It had been more than three years since the Nine-Tails' rampage, and during this time, an unusually eerie atmosphere settled over the village. The root of the unease lay in how mysteriously the Nine-Tails had appeared; naturally, the Uchiha Clan—who possessed the Sharingan capable of controlling the beast—became objects of suspicion.
After Hiruzen Sarutobi resumed his role as Hokage, he publicly said nothing, but he had effectively marginalized the Uchiha Clan. The attitude of the upper ranks easily influenced the lower ones. Compounded with the Uchiha's long-standing position in the Military Police Force and their tendency to make enemies throughout the village, those on the village's outskirts were practically isolated from all of Konoha, and over time, this exclusion grew increasingly apparent.
The Uchiha within the clan could clearly sense the upper echelons' marginalization. They would often gather at Fugaku's home to voice their anger and frustration, and many even awakened their Sharingan, driven by this turmoil.
One clan member angrily spoke out: "The night the Nine-Tails entered the village, Hiruzen clearly kept us under watch and refused to let us join the frontlines of battle. To be honest, I've already lost my faith in Konoha."
"I feel the same," another added. "Chief, as members of the police force, we've always been contributing to the village, yet instead of being appreciated, we're hated by those we pursued. If things keep going like this, our situation will only get worse."
"Then why don't we just launch a—"
Fugaku, who hadn't spoken until now, interrupted solemnly: "Be careful what you say."
At that moment, Shisui passed by. Many of the gathered clan members looked toward him with smiles. In recent years, Shisui's strength had steadily grown. Without exaggeration, he had matured from a clan prodigy during the Third War into a top-tier warrior. Some even believed Shisui might be among Konoha's strongest ninja.
Shisui smiled politely at the others while inwardly sighing. He well understood what the others had been about to say. If things continued down this path, conflict between the clan and the village was inevitable—a situation he dreaded most. Yet matters seemed to have reached a dead end.
How could things still be salvaged? Even the clan head appeared helpless.
As he mentally went through everyone he knew, a familiar yet rarely seen face suddenly surfaced in his thoughts.
That's right. He should go find Captain. After all, he too was a member of the Uchiha Clan. If anyone could resolve this growing crisis between the clan and the village, it would be him.
During the Third War, Shisui had witnessed Anya's abilities countless times. Whether in intellect or power, she stood among the elite.
After quietly going through all available info on Anya, Shisui quickly zeroed in on the most likely location and used the Shunshin technique to leave the clan grounds.
Within the former mansion, Anya's Wood Release Clone remained stationed there. With the Wood Release ability at her disposal, gathering intelligence was convenient. She had observed the village's tense atmosphere and sensed how events were escalating toward another tragedy.
As she contemplated these matters, the barrier outside the mansion flickered—an anomaly indicating someone's approach.
"How strange. Other than Hiruzen, who else would come here?"
Stepping outside, she saw a familiar figure standing before her.
Anya did not lower the barrier, coolly asking, "What brings you here?"
Shisui half-knelt, pleading earnestly, "Director, please help our clan. You're the only one I can think of."
"You're at the wrong door. Get out." Anya scoffed, "Trying to guilt me? I don't fall for that."
Shisui's face tightened with disappointment as he asked, "Why are you so cold? You clearly have the power to change everything, yet you hide here and do nothing."
Anya scoffed, "Trying to guilt me? I don't fall for that."
"Then I'll have no choice but to force your hand." Shisui didn't hesitate. Both eyes instantly activated the Mangekyo Sharingan, revealing a full new Mangekyo pattern directly in front of Anya.
Closing his left eye, he let a single bloody tear trail down from his right. The Mangekyo within his pupil began to rotate as he unleashed the dojutsu sealed inside it—[Kotoamatsukami].
Anya had already sensed danger the moment Shisui activated the Mangekyo. Fully aware of its power—having one himself—he reacted immediately upon sensing the technique: without hesitation, his soul withdrew from the clone body. A pitch-black soul force hovered midair, watching everything below.
Noticing that Anya had gone blank, Shisui felt puzzled. This wasn't what he expected. According to theory, once Kotoamatsukami was used, Anya should act under his control—not become an unresponsive shell. What went wrong?
Why, after activating [Kotoamatsukami], did the Anya before him feel like an empty husk—completely ineffective? Had it worked or failed? A wave of confusion washed over Shisui. This was his first time ever using [Kotoamatsukami].
Anya, now guiding his soul back into the clone body, answered Shisui's silent question. "Given your possession of the Mangekyo Sharingan, surely you've realized by now—I'm just a clone, not my original form."
Hearing this, Shisui gave a bitter smile. "Thank you for reminding me, Chief. I never imagined such a powerful clone could exist. You haven't appeared in Konoha in years—you must have left the village long ago, right?"
At that moment, Shisui understood: even if Anya wanted to help, he was powerless to do so.
Anya casually asked, "So your Mangekyo affects the mind. What is it called?"
Shisui answered openly, "Genjutsu: Kotoamatsukami. It can invade an opponent's mind undetected and alter their will. What I just attempted was to convince the Hokage himself to intervene and resolve the conflict between the clan and the village."
As a Mangekyo-based genjutsu, Shisui's ability was vastly different from Fugaku's power to read hearts. [Kotoamatsukami] was practically divine—how naïve of Shisui to reveal it so freely.
Had Shisui still been part of the Anbu Squad, Anya wouldn't have allowed him to expose his Mangekyo ability so easily. The temptation was too great—even Anya, who also bore a Mangekyo, felt its pull. How much more so for others.
Seeing Shisui's sincerity, Anya offered him another suggestion instead. "There are others who could do this too. Wouldn't Sarutobi and Fugaku be more suitable candidates?"
"The Third and the Uchiha leader?"
A single sentence woke the dreamer. Shisui silently resolved himself—if things truly reached an irreversible point, there would be no other way.
"Thank you." After expressing his gratitude, Shisui turned and walked away.
Anya had a Wood Release seed attach itself to Shisui. She had already explained the plan to him, yet she couldn't shake the feeling that Shisui would act recklessly—he wanted to protect his clan, while still hoping for peace in the village, torn between both sides and caught in the middle. People like him were classic idealists, doomed to disappoint both sides.
Besides, once both sides were on the verge of war, it was unrealistic to expect only Sarutobi and Fugaku alone to prevent the conflict. Still, Anya wasn't against Shisui giving it a shot. Failure wouldn't mean much, but if, by some miracle, he actually succeeded, the massacre night could be erased entirely—it would be a good thing, letting Miss Mikoto live out her days in peace.
Just the possibility was slim. Both sides had already reached the edge of the cliff; no one could stop them from falling now.
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