Uchiha Shion?
Why was his speed so fast? How was that even possible?
Uchiha Hachidai turned his head slightly, only to find that the so-called Uchiha Shion hadn't struck directly, but was instead watching the newly freed Uchiha Setsuna.
"To use the Body Flicker at such speed… Uchiha's younger generation, you've come to welcome me as well?"
Setsuna's eyes narrowed slightly. But what Shion sensed from him was different—different from Pain, who wielded the Rinnegan, and different from Sarutobi Hiruzen, whose ambition had long since faded.
So this… was what a survivor of the Warring States era felt like.
Swish!
In an instant, Uchiha Setsuna drew the long blade at his side and slashed down fiercely toward Shion.
Boom!
The sword smashed into the ground, sparks flying, but Shion remained unharmed.
Setsuna's low voice followed: "Kill them! These two Uchiha brats—their eyes are not aligned with ours."
Before the words had even finished, his figure dissolved into smoke.
Bang!!
Shion's fist slammed into the ground where Setsuna had stood, shattering the earth and reducing a wooden log to splinters.
"Fresh out of prison, and you already had a substitution prepared?" Shion's calm voice echoed.
From the shadows, Setsuna reappeared, fastening a ninja tool pouch to his leg. Rising, he flung four shuriken straight at Shion.
Shion frowned slightly. His blade flashed, knocking the shuriken aside. In his eyes, the three-tomoe Sharingan spun.
Swish!
Uchiha Hachidai's body flickered, his blade cleaving down. But with a single swing, Shion sent him flying.
Boom!
Hachidai crashed against a tree trunk, slid down, and spat blood as he clutched his chest.
"How is that possible? Why is your strength so great?"
Staggering to his feet, leaning on his sword, Hachidai stared at Shion in shock. "They call you a genius on par with Uchiha Itachi… When did you awaken the Sharingan? And this speed, this strength—how can it be real?"
Shion's expression was cool. "You've simply been staring at the sky from the bottom of a well. Read more—it broadens the mind. Day after day you cling to childish notions. They say you're skilled at analysis, Hachidai, but it's laughable."
Swish!
Silver light streaked—kunai and shuriken hurled by Setsuna. Shion slipped past them with ease.
Setsuna's eyes narrowed, his voice cold: "So you've noticed already? Too late. Many shinobi can gather chakra in their feet to explode with Body Flicker, but each person's speed differs. At such a young age to move so fast, you are strong indeed. But…"
"…can you still use Body Flicker now?"
He gave Shion no time to answer. His hands flew through seals.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Technique!"
Flames roared out, and every fine steel wire hidden in the air was revealed—encircling Shion completely.
In an instant, massive fire dragons surged along the wires, rushing down upon him.
Hum…
Shion's Sharingan spun violently. The Mangekyō pattern blossomed, and a colossal blue giant erupted around him.
Boom…
The flames crashed down, but Susanoo's defense was unshakable.
Standing upon its brow, Shion flicked his hand, and Susanoo's blade sheared through every wire around him.
Swish!
In the blink of an eye, Susanoo vanished, and Shion appeared behind Setsuna, blade slashing down.
Bang!
Smoke burst forth—another Shadow Clone.
"Mangekyō Sharingan, is it? With such power, why won't you join us?"
But the clone dispersed as well—Shion's own Shadow Clone. From the darkness, his true self emerged, pressing a blade coldly against Setsuna's neck.
"Uchiha Shion! That man is one of our clan's elders—you cannot kill him!" Hachidai's voice cracked with desperation. He turned to Shisui, who had stood silent all this time. "Stop him!"
Shisui only shook his head. His voice was steady: "The Fourth Hokage's order is clear. If Uchiha Setsuna escapes prison—execute him."
At that, the tomoe in Hachidai's eyes spun furiously. "You… you'll all be criminals to the Uchiha!"
Shion dragged Setsuna forward, his voice cold. "The truth is, whether it's Setsuna or your father, Uchiha Nanadaime, Shisui and I could end you all."
Hachidai sneered. "End us all? And then what? Do you think the rest of our clan will bow to you? Never! They will avenge us!"
Shion inclined his head slightly. "Neither the hardliners nor the moderates are free of ties. Killing everyone isn't realistic. And the weight we hold in Konoha isn't the same as a single clan."
His gaze locked on Hachidai's eyes. "So tell me—on what grounds do you think a coup will make Uchiha Hokage? That Konoha's clans and shinobi will bend the knee?"
"The Uchiha name has never carried goodwill. Because of the Sharingan, the village will never accept a madman from our clan as Hokage. Even if you kill the Third, kill the Fourth… do you truly think Uchiha can sit the Hokage's chair? That Konoha won't collapse? That the other four nations won't tempt families away with rich offers?"
Setsuna suddenly chuckled, a grim laugh.
"Hehehe…"
"Young one, then where do you think our path lies? The First Hokage was Senju Hashirama. The Second was his brother, Tobirama. The Third, their disciple. The Fourth, their disciple's disciple. Inheriting their will, no Hokage will ever allow Uchiha to rise.
