"Master Yatsushiro!"
Daohuo and Tiehuo regained their senses and rushed forward shouting, trying to wake Yatsushiro.
But Shisui didn't give them the chance.
Whoosh.
In a flash, he closed the distance, his body splitting into two silhouettes, each engaging them head-on.
The Body Flicker and Clone Technique combined.
Inside this narrow chamber, large-scale Fire Release was impossible, and by clan rules, all weapons and tools had been left outside.
That meant this was a contest of taijutsu and illusion alone.
Daohuo and Tiehuo were still seasoned jonin of the Uchiha. Not amateurs. They instantly countered, reacting to both Shisui's afterimages.
But when they struck, both realized too late—
Neither figure was the real Shisui.
The true Shisui had already slipped behind Tiehuo with silent precision, his hand knife striking the base of the neck with pinpoint accuracy.
The carotid artery constricted. Darkness overtook Tiehuo's vision, and he collapsed in an instant.
"Damn you!"
Daohuo roared, swinging a furious fist at Shisui's face.
But once more, Shisui's body blurred, fading into a phantom. And the clone that Daohuo had been fighting a second earlier suddenly solidified into Shisui's true form—striking him squarely in the ribs.
"Guh—!"
The blow drove the air from Daohuo's lungs, his body curling like a shrimp before he collapsed clutching his stomach.
The exchange was so fast, so seamless, that even the Sharingan could barely follow.
This was the true mastery of Shunshin: Shisui of the Body Flicker.
The phantom afterimages, the undetectable switch between clone and body—his speed was such that not even three-tomoe Sharingan could keep up.
In less than ten seconds, Shisui had felled all three radical elites.
The secret room fell silent.
Every pair of scarlet eyes widened in disbelief.
Yes, Shisui had always been acknowledged as the strongest of their generation. But to see him utterly crush three senior jonin without breaking a sweat—it was overwhelming.
This wasn't a contest. It was domination.
"Why… they're jonin, with three-tomoe Sharingan… how could it be so one-sided?" someone whispered.
Even Fugaku remained silent. He had expected Shisui to prevail, but not like this. He had hoped Yatsushiro and the others might at least force Shisui to reveal the truth of his kaleidoscope.
But they were too weak before him.
Among those present, the most shaken was Itachi.
He had trained beside Shisui countless times, but tonight Shisui's growth was undeniable. His body flicker was lightning incarnate—comparable, Itachi thought with a chill, to the legendary Yellow Flash.
And speed, as the masked man had warned… was his uncle's greatest weakness.
Glancing toward Duan, Itachi saw his uncle frown faintly, his expression unreadable, yet not dismissive. Even he recognized Shisui's threat.
Shisui turned his gaze across the chamber. His eyes settled on the hunched figure of Uchiha Setsuna.
The old man flinched, and the rest of the radicals shrank back with him.
"From this night forward," Shisui declared, his voice carrying firm conviction, "the Uchiha will coexist peacefully with the village. And I, Uchiha Shisui, will stand as the bridge between us."
No one spoke against him.
Radicals fell silent. Moderates voiced their support.
It seemed the clan meeting would conclude with Shisui's triumph and the moderates' complete victory.
Shisui, fulfilling Hiruzen's hope, had single-handedly averted a crisis.
Or so it seemed.
Shisui's eyes drifted once more to Duan. If anyone were to oppose him now, it would be this man.
Yet Duan appeared utterly unconcerned, one arm around Mikoto's shoulders, chatting idly as though the outcome mattered little.
Itachi noticed and thought: Perhaps Uncle, seeing Shisui's power, has decided to bide his time.
At that moment, Yatsushiro, Daohuo, and Tiehuo stirred. Slowly, shakily, they rose from the ground.
But instead of resuming their challenge, they crossed the chamber, passing the crowd.
And before everyone's stunned eyes—
They knelt.
Plop.
On one knee, heads lowered before Duan.
"Duan," Yatsushiro said through clenched teeth, his voice raw with sincerity, "we misjudged you before. I, Uchiha Yatsushiro, apologize. From this day, I hope you will stand as the backbone of our faction… and lead us forward!"
The chamber rippled with gasps.
Those who had long seen Duan as merely a muscle-bound gym master could scarcely believe it.
Even Fugaku's brows drew together. He had witnessed Duan's clash with radicals before; Yatsushiro himself had once called for his arrest. Now the same man pledged loyalty?
Was this desperation? Or calculation?
Fugaku's eyes narrowed. Perhaps Yatsushiro, recognizing Shisui's dominance, sought to thrust Duan forward as a counterbalance.
And truly, if there was one man in Uchiha who might withstand Shisui… it was the one who had fought the masked man to a standstill.
Fugaku approached, sternly telling Yatsushiro to rise. Yet behind the mask of authority, he shot Duan a subtle glance. A silent message: If you can oppose Shisui, do it. For the clan.
Duan shook his head.
In his heart, tonight had confirmed what he suspected: the radicals were little more than rabble, incapable of carrying Uchiha forward.
Without a word, he turned and strode toward the exit.
Murmurs spread. Many assumed he was retreating in fear of Shisui.
But then, at the doorway, Duan stopped.
Turning back, he fixed Shisui with a steady gaze and said:
"Fight me. But not here. If this chamber collapses, everyone inside will be buried alive."
The words struck like a spark in dry kindling.
Finally, the confrontation that would decide the clan's path was at hand.
Shisui met Duan's challenge calmly, then nodded. He too knew—only by defeating Duan could he quell the rising whispers and secure peace.
"Great!" Yatsushiro exclaimed, rising to his feet and following after them.
The chamber erupted in motion as the rest of the clan trailed out, eager to witness the clash between Uchiha's two most formidable forces.