Before long, Aozora and his group arrived at the mountaintop.
Guided by the clan elders, everyone lined up in an orderly fashion and slowly entered the shrine.
Aozora and the others were ninjas, so they were among the first to enter the shrine. It wasn't because of their strength as ninjas that they entered first, but rather because ninjas were both protectors of the clan and those who sacrificed themselves on the front lines.
Everyone washed their hands and mouths by the roadside—first to cleanse impurities, and second to show reverence for their ancestors.
After performing the purification rite with clean water, they walked along the stone path into the shrine. Under the supervision of the elders, they collectively paid homage to their ancestors.
Following the clan leader's long and boring speech, everyone worshipped their ancestors and then knelt down to make wishes.
After making their wishes, each clansman stepped forward one by one to draw omens. After drawing theirs, they left the hall through the side door.
Once outside the shrine, away from the watchful eyes of their ancestors, the four finally came alive, eagerly discussing their drawn omens.
"Why'd I get 'Minor Misfortune'? Like, what kind of crap's gonna happen to me this year?"
"Maybe next year you'll marry a fierce wife!"
"How could that be? Sachiko is the gentlest! By the way, what about your omen? It must be 'Great Misfortune,' right?"
"No way! How could a good-looking guy like me get something bad? Mine is 'Good Fortune'! Brother, Tetsuka, what about yours?"
"'Good Fortune'!"
"'Minor Good Fortune'!"
"Haha, guess you're the only one with 'Misfortune,' Tetsuka! Looks like it's gonna be your unlucky year!"
...
Each omen featured "Good Fortune" or "Misfortune" along with phrases and haiku-like verses, all carrying deep meanings. However, since the ancient characters were complicated, nobody from the Uchiha Clan felt inclined to study them carefully. So everyone simply glanced at the large characters on their omens before discussing their fortune for the coming year.
As expected of ninjas, none of them truly believed in the results. They put faith instead in their own chakra and ninja tools.
Still, following ancient tradition, they hung their kyozen (omens of misfortune) onto the sacred tree in front of the shrine.
Tetsuka vaulted up and tied his omen to the highest branch of the sacred tree.
A cold breeze blew by, causing the omens and bells to sway back and forth, ringing softly.
Tetsuka asked, "Hey, do you think this sacred tree really can remove disasters and eliminate calamities?"
Inabi comforted him, saying, "It probably can! This tree stays lush even in winter—it definitely looks magical."
Aozora and Shisui also offered some words of reassurance.
Once they'd hung their omens properly, Hatsuhinode was complete. The four discussed where to go afterward.
According to ninja world customs, people didn't need to visit elders during the first day of the new year, so the young ones could play around freely.
Suddenly, someone wearing a ninja uniform approached, saying, "Shisui, Aozora, please wait a moment. Later, the clan leader has something important to discuss with you."
The messenger was Zhong Ming, the clan leader's guard. Even on such an important festival, he remained committed to his duty.
Aozora sighed helplessly and said to Inabi and the others, "You two go ahead and have fun!"
Inabi and his bro were curious but didn't push for answers. After bidding farewell to Aozora and Shisui, they left the shrine to explore elsewhere.
After Inabi and his brother left, Aozora and Shisui were invited to a side chamber.
After Zhong Ming left, Shisui asked, "Aozora, what do you think the clan leader wants us for?"
Aozora lowered his head in thought for a moment before speaking up, "Brother, I told the clan leader about your awakening of the Mangekyou! The clan leader wants to meet us likely because of your awakening."
"What?" Shisui angrily stood up and pointed at Aozora. "How could you do that?"
This was the first time he had gotten angry with Aozora. Before this, no matter what mistake Aozora made, he could always forgive him—but not this time.
Facing Shisui's accusation, Aozora didn't get angry or admit fault.
He looked Shisui in the eye calmly and replied, "Why shouldn't I have done that? Do you know the dangers of the Mangekyou? Do you know how seriously injured you were trying to capture Danzo?"
Shisui had a vague sense of his own condition but still stubbornly retorted, "What injuries could I possibly have?"
"Tsunade herself said you lost a tremendous amount of life energy," Aozora continued. "And your eyesight is deteriorating too, right?"
Shisui replied indifferently, "So what?"
"There haven't been many in Uchiha history who've awakened the Mangekyou, though not none," Aozora responded. "I believe the clan must have researched the Mangekyou. Even if they can't find ways to restore your eyesight or life force, at least they can give you some lessons from past mistakes."
Hearing this, Shisui remained silent for a long time before bitterly smiling. "Aozora, I'm glad you care about me, but have you considered the clan? Have you considered Konoha?
