A few days later, news of Shisui's disappearance spread throughout the Uchiha compound.
With the loss of their strongest member, the Uchiha Police Force's coup plans naturally came to a halt. If even their top shinobi could vanish without a trace, a coup was bound to fail.
Compared to annihilation, accepting their current state of discrimination no longer seemed so unbearable.
Yet the Uchiha clan was more concerned about one thing: Where had Shisui gone? Did he defect from the village, or was he assassinated? Why hadn't a body turned up?
After days of fruitless searching, the Uchiha jonin began to focus their suspicion on Itachi.
On the day the clan meeting was called to discuss the coup, only Itachi and Shisui were absent. Itachi must know something—or worse, he might have been the one who killed Shisui.
Under this suspicion, several Uchiha jonin gathered outside Fugaku's home, waiting for Itachi to appear.
Seeing his own subordinates block his door, Fugaku's expression darkened. He opened the door and looked coldly at the aggressive jonin. "Yashiro, Inabi, what exactly do you want?"
Uchiha Yashiro said bluntly, "Captain, we suspect that Itachi killed Shisui!"
Fugaku's expression shifted between shock and suspicion. "Shisui and Itachi were close friends. Why would Itachi kill him?!"
"True, they were close friends. But what if Itachi coveted Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan? That eye is the stuff of legend. He could've killed Shisui just to obtain it!"
Fugaku fell silent, clearly disturbed. Itachi... might really have done it.
Inside the study, Itachi had heard every word from the courtyard. His face was shadowed with gloom. He had found Shisui's farewell letter in his room.
Shisui had indeed taken his own life, hoping to stop the coup and entrusting his Mangekyō Sharingan—and his dream of peace between the clan and the village—to Itachi.
The letter and the ideals remained, but Shisui's body was missing.
If Itachi hadn't been so familiar with Shisui's handwriting, even he might have thought the letter was forged.
But what truly unsettled him was the clan's reaction. Shisui gave his life to prevent civil war, yet these people remained ungrateful, even accusing him of murder and sabotage.
Were these people really worth saving? Their arrogance would be their downfall.
The emotional strain triggered a reaction in his brain. A massive surge of yin chakra pooled into his eyes. Unknowingly, his Sharingan transformed from its three-tomoe form into one resembling a shuriken.
At the same time, knowledge of the Mangekyō's techniques—Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu—flooded into his mind.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan..."
Itachi was momentarily stunned, but his eyes quickly regained their focus. The Mangekyō had shown him his path forward. There was no more confusion.
He vanished from the study, leaving only a few crow feathers behind, and reappeared outside.
Using both fists and kicks, Itachi effortlessly drove back the jonin. He grabbed Yashiro by the throat, slammed him into the wall, and his Sharingan gleamed with a menacing glow.
"You people… What do you know about the bond between Shisui and me? If you want to criticize me, then first earn these eyes."
With that, Itachi tossed Yashiro to the ground and walked away without looking back.
Half a minute later, Yashiro climbed to his feet, watching Itachi's retreating figure with lingering fear. "Itachi… he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan too. And it's completely different from Shisui's…"
The other jonin were equally stunned. After all, this was the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan.
Fugaku, standing nearby, fell into deep thought. If both Shisui and Itachi had the Mangekyō, maybe the Uchiha truly had a chance at the Hokage seat.
---
About ten minutes later, Itachi appeared at the Hokage's office to meet the Konoha leadership.
In response to their puzzled looks, Itachi calmly explained that Shisui had taken his own life to prevent the coup and preserve peace between the Uchiha and the village.
The Third Hokage and the elder advisors sighed heavily, deeply mourning the loss of Shisui.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Itachi with a complicated expression. "It's a shame about Shisui. With him gone, the bridge between the Uchiha and the village is lost. Itachi, would you be willing to take his place?"
Itachi nodded. "I'm willing to be that bridge. But Shisui's body is still missing. I hope the village can assist in the search."
"I'll send people to look for him. Shisui was a hero of Konoha. We can't let him lie forgotten in the wilderness."
The Third Hokage sighed. Losing Shisui hurt—he couldn't deny that—but in a way, it was a relief. Kotoamatsukami, Shisui's ultimate genjutsu, was indeed too dangerous.
At that moment, Danzō abruptly spoke. "Yes, we must retrieve his body. Kotoamatsukami must not fall into enemy hands—it's a treasure of the village."
Itachi shot a glance at Danzō and said, "Elders, I'll take my leave. The clan is still unstable. I must prevent any resurgence of coup sentiment."
Once Itachi left, the Third Hokage turned to Danzō with reproach. "Danzō, are you trying to destroy our last link with the Uchiha? Shisui just died!"
Danzō replied indifferently, "Hiruzen, don't forget Shisui's eye. If Kotoamatsukami fell into Itachi's hands, it would pose a huge threat."
"We haven't even confirmed why Shisui really killed himself. Maybe you were involved. Root's recent personnel movements have been suspicious."
The Third Hokage's voice turned cold, clearly implying he suspected Danzō's hand in the matter. But with the elder advisors present, he didn't pursue it further.
The two advisors stepped in to defuse the tension. "Enough. Now's not the time to argue. We should focus on how to deal with the police force. Shisui's death only buys us time. The Uchiha will try again."
This sobered both the Third Hokage and Danzō. The advisors were right.
After a long pause, Hiruzen said, "I believe with Itachi's help, the village and the police force can coexist. The Uchiha have never lacked those who understand the Will of Fire."
Danzō's face turned dark. "I say we strike first. While they're still unprepared, eliminate the Uchiha and erase the threat once and for all."
The Third Hokage looked at him. "Will you personally lead the charge, Elder Danzō? The Uchiha are part of this village, not its enemy. If we attack first, what will the other villages think of the Hokage's office?"
"They're already the enemy."
Danzō replied gravely, then left the office. He intended to summon Uchiha Itachi to Root.
---
(End of Chapter)