By the time Uchiha Shisui left the Hokage Tower, night had fully settled over Konoha.
He paused on a rooftop, looking out at the village lights fading into darkness. After a brief hesitation, he turned and headed straight for the Uchiha District.
At this point in time, the Nine-Tails incident hadn't happened yet. The Uchiha still lived close to the village center—still treated like founders, not suspects.
So even moving at speed, Shisui reached the district in under half an hour.
Uchiha District — Clan Shrine
Shisui flickered into the shrine with a soft rush of air.
"Clan Head… I'm back."
Uchiha Fugaku was already waiting.
He gave Shisui a calm nod. "You're finally here. What did the Third Hokage say?"
"The village leadership will grant the Uchiha rewards," Shisui answered, serious and direct.
"Rewards?" Fugaku's voice stayed flat.
"Yes. Lord Third said it himself."
"…I see."
A trace of irritation crossed Fugaku's face—quick, controlled.
He understood Hiruzen well.
"Rewards," in the Hokage's mouth, usually meant polite praise in public… and little else in private.
Still, Fugaku hadn't expected miracles.
The cracks between the Uchiha and Konoha's leadership weren't new. They'd existed since the village was founded.
You didn't mend that kind of fracture with a single victory over the Hidden Mist.
Fugaku's tone cooled. "Keep following the village's line. I'll handle things on the clan side."
Shisui lowered his head slightly. A flicker of pain passed through his eyes.
The war had barely ended, and the tension was still there—unchanged. Unsoftened. Unforgiving.
And to Shisui, that felt unbearable.
No. It can't stay like this.
I won't let the clan and the village drift into another war.
The Uchiha and Konoha can coexist. We can stand under the Will of Fire together.
His hands clenched.
Someday… I'll bring the Will of Fire to the Uchiha.
Not as a threat.
As salvation.
He was willing to be the bridge—even if it meant bleeding for it.
A moment later, Shisui remembered something and looked up.
"Clan Head—Lord Third asked me to test Uchiha Leon."
"Leon?" Fugaku's eyes narrowed slightly. "So the Third Hokage still doesn't trust us."
Then Fugaku sighed—almost silently.
"It's a shame. That boy's already gone down the wrong path."
Shisui blinked. "Wrong path…?"
Fugaku's expression carried a rare hint of helplessness.
Back when Leon was still being compared to Hatake Kakashi, Fugaku had been genuinely optimistic. A talent like that—especially inside the Konoha Military Police Force—could've become a future pillar.
But after Leon joined the Police…
He'd turned into a gUser.
No focused chakra training.
No serious ninjutsu study.
The Sharingan—if it had awakened—was barely used.
Instead, day after day, he obsessed over taijutsu.
And when Fugaku had spoken to him—more than once—Leon had said it with complete sincerity:
He wanted to become the strongest man in the shinobi world… through taijutsu alone.
Fugaku had nearly coughed blood.
An Uchiha.
A clan built on chakra, Fire Release, and dōjutsu…
Choosing to bet everything on fists and footwork?
It felt backwards.
Because at the top of the shinobi world, it wasn't taijutsu that ruled.
It was bloodline monsters.
Uchiha Madara with the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Senju Hashirama with Wood Release.
Those were the legends who shaped history.
So yes—Fugaku had mostly stopped expecting anything from Leon.
Still…
Fugaku looked at Shisui and said, "Go test him. If Hiruzen wants reassurance, let him have it."
Then he added, almost reluctantly, "But be careful."
Shisui's mouth twitched. "Careful…?"
It wasn't arrogance exactly—more confusion than anything.
He was Shisui of the Body Flicker. A name feared across nations.
Testing Leon shouldn't require caution. It wasn't even meant to be a real fight.
Fugaku saw the look and shook his head.
"Every assignment Leon's taken in the Police Force," Fugaku said, "he's completed flawlessly. And he did it with taijutsu."
His gaze sharpened—measured, almost annoyed by what he was admitting.
"His path may be narrow… but in Konoha…"
Fugaku paused, then finished quietly:
"No one understands taijutsu better than him."
Shisui froze.
For a second, he genuinely didn't know how to react.
Fugaku had just called Leon misguided—
And then, in the same breath, said he was unmatched in taijutsu.
Was that praise? Regret? Or… a different kind of protection?
Shisui didn't understand.
Not really.
Fugaku waved a hand, ending the conversation.
"Go."
"…Understood."
Shisui bowed once and vanished from the shrine in a flicker.
When the air settled, Fugaku remained alone, eyes half-lidded.
He thought of Leon's missions—case after case, handled cleanly. Efficiently. Quietly.
Perfect.
And because Fugaku was the Police Force captain, he had sealed those reports away—partly to protect Leon from unnecessary attention.
But the question still gnawed at him.
Why wouldn't a genius like that train chakra properly?
Why wouldn't he sharpen the clan's proudest blade—the Sharingan?
By all logic, Leon should've awakened it by now.
Fugaku's irritation returned like an itch under the skin.
A true prodigy…
Choosing to walk a road that only got narrower the farther you went.
Unless—
Fugaku's eyes darkened slightly.
Unless chakra training and the Sharingan… somehow slowed Leon's taijutsu growth.
And if that was true…
Then what exactly had Leon found?
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios