Konoha.
Even though the sun was shining brightly, it gave off a dark and oppressive feeling.
But Sasuke didn't feel it. As usual, he carried his satchel and went to the forest on the back mountain to practice Shuriken.
His older brother Itachi's Shurikenjutsu was extremely cool to him, which made him fall in love with practicing Shuriken. He wanted to learn Shurikenjutsu just like his older brother's so he could give him a surprise the next time they met.
And he wasn't the only one in the back mountain forest.
As usual, he saw that little boy who was constantly doing push-ups, crunches, frog jumps, and other basic exercises.
Hiromi, the younger brother of Shisui—the one who had 'stolen' his older brother—was the same age as him, five years old.
The children in the clan hardly knew him, and the adults only remembered him as Shisui's younger brother, they knew nothing else. He was a very strange peer.
Sasuke blinked, looked curiously for a few more moments, and then continued practicing Shuriken as before.
Soon, the sun set in the west, and dusk arrived.
After glancing at the boy resting against a tree trunk, Sasuke packed up his Shuriken and turned to leave without a word.
At first, he had been worried about the boy and hesitated over whether to ask him to go back together. But ever since he saw Shisui coming to pick him up every day, he didn't really want to bother with him anymore.
Why did his older brother come to pick him up every day, while his own older brother didn't come even once?
So frustrating!
...
Today, Sasuke was in luck. He ran into Itachi, who was returning.
"Nii-san!" Sasuke ran over excitedly.
"Is the mission over? Practice with me." He said practice, but in reality, he wanted to show off the results of his recent training.
'I'll definitely give nii-san a big surprise.' Sasuke thought to himself with secret delight.
Itachi opened his mouth, but before the word "Okay" could escape, he saw a familiar figure flash by ten meters away.
Seeing this, he could only say apologetically, "Forgive me, Sasuke."
Sasuke's face puffed up in dissatisfaction. Watching Itachi's departing back, he couldn't help but think of Hiromi waiting for Shisui in the back mountains.
"Humph!"
...
Naka River.
Here was a cliff, and the river was turbulent. Many pebbles that fell in would be crushed by the force. Many adults forbade children from playing here.
Shisui stood by the side, watching quietly, as if reminiscing.
Sensing that the person he invited had arrived behind him, he smiled and said, "We used to play here a lot."
"You're back." Itachi stepped out from behind a tree and came to Shisui's side. "Is something the matter?"
The two didn't spend much time reminiscing.
After a few words, Shisui asked, "How serious do you think Fugaku is?"
Itachi frowned. "Serious about what?"
Shisui's tone became serious. "The Coup détat."
Nowadays, the Uchiha clan's dissatisfaction with the village was increasing daily. The slogans for a Coup détat were no longer just empty shouts as they once were. The increasingly frequent meetings were proof of this.
There would be another meeting tomorrow. He had a premonition that the situation had reached a critical point.
"If there really is a Coup détat, then I..."
Shisui reached out and touched his eye, hesitating slightly.
At this moment, Itachi voiced his thoughts. "If the village maintains the status quo, I'm afraid the Uchiha clan will reach the limit of their patience. But if the Uchiha don't change first, the village won't change either. As long as both sides continue to distrust each other, the situation will only continue to worsen."
"Must the Uchiha change first..." Shisui's hesitant expression gradually became firm.
—
Night, Hokage Building.
Shisui knelt on one knee.
"Shisui, what do you think of tomorrow's meeting?" Hiruzen asked while smoking his pipe.
"Hokage-sama, if Fugaku intends to launch a Coup détat, I want to resolve it with my dōjutsu." Shisui answered.
Hearing this, Hiruzen felt relieved. "Very well, I will dispatch Itachi to support you."
"Yes."
—
The next day, Hokage Building.
Having received the news, Danzo came before Hiruzen. "The Uchiha are holding another meeting."
Though he didn't explicitly say "strike first," every word implied it.
Hiruzen naturally understood the meaning, he was also clear about the Uchiha clan's current thoughts. However, these issues weren't major.
"Shisui." Hiruzen spoke.
The door opened, revealing Shisui.
"Shisui..." Danzo frowned.
Why was an Uchiha appearing here? Could an Uchiha really help them wipe out the Uchiha clan?
Ridiculous.
Hiruzen continued, "Shisui will attend the meeting. If he finds that Fugaku is truly plotting a Coup détat..."
At that moment, Shisui spoke up, "I will use Kotoamatsukami."
"Your dōjutsu?" Danzo said, pretending not to care, but his eyes flickered.
...
Root Headquarters.
Shisui clutched his bleeding right eye, cold sweat dripping, gasping for breath. The pupil of his left eye shook, filled with disbelief.
His right eye had been gouged out by Danzo!
"Give me the other one too!" Danzo said with intense confidence, staring at Shisui's left eye.
As Danzo finished speaking, over a dozen Root ninjas appeared instantly, intent on capturing Shisui.
Shisui reacted extremely fast, his hands quickly forming seals. In an instant, his chest puffed out.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
A mass of flames erupted from his mouth. It transformed in the air into a staggering five-meter-wide fireball, scorching and dry, invoking an instinctive fear. The five-meter fireball surged forward mercilessly, intent on incinerating everything.
The Root ninjas were experienced and immediately formed seals. The movements of the dozen or so ninjas were perfectly synchronized.
The next second, they opened their mouths and spat in unison.
Water Release: Wild Water Wave!
Over a dozen small streams converged into a massive torrent, colliding with the giant fireball. The water evaporated, exploding outward like a steam bomb.
A humid, hot wind washed over everything, and the white mist formed by the steam covered the surroundings.
The next second, the steam formed by the collision of water and fire Chakra quickly dissipated.
Looking again, Shisui was nowhere to be seen.
"Body Flicker Technique?!" The Root ninjas were somewhat shocked.
A D-rank Ninjutsu used with such formidable power?!
"Pursue!" Danzo shouted.
The Root ninjas immediately gave chase.