Hokage Building.
When Shisui arrived here, the sky had already completely darkened.
Dark shadows enveloped the building, and Shisui, without any hesitation, walked into it.
Just before entering the office where the Hokage was, an Anbu Ninja landed in front of Shisui, reaching out and blocking Shisui's path.
Shisui exchanged a glance with the Anbu Ninja and said, "Sorry, I have an important matter to discuss with the Hokage."
The Anbu replied, "The Hokage isn't here; he has already gone home to rest. Come again tomorrow."
The tone was full of firmness.
Regarding the Uchiha Clan, he didn't harbor much animosity, but to say he had much favor towards them would be incorrect. He was simply fulfilling his duties as an Anbu Ninja according to regulations.
Shisui bit his lip and looked at the office door. He knew that the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was on the other side of the door and hadn't left.
The reason for doing this was to exclude him.
This meant the Third Hokage already knew about the content of the Uchiha Clan's recent meeting.
Shisui sighed, as if all the energy in his body had been drained, and retreated the way he came.
After watching Shisui leave, the Anbu disappeared from the corridor as if he had never been there.
Just as Shisui reached the main entrance of the Hokage Building, he immediately saw three figures, and his body suddenly stiffened.
The three people in Shisui's sight were Advisor Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Root Leader Shimura Danzo.
Behind them were two Anbu members.
Seeing Shisui there, the three were also slightly surprised.
"The descendant of Kagami? You are called Shisui, right?"
Danzo spoke first, his eyes shining like a cave, seemingly lost in memory.
Shisui nodded respectfully and said, "Yes, Elder Danzo."
"Hmm, you're impressive. The name Shisui of the Body Flicker is well-known even to me. No wonder you are Kagami's descendant; you haven't disgraced his name."
After saying this, Danzo brushed past Shisui.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura also nodded satisfactorily at Shisui, showing their praise for him.
In the Uchiha Clan, only Shisui was different from the others.
Uchiha Kagami was a comrade who lived and died with them, and as Kagami's descendant, he certainly couldn't be equated with ordinary Uchiha clan members.
Shisui didn't have a favorable mood to stay here; upon seeing Danzo and the two, he knew matters had become irredeemable.
The three high-ranking elders couldn't possibly be visiting the Hokage at such a time without reason. Their simultaneous appearance here had only one reason—the Third Hokage had summoned them.
And Shisui could guess the meeting's content—it must be about the Uchiha Clan's gathering.
Itachi, you've messed things up. Shisui thought bitterly.
Failing to stop Itachi in time was his mistake.
During the clan meeting, due to Uchiha Hachida and Itachi's dispute, he realized trouble was brewing.
However, Itachi's decisiveness was beyond his expectations.
"What should I do next?"
Shisui continued to ponder this question.
Since it happened, regret was futile; it was time to take action to resolve the problem.
The manner of boiling a frog in warm water was no longer appropriate.
Itachi's actions completely disrupted the delicate balance between the clan and the village.
Whether the clan was harmed or the village faced catastrophic disaster, involving countless innocent civilians and triggering a Ninja Realm war, was something Shisui was unwilling to see happen.
In such a complex mental state, Shisui quickly became restless.
Even though his parents named him hoping that he would, no matter what he faced, keep his calm like still water.
Yet faced with the dilemma between family and village, he couldn't achieve such a state.
Ultimately, he made a decision.
In this restless mental state, torment made his Sharingan reveal itself.
In the darkness, the Sharingan emitted a red glow as the Three Tomoe slowly merged, forming a pattern resembling a giant Magatama.
Mangekyo Sharingan.
The supreme pupil technique of the Uchiha clan.
A painful sensation surged into his eyes.
Shisui couldn't help but cover his eyes, the heated feeling flowing within making his mind incredibly heavy.
"Honestly, who'd have thought that in the end, I'd need to rely on this power to salvage the situation…"
Shisui squeezed out a self-deprecating smile from the corner of his mouth.
Precisely because of these eyes, the more he understood the past and present of himself, the weaker he felt.
If possible, he really did not want to use this power.
◎
"Hiruzen, what do you mean by calling us here at this time?"
In the office where the Hokage was, the three had already arrived, facing the summoning by the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu asked first.
They didn't know what Hiruzen meant by deploying Anbu to seek them out at this moment.
Hiruzen sat there, took a puff from the pipe on his desk, exhaled the smoke, and said into the surrounding air, "Itachi, come out and narrate what you know."
After Hiruzen spoke, Itachi, wearing an Anbu uniform, silently emerged from the shadows.
Since he was wearing a mask, outsiders couldn't discern Itachi's facial expression at that moment.
"Uchiha Itachi, huh?"
Mitokado Homura nodded slightly.
Just like Shisui of the Body Flicker, Itachi was also a rare genius among the Uchiha clan.