Although there are clan members who love peace, quite a few others have ambitions. Previously, their ambitions could be restrained due to limited strength. However, if they find out that you've awakened the Mangekyou, their suppressed desires may erupt, plunging both our clan and Konoha into irreversible disaster."
"Hahahaha—!"
Aozora burst out laughing, slapping his thigh over and over again, continuing for quite a while.
Caught completely off guard, Shisui just gaped at him.
I'm being serious here—what are you laughing at?
Annoyed, Shisui sternly snapped at Aozora for the first time: "Stop laughing!"
Aozora pretended to pinch himself on the thigh before finally stopping his laughter, although the smile still lingered on his face.
Looking seriously at Aozora, Shisui asked, "What's so funny?"
Maintaining steady eye contact with Shisui, Aozora replied earnestly, "Brother, we're already Fifty Years into Konoha's era!"
Frowning, Shisui looked at Aozora and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"Do you really think even now the higher-ups still plan to exterminate the Uchiha, and the Uchiha still intend to violently seize control of Konoha?" Aozora questioned.
Instinctively nodding, Shisui replied.
"This was true back then," Aozora explained. "But everything changed after Danzo's betrayal!"
Still puzzled, Shisui asked, "How so?"
Aozora continued, "Brother, what kind of person do you think the Hokage is?"
Shisui's face lit up with deep admiration. "Powerful, caring, wise..."
Aozora didn't quite know what to say inside, but still nodded along on the outside. "Right, I also believe the Hokage is a saintly figure."
Scratching his head, Shisui added, "Well, truth is, even the Hokage has their flaws."
"That's not important," Aozora waved dismissively. "The key point is the Hokage loves the village and doesn't hold anything against the Uchiha, right?"
Shisui nodded firmly as he thought about Hiruzen Sarutobi's trust and appreciation towards him.
Aozora asked again, "Then how would you describe the Clan Leader?"
Shisui hesitated for a while before replying, "The Clan Leader is dignified, cares for the clan members, and possesses great strength..."
Aozora interrupted, "Don't you think he loves Konoha?"
Shisui fell silent. In his opinion, Fugaku tolerated certain clan members' reckless actions that damaged relations between the clan and the village, so it couldn't exactly be called loving Konoha.
Aozora sighed, gazing into Shisui's eyes as he slowly said, "The Clan Leader awakened the Mangekyou during the Third Great Ninja War. Just like you, he concealed his true strength to prevent clan members from developing ambitions beyond their capabilities. You two really do think alike—like two minds of the same caliber."
"What?" Shisui exclaimed in surprise.
After returning to the village, he had been busy with various missions and nobody had told him that Fugaku had awakened the Mangekyou.
After hearing Aozora recount Fugaku's previous inner journey, Shisui couldn't help but feel an understanding toward Fugaku. Although their identities and ages differed, after awakening the Mangekyou, their judgments and choices coincidentally aligned.
Aozora continued, "Did you think the reason our clan and Konoha never erupted into war was due to the higher-ups' tolerance? Actually, it was always the Clan Leader who stepped back!"
Thinking about all the compromises the Clan Leader had made, Shisui felt increasingly remorseful—he had actually misunderstood the Clan Leader.
He then asked in confusion, "If both the Hokage and the Clan Leader genuinely care for Konoha, why did tensions arise between the clan and the village?"
Aozora pointed out bitterly, "Of course it's Danzo's fault! Look at his right arm—how many of our Uchiha souls does it carry? He definitely has been provoking tensions between the Uchiha and the village just to obtain our Sharingan!"
Shisui suddenly understood. It was always Danzo who held prejudice against the Uchiha among the higher-ups. The rest simply followed his lead.
Clearing his throat, Aozora went on firmly, "Now that Danzo has defected from the village, the main culprit is gone. Despite some lingering friction between the clan and Konoha, under the wise mediation of our reasonable Clan Leader and the Hokage, these issues won't last.
Also, previously when Danzo held power, the Hokage was misled into marginalizing our Uchiha Clan. With the Hokage's open mind and noble heart, he must feel deep regret toward us Uchiha by now—so who could possibly still harbor suspicions?"
After hearing this, Shisui felt uneasy, yet logically everything seemed sound.
"Therefore, this is exactly the time for you to show your strength!
The Hokage trusts you—showing greater strength will earn you even more trust!
Our Uchiha respects strength above all. If you awaken the Mangekyou, you will gain respect among the clan members, allowing you to better promote your ideals and help our people integrate better into the village."
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