Shisui nodded.
Of course he understood what Nara Kōji meant.
Those words weren't suspicion—they were concern.
Concern that something might go wrong on his end.
Thinking of that, bitterness crept into the corners of Shisui's smile.
Just a few months ago…
He had truly believed that he was the only one in the entire clan capable of saving the Uchiha.
Back then, his heart was filled with complicated emotions.
He couldn't understand it.
How could such a great clan be so narrow-minded, so extreme?
But now—
He realized, painfully clearly, that the one holding everyone back had been himself.
In other words, Shisui's temperament was still relatively resilient.
He was kind, simple, but also capable of listening to different voices.
Otherwise—
If it had been anyone else, their mentality might have collapsed long ago, plunging straight into darkness.
After a long silence, Shisui straightened and spoke solemnly.
"Kōji-kun, don't worry."
"I understand the priorities very clearly."
"Even if I can't fully accept it in my heart yet, I swear I will complete this mission."
"Everyone here is an elder, someone who has weathered countless storms."
"I, Uchiha Shisui, am willing to trust all of you."
"We can talk about everything else later."
"But tonight—"
"I cannot make a single mistake."
As his words fell, confidence filled Shisui's face.
Yes.
Perhaps his thinking lagged behind, but when it came to strength, he had absolute confidence in himself.
Since graduating from the Ninja Academy, since the day he truly became a shinobi—
He had completed nearly three hundred missions.
Two hundred and twenty-eight C-rank missions.
One hundred and thirteen B-rank missions.
Fifty-one A-rank missions.
Seven S-rank missions.
So far—
He had never failed once.
Nara Kōji nodded.
On this point, he had never doubted Shisui.
Putting everything else aside, Shisui's capability alone was more than sufficient.
Even before awakening the Mangekyō, his strength had already reached jōnin level, bordering on invincible in battlefield mobility.
Completing a mission like this was well within his abilities.
The only prerequisite—
Was that he truly understood what he was doing.
…
Time passed slowly.
It took nearly an hour before all preparations were completed.
One by one, the leaders of the various ninja clans quietly departed to make their own arrangements.
Shisui did not disappoint.
Even without using Mangekyō techniques like Kotoamatsukami, his genjutsu and reconnaissance abilities were still among the very best.
Just an hour and a half later, he used his ninja crow to transmit the complete ANBU patrol routes for the night, along with every concealed sentry position.
He even went a step further.
Using the authority of the Uchiha ANBU under his command, he precisely exploited shift changes to plan out an absolutely safe infiltration route.
Early morning.
Two o'clock.
Uchiha Fugaku.
Yamanaka Shintarō.
After changing into night attire and receiving final instructions from Nara Kōji, the two figures vanished into the darkness.
"Let everything go smoothly…"
"This is the Nara clan's first time truly standing beside the Uchiha and taking action."
"How much influence and standing we'll hold in the future…"
"Will largely depend on tonight's outcome."
"But according to my calculations—"
"The probability of failure is extremely low."
Nara Kōji murmured softly to himself.
In front of others, he was always calm, composed, unshakable.
After all, if the strategist panicked, what would everyone else think?
But in truth—
It was all an act.
Now that he was alone, heaviness filled his expression.
Meanwhile—
Fugaku and Shintarō were unaware of this.
Their movements were swift, their progress flawless.
Roughly twenty minutes later, they reached their target area.
Only then did their expressions turn truly serious.
After all—
This was a ninja clan compound.
Even with many ANBU reassigned, they could not act carelessly.
Moreover, as an elder, Utatane Koharu had brought significant benefits to her clan over the years.
Though the clan itself had never produced a top-tier powerhouse, vigilance here was still strict.
Five minutes later.
After evading multiple patrols, the two slipped silently into Koharu's bedroom.
But—
Although Koharu no longer fought on the front lines, she was still a former disciple of Senju Tobirama.
Even after years of inactivity, a ninja's instinctive caution remained.
The moment they entered—
She woke up.
Leaping from her bed, she instantly assumed a guarded stance.
"Who are you?!"
"Who sent you here?!"
"Do you know I am an elder of Konoha?!"
"I'll give you one chance."
"Reveal your identity, and the one behind you."
"If you do—"
"I can spare your life."
Her voice was sharp, authoritative.
The aura of a Konoha elder was unmistakable.
However—
Fugaku and Shintarō already knew.
This was nothing more than an attempt to stall for time.
So—
No words were wasted.
Fugaku's eyes snapped open.
The Mangekyō Sharingan spun.
Three exquisitely shaped tomoe rotated, forming a unique and eerie pattern.
Yes.
This was Fugaku's hidden trump card.
The Mangekyō Sharingan.
Mangekyō Technique—Humble Fate.
In an instant—
The world before Koharu shattered.
Blood.
Flames.
Corpses strewn across the ground.
She found herself standing in a hellish landscape.
Vaguely, in the distance—
An ancient, solemn shrine emerged.
Ancestral.
Sacred.
The Naka Shrine.
Koharu froze.
She recognized it immediately.
This was the spiritual symbol of the Uchiha clan.
Slowly, she turned around.
And saw the man before her clearly.
"U-Uchiha… Fugaku?!"
"You… you awakened the Mangekyō?!"
"How is this possible?!"
"How can there be so many Mangekyō among the Uchiha?!"
"What are you trying to do?!"
"Fugaku, wake up!"
"I'm an elder of Konoha!"
"Aren't you afraid?!"
Koharu's voice trembled.
Her mind was in chaos.
She had never imagined that the one who would come for her in the dead of night—
Would be an Uchiha.
And not just any Uchiha—
But Fugaku.
The clan head she had always viewed as weak and indecisive.
Fugaku, however, remained calm.
His voice was steady as he spoke.
"Did you know?"
"My Mangekyō awakened a long time ago."
"I simply never told anyone."
"Because its ability is… special."
"It's an illusion taken to the extreme."
"Used fully, it can even glimpse fragments of fate."
"Yes."
"You heard me correctly."
"I used it secretly many times."
"And every time, no matter what I did—"
"I saw the same ending."
"The annihilation of the Uchiha clan."
"This scene you're standing in right now—"
"It's that future."
"I never dared tell anyone."
"I could only bury it deep in my heart."
"Until…"
"I met Lord Kai."
"I pushed my dōjutsu to its limits."
"And found that everything related to prophecy—"
"And him—"
"Was completely impossible to see through."
"I had no other choice."
"So I chose to believe in him."
"And the result—"
"You've seen it."
"The Uchiha's fate has changed."
"So tonight—"
"Since this mission was arranged by Lord Kai…"
"Even if I can no longer see my own fate—"
"I'm willing to follow him to the end."
Fugaku paused, his voice softening.
"I'm telling you all this because I've been suffocating for years."
"And since you're already going to die—"
"You might as well let me say it."
Then—
He lifted his head.
His gaze turned cold.
"The time is up."
"My heart feels much lighter now."
"So, as for us Uchiha—"
"The clan once destined for extinction…"
"Elder Koharu."
"Go to hell."
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