"The problems of the Uchiha clan are far more serious than those of the Hyuga clan," Naraku said, gazing at the rushing Naka River as it thundered down the cliff ahead.
"But they can probably be summed up in two points."
"What are they?" Itachi asked, a little too eagerly.
But this time, he caught himself and bowed respectfully."Forgive my tone. Please, Naraku-san… tell me what's wrong with the Uchiha clan."
"Itachi?" Shisui looked over, surprised by Itachi's sudden intensity.
He had no idea why Itachi seemed so agitated.
"Shisui-niisan, don't you know?" Itachi asked. As the patriarch's son, he was privy to things even Shisui—one of the clan's top shinobi—didn't always hear.
"Clan members often come to my home to complain about the Third Hokage," he said, noticeably omitting Hiruzen's name now.
Shisui nodded slowly. "If they're upset about being watched, that makes sense."
Ever since the Nine-Tails incident, the Uchiha had been under constant ANBU surveillance—24/7.
"It's more than that!" Itachi said, his voice rising.
"I've heard several people mention the idea of a coup d'état—to overthrow the Third Hokage and install an Uchiha as Hokage!"
"What?!" Shisui was shocked.
He had often heard grumbling about surveillance and discrimination—but never that they had actually planned a coup.
Naraku nodded thoughtfully.
Judging by the timeline, Shisui would likely die when Itachi was around eleven—about two years from now, in Konoha Year 53.
So right now, the clan's resentment was simmering but not yet boiling over.
That meant the Third Hokage's strategy was becoming clear.
First, deal with the Hyuga clan, then turn on the Uchiha.
"Naraku-san," Itachi said sincerely, "is there any way to save our clan?"
He knew Naraku's insights ran deep. He didn't hesitate to humble himself if it meant finding a solution for the Uchiha.
Naraku looked calmly at the two boys and said:
"It's very simple.
First, the shinobi of the village fear the Uchiha.
Second, the civilians of the village hate the Uchiha."
"Fear? Why are they afraid of us?" Shisui asked.
Then, as if realizing something, he continued:"Is it because of the Nine-Tails incident three years ago?"
"Yes—but that's not all," Naraku replied.
"But the Nine-Tails attack had nothing to do with the Uchiha!" Shisui said. "As long as the village understands that—"
"What?" Naraku was stunned.
Was Shisui really this naive?
It explained how, in the original timeline, he could be foolish enough to share his secret ability, Kotoamatsukami, with the village council—leading to Danzo stealing his eye.
"Shisui, remember what I told you: never speak about your Mangekyō Sharingan—especially not what it can do."
Shisui had awakened his Mangekyō years ago.
Its power, Kotoamatsukami, allowed him to alter a person's will without them even realizing it.
Shisui looked startled."You have the Mangekyō?" Itachi asked in amazement.
"Yes," Naraku said. "And his Mangekyō ability, Kotoamatsukami, can rewrite a person's intent without their knowledge."
Since they were alone, Naraku felt it was safe to share this with Itachi. He trusted the boy wouldn't betray Shisui.
Itachi's pupils narrowed. Then he spoke solemnly:
"Shisui-niisan, as Naraku-san said, you must never talk about your technique."
"Why not?" Shisui was confused.
"If the Third Hokage or Danzo knew what you could do, what do you think they would do with that information?" Naraku asked.
"I'd tell them I'd use it only for the good of the village."
Naraku: "…"
He's really... too innocent.
"They'd be wondering if you've already used it on them," Itachi explained, unable to hide his concern.
"Why would they think that?" Shisui asked.
"Because you have a power that threatens them—and there's no way you can prove you haven't or won't use it," Itachi said.
Then, something clicked. His eyes lit up with realization.
"This is it. This is why the village fears the Uchiha!"
Naraku nodded with approval.
Despite the age difference, Itachi's insight was already deeper than Shisui's.
Still confused, Shisui looked on as Itachi explained further:
"There are rumors in the village. They say that when the Nine-Tails attacked three years ago, it was under the control of a Sharingan."
"Some ninjas even claimed to see the Sharingan pattern reflected in the Nine-Tails' eyes."
"Red eyes with three tomoe—exactly like ours."
"And the Uchiha have long been rumored to have the power to control Tailed Beasts."
"So whether or not our clan actually caused the attack… the village believes we could have."
"And we have no way to prove we didn't."
"No way to convince them that, even if we had the power, we would never use it against the village."
"So… they fear us." Itachi's voice was steady now, filled with grim clarity.
He looked at Naraku with something close to reverence.
As a senior from the Hyuga clan, Naraku saw through this situation better than either of them.
Shisui swallowed hard. "If we can't prove we won't use our power against the village, then the future of the Uchiha will be…"
He trailed off, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
"Destruction," Itachi said bluntly.
"Destruction..." Shisui repeated under his breath.
Was the Uchiha clan truly teetering on the edge of collapse… and he had never realized it?
Naraku nodded grimly.
That's exactly what had happened in the original timeline.
Shisui, who couldn't prove he wouldn't use Kotoamatsukami, was eliminated by Danzo.
The Uchiha, who couldn't prove they didn't control the Nine-Tails, were targeted by Hiruzen and the village elders.
As Naraku watched the two Uchiha boys deep in thought, he sensed something else.
A large number of chakra signatures were approaching their location.
'They're finally here,' Naraku thought with a grin.