Itachi spoke calmly.
Shisui nodded his head.
"The Clan Leader did explain at the meeting, but the radicals led by Hachida seem dissatisfied with your absence. They even suspect that you have pledged allegiance to the higher-ups."
"Nonsense, I'm a ninja of the Uchiha Clan."
Itachi replied without changing expression, not angered by Hachida's suspicion.
"The issue of position is too ambiguous, but you know, the orders of the clan are supreme for us..."
Shisui cast a knife-like sharp gaze at Itachi, making his heart pound intensely.
He had a feeling that if Shisui made a move against him, he would be defeated in an instant.
A suppressive force from the bloodline emanated from Shisui's body.
"Shisui, do you mean..."
"Therefore, without your knowledge, Hachida and the others wanted to monitor you. Although this proposal was vetoed by the Clan Leader, because doing so would push you, a member of the Uchiha, completely to the higher-ups' side."
"I didn't expect so many things to happen because of me. After I went back that day, Father didn't mention anything to me."
Itachi sighed.
"The Clan Leader indeed trusts you greatly, but Hachida and the others have not given up. So, they have entrusted me to monitor you."
Shisui's next words made Itachi's body tremble as he looked at Shisui in disbelief.
Shisui looked up at the bright moon in the sky.
"Using the relationship between me and your friends, to monitor you when you are undefended, this is the arrangement of Hachida and the others."
"Then you now..."
"Don't worry, I've slightly covered up your information when reporting to them, they won't notice anything abnormal."
Upon hearing this, Itachi felt no joy, only coldness.
Shisui... knew something?
Why slightly cover it up?
If there was truly no issue, there would be no need for any cover-up.
Did Shisui discover something?
However, he was merely fulfilling the duties of a Konoha Ninja, not executing tasks as an Uchiha.
Why should someone like him feel guilty about it?
For a ninja who believes in the Will of Fire, considering the village from a broader perspective and not through narrow clan thinking, isn't that what a Konoha Ninja should practice?
I am merely following a complete and correct path. Itachi told himself this in his heart.
Without explaining what he discovered about Itachi, Shisui continued to speak with a smile: "Actually, telling you this isn't to suggest you do anything. It's just that I've already made a decision. Therefore, Hachida's surveillance of you doesn't really impact the bigger picture."
A decision?
Itachi looked at Shisui in confusion.
What decision?
"You must have heard of it, the legend of the Mangekyo Sharingan."
Itachi nodded. The Mangekyo Sharingan was something he couldn't possibly not know about.
His father Fugaku had mentioned more than once that he had the ability to awaken it.
The so-called awakening is opening the Mangekyo Sharingan, not the ordinary Sharingan.
Yet, even though he had mastered the abilities of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Itachi still felt unfamiliar with the Mangekyo Sharingan's prowess.
He didn't know what Shisui wanted to do by bringing up the Mangekyo Sharingan at this moment.
"This is my Mangekyo Sharingan."
Without hesitation, in the darkness, Shisui's eyes lightened up with red, transforming into the Three Tomoe Sharingan.
Then the Three Tomoe Sharingan continued to change, forming into a shape similar to a gigantic magatama, shocking Itachi like a thunderbolt.
"Shisui, you..."
He had no idea Shisui was hiding such a secret.
"An Uchiha ninja who awakens the Mangekyo Sharingan will derive different abilities based on their inner world. My Mangekyo Sharingan ability is called 'Kotoamatsukami,' a technique that can alter the thoughts and will of the one caught."
Change thoughts and will?
Itachi listened to Shisui's explanation while silently staring at Shisui's eyes.
Even though the Mangekyo Sharingan had been awakened, Itachi felt that the warmth in Shisui had entirely vanished, turning into an extremely dangerous and cold existence instead.
This kind of Chakra made him very uncomfortable.
"A clan coup against the higher-ups only leads to death, bringing total disaster upon the Uchiha Clan. As a member of Anbu, you must also be aware of the clan's current situation. I intend to rely on this pupil technique to reverse the Clan Leader's will, making him abandon the coup and announce it at the clan meeting. This way, the conflict between the clan and the village can be avoided."
He spoke of his intention without hesitation in front of Itachi.
Itachi also understood that Shisui had a genuine love for the village, so it was not unexpected for him to decide to change the clan's coup for the village.
If there was anything unexpected, it was only the Mangekyo Sharingan and the Kotoamatsukami pupil technique.
It truly broadened Itachi's horizons.
"Can this pupil technique really make the clan abandon the coup?"
Itachi asked.
"Yes."
Shisui's words were full of confidence.
"If that's the case, then there's no need to consider my feelings. If it's for the clan and the village, then my father is an extremely crucial step."
Itachi realized the reason Shisui sought him out tonight.
It was to be open with him, not wanting this matter to create a rift in their friendship.
Itachi was very grateful for Shisui's honesty.
"Thank you. After canceling the coup, we also have to try to weaken the clan's overly passionate emotions. Their character is excessively arrogant and fiery. If they cannot integrate with the village, then preventing the coup this time would be meaningless."
This was Shisui's most genuine thought, and gaining Itachi's affirmation also filled him with confidence.
Itachi, however, felt regret that he couldn't assist Shisui through actions, for Shisui alone was enough to prevent the clan's coup.
Looking at it this way, even the operations of Root seemed to become meaningless.
In the future, if the clan and village were to become one... Itachi's face showed relief.
In the midst of full uncertainty and darkness, he finally saw the light of hope he recognized.