Konoha, beside the training field of the Ninja Academy.
Hyūga Tokuma glanced at the boy beside him and asked,
"What's wrong? Did you eat something bad?"
Uchiha Shion rubbed his stomach lightly and shook his head.
"No… just feeling a little uncomfortable, that's all."
Nearby, Izumi looked up at her older brother with concern.
"Brother, do you want to go home and rest? I can tell the teacher you're not feeling well."
Shion chuckled and ruffled Izumi's hair.
"It's nothing. Just a passing feeling. By the way, where's Hana today? I didn't see her."
Tokuma answered,
"I heard something happened to her family's dog. Apparently it got sick, so she stayed home."
"So Hana-nee has to take care of her dog?" Izumi wrinkled her nose.
The quiet, carefree time at the Academy slipped by quickly. After sneaking in a short nap, Shion left a shadow clone to cover for him in the afternoon, then slipped away.
High on the rocky cliffs overlooking the village, Shion touched his stomach again. The link between his real self and his clone allowed him to share all the information gathered earlier.
And ever since his clash with Obito, a troubling suspicion had been growing in his heart.
The "storyline" itself wasn't something Shion cared about too much, but when unexpected variables appeared, it created far too many uncertainties.
With the lightning reflexes he had inherited from Minato Namikaze, Obito's reaction speed shouldn't have surpassed his own. The night of the Nine-Tails' attack was proof enough of that.
Yet during his Flying Thunder God teleport, Obito's iron chains and Fire Style techniques had clearly been prepared beforehand—as if he already knew where Shion would appear.
And when Shion tried again, his return had been anticipated too. This wasn't passive reaction—it had to be an active ability.
Perfect timing? That phrase itself carried too much meaning.
"You came early, Shion."
A voice nearby interrupted his thoughts. Shisui had arrived with a Body Flicker, landing lightly on the cliffside.
Pushing aside his half-formed theories, Shion smiled faintly.
"Don't look so serious. If everything goes as planned, we can begin tomorrow."
Shisui shook his head slightly, forming hand seals. Four barrier points lit up around them, locking down the area in a protective jutsu.
Only when the barrier was complete did Shisui turn to him.
"We need to be careful. Without this, others might overhear. Many in the clan still don't understand what we're trying to do."
Shion nodded.
"That's exactly why we'll need the power of your eye. Not every Uchiha is a madman. Children like little Sasuke shouldn't have their futures gambled away."
The truth was, with Fugaku dead and Itachi not yet awakened to the Mangekyō, it wouldn't have been impossible for Shion to wipe out the entire Hawk Faction if he had chosen to.
Decades had passed since Konoha's founding, and the Hawk Faction had grown dominant within the clan—yet many ordinary civilians lived among them too.
Like the kindly couple who ran the Uchiha pancake shop; at clan meetings, their voice was represented by Uchiha Shichiyo, the seventh elder.
"Tomorrow?" Shisui repeated. "There's a clan assembly seven days from now. Let's set it for then."
He looked hard at Shion.
"I've often wondered what secrets you're hiding. From what I can see, you haven't even awakened your Sharingan, and yet you say that after tomorrow, you'll have decisive power.
"The only decisive power an Uchiha can gain is the Mangekyō Sharingan. If we both possess it, our weight in the clan—and with the Fourth Hokage—will be entirely different.
"But going straight from unopened eyes to Mangekyō… is that even possible?"
Shion smiled.
"You know as well as I do—the Sharingan awakens when something precious is lost. A surge of power in the optic nerves under the shock of grief.
"That power triggers the Sharingan's birth. As for bloodlines—think of it as a hereditary condition: atavism, blood anomalies, strange energies. Tell me, Shisui—what do you think I am?"
Shisui shook his head.
"I don't know. But these past two years, the things you've told me have taught me a lot. Enough that I've chosen to trust you."
Shion gazed past the trees, down toward the heart of the village.
In truth, all he'd wanted at first was to survive in this terrifying world. If possible, to live peacefully with his family. Farm fields in Konoha instead of fighting wars. Die in the Pain invasion, only to be revived, tied to a tree, dreaming a simple dream, and then set free again to farm in peace.
"Trust, huh?" Shion murmured, glancing back at Shisui.
"You really are the descendant of Uchiha Kagami. That's probably why the Fourth believes in you."
Shisui exhaled softly at the evasive reply.
"…Very well. Seven days from now, at the clan assembly, we'll act together."
With that, he vanished in a flicker, and the barrier dissolved.
Under the night sky, Shion remained on the cliff, watching the village lights below.
Konoha had already changed much because of him. Fortunately, those changes were all moving in the right direction.
If tonight's third transaction went smoothly, then with the Rinnegan and Mangekyō in hand, the Uchiha's internal disputes could be resolved in one stroke.
And after that…
Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze—don't let me down.
Anyone who becomes Hokage is never soft-hearted. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, when the Second Hokage died, saw a struggle full of schemes and unanswered questions.
Shion's eyes shifted toward the Hokage building.
The roots that nourished the great tree might remain in shadow, but the cleanest part of the tree should still be its roots.
Konoha, Root Headquarters.
"Only this?"
Danzo's voice was low and sharp. Kneeling before him, a Root operative replied,
"Uchiha Shisui's vigilance is extreme. Even my summon beast was pushed out by his barrier."
Danzo lowered his gaze to the report in his hand.
"He wouldn't let down his guard even against a mere rat? …You may leave. Continue monitoring Uchiha Shion and Uchiha Shisui."
The agent withdrew into the shadows. Danzo gripped the scroll tightly.
Tomorrow it begins? If all goes as planned… That boy, Shion—could he be even more gifted than Itachi? Why does Shisui speak with him so often? What are they plotting under such caution?
The plan must be accelerated. The power of the Mangekyō Sharingan—it must be seized, for Konoha. For myself.
Hiruzen, you are far too soft. Whether it's the Nine-Tails or the Uchiha, any power not held firmly in one's own hands is unstable. Only if I become Hokage… can Konoha be great again!