Late May.
Shisui received orders and quietly arrived at a meeting room in the Hokage Building.
Upon arriving, Shisui found not only the Third Hokage but also the advisors Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and the Root Leader Shimura Danzo present.
Though surprised, he did not question anything.
These individuals were all comrades of the Third Hokage, as well as comrades of his ancestor, Uchiha Kagami—trustworthy elders.
He also maintained his secret identity as a member of the Anbu directly under the Hokage, which wasn't too significant of a secret given the current situation.
"Shisui, the reason we summoned you today is regarding internal affairs of the Uchiha Clan. According to Itachi's report, the radical faction within the Uchiha Clan has established a decapitation action unit intending to strike against us, planning to cause turmoil by heavily attacking key facilities with explosive tags to facilitate their actions. Is this true?"
Mitokado Homura was the first to ask.
"Not only that, they also plan to take the Jinchuriki hostage and release the Nine-tailed,"
Danzo added at this point, making the atmosphere intensely oppressive.
Shisui did not hide anything, nodding and saying, "Yes, they indeed plan to do so. The official action date is scheduled for the 20th of next month."
Since Itachi had already reported the matter, concealing it would be laughable.
Moreover, even sharing this information, Shisui considered it a non-issue.
He already had a plan to help the Uchiha Clan navigate this crisis.
Hiruzen and Danzo remained silent while Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura whispered a couple of words that Shisui faintly heard, such as 'timely prevention' and 'military suppression'.
"So, there is less than a month left, correct? Time is tight, and I believe immediate action against the Uchiha Clan is required. With Itachi as our internal agent, suppressing the Uchiha is not a problem."
Danzo expressed his viewpoint, his attitude very assertive.
"Indeed, too much trust should not have been placed in the Uchiha Clan, who have fallen to the point of planning a coup. Like Danzo said, the success of the Hidden Mist gave them endless imagination. I agree with Danzo's approach."
Mitokado Homura sighed, realizing matters had escalated to this extent; it was beyond their control, necessitating correct measures.
Utatane Koharu also nodded, indicating agreement.
With the situation at hand, decisive action should be taken from the perspective of the village's broad interests. If the Uchiha Clan were to attempt a coup, preemptive action should be taken to prevent Konoha from suffering severe damage and providing other ninja villages an opportunity to exploit.
Seeing the three high-ranking officials inclined to use military force to resolve the current Uchiha Clan issue, Shisui knew he had to step forward at this time.
"May I speak, elders?"
He had already convinced the Third Hokage to let him handle the Uchiha Clan's matters.
Now, if he could persuade the three elders, the Uchiha Clan could return to its rightful path without conflicting with the village, thus preventing the Fourth Great Ninja War's ignition.
"What are your thoughts, Shisui? Being a descendant of Kagami, your actions will be rooted in the village's perspective. If you have a better plan, we're open to considering it."
Speaking was Utatane Koharu, who looking at Shisui's determined yet slightly youthful face, found herself reminiscing on the years of battles fought alongside Uchiha Kagami.
Old times gone by, the offspring of a former comrade had already grown so much and established a name in the Ninja Realm as Shisui of the Body Flicker; old friends would find solace even in afterlife.
"Thank you very much. My plan is to use an illusion technique to control Clan Leader Uchiha Fugaku, having him vocally cancel the coup strategy in a clan council and suppress the radicals."
"Impossible, Uchiha Fugaku's skills rival those of the Sannin, a formidable ninja. Taijutsu, illusion technique, ninja techniques—all within his grasp. Even we couldn't look directly at his Sharingan."
Mitokado Homura was the first to dismiss Shisui's proposal.
Because the plan seemed too unreliable.
The Sharingan not only bears the name of the copy eye but also the illusion eye and various other titles.
No matter how outstanding Shisui was, he couldn't possibly use the Sharingan to make Uchiha Fugaku fall under an illusion.
Uchiha Fugaku had long reached an apex in wielding the Sharingan.
"I understand, but that is precisely why I must do it—to avoid bloodshed. This is my trust,"
Shisui said, as a large Magatama formed in his dual pupils, glowing with a crimson light, chilling to the bone.
The room's temperature plummeted to freezing.
The truth-unaware trio of Danzo, Homura, and Koharu suddenly opened their eyes wide.
Though varied from descriptions in Konoha's records, that Sharingan diverging from the basic Magatama shape… only one possibility exists—
Mangekyo Sharingan!
Hiruzen, upon witnessing Shisui reveal the Mangekyo Sharingan, shocking his three old friends, laughed and said, "This is the situation; I've already entrusted the Uchiha matters to Shisui. Thus, under Shisui's guidance, the Uchiha Clan will gradually reconcile with the village."
Hiruzen expressed his viewpoint.
"What?"