Nara Kōji wore a faint smile.
But the words that came from his mouth were cold—mercilessly so.
Even after he finished speaking, the way he looked at Shisui carried a strange mix of helplessness and resignation.
Yes.
In Kōji's eyes, the Uchiha were simply… abnormal.
They were either extremely self-centered, arrogantly believing themselves invincible—
Or excessively kind to the point of foolishness.
In short, they were extreme in every sense.
And there was no middle ground.
That was precisely why, in the past, other ninja clans—including the Ino–Shika–Chō—had been unwilling to associate too closely with the Uchiha.
Their instability was terrifying.
Arrogance, unruliness—even recklessness—those weren't real problems.
Any group had flaws that could be exploited.
A qualified leader's duty was to recognize those flaws and make use of people regardless.
A truly capable leader allowed others to maximize their strengths.
So what if the Uchiha were emotional?
So what if they loved deeply and hated fiercely?
Bloodline-limit clans were always like that.
But the real issue was this—
No one knew when an Uchiha's personality would flip completely.
Today, they might treat you as a brother, sharing everything without reservation.
The next day, a single emotional trigger—
And they could turn around and stab you in the back without hesitation.
Who would dare form alliances under such conditions?
Who would dare trust them?
The most extreme example was Uchiha Obito.
Before his fall, he had been a kind, earnest, almost foolishly gentle boy.
And yet—
After Nohara Rin's death, he had plunged straight into darkness.
Killing even his own teacher.
Destroying everything in his path.
Who would dare befriend someone like that?
Who wouldn't fear that one day, after being "stimulated," that same person might turn around and slaughter their allies?
Namikaze Minato and his wife were living proof.
And yet—
Now, these clans were still willing to stand with the Uchiha.
Why?
There were only two reasons.
First—
Uchiha Kai.
He had power.
He had methods.
He had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
And more importantly, once an Uchiha awakened the Mangekyō, their personality tended to stabilize.
The chance of a complete emotional inversion became extremely low.
Second—and far more critical—
Sarutobi Hiruzen had pushed everyone too far.
That man appeared flawless on the surface.
Kind.
Upright.
A living embodiment of the Will of Fire.
Enough to fool ordinary civilians.
But among shinobi?
Among clan leaders?
Did anyone truly believe they were all blind fools?
Did they really not know that Danzo was nothing more than a dog unleashed by his master?
In the past, everyone endured.
Because they had no choice.
Sarutobi Hiruzen held absolute authority.
There was no alternative.
But now—
Kai's rise had given them an option.
So what if the Uchiha were unstable?
So what if the future was dangerous?
With a Mangekyō-awakened leader whose temperament was unlikely to change—
And with the Hokage faction forcing them into a corner—
They could only grit their teeth and step forward.
"There's nothing wrong with that!"
"Koji-kun is right!"
"The Hokage faction is our enemy—so we must use every means necessary!"
"If we don't kill them today, they'll kill us tomorrow!"
"There's no way out without fighting for position!"
"Since I chose the Uchiha, I'm ready to fight the Hokage faction to the death!"
"Never show mercy to your enemies!"
One voice after another rang out.
Firm.
Unyielding.
Yes.
No one present cared about Shisui's inner conflict anymore.
In the past, they were strangers.
His thoughts didn't matter.
But now—
He was one of them.
And no one would allow him to become a liability at such a critical moment.
They were not the indecisive fools the Uchiha had once been.
They had learned their lessons in blood.
They knew—
Hesitation in a struggle like this meant only one thing.
Death.
Without exception.
Shisui stood there in silence.
For a long moment, he couldn't say a word.
Looking at the people before him—listening to their unanimous resolve—his heart was filled with confusion.
Was I… really wrong?
After all—
The ones speaking now weren't Uchiha.
They were major ninja clans with no personal grudges against the two elders.
Some had barely even interacted with them.
And yet, their stances were identical.
At that moment, Shisui finally understood.
Why Kai had never thought highly of him.
Why Kai had never tried to persuade him.
Why Kai had only hoped he would be more "honest."
Now he saw it.
He truly was too naïve.
If the Uchiha had followed his old way of thinking—
They would already be standing on the brink of annihilation.
Taking a deep breath, Shisui finally spoke.
"…I understand."
"Give me two hours."
"I'll investigate everything."
"When the time comes, I'll use my ninja crow to report directly to Clan Head Fugaku."
Yes.
Even though his heart still resisted—
His character would not allow him to obstruct the clan's survival.
If it were only the Uchiha saying this, he might still doubt.
But when every major ninja clan—including the Nara, the sharpest minds in the shinobi world—stood united—
Perhaps…
He truly was wrong.
Nara Kōji smiled and nodded.
"Very good."
"In that case, everyone act on your own."
"Tonight's operation is of tremendous importance."
"So failure is not an option."
Then he turned his gaze back to Shisui.
"Shisui-kun."
"I know that although you've agreed, you probably still don't understand it in your heart."
"The Will of Fire has been preached for too long."
"It's rooted too deeply."
"But that's fine."
"If you have time later, I'll help you understand what the real ninja world looks like."
"These clans didn't survive until today by luck alone."
"Of course—not tonight."
"After the mission, we'll have plenty of time."
"But for now—"
"Whether you understand or not, you must not make a mistake."
"Complete the task."
"Because tonight—"
"This is our first true counterattack against the Hokage faction."
"So remember this."
"We can only win."
"We are not allowed to lose."
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