—who was both clan head and a wielder of the Mangekyō Sharingan—the outcome would surely have been completely different!
Regret, self-blame, unwillingness, hatred…
The violent surge of emotions caused two lines of blood tears to flow from Shisui's eyes. The three tomoe within them began to spin rapidly, linking together.
In an instant, a terrifying dōjutsu power erupted from his eyes.
Under the impact of that power, the world before him began to blur and distort.
When Shisui regained consciousness once more, he saw Fugaku standing before him.
Without any hesitation, Shisui drew his short blade and slashed straight toward him.
"Uchiha Fugaku, I'll f***ing kill you!"