"You think you could do better than Clan Head Fugaku?"
"At the very least, things wouldn't be worse than they are now."
"Man, you've got some guts saying that!"
"I'm already doing it."
Shisui froze, his eyes widening as he stared at Uchiha Sogen, as if seeing his friend for the first time.
Uchiha Sogen met Shisui's scrutinizing gaze head-on, unflinching.
"Shisui, you're not the only one who sees the crisis our clan's facing. There are plenty of smart people among us. But the tide's too strong—three or five people alone can't turn it around. To keep the clan from falling into the worst possible outcome, we've all been working hard."
"We?"
Shisui suddenly felt a pang of loneliness and isolation.
Since when had he been left out of this "we"?
Was he being pushed out?
This had to be exclusion, right?
"Don't think we're trying to sideline you. You're the only Uchiha in the Anbu right now, and you're too close to the Third Hokage and his people. It's not that anyone thinks you'd betray the clan—it's just that they figure you probably wouldn't support our ideas. So…"
"Then why are you telling me this now?"
"Things have changed."
Sogen turned, his gaze drifting toward the direction of the Ninja Academy. Naruto Uzumaki's enrollment was a clear signal. According to the original timeline, the bloody night of the clan's annihilation was roughly two years away.
Even if Sogen's presence had disrupted the original course of events, who could say whether the night of the massacre would be delayed, come early, or be twisted into something else entirely?
All he knew was that under Fugaku's leadership, the Uchiha clan was barreling toward planning a coup. If left unchecked, even without the night of annihilation, the clan would plunge into an abyss of no return.
The sense of urgency had never been stronger.
And it wasn't just the village's higher-ups, led by the Third Hokage, who wanted the Uchiha gone. There was also Uchiha Obito, a madman who'd already lost his mind…
"There's no time left for us to prepare more thoroughly. Once Fugaku fully throws his support behind the hardliners and gains the majority's backing, we won't be able to shake things up easily. The coup's planning will become unstoppable. That's why we have to act *now* and show results before that happens."
Sogen's words rang out with conviction, his determination unshakable.
Shisui fell silent for about two minutes before speaking. "If—and I mean *if*—you really took Fugaku's place, what would you do?"
"That question… I forget which book I read it in, but it quoted a great man who said: *'If you seek peace through struggle, peace endures. If you seek peace through compromise, peace perishes. Peace isn't begged for—it's fought for, won through battle.'* I deeply believe that."
"Only by showing the Third, Danzo, and the others that the Uchiha aren't a toothless tiger—that we have the resolve and strength to go down fighting—will they stop pushing us inch by inch like they are now."
"But, Sogen, doing that would completely tear the Uchiha apart from the village."
Shisui kept his cool, raising the question.
"I know."
Sogen didn't deny it. "But even if we don't do this, do you think the Third and his people would ever truly accept the Uchiha as part of the village? From where I stand, they're dead set on getting rid of us. I'm not holding my breath for a cozy life with those old fossils. Our real chance for a fresh start comes when the Fifth Hokage takes over."
"The Fifth?"
Shisui racked his brain, trying to keep up with Sogen's line of thinking.
"The Third, Danzo, Elder Koharu, Elder Homura… their views on our clan are set in stone. The only way to change their minds would be if you used your Kotoamatsukami to rewrite their thoughts. But your eye power probably can't handle altering so many people's wills, and I'm guessing you wouldn't want to do that anyway."
Sogen shrugged.
"Since we can't count on the Third and his crew, we have to look to the Fifth. As far as I see it, the only ones qualified to become the Fifth are Jiraiya or Tsunade, two of the Sannin."
"But they're the Third's students."
"Students, sure, but from what I know, those two don't think the same way as the Third's generation. At the very least, they probably wouldn't be as hostile toward our clan. Of course, pinning our hopes on someone else isn't ideal. The Uchiha need to adapt and change with the times."
"That's why I need your help."
"Shisui, for the sake of our clan's survival, I want you to stand with me."
Sogen issued his invitation openly, with conviction.
"…I can't give you an answer right now. I need to see what's going on with the clan for myself." Shisui held back, cautious. No matter how compelling Sogen's words were, they were still just one side of the story. He needed to learn more about the clan's situation before deciding.
"Don't keep me waiting too long."
Sogen wasn't disappointed.
As Shisui's friend, he knew how the guy operated. He hadn't expected to win Shisui over that easily anyway.
Planting the seed was enough for now.
With time, water, and care, it would sprout, bloom, and bear fruit.
"Alright, enough of that. Shisui, you got anything going on today?" Sogen shifted gears.
"Nah, just finished a mission. The Anbu gave me two days off, and I haven't figured out what to do with them." Shisui went along with the change in topic. He was already under enough pressure—taking a moment to unwind was necessary. Even an iron man couldn't handle that kind of stress forever.
"Perfect. Come to my place, then! Spar with me. I haven't been on a mission in a while, and I'm feeling rusty."
"Cut the crap. You're not fooling me with that."
Shisui scoffed.
He wouldn't buy that "rusty" nonsense for a second. Sogen was sneaky like that. Back on the battlefield, he'd claim he was out of ninja tools, only to fling a shuriken and take out a lurking Mist ninja. He'd whine about being out of chakra and unable to fight, then turn around and roast pursuing Mist ninjas to ashes with a Fire Release jutsu.
The list of examples went on and on. But to his credit, Sogen never turned those tricks on his own people—those little schemes were reserved for enemies.
On the battlefield, Sogen was the kind of guy who gave you an indescribable sense of security.
Maybe that was why, despite both being Uchiha prodigies, Shisui had few friends, while Sogen could get along with just about anyone in the clan.
(End of Chapter)