"Things are really getting worse and worse..."
Within a cliff in the Konoha forest, Uchiha Shisui waited for Uchiha Itachi with a heavy heart.
The speed of the Uchiha clan's deterioration was faster than he had imagined.
In the frequent clan meetings, the radical voices were growing stronger, all of which gave him a sense of powerlessness.
Under such an environment, he felt it was getting increasingly difficult, which faintly forced him to consider a certain idea.
However, he still needed to confirm it...
"Shisui."
While he was deep in thought, Uchiha Itachi quietly appeared behind him.
"There were a lot of things to deal with, sorry I'm late."
"Thanks for your hard work."
Shisui gathered his thoughts. He didn't turn around, but merely spoke softly.
"I asked you to come here this time because I have some intelligence to share with you."
"What is it?"
Uchiha Itachi walked to Shisui's side in confusion. He hadn't attended the clan meetings recently.
After all, his captain had taken the newcomers directly out of the village, leaving him with hardly any time to rest.
Even though he was always in charge of surveillance, there were many things he couldn't see.
"The Police Force is preparing to reinforce their weapons and is purchasing a large number of explosive tags."
Shisui turned his head to glance at Uchiha Itachi, then said calmly.
"Moreover, these matters are being handled extremely secretly."
"This..."
Uchiha Itachi was stunned for a moment, and his expression suddenly became somewhat grim.
Possessing the mindset of a Hokage, he understood exactly what would happen if things continued like this!
"It seems he has really made up his mind. I must report this matter to the Hokage..."
"Don't act rashly. Don't forget that you are currently being monitored by me."
Shisui shook his head, changing the subject as he asked in a low voice.
"Do you think stopping this kind of thing really requires unconventional methods?"
"Yes."
Uchiha Itachi nodded seriously. He had already made his stance clear the first time he discussed this matter with Shisui.
"I have always believed that this matter can only be handled with unconventional methods!"
"Unconventional methods, huh..."
Shisui pondered for a long time, and slowly, his gaze became firm.
"I understand. I will find a way to handle this matter properly."
"You..."
Uchiha Itachi was a bit puzzled, but Shisui shook his head and smiled.
"Don't ask anymore. Let's go. If you're not in a hurry to go back, shall we go get something to eat?"
"This... alright."
Uchiha Itachi sighed. He knew Shisui didn't want to talk about it, and continuing to ask would be useless.
He could only secretly guess what Shisui might do.
The two walked silently towards the outside. It was unknown how long had passed when Shisui suddenly stopped.
"Someone is here."
Uchiha Itachi also raised his head, only to see two small figures practicing tree climbing not far away.
And to the side, there was another person looking in their direction.
"They're working hard, kind of like how we were when we were kids."
Seeing this scene, Shisui couldn't help but smile.
"They've already noticed us. Let's go over and take a look, otherwise it would be too rude."
"Yeah..."
Although Uchiha Itachi was preoccupied with heavy thoughts, he followed along.
But as they kept getting closer, their expressions slowly became a bit strange.
"Hyuga..."
Shisui recognized their identities at a glance, which made him unconsciously purse his lips.
After all, a certain Hyuga Anbu had left a profound impression on him!
"It's him?"
Uchiha Itachi couldn't help but mutter. He recognized Hyuga Makoto immediately!
Even though they had never met, staying in Konoha meant he also knew some information about the newcomers.
He really didn't expect that they would run into each other here.
"You know each other?"
Hearing this, Shisui felt a bit strange, but before Uchiha Itachi could speak, Hyuga Makoto had already stood up with a smile.
"I really didn't expect to meet the famous Uchiha Shisui and the genius Uchiha Itachi here."
But despite saying that, he was actually quite puzzled inside.
Just a moment ago, he was watching these two 'plotting a rebellion', and even complained that the Byakugan couldn't hear what they were saying.
And in the blink of an eye, they were heading his way!
Fortunately, he was thick-skinned enough. He just had to pretend nothing happened.
