Sima Yi smiled faintly.
"Have you ever attended a banquet in Konoha?"
"Of course I have. But those banquets…"
Hui's face twisted with disgust, as if recalling something unpleasant.
"If I could avoid them, I absolutely would!"
He waved his hand impatiently.
"Every year it's the same thing. The clan head and elders gather everyone together—eat meat, drink wine. After two cups, someone starts talking about the Uchiha's former glory. Then they start cursing the higher-ups of Konoha. Then a few others stand up to criticize the one speaking."
"They argue back and forth until things nearly get physical. Then Clan Head Fugaku stands up to stop it. Everyone quiets down—but no one's convinced. After that, they just split off into small groups and talk about trivial family matters."
It was so predictable that Hui could practically recite the process from memory. The disdain in his eyes was unmistakable.
Sima Yi was stunned.
This… was considered a noble clan banquet?
This was little better than villagers shouting in the streets.
Resentment he could understand—but such matters should be discussed behind closed doors, among a select few. To air them so openly…
For the first time, he glimpsed the Uchiha from someone other than Shisui's perspective. Clearly, there were aspects of this clan he had yet to grasp.
"Has it always been like this," Sima Yi asked calmly, "or only since the current clan head took office?"
"I don't know. It's been like that for as long as I can remember. Probably not just since Fugaku became clan head."
Hui suddenly blinked.
"Wait—Uncle Yi, you've never attended one?"
Sima Yi's expression did not change.
"A fifty-year-old man who hadn't even awakened the Sharingan—why would I be invited to such a banquet?"
Hui immediately understood, scratching his head awkwardly.
"Ah… right."
"Now," Sima Yi continued, "about tonight. Arrange the seating according to this list. And tell the clan members to loosen up. Encourage them to speak more about the battlefield—let others hear their experiences."
Hui wasn't dull. Thinking of Shisui's recent actions, he quickly understood Sima Yi's intention and nodded repeatedly.
"Uncle Yi… then for the final activity, can I participate?"
He rubbed his hands together eagerly.
Unfortunately, Sima Yi shook his head without hesitation.
If it were another Uchiha, perhaps.
But he had heard enough about Hui's strength.
"However," Sima Yi added, "you may participate in the opening exhibition match."
"Exhibition match?"
"Yes."
"With who?"
"Shisui."
"…."
Night fell.
The entire camp came alive.
Aside from necessary sentries, every shinobi—Uchiha, reinforcements, and newly arrived rotation troops—had been invited.
The year's end approached, yet they had been stationed far from Konoha. The resentment was obvious.
Still, upon receiving the invitation, anticipation quietly replaced irritation.
At eight o'clock, after completing his final inspection, Shisui returned.
He stopped in his tracks.
Most of the tents had been moved aside.
The cleared ground had been raised using Earth Release into a square platform.
Stone steps extended outward—nine steps per tier, five tiers in total.
Each level was furnished with tables and food. And at the very top—
A single seat.
When he spotted Sima Yi in the distance, subtly gesturing toward that highest position, Shisui felt his scalp tingle.
I'm supposed to sit there?
The height felt oppressive.
His legs grew heavy.
Sima Yi stood calmly, offering no urging.
To accomplish anything, a faction required many conditions.
But foremost and indispensable was a leader—one with awareness and clarity.
Even with countless strategists, Yuan Shao had still met ruin.
Sima Yi did nothing.
Yet Shisui felt mountain-like pressure.
A bead of sweat slid down his temple.
He looked out.
Everyone was watching him.
They did not understand the symbolic meaning of the platform—but instinctively, in such an arrangement, they sensed authority.
Silence filled the air.
At last, Shisui moved.
Why am I hesitating?
The moment he had answered that voice, he had already resolved himself.
For Konoha.
For the Uchiha.
He ascended the platform.
Step by step.
Until he stood at the summit.
All eyes lifted.
And inexplicably, many felt relief.
The banquet began.
Selected squad leaders ascended the tiers in orderly fashion.
Civilian jōnin, special jōnin, chūnin, clan-born shinobi—none knew the criteria for their placement.
Koizumi Satsuki sat midway among them.
Looking down at the hundreds seated below, each of them unconsciously straightened their backs.
A strange sensation swelled within their chests.
Sima Yi remained below, in an unobtrusive corner.
Shisui rose slowly, lifting his cup.
His expression solemn, striving for gravitas.
"We meet here for Konoha. The first cup—"
"To Konoha."
His voice was calm, yet it carried to every corner of the camp.
He drank.
All rose.
"For Konoha!"
Some paused after drinking, smacking their lips curiously at the non-alcoholic substitute.
"The Third Hokage remained in Konoha and entrusted us with victory over four nations. This cup—to the Third."
"To the Third!"
"And without the lives risked by everyone present, would we stand here victorious? This cup—to you all."
Emotion stirred.
Hands tightened around cups.
"—To Lord Shisui!"
Koizumi Satsuki shouted impulsively.
A brief silence.
Then—
"TO LORD SHISUI!"
The roar shook the night.
The chant echoed again and again before fading.
Shisui forced down the surge in his heart and looked below.
Several clan members had unconsciously activated their Sharingan.
At that moment—
Hui flashed onto the lower stage.
He looked up at Shisui and formed seals.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Two blazing dragons surged upward along the steps.
Gasps erupted.
Yet the flames skimmed harmlessly past the seated shinobi.
Shisui responded instantly.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Three dragons roared forth.
Five dragons intertwined in midair.
In moments, Hui's two dissolved into sparks.
Shisui's three soared overhead, circling above the crowd.
And he wasn't done.
Hand seals flashed again.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Flames erupted like a burning sea.
A blazing canopy spread across the sky, illuminating the night as though dawn had arrived.
It was overwhelming.
Suffocating.
Despair-inducing power.
"Is this… the strength of the Uchiha?"
Silence fell.
All stared at the boy upon the highest tier—
Uchiha Shisui.