"Clan head Yuzuru, there's still a seat here — if you don't mind, please sit for a bit."
The boy spoke up cheerfully when he saw Yuzuru approach.
Yuzuru nodded and, pretending to be curious, asked, "Brat, what's your name?"
The boy froze for a moment as memories of what Obito Uchiha had told him about Yuzuru flickered through his mind. Obito had warned him that Yuzuru could be... a little unpleasant.
Sure enough, just as Obito had said, Clan Head Yuzuru's manner had a slightly sharp edge. Thinking this, the boy straightened and replied seriously, "Clan head Yuzuru, I'm not a brat. My name is Shisui."
"Uchiha Shisui."
Hearing that, Yuzuru rubbed his chin. He hadn't been mistaken — this little boy in front of him was the same Shisui who, in the original story, would one day unleash the legendary genjutsu and be known as one of the greatest. Like Itachi, Shisui was a prodigy. Even at a very young age he had made a name for himself on the battlefield against Kirigakure, earning the moniker "Shisui of the Body Flicker." His mastery of genjutsu rivaled Itachi's; there had been a time when a single glance from him left an opponent rolling their eyes white and fleeing the field.
Unfortunately, in the original timeline, Shisui was brainwashed by Danzo Shimura and Hiruzen Sarutobi and ended up a sad, simple soul who, blind and broken, leapt off a cliff to his death. Even Kabuto Yakushi — the so-called "master of resurrecting dreams" — couldn't find a body to reanimate. It was a truly tragic end.
"How old are you, Shisui?" Yuzuru, now somewhat interested, chatted with him. His gaze shifted to the skewers of three-colored dango on the table.
"Clan head Yuzuru, I'm already five years old."
Noticing Yuzuru's look, Shisui calmly pulled the skewer of dango closer to himself. Yuzuru couldn't help but say, "Shisui, you're a little possessive about your food, huh."
"I am not." Uchiha Shisui shook his head. "Brother Obito said that you used to steal his food all the time, so he told me to protect my food if I ever met you."
Uchiha Yuzuru's mouth twitched. Reputation damaged! When he saw Obito again he'd give that bastard a proper scolding.
Seeing Yuzuru's silent amusement, Shisui stuck his tongue out sheepishly — he'd accidentally said what was on his mind. He then handed a skewer over to Yuzuru. "Clan head Yuzuru, here."
"Eat it and then come ask me for more," Yuzuru said with an amused shake of his head, though he didn't seriously scold a five-year-old. After a little while, Yuzuru's own dango was brought to him. He munched idly and asked, "Shisui, are you enjoying life in the village?"
At that, Shisui wore a guileless smile. "Yes, very much. Everyone is so kind to me."
"The teachers and my classmates at the Ninja Academy all like me and speak so nicely. I love it here."
Yuzuru wasn't surprised by Shisui's answer. Even Obito could become a notable figure in the Cloud Hidden Village; prodigies like Shisui would be fawned over. The grievances the Uchiha clan suffered in the original timeline? Only the backstabbing wolves of Konoha could have managed such treatment.
"By the way, Clan head Yuzuru," Shisui asked with curious eyes, "why did you lead our Uchiha clan away from Konoha back then?"
Shisui had been under two years old when they left Konoha, so he had no memory of it. His only knowledge of Konoha was that it was the village the Uchiha once helped establish. He couldn't understand why Yuzuru would move the whole clan out of the village they had founded and resettle in the Cloud Hidden Village.
Yuzuru took a bite of his dango and answered lightly, "Konoha isn't like the Cloud Hidden Village. People there resent the Uchiha."
"They fear our power and treat us as an unstable element. Konoha's leaders even built a prison beside our clan lands and kept watch on us for twenty-four hours, claiming it was to monitor criminals. They kept saying the same thing over and over — that we are naturally evil, the Uchiha..."
Before Yuzuru could finish, Shisui suddenly stood up. Tears welled and tracked down his cheeks; he looked wronged and indignant. "We built Konoha for them! If they aren't grateful, fine — but how can they say such things about us?"
"Our clan members are kind. The people in the village are willing to be our friends."
"We aren't an evil clan. Our hearts are full of love!"
Shisui's reaction took Yuzuru aback. He had only stated the facts, so why did this child seem so hurt? Then something even more shocking happened. Shisui's dark eyes flashed scarlet — a single magatama spun slowly in his pupils.
He awakened?!
Though it was only a one-magatama Sharingan, Shisui was only five years old! After his initial surprise, Yuzuru realized why: thanks to his relationship with the Third Raikage, the Cloud Hidden Village and the Uchiha clan were enjoying a honeymoon period. A brilliant young Uchiha like Shisui had grown up in a honeyed life: well fed, surrounded by warm and kind people, and treated like the sun at the Ninja Academy. In that environment, Shisui's previously saintly temperament had become fragile — a 'glass heart' raised on praise.
Shisui hadn't noticed his change; he wiped his tears with his sleeve and fixed his gaze with resolve. "Clan head Yuzuru, I will explain to those people in Konoha. I will make them understand that the Uchiha are not what they think!"
Yuzuru smiled and pushed another skewer toward him. "So what are you going to do, Shisui?"
"If talking it out with Konoha worked, then I wouldn't have had to lead the whole Uchiha clan to the Cloud Hidden Village." Shisui's voice turned serious. "Brother Obito once told me you told him that without strength you can do nothing."
"So I must obtain enough power. Then those Konoha people will sit down calmly and listen to me."
"And if they still won't listen?" Yuzuru asked.
"Then, as you said at the clan meeting, make them all disappear. There's no need for hopeless people in this world."
Yuzuru gave him a thumbs up. "Not bad… very spirited — I support you!"
It was true: upbringing matters. Compared to the simple, tragic saint from the original tale, this Shisui, groomed in comfort and admiration, had become far more appealing at first glance.