"Report, Hokage-sama!" The voice of the accompanying Anbu sounded. It was an Anbu with brown hair, wearing a white cat-faced mask and black clothes. Hiruzen Sarutobi snapped back to attention, grunted an "Mhm," and asked, "What is it?"
"Uchiha Shisui is outside requesting an audience, saying he has important matters to report to the Hokage-sama..." The Anbu offered no extra words, remaining silent after delivering this single sentence.
Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Mhm, I understand... let him in."
A young man with a round, bulbous nose was ushered in by the Anbu... It was him!
He was the genius of the younger generation of the Uchiha Clan, the Ninja who had earned the moniker 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' through successive battles — young and powerful, representing the future of the Uchiha Clan. Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at this youth... the future of the Uchiha Clan, and also — the source of the Uchiha Clan's ambition.
As the saying goes, 'When one possesses a sharp blade, the desire to kill arises naturally.' The Uchiha Clan, now possessing a young Mangekyo Sharingan, was certainly no exception!
"Perhaps... sacrificing this youth would make the Uchiha Clan settle down! There would be no need for more drastic measures, causing greater bloodshed and sacrifice..."
This thought flashed through his mind once more, only to be suppressed by Hiruzen Sarutobi... Sacrificing a person without cause was fundamentally wrong.
After a while, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke: "Shisui, what brings you to me?"
"Hokage-sama!"
Uchiha Shisui knelt on one knee, head bowed, and said: "The situation within the Uchiha Clan has reached an extremely dangerous point. Uchiha Shisui has a method to resolve this unnecessary bloody conflict without shedding a single drop of blood — this is also the best solution I can conceive... Hokage-sama..." Uchiha Shisui then laid out his plan once — to use his 'Kotoamatsukami' ocular jutsu to control Uchiha Fugaku, dismantling the conflict from the top down.
Uchiha Shisui said, "This is the best method!"
"...Alright, I understand. Shisui, let me think about this matter further..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi dismissed Uchiha Shisui and once again began a new round of puffing on his pipe, pondering Danzo, Uchiha Shisui, and the Uchiha Clan... Uchiha Shisui emerged from the Hokage Building, his expression heavy with worry. However, his keen Ninja instincts still allowed him to avoid the two adults and one child approaching him head-on.
It was Ino, Nana, and Kana, who had just come out of the Yakiniku Bar and were planning to play a little longer before heading home.
Ino had no impression of Uchiha Shisui — after all, in her previous life, she had only seen up to the Chunin Exams, not even finishing the part about the Konoha Crush Plan.
Of course, if someone mentioned the name 'Uchiha Shisui,' she would definitely know it and acknowledge that Shisui of the Body Flicker was a name that thundered in her ears.
But a character she had never seen on a two-dimensional manga page, now puffed into three-dimensional existence... to be honest:
When two-dimensional manga transforms into three dimensions, unless the character possesses extremely distinctive features — like Naruto's whisker marks — even if a very familiar character appears before you, it's difficult to connect the dots and recognize who is who.
Ino raised her little face to look at this young man with a garlic-bulb nose, who was wearing a rather old-fashioned, Wide-sleeved Undershirt.
"What's your problem? We made way for you, and you still walked right into us?" The crisp, clear voice slightly dispersed the gloom in Shisui's heart. Seeing it was two women and a child, Shisui spoke very gently, "My apologies... I was just lost in thought, too absorbed in some matters."
"Mhm... then it's fine. Remember to watch where you're going!" Ino kindly reminded him — she considered herself quite reasonable.
"I'm very sorry, thank you, young miss..."
"Mhm..."
Ino's one and only encounter with Shisui of the Body Flicker passed by just like that, as they went their separate ways. If Ino had known he was Shisui of the Body Flicker, she would probably have regretted missing this 'chance encounter.'
That was 'Shisui of the Body Flicker,' a very popular character. Since she met him, she would have at least wanted a photo together!
Unfortunately... she didn't know, and precisely because she didn't know, she felt no regret.
And if Ino had known that this 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' had first presented his Kotoamatsukami plan to Danzo, and then, without receiving a response, had eagerly sought out the Hokage to pitch the plan to him again... she would probably have been stunned speechless by his reckless move — at any time, the act of 'bypassing the chain of command' is itself fatal.
Since he had already spoken about the 'Kotoamatsukami' plan with Danzo, he shouldn't have taken it upon himself to go and sell it to the Hokage.
The correct approach would have been to ask Danzo!
Privately 'bypassing the chain of command,' circumventing his leader Danzo, this act in itself gave Uchiha Shisui a reason to die.
Another factor was his 'identity' — how can one trust the loyalty of a 'traitor'? If he could betray the Uchiha, who gave him life and raised him, then why couldn't he betray the Hokage, betray Konoha?
Unfortunately... Ino still didn't know.
After wandering the streets until dusk and returning home, Ino saw the newly purchased guzheng. After sitting down, she performed a piece of 'Laughing Proudly in the Martial World' for her two secretaries and Mrs. Yamanaka, leaving everyone dumbfounded — they were both surprised that Ino had learned music and amazed by the piece itself — it didn't seem like a tune Ino should be able to play.
If she had played something like 'Two Tigers,' that would be one thing, but a piece like 'Laughing Proudly in the Martial World' is something that, without life experience and the right state of mind, one simply couldn't compose even if beaten to death... But the facts were laid out before them, facts speak louder than words, louder than any 'I reckon,' so everyone could only accept this new reality.
However, when dinnertime arrived in the evening, Inoichi Yamanaka still hadn't returned. They waited and waited, but not only did Inoichi not come back, other clan members arrived instead.
Mostly housewives, they came one after another to inquire what had happened, why the family members who had gone to work hadn't returned home.
The group gathered together and, realizing that basically all the Yamanaka Clan Ninjas with desk jobs hadn't come home, began to sense that something might be wrong.
It wasn't until midnight that Inoichi Yamanaka finally returned and told Mrs. Yamanaka: "For a period going forward, the clan's Ninjas might have to work overtime, coming home very late every day. Tell everyone not to worry... if there's danger, it won't reach our household..."
If even 'administrative personnel' have to go into battle, it means there's no safe haven left in all of Konoha.
When driven to desperation, one can only fight for their life... It's just that the workload is heavy recently, requiring overtime, that's all...
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