Chapter 32: Uchiha Shisui
"Huh?!"
Shortly after Asuka left his room that morning, a white humanoid creature with green hair, several scars across its face, and spikes protruding near its shoulders slowly emerged from the floor.
Using the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path as a medium, Uchiha Madara had cultivated Hashirama's cells to recreate the White Zetsu that had appeared during the previous Infinite Tsukuyomi. Ever since then, he had used them to gather intelligence throughout the shinobi world, keeping track of its changes.
The White Zetsu's infiltration ability was beyond question.
For so many years, no one in Konoha—or even the entire shinobi world—had detected their existence. Even those White Zetsu that were accidentally exposed were merely mistaken for substitutes created by certain ninja, and no one ever connected them to Uchiha Madara.
It first glanced at Asuka's tightly shut door before lowering its gaze to the envelope lying on the table.
"Lord Madara said not to collect intelligence on Uchiha Asuka. He doesn't want to hear that name."
"Lord Madara also said that if anything related to him appears in the shinobi world, it must be reported exactly as it is."
"So..."
"Uchiha Asuka is connected to this information."
"What should I do?"
The White Zetsu that had suddenly appeared in Asuka's room paced back and forth for a long time.
Its arms hung limply at its sides as it stared intently at the letter.
The two commands Madara had given it immediately came into conflict.
Bang!
With a puff of white smoke, the clash between the two commands became so intense that a tiny sapling suddenly sprouted from its head.
Its body trembled as it muttered,
"Don't mention the name Uchiha Asuka."
"I'll just say I found this letter in the Uchiha Clan compound."
Having reached a conclusion, it deliberately threw the letter onto the floor before picking it up again.
Its entire body then seemed to sink into quicksand, slowly disappearing underground before racing at high speed toward the Land of Grass.
"Lord Madara!"
"Lord Madara!"
Floating within the darkness, Uchiha Madara once again heard the familiar voice calling him.
Watching the faces of his departed loved ones flash before his eyes like scenes from a revolving lantern, he let out a disdainful snort.
"So..."
"I'm still not dead."
Madara slowly opened his eyes.
The dim yellow light of the cave entered his vision, and a blurry white figure stood not far from the flames.
After training Uchiha Obito, he had secretly given the White Zetsu several orders.
Unless it concerned something extremely important—or something related to himself—they were not to disturb his sleep.
Lately...
His peaceful rest had been interrupted far too often.
Thinking this, his blurry vision gradually came into focus.
Looking up at the White Zetsu, he asked in a hoarse voice,
"What is it?"
"Lord Madara."
"I found a letter in the shinobi world bearing Lord Izuna's name."
After thinking it over on the way here, the White Zetsu felt it couldn't mention either the Uchiha Clan or Konoha.
So halfway through its journey, it had simply thrown the letter onto the ground before picking it up again.
"Hmm?"
Hearing Izuna's name once more caused a flicker to pass through Madara's eyes.
He accepted the envelope, pulled out the letter inside, and unfolded it.
"..."
"Is this..."
"Izuna's handwriting?"
"When was this written?"
As dusty memories slowly resurfaced, Uchiha Madara closed his eyes and leaned back against his stone chair, reminiscing about his youth.
The dim cave fell completely silent.
Apart from the crackling of the flames...
There wasn't a single other sound.
The White Zetsu watched as Madara's expressionless face gradually shifted into a smile...
Then sorrow...
Then anger...
Finally...
A trace of helplessness and loneliness.
Lord Madara can actually make so many different expressions at once.
Is this what Tobi meant by...
The feeling of needing to relieve yourself?
Just as the White Zetsu was pondering this, Madara opened his eyes once again.
His gaze seemed capable of piercing every obstacle as he silently looked toward the direction of the Uchiha Clan compound.
He remained silent for a long time.
He and Izuna had both been proud of the Uchiha.
But in the end...
After letting out a faint chuckle, he silently sensed his own broken, aged body and couldn't help wondering,
"I wonder..."
"After I die..."
"Will I have the chance to see him again?"
"To be buried beside Izuna."
"Sigh..."
---
Land of Fire.
Konoha Village.
Outside the Hatake residence.
Asuka leaned against the closed gate of the Hatake home and let out a long sigh.
Kakashi hadn't returned home for two days.
Even the table inside was covered in dust.
No wonder Might Guy became so excited every time he caught sight of Kakashi on the street and immediately challenged him to a duel.
It really wasn't easy to find him.
"Lord Asuka!"
At that moment, another ninja noticed Uchiha Asuka.
