Does Shinji-senpai want to replace Clan Leader Fugaku?
Shisui thought to himself.
How could that be?
Clan Leader Fugaku is the father of his good friend Itachi!
Deep down, he leaned more toward Fugaku. Supporting Shinji-senpai as clan leader would feel like a betrayal of his friend.
Shisui raised his head, his gaze falling on Shinji with a complex expression.
"Senpai, what exactly are you trying to do?! Are you trying to create division within the clan?"
"Division?" Shinji retorted, a faint trace of mockery in his tone. "Isn't the Uchiha clan already quietly divided?"
He raised his hand and made a light chopping motion in the air.
That hand strike seemed not to slice through the air but to cut directly into Shisui's heart, splitting open a bottomless chasm.
Through that chasm, Shisui vaguely saw the two factions gradually forming within the Uchiha.
One group of clansmen pursued higher status and power, while the other simply wanted to live peacefully and maintain the status quo.
The radicals and the conservatives!
Shisui closed his eyes, pursed his lips, and fell silent.
Fugaku was currently in his prime, his momentum strong, and he could easily remain clan leader for another thirty years.
Taking over through normal succession was simply impossible.
If Shinji-senpai wanted to sit in the clan leader's seat, it meant his target had been Fugaku from the very beginning.
Shisui slowly opened his eyes, staring directly into Shinji's calm gaze, his voice low and hoarse:
"Aren't you afraid I'll report you, Senpai? You're plotting to seize the clan leader's position."
Shinji shrugged indifferently, his tone casual. "Go ahead. If you really want to report me, Shisui."
His tone suddenly turned cold, a flash of icy light passing through his eyes.
"Then I'll have no choice but to get serious."
"Use my strength to forcibly take the clan leader's position."
"Then purge those who won't obey, leaving only one voice in the entire Uchiha clan."
A silent, murderous intent emanated from him.
Shisui's heart tightened sharply.
The Shinji he remembered had always been gentle, steady, and diligent in his training.
He had never imagined this person could show such an aggressive side.
Was it too extreme?
But Shisui understood better than anyone: if Shinji-senpai truly made up his mind, he was highly likely to succeed.
Because of his strength!
In the entire Uchiha clan, the only one who could stop him was probably himself.
But should he really stop Shinji-senpai?
Shisui clenched his fists, falling silent once more.
Shinji simply smiled. Since awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, his mindset had quietly changed.
He understood better than anyone that strength was the ultimate truth.
The reason the Uchiha repeatedly crossed the line was that no one could truly suppress them.
When Senju Hashirama and Tobirama Senju were around, no clansman dared to cause trouble because they knew they couldn't defeat those two.
But now?
Hiruzen Sarutobi was growing older by the day, lacking the overwhelming strength of those two Hokage.
And Fugaku was indecisive by nature, hiding his Mangekyō Sharingan despite possessing it.
In peacetime, such a clan leader might be adequate.
But in this era of hidden undercurrents, Fugaku was not qualified.
His biggest problem was being too mediocre, lacking decisiveness.
Such a mediocre clan leader couldn't restrain the increasingly arrogant Uchiha clansmen.
Shinji was confident that with his own strength, he could crush anyone. If anyone disobeyed, he'd just cut them down.
The only one who gave him pause was Shisui before him.
Kotoamatsukami's ability was just too overpowering.
He believed Shisui wouldn't easily use it on him.
But most of the Uchiha Clan were already missing a few screws to begin with. What if Shisui decided he was the greater threat and hit him with a Kotoamatsukami?
By then, he would no longer be himself.
This had to be guarded against!
It just so happened that Shisui had taken the initiative to invite him out this time, and he planned to lay out his own scheme.
Of course, there was a fair amount of deception mixed into these words.
Shinji casually sat on the bluestone by the shore and waved Shisui over.
Shisui didn't refuse, taking a seat beside him.
Shinji's lips curved slightly, easing the tense atmosphere a bit as he smiled and said:
"Shisui, don't you think I'm more suited to be the Uchiha Clan leader than Fugaku?"
Shisui looked up at Shinji, puzzled.
"Senior, what do you mean?"
Shinji pointed his thumb at himself.
"Of course, my identity."
"I'm a disciple of Lady Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha."
"Now, I'm also a member of the Hokage's direct Anbu."
"In a sense, I've already become a bridge between Konohagakure and the Uchiha."
Shinji's voice carried a hint of persuasion as he continued to deceive Shisui.
Shisui was first taken aback, then suddenly understood, a light gradually brightening in his eyes.
That's right!
Senior Shinji wasn't like ordinary Uchiha clansmen.
He was Lady Tsunade's student!
If Senior Shinji became clan leader, the Konoha higher-ups, already favorable toward him,
would surely soften their attitude toward the Uchiha out of respect for him.
He knew that recently, many in the clan fantasized about the next Hokage coming from the Uchiha.
But as someone who truly understood the Konoha higher-ups, he knew this was impossible.
Even though the Uchiha performed excellently against Kirigakure in the Third Great Ninja War, their achievements were far inferior to Orochimaru and Minato Namikaze.
The next Hokage would definitely be chosen from between those two.
When the clan leader and elders' ambitions were dashed, it would only make the Uchiha resent the village even more.
If it reached that point, everything would be too late.
Shisui suddenly looked at Shinji.
Could it be that everything Senior had been doing was for the sake of the village and the Uchiha?
Studying under Tsunade, joining the Hokage's direct Anbu, constantly growing stronger...
If Shinji knew what Shisui was thinking at this moment, he'd probably just shake his head helplessly.
He just wanted to conquer girls.
Shisui rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.
Senior Shinji becoming clan leader was indeed a way to break the deadlock.
The only one who'd be wronged was Clan Leader Fugaku.
"Itachi would probably understand."
Shisui lifted his head, his gaze unconsciously drifting toward the direction of Itachi's home.
Seeing that Shisui seemed to be coming around, Shinji quietly sighed in relief.
He had simply given Shisui another path.
When faced with two bad options, people always lean toward the less terrible one.
Shinji only worried about one thing: that Shisui might get carried away and use Kotoamatsukami to forcibly change the entire Uchiha Clan.
Once Shisui encountered a situation where he didn't know what to do, he would think of Shinji as the less terrible choice.
He stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and looked seriously at Shisui.
"Shisui, I am strong."
Shisui also stood up, meeting his gaze.
He understood the unspoken message from his senior: Only I can suppress the restlessness within the clan and break the Uchiha's awkward predicament.
"I've said all that needs to be said."
Shinji stepped forward, gently patted his shoulder, and offered one final grand promise.
"Shisui, I believe you will make the right choice."
"You must become the pillar that supports both the village and the Uchiha."
With that, Shinji turned and left, leaving Shisui alone to gaze at the lake.
Shisui shook his head with a bitter smile, his thoughts in turmoil.
"What is this all about…"
He needed time to fully digest everything.
Yet, it was undeniable—the scales in his heart, which had once leaned toward Fugaku, were now gradually tilting toward Shinji.
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