"So why not? With your Mangekyō power, turn Konoha into Uchiha's domain. Kill all who resist. Silence all who doubt. Tell me—who in this village could stop the Uchiha's rise?"
Shisui finally shook his head. "Shion once told me this: politics is never absolute force, but compromise. Politics without force is a joke—but politics with only force is a madman's paradise. No one wants to live in fear. Konoha will never accept an Uchiha Hokage this way."
Under the night sky, Hachidai laughed bitterly. "Even so, we've been pushed aside for too long. Sooner or later, the Uchiha will be forced down this road. And if we don't resist, we'll be slaughtered anyway."
Before Setsuna could speak again—
Slash!
Shion's blade fell.
Pshhh!
The old relic of the Warring States crumpled, severed in an instant.
"Inflexible fool."
"Wiping you all out isn't necessary. But someone like you—forgotten by most, yet carrying such weight—your death is the only path for the clan to rise again."
Blood dripped from his blade as Shion's eyes fixed on Hachidai. He stepped forward slowly.
…
"Brother, I'm hungry!"
"Me too, brother."
"That guy who was feeding us got killed. Now there's no food."
"What?! Then what do we do?!"
"Let's eat him?"
"Too skinny, not tasty, brother."
"There are so many here… we can eat them all, right? Idiot!"
Behind them, two enormous figures—Fūjin and Raijin—licked their lips, eyes hungry as they looked first at Shion, then at everyone else.
Shion exhaled slowly, turning. "Useless gluttons. I don't know why Konoha keeps you around. Don't tell me you've eaten people before?"
The fat brute grinned wide. "Ah! We did—crunchy, tasty!"
Whoosh!
A massive fist came crashing down.
Boom!!
The ground shattered, rising in chunks. But Shion had already flickered away, appearing above the giant's head.
"Strong, but still lacking!"
Boom!!
His fist crashed onto Fūjin's skull. The ground quaked, fissures splitting as the brute's head drove deep into the earth. He slumped unconscious.
The next instant, as Raijin rushed to help, Shion's heel dropped from above.
Crash!
Smoke cleared. The two oversized brothers lay sprawled unconscious outside the prison walls.
…
Landing lightly, Shion ignored the brutes. He stared at the ground where only a corpse remained, frowning.
"Ran away?"
Shisui's calm reply came: "Yes. He ran."
Shion blinked. "And you didn't stop him?"
Scratching his head, Shisui answered, "If his father sides with us, he'll be an asset. A Uchiha with three tomoe can be very valuable in the future."
Shion sighed. "Compassion has its flaws. Uchiha who've been shunned this long aren't easy to win over."
Shisui smiled faintly. "Do you know why I say Kotoamatsukami is an illusion no one else can perceive?"
Shion frowned. "Untraceable… even the target themselves can't notice, because the seed is planted in the subconscious. But to outsiders…"
Shisui finished the thought. "This eye's power takes ten years to recover after use. After this, I've already prepared for it to go blind."
"Blind?" Shion asked, startled. "The cost is that steep? Only two uses?"
Shisui shook his head. "Ten years is more than just a little. You'll see soon enough."
…
Kotoamatsukami.
In memory, this Mangekyō ability had only been seen twice. Once by Danzō, manipulating Mifune during the Five Kage Summit. That use required chakra links, even visible to the Byakugan—not the broken power people imagined.
The second, by Itachi, using a delayed Kotoamatsukami to free himself from Edo Tensei's control—originally meant for Sasuke.
But Itachi had to have known then that Sasuke's path had already diverged too far from Konoha. Without Naruto's later protection, and without Sasuke's role in sealing Kaguya, how could he possibly believe Kotoamatsukami would bring Sasuke back?
Clearly, Kotoamatsukami's power was immense, but so was its cost. If so, Shisui himself was worth considering for Shion's next trade.
…
Uchiha compound.
"Elder Setsuna… was he killed?"
The voice of Uchiha Nanadaime, the clan head, was heavy.
Beside him, the battered Hachidai nodded weakly. "It was Uchiha Shion. That brat awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
Silence fell over the room.
At last, Nanadaime sighed. "In this generation, our clan has birthed two Mangekyō. Yet both of them side with the village… what a pity."
"If they fought with us, what would Sarutobi Hiruzen matter? What would Minato matter? With power like Madara's colossal Susanoo, who in Konoha could stand against us?"
Hachidai's face was dark. "We can't match their strength. But if they think killing us all will make them masters of Uchiha, they're wrong."
Nanadaime shook his head. "No. Given you survived to return, it's more likely they'll come to speak with me."
"Speak? Our goals never match. What's there to discuss?" Hachidai muttered.
"Politics differs from war," Nanadaime answered. "Politics is compromise. You show power, then you compromise. That is politics."
…
Knock, knock, knock.
At the door, Uchiha Tekkō burst in, panicked.
"U-Uchiha Shisui, and Uchiha Shion… they're here!"
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