Looking at him leaning against someone else's front gate and basking in the sun like an old man, the ninja lowered his voice and said,
"The Clan Head is looking for you."
The familiar voice pulled Asuka out of his thoughts.
Looking at the clansman with the distinctive round nose who had suddenly appeared before him, he frowned.
"Shisui."
"Why do I feel like the Clan Head treats you like an errand boy?"
"He's always sending you around."
"Don't you need to train?"
"Uh..."
The corner of Shisui's mouth twitched.
He wisely chose not to answer.
After all, it was partly his own fault.
Whenever he had free time, he always went to the Clan Head's house to find Itachi.
Naturally, the more often he went there, the more frequently Fugaku asked him to run errands.
"I have a copy of the Eight Gates technique."
"Do you want to learn it?"
Hearing Asuka's tempting offer, Shisui thought for a moment before replying,
"I do."
Asuka walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and immediately began describing the bright future awaiting anyone who mastered the Eight Gates.
"If you're going to learn it, then learn it properly."
"The Eight Gates is incredibly powerful."
"Do you know the One-Tail?"
"If you open the Fifth Gate, you can beat the One-Tail single-handedly."
"If you open the Seventh Gate..."
"You're basically a Tailed Beast without a tail."
"If you open the Eighth Gate..."
"God becomes you."
"And naturally..."
"The Uchiha Clan's predicament disappears."
Everything he said was true.
Rock Lee overwhelmed Gaara after opening the Fifth Gate.
Might Guy defeated Kisame Hoshigaki—known as the "Tailed Beast Without a Tail"—after opening the Seventh Gate.
As for the Eighth Gate...
Wouldn't it be enough to kick a few of Konoha's elders to death?
At that moment...
Shisui remained unmoved by Asuka's glowing description.
He understood his own limits.
So he calmly shook his head.
However...
Since Asuka had mentioned the Uchiha Clan's predicament...
Shisui recalled that whenever he visited Itachi's house recently, he often saw Itachi's mother sitting on the sofa muttering curses under her breath.
Combining that with the rumors spreading throughout the clan over the past two months, Uchiha Shisui looked at Asuka walking ahead and asked,
"Lord Asuka."
"Are those rumors in the clan true?"
"What rumors?"
"That you single-handedly used ninjutsu to sway the clan elders..."
"Disrupted the Clan Head's marriage..."
"Made Lady Mikoto cry herself to sleep every night..."
"And caused Itachi to lose his original family."
Asuka looked at the young boy very seriously before interrupting anything else he was about to say.
"That's slander."
"Lady Mikoto was smiling and greeting me just two days ago."
Shisui shook his head.
Looking at Asuka, who was much older than himself, he hesitated before asking,
"Lord Asuka..."
"Don't you think your ideas are..."
"A little too extreme?"
Extreme?
Asuka sized Shisui up from head to toe, secretly curling his lips.
Since the Uchiha joined Konoha...
How many Mangekyō Sharingan users had there been?
Two.
And both of them turned against the clan.
If the Uchiha didn't perish, who would?
And he says my ideas are extreme...
You want to use mental manipulation on your own clansmen, strip away their independent will, and turn them into obedient puppets.
Such a vicious technique isn't used on enemies...
It's used on your own people.
As for Uchiha Itachi...
His solution is even simpler.
Genocide.
All I want is for the Clan Head to get divorced.
So tell me...
Which one of us is actually more extreme?
Thinking this, Asuka waved his hand dismissively.
"My method is the most peaceful way to break the deadlock."
"Only three or four people get hurt."
"But it protects the interests of the overwhelming majority."
"Wait until you become a jōnin in a few years."
"Attend the clan meetings yourself."
"If your ideas are better than mine..."
"I'll move a table behind you."
"And become your supporter."
"But..."
Shisui sniffed.
He naturally understood the conflict between the village and the clan.
But...
Wasn't there a better solution?
Advising the Clan Head to remarry wasn't necessarily wrong.
The problem was...
His son was already four years old.
"No 'buts.'"
"Every Uchiha has their own thoughts."
"Their own will."
"No one changes someone else's beliefs so easily."
"Unless..."
"Your ideas are better than mine."
With that, Asuka turned and headed toward the Uchiha Clan compound.
The Uchiha really are a clan that refuses to listen to advice.
Even Itachi left Kotoamatsukami for Sasuke.
That alone proves he knew ordinary persuasion could never change the Uchiha.
As for my idea...
Even if Uchiha Madara himself stood before me...
He wouldn't be able to change my mind.
I wonder...
If I wrote a book called Konoha: The Uchiha Clan Is So Obedient...
Would people roast me for it?