"The illusion eye, the copy eye, the insight eye of Sharingan… aren't they basically useless against him?"
Shisui murmured, his eyes empty and unfocused.
"Now you finally understand why our ancestors from that era hated Iron Fist so bitterly, why they resorted to any means necessary.
Why they were willing to exhaust the strength of the entire clan just to hunt him down!
In the end, it all comes down to the existence of Observation Haki. It is simply too perfectly tailored to counter the Sharingan.
The Uchiha ancestors would never allow someone with such overwhelming power and abilities to exist in the shinobi world."
Fugaku nodded heavily.
He had known all of this long before becoming clan head.
Every time he read this part of the Uchiha records, he felt deeply the hatred, the fear, and the utter helplessness their ancestors held toward Iron Fist during that turbulent period.
"..."
Shisui lowered his head, silent, but the body kneeling on the cushion trembled uncontrollably.
At this moment, as Fugaku's words echoed, it was as if his mind had returned to that grand, war-torn era.
The rage and dread the Uchiha elders felt the moment they learned of Observation Haki…
The frustration and fury of surrounding Iron Fist again and again, only to be slaughtered until corpses littered the ground…
And finally, the trembling despair of being forced to submit beneath Iron Fist's overwhelming power.
He felt all of it deeply, yet found himself unable to accept it.
The long-standing grudge between Konoha's foremost clan and Iron Fist was born not from enmity… but from the Uchiha's own fear of him.
What kind of sick joke was that?
"At first, I was the same as you, unable to accept it. But facts are facts.
Until the Uchiha produces a second Madara, no, someone who surpasses Madara, whether it's right or wrong, the Uchiha can only bow their heads to that man."
Fugaku's tone was calm, as if asking the Uchiha to bow before Iron Fist was nothing out of the ordinary.
But Shisui, sitting opposite him, clearly saw the clan head's hands, resting on his thighs, clench into fists so tight that his knuckles turned white.
"I… understand."
Shisui nodded heavily.
In that instant, the pride he carried as a Uchiha, the self-confidence he had in the Sharingan, all of it shattered.
So the Uchiha, the Sharingan… were not nearly as powerful as he once believed.
At least, before that champion who could crush him with a single finger, the Uchiha and their eyes were nothing special.
"Back to your Mangekyo technique, Kotoamatsukami. Why was the backlash so severe? It actually damaged your eye."
Seeing the atmosphere in the tent grow oppressive and gloomy, Fugaku decisively changed the subject.
Such matters were better kept brief, best not dwelled upon.
In truth, if Shisui hadn't awakened Mangekyo and tried to challenge Iron Fist just like Izuna had, Fugaku would never have revealed that heavy burden of Uchiha shame.
"To be honest, Clan Head. I've been thinking about it ever since I regained consciousness, but I still can't figure it out.
Even I don't know how my eyes ended up so close to being ruined. If not for your insistence, I would've suspected Garp secretly attacked me."
Shisui gave a bitter smile.
Don't be fooled by how carefree he acted earlier, as if he truly didn't mind the damage to his Mangekyo.
Did he not care?
Of course he cared.
But like the powerless Uchiha legends of the Warring States, he could only bow his head before overwhelming strength.
"Don't doubt it. I can guarantee, Garp-sama did not harm your eye.
Whether the Uchiha accept his existence or not, we cannot deny that he is a true unrivaled hero.
Since the past era, no matter who the enemy was, no matter how many there were, he always faced them alone. He never used underhanded methods."
Fugaku's voice held a complex mix of resentment and respect.
"Then I really have no idea what happened…"
Shisui shook his head helplessly.
"Tell me exactly what happened at the time."
Fugaku frowned slightly.
"I remember that the moment I used Kotoamatsukami, my eyes and brain felt like they were being torn apart. It was like head-butting a mountain of iron covered in thorns."
Shisui thought carefully.
"A mountain of iron? Could it be…"
Something flickered across Fugaku's expression.
"Clan Head, do you know something?" Shisui immediately asked.
"Yes. If I'm not mistaken, the reason your Kotoamatsukami was broken, and why your eye was damaged, should be because it collided with Armament Haki."
Fugaku spoke after a moment of contemplation.
"Armament Haki…"
The instant Shisui heard the word "Haki," his damaged eye pulsed with pain.
"Clan Head ... .don't tell me Armament Haki also counters the Mangekyo Sharingan?"
The moment the thought formed, he felt nothing but crushing despair.
What was wrong with this so-called hero of the shinobi world?
Did he have a personal grudge against the Uchiha?
Why did every one of his abilities seem tailor made to counter the Sharingan, as if aimed directly at the Uchiha?
"Whether it counters Mangekyo, I'm not sure.
But I do know that in the old era, Iron Fist once used Armament Haki to shatter our clan's legendary divine power, the Complete Susanoo."
Fugaku spread his hands, looking just as gloomy as Shisui.
"..."
At that moment, only one thought remained in Shisui's mind.
Forget waiting for morning.
He should go apologize to Garp right now.