A hint of sorrow appeared on Shisui's face.
Although this was not the Uchiha Itachi from his own world, watching this youth brandish his blade against his own clansmen still caused a slight ache in his heart.
However, on the other side.
Listening to the words Shisui spoke, and sensing his Dōjutsu Power and Chakra, Itachi was firmly convinced that the person before him was indeed Shisui.
But, that was impossible!
Shisui had clearly died; he had seen it with his own eyes, and he had even entrusted his Mangekyo to him.
Besides, hadn't the clansmen found Shisui's body downstream of the Naka River a while ago?
At this moment, Itachi's mind was in turmoil.
However.
After thinking for a brief moment, a bitter expression appeared on his face.
"Real? Fake?"
"It doesn't matter anymore!"
"Shisui..."
"I'll just call you that for now. If you had appeared a month earlier, perhaps we could have talked."
"But, there's no time left!"
"I am not the only one acting today; outside, there is Danzo Shimura's Root, and the Hokage-sama's Anbu are also standing by in formation."
"The Uchiha Clan is doomed!"
"The choice to have me do it myself is merely the Village offering the Uchiha Clan a shred of dignity."
"If I chose not to do it myself, then even that shred of dignity would be gone."
"If I do it, at least I can leave behind a descendant."
"I admit I am indeed a bit selfish; I gave the chance to live to Sasuke."
"So, I'm sorry!"
"I cannot stop the clansmen's insane actions, nor can I stop the high-level officials' determination to annihilate the Uchiha Clan. Therefore, leaving behind one descendant for the Uchiha Clan while maintaining the Village's stability has become a necessary option."
"Because only with the Village's stability can the Uchiha descendant, which is Sasuke, safely grow and become stronger."
"Once he grows up in the future and kills me, a Rogue Ninja, the Village will be unable to act against him as a hero."
"He will be able to get married, have children, and propagate a new Uchiha Clan in peace."
"The Uchiha Clan cannot be extinguished!"
"This is the only path to survival I can think of. Otherwise, if the Uchiha Clan truly went to war with the Village, the end result would only be total devastation."
"Even if a small portion of the Uchiha Clan could be saved in this battle, how would we face the other Four Great Shinobi Villages afterward?"
"At that time..."
"What awaits the Uchiha Clan would still be death!"
"So, Shisui."
"This is the only path to survival I can think of. Perhaps the Uchiha Clan will remain dormant for a long time, but the Uchiha Clan will absolutely not disappear completely."
"After decades or even centuries of reproduction, the name of the Uchiha Clan will still exist in the Ninja World."
"In that regard, it is much better than the Senju, Uzumaki, Kaguya, and other Ninja Clans."
"Isn't it?"
"So, Tsukuyomi!"
Following Uchiha Itachi's explanation, the gazes of Shisui and the other Uchiha clansmen began to become extremely complex.
Yes!
In a sense, although Itachi's method was very foolish, it could indeed preserve the Uchiha Clan.
After all...
Not everyone is named Uchiha Jin, capable of possessing such terrifying strength while also being so proficient in power struggles...
At the very least, the Uchiha Clan.
Except for the lone seedling Uchiha Jin, there are few people who think like Itachi. Therefore, for Itachi to be able to come up with such a solution to the problem between the Uchiha Clan and the Village, and one that allows the Uchiha Clan to continue to propagate...
Truly, it was not bad at all!
However.
Itachi was a bit lacking in martial virtue; after greeting him, he didn't wait for Shisui to speak before directly unleashing his strongest Mangekyo Dōjutsu—Tsukuyomi!
Almost instantly.
When Shisui's vision recovered, he saw a desolate, empty land, and he himself was bound directly to a giant cross.
Uchiha Itachi stood not far away, holding a ninja sword directly in his hand.
Bang!
Just at this moment, Shisui's Mangekyo rotated, and he easily broke free from the cross's control.
"What?"
Seeing this scene, Itachi was full of shock.
Just as he was shocked, Shisui had already arrived by Itachi's side.
"Itachi..."
"Why are you shocked?"
"Don't you know that my genjutsu is naturally strong?"
"Even the Mangekyo technique I awakened, Kotoamatsukami, is the strongest genjutsu, isn't it?"
"My Chakra is more than yours, my physical fitness is better than yours, and my Dōjutsu Power far exceeds yours."
"Tsukuyomi, in its essence, is just a genjutsu."
"Perhaps ordinary people cannot break free, but I am an Uchiha, one who has awakened the Mangekyo, and one who has mastered Kotoamatsukami!"
"My Dōjutsu Power is stronger than yours; Tsukuyomi cannot control me. Do you need to be this surprised?"
"Let alone breaking free..."
"As long as I want to, and as long as I use my full power, I can easily shatter even this Tsukuyomi space."
Shisui's expression was normal, and his tone remained gentle.
In his original world, he often sparred and fought with Itachi, so he was naturally no stranger to Tsukuyomi.
Shisui had long since figured out how to counter this move!
Not to mention...
The Itachi of this world was much weaker than the Itachi of his world.
Regarding this point, it was actually normal.
After all, the Itachi of his own world had undergone forced physical training to reach the standard, and only after he could withstand the Mangekyo was he allowed to activate it.
Subsequently.
His body had been strengthened by Hashirama cells, so the strength of the Itachi from that world was understandable.
But this world!
Because there was no Uchiha Jin, the Itachi of this world naturally did not have such good treatment!
"Shisui..."
"Are you really Shisui?"
"But, why?"
"You clearly died; I watched you die in my arms with my own eyes."
"..."
At this moment, Itachi's expression finally changed.
Although he had said so much outside earlier, it was only because he regarded the person before him as a copy of Itachi, and hiding these inner struggles was indeed painful...
Seeing someone who looked so much like Shisui, he naturally couldn't help but vent a little.
But, in essence.
He did not believe that the person before him was Shisui!
Now, it was different.
Being able to break free from his Tsukuyomi so easily, and indeed having Shisui's Dōjutsu Power and Chakra fluctuations...
At this moment.
Itachi completely let down his guard, and then couldn't help but ask.
Subsequently.
Fearing that Shisui might overthink it, Itachi hurriedly added: "72 hours inside the Tsukuyomi space is equivalent to only one second in the outside world."
"So, Shisui-nii..."
"Tell me what is going on, okay?"
"I want to know the truth!"
Truly convinced that the person before him was Shisui, Itachi subconsciously reverted to the demeanor of his childhood.
Obviously.
If one were to ask who Itachi trusted in this world?
Fugaku wouldn't even make the list!
The only person he could truly trust unconditionally was obviously the Shisui before him.
And, on the other side.
Shisui was silent for a long time before letting out a soft sigh.