Chapter 4: Shisui — I Want to Become Clan Head!
In the afternoon, two or three customers came by—no more than that.
The Uchiha clan had more than a thousand members in total, yet only a few hundred of them were actual shinobi.
Some lacked the talent required to become ninjas. Others had simply chosen not to walk that path.
And among those few hundred shinobi, even fewer regularly went out on missions.
Some served in the Konoha Military Police Force, interacting daily with ordinary villagers. Actual combat was rare in that line of work, and with fewer battles came less wear and tear on ninja tools.
Others held positions within the clan itself, where combat was likewise uncommon.
As evening approached, Alice began preparing dinner.
A rich, tantalizing aroma drifted out from the direction of the kitchen.
Shiraishi couldn't help but turn his head.
Cuisine was judged by color, fragrance, and taste—but based on fragrance alone, Shiraishi could already tell that Alice's cooking surpassed Ichiraku Ramen by a wide margin. And not just slightly.
Ichiraku Ramen was already considered top-tier cuisine in Konoha.
Even elite jōnin like Kakashi frequented the place regularly, which spoke volumes.
Before long—
"My lord, it's ready!"
Alice's voice rang out.
Almost immediately, she emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray and headed toward the dining area.
Shiraishi hesitated for a moment before standing up.
Hirako Shinji followed behind him.
Six dishes in total.
They were laid out across the table, nearly covering it completely. The aromas of multiple dishes intertwined, yet instead of clashing, they complemented one another perfectly, stimulating the appetite even further.
The ninja cats outside caught the scent and quickly gathered near the dining room.
"Alice, you've worked hard," Shiraishi said.
"It's nothing, my lord. This is what I should be doing," Alice replied.
She unconsciously straightened her chest slightly.
Hirako Shinji's expression remained calm, but Shiraishi could clearly tell—the dishes on the table were incredibly tempting even to him. Shinji had already swallowed discreetly several times.
"Let's eat," Shiraishi said.
Only then did one man and two cats pick up their chopsticks.
Shiraishi lifted a slice of meat and placed it into his mouth. The moment it touched his tongue, countless layers of flavor exploded across his taste buds, rapidly filling his entire mouth.
He began chewing instinctively.
Even after swallowing, the lingering aftertaste refused to fade.
"Delicious!"
It truly was.
Whether in his previous life or this one, among all the dishes Shiraishi had ever eaten, none could compare to what Alice had prepared.
"It's far better than Ichiraku Ramen."
"So this is cuisine from the Gourmet World?"
"No wonder it's Food Wars."
"No wonder it's the Nakiri family."
"This is nothing short of a dimensional-level strike."
Even though Shiraishi wasn't a gourmet himself, he could clearly feel just how enormous the gap was between Alice's cooking and the food served in Konoha's restaurants.
Color, aroma, flavor—there wasn't a single flaw.
Shiraishi looked at Alice.
"Alice, the food is incredible."
Alice smiled even more brightly.
"I'm glad you like it, my lord."
Before long, the entire table of food was swept clean by one man and two cats, devoured like a raging storm.
Not a single bite was left.
The ninja cats circling the table looked utterly dejected.
"Meow, meow, meow!"
After waiting so long, they hadn't even managed to snag a tiny piece of meat.
After dinner, Shiraishi returned to the resting area.
The ninja tool shop was divided into six sections.
The first was the storefront—once the main door was opened, customers stepped directly inside.
Shelves displayed various samples of ninja tools, neatly arranged.
In addition to tools, the shop also sold information.
Ninja cats weren't limited to those in the shop—many were scattered across the entire ninja world. They could even communicate with ordinary cats, allowing them to gather vast amounts of intelligence.
For a long time, ninja cat intelligence had been one of the Uchiha clan's primary sources of information.
However, due to the Uchiha situation, Konoha had grown wary of ninja cats. Even the number of stray cats in the village had decreased significantly, weakening their intelligence network.
A small door led to the warehouse, where large quantities of ninja tools were stored.
These two areas comprised the business portion of the shop.
The remaining sections were living quarters.
A resting room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and a backyard.
Several fruit trees were planted in the yard.
Shiraishi leaned back into a reclining chair.
Previously, he hadn't felt particularly excited—or disappointed—about Alice's arrival. But now, his satisfaction had increased dramatically.
Her cooking might not directly help resolve the Uchiha clan's predicament, but at the very least, it greatly improved Shiraishi's quality of life. And perhaps, in the future, it could be useful in other ways as well.
Humans lived in this world driven by desire.
Power.
Status.
Strength.
Lust.
And food was one of them.
As things stood, not just in Konoha—but in the entire Naruto world—there was no one whose cooking surpassed Alice's.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
A sudden knock sounded at the door.
"Who is it?"
"Shiraishi, it's me."
Uchiha Shisui's voice came from outside.
Shiraishi opened the door.
"Shisui, it's quite late. Is something wrong?"
After entering, Shisui immediately drank a large mouthful of tea before sitting down across from Shiraishi and letting out a long breath.
"Shiraishi."
Shisui's expression turned serious. He glanced around to make sure there were no issues.
"I've made up my mind. I want to become the clan head."
"I never considered this path before. I was always conflicted, feeling that no matter what I did, it would be impossible to truly ease the tension between the Uchiha and the village."
"No matter whether I stood on the Uchiha's side or the village's side, neither felt right."
"But after what you said today, I thought it through carefully. I also investigated the conservative and radical factions."
"I realized that if I become clan head, there really is a chance to prevent civil war."
"Lord Fugaku… truly hasn't done enough."
"His ability isn't sufficient."