But when Shisui heard his words, his pupils shrank instantly.
This voice, this tone, it was too unforgettable for him. No wonder Uchiha Itachi knew him!
Faintly, he even felt his eyes starting to ache...
"You flatter me."
Uchiha Itachi wasn't quite clear about the matter between Hyuga Makoto and Shisui, so he just spoke calmly.
"I've heard about your deeds at the academy. If you had chosen to graduate early, you definitely would have succeeded."
"Is that so?"
Hyuga Makoto blinked, but wasn't surprised by this statement.
His performance at the academy was probably similar to Neji's in the future.
Moreover, this wasn't his first time seeing Uchiha Itachi, although it was highly likely that the one he saw before was just a Shadow Clone...
At that time, he was still very curious. This future person who came up with a brilliant solution to the Uchiha problem—
'Since the Uchiha and Konoha are incompatible, and they even want to launch a coup, then wouldn't it be fine if I just kill my entire clan?' A hardcore ruthless person, exactly what was wrong with his brain.
It's just a pity that even the Byakugan couldn't detect mental illness...
"Then thank you for the compliment, but why are you guys here too?"
Hyuga Makoto stopped overthinking and intentionally asked.
"Could it be that you're also here to train?"
"This... pretty much..."
Uchiha Itachi remained silent, so Shisui could only nod awkwardly.
They couldn't exactly tell this guy that they were here acting as 'traitors to their clan', right?
"We were just about to head back and happened to see you guys. It reminded us of the past, so..."
"The past?"
Hyuga Makoto found it somewhat funny. He looked at Uchiha Itachi and asked.
"Speaking of which, I heard back then that you used a Shadow Clone to attend classes. Could it be that you went to look for Senior Shisui?"
"Yeah, he did come looking for me."
Perhaps recalling the past, Shisui couldn't help but laugh.
"Moreover, he was very fast at everything."
"Yeah, I was indeed wrong in the past."
Uchiha Itachi also nodded, his expression softening a bit.
"But thanks to Shisui's teaching. If there's a chance in the future, I will also properly teach... someone else."
"..."
Hyuga Makoto blinked. This 'someone else' of yours is Sasuke, right?
Suddenly, he felt that Sasuke was truly a bit pitiful.
Meeting such a good big brother who was single-mindedly trying to drag him into a big family of psychopaths.
The fact that he didn't go completely insane was truly rare!
Could it be that there are more sunny days in the ninja world?
"You Uchiha are really different from our Hyuga..."
Although his mind was running wild, Hyuga Makoto still followed their words and sighed with a face full of praise.
"Your clan's relationships seem to be very good. What a happy clan."
"..."
This single sentence instantly made both Shisui and Uchiha Itachi lose their composure!
Even though they were aware of the Hyuga clan's problems, saying this to the two of them felt somewhat out of place, right?
"Um, thank you..."
Shisui really couldn't take it anymore. He felt that both times he encountered Hyuga Makoto, the situation was exceptionally awkward.
He scratched his head helplessly and forced a smile.
"I don't think you need our help here, so..."
"That's right, we also have other things to do."
Uchiha Itachi also nodded repeatedly. He was completely left speechless by his 'new teammate' as well!
"We won't disturb you any longer. We'll take our leave first."
"Then forgive me for not seeing you off. Take care."
Hyuga Makoto also maintained his politeness, but watching the flustered retreating figures of the two, he found it somewhat amusing himself.
"People from the Uchiha?"
At this moment, Neji spoke up curiously from the side.
"Do you know them?"
"You could say I know them."
Hyuga Makoto nodded, but he quickly glared over.
"Who told you to be so nosy? Look at Hinata, get back to training!"
"Tch..."
Neji snorted lightly, but quickly threw himself back into training.
Meanwhile, Hyuga Makoto's gaze lingered faintly on Shisui.
Because this guy had truly given him a rather significant surprise...
[Acquired new side quest]
[Help Danzo obtain Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyo]
[Destined death? Save Uchiha Shisui's life]