"If he were capable enough, the Uchiha wouldn't have split into conservative and radical factions. There would only be the Uchiha—one unified faction."
"Since he lacks that ability, he's no longer qualified to remain clan head."
"If I were clan head, things would never deteriorate to this extent."
Shiraishi's heart stirred slightly.
Hearing Shisui's words, he knew—
The story had already diverged from canon.
In the original timeline, Shisui never once considered taking the clan head position. Even until the end, his plan had been to use Kotoamatsukami on Uchiha Fugaku.
And even that plan had failed midway.
Yet now—years before the Night of the Massacre—Shisui was already determined to seize the position of clan head.
Shisui becoming clan head might not completely resolve the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha.
It might not stop Konoha's higher-ups from targeting the Uchiha either.
But at the very least, it wouldn't be worse than total annihilation.
"How do you plan to do it?" Shiraishi asked.
Shisui replied, "To become clan head, the first requirement is strength—enough strength. This is non-negotiable. I'm currently an elite jōnin with three tomoe, but I don't think that's enough."
"Second, I need support."
"There are nine elders within the clan. Right now, six firmly support Lord Fugaku. Only three are dissatisfied with him."
"I need to gain the backing of at least six elders."
"Third, Lord Fugaku needs to make a mistake."
"If he doesn't, then even if I improve my strength and build good relationships with the elders, it will still be extremely difficult to remove him from the position."
Shiraishi hesitated briefly, then asked:
"Shisui, do the elders also belong to conservative and radical factions?"
"Yes."
"So six conservatives and three radicals?"
"That's right."
Shisui nodded.
"This won't be easy. It'll take time. Before I have absolute confidence, I can't reveal my intentions—otherwise, I'll definitely be obstructed."
"Until then, you're the only one I can talk to about this."
"There aren't many people I trust."
Shiraishi glanced out the window.
"Shisui, in my opinion, this isn't actually that complicated."
"What do you mean?"
"The Uchiha aren't a particularly large clan, at least in terms of numbers. Because of that, I don't think support or factions are as important as you believe."
"When Uchiha Madara was alive, he never deliberately sought support—but no one ever doubted that he could become clan head."
"In the ninja world, strength is what truly matters."
"I think that as long as you possess overwhelming strength, Shisui, it won't matter who supports you. You'll naturally gain the right to succeed."
"The only remaining issue would be removing the current clan head."
Shisui lowered his head in thought.
"Absolute personal strength…"
"What you're saying makes sense. But this isn't something ordinary strength can achieve. Madara's level was monstrous."
"Shiraishi… do you really think I can reach that?"
Shiraishi shook his head.
"You don't need to reach Madara's level."
"You only need to be stronger than the current clan head."
"You have enormous advantages."
"Your reputation. Your lineage. Your talent."
"They're all exceptional."
"You may not realize it yourself, but if you were a few years older—and if the current clan head were to suddenly die—you'd have a very strong chance of inheriting the position."
After Izuna's death, Madara's departure, Kagami's sacrifice, and Uchiha Setsuna's passing, the Uchiha had gone a long time without truly outstanding figures.
Shisui was the most prominent one in recent years.
Itachi was undeniably talented—but he was younger, and lacked opportunity to build a reputation.
Unlike Shisui.
The name Shunshin no Shisui had already spread across the ninja world.
Shiraishi even remembered that after Shisui's death in the original timeline, many Uchiha had expressed dissatisfaction with Itachi, suspecting betrayal.
That alone showed how deep Shisui's influence within the clan truly was.
And there was another factor.
Shisui was a descendant of Uchiha Kagami.
Kagami was a uniquely special Uchiha—despite his lineage, he had become a disciple of both the First and Second Hokage.
Alongside Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzō Shimura, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Akimichi Torifu—he had been their comrade.
Because of this, Shisui was also more easily accepted by Konoha's civilians than other Uchiha.
"Suddenly dying?" Shisui frowned.
Shiraishi continued, "Among cats, it's simple. If a normal cat wants to become the cat king, it just challenges the current one. Win—and the position is yours."
"But a ninja clan obviously won't be that simple."
Shisui nodded.
"That's exactly what I meant earlier. Lord Fugaku must make a mistake for me to have a chance."
"Sudden death… is one possibility. But I can't do that."
"Lord Fugaku has his problems, but he doesn't deserve to die. I can't bring myself to kill him."
To strip Fugaku of the clan head position, there were only two paths.
A major mistake—or death.
Shisui had considered both.
But he still couldn't bring himself to harbor murderous intent toward Fugaku.
"Shisui," Shiraishi said slowly, "I think you can start with Uchiha Itachi."
"Itachi?"
"I don't know Itachi well—most of what I know comes from you. But based on how you've described him, he wouldn't place family above the clan or the village."
"I think you can talk to Itachi."
"If you want to find the clan head's mistakes, Itachi will be far more effective than anyone else."
Shisui hesitated.
"But… he's still Lord Fugaku's son."
Shiraishi's suggestion made Shisui uneasy.
Would a son truly stand against his father—for a friend's ideals, for the sake of the clan?
Shisui found the possibility difficult to accept.
Even though he and Itachi were close.
Even though he understood Itachi deeply.
Is that really the kind of person I described him as?
Did Shiraishi misunderstand my words—or did I fail to realize what kind of person Itachi truly is?
Of course, Shiraishi's judgment of Itachi didn't come from Shisui's description.
If understanding someone were that easy, it would be absurd.
Shiraishi's judgment came from the original timeline.
For the sake of the village, Itachi had annihilated the entire Uchiha clan.
Including Uchiha Fugaku.
Compared to the so-called "greater good" of the village and the Will of Fire, what weight did the title of father truly carry for him?