"My Lord, there is something I must discuss."
Several days had passed since their return from Aizen's base.
Shisui found his mind restless, unable to find peace ever since his experience at that facility.
He sought out Ren during the short lunch break after finishing his morning duties.
*Click.*
The door to the spacious office opened, and Shisui stepped inside with muffled footsteps.
He saw the familiar black-clad figure half-reclined on the sofa, a thick book covering his face.
A muffled voice echoed from beneath the pages.
"Is that you, Shisui? Has the nap time passed so quickly?"
"Not yet. There are still ten minutes left."
Shisui's voice was gentle, his face tinged with apology.
"There is something weighing on my heart, and I felt I must speak with you about it."
"Honestly, why must you choose my rest period to talk? Couldn't this have waited for working hours?"
With a casual grumble, Ren lifted the book from his face and slowly sat up on the sofa.
He rubbed his eyes, the grogginess of sleep still clinging to his features as he walked toward the washroom to splash some water on his face.
Meanwhile, Shisui rummaged through the cabinets behind the desk, pulling out coffee and sugar.
By the time Ren returned, his face damp and refreshed, Shisui had already brewed the coffee.
The aroma filled the room. Ren lifted the cup and took a small sip; the bitter yet sweet flavor exploded on his palate, instantly sharpening his senses.
He set the cup down and looked at Shisui sitting before him, his expression betraying a hint of annoyance.
"Well? What is it?"
"If this isn't anything major, I won't let you off lightly for waking me up."
Shisui gave a wry smile and spoke quickly. "My Lord, it's about our previous interaction with Aizen Sousuke..."
Ren's interest was piqued. His gaze narrowed, focusing intently on the space between Shisui's brows.
"Oh? Do you have different thoughts on the matter?"
"I do..."
Under Ren's piercing gaze, Shisui instinctively lowered his head, unable to maintain eye contact.
He hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth. "My Lord, Aizen is far too dangerous. Cooperating with him is like negotiating with a tiger for its own skin. It won't end well for you."
"We already know he possesses the Sphere. If you want it, we could simply kill him and take it."
"As for completing the Hollowfication experiments, we have Mayuri Kurotsuchi on our side. He is one of us, far more reliable than an outsider like Aizen."
Ren's eyebrows shot up, a strange look crossing his face.
"Shisui, you came to me just for this? I thought it was... Never mind."
"Yes, this is exactly why I'm here!"
Noticing the odd expression on Ren's face, Shisui raised his voice, fearing his master wasn't taking the threat seriously.
"If you give the word, I will lead a team to eliminate Aizen immediately and remove this concern once and for all!"
"No need."
Ren shook his head, his fingers tracing the delicate handle of his teacup.
"Aizen isn't that simple. Neither you nor anyone else—even with reinforcements—would be a match for him."
"If he is to be killed, I am likely the only one in the entire Seireitei capable of doing it."
Even Yamamoto Shigekuni likely couldn't pull it off.
Seeing the confusion on Shisui's face, Ren paused and sighed internally.
"In truth, I considered killing him now to eliminate the future threat."
"But after thinking it over, the commotion would be too great. It would jeopardize our operations."
"That man has too many contingencies. Even if I did kill him, he would trigger his various backups, exposing us prematurely and drawing the full attention of Yamamoto Shigekuni, which would lead to an all-out war."
"We aren't ready yet. A premature war would not end in our favor."
At this stage, even if they successfully killed Aizen and wiped out the Soul Reapers led by Yamamoto, the cost would be too heavy for Ren.
If they exhausted themselves now, how could they hope to conquer the Soul King Palace later?
Up there, the even more troublesome Monk was waiting for him.
Ren didn't believe for a second that the Monk would let him pass easily.
Hearing Ren's explanation, Shisui's expression shifted, his eyes darkening.
"My Lord... I was being reckless."
"Don't worry about it. You were only looking out for my interests."
Ren waved it off.
At least Shisui was sensible enough to consult him first.
If he had the impulsive, gambling mindset of those reckless fools who throw everything away on a whim, he might have just charged in without a second thought.
If he succeeded, that would be one thing, but a failure would ruin the entire board and drag Ren down with him.
All while claiming it was all 'for his sake.'
In that scenario, Ren would be the one suffering in silence.
Seeing that Ren wasn't angry, Shisui felt relieved.
He recalled Ren's earlier comment and couldn't help but ask, "What did you think I was going to say?"
"Hm?"
"When I first came in, what did you expect my concern to be?"
Shisui blinked, his youthful face filled with genuine curiosity.
Ren drained his coffee in one go, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.
"It's nothing. I simply thought your opposition to Aizen stemmed from the cruelty of his experiments—the fact that so many innocent souls were being sacrificed."
Shisui was stunned for a moment before the realization hit him. He scratched his head and let out a light laugh.
"Haha, you must be joking, My Lord. Why would I think such a thing?"
"While it's a pity those innocent souls had to vanish for the sake of the experiments, it was a necessary sacrifice."
Ren nodded, his expression thoughtful, though his next words sounded like a rhetorical question.
"A necessary sacrifice, you say..."
Shisui nodded emphatically. "Their sacrifice won't be in vain. Being able to provide the power for your advancement is the greatest fortune they could encounter in their lives!"
"Fortune?"
Ren's expression froze. He looked at Shisui's face, his gaze suddenly becoming very grave.
"Shisui... did you say 'fortune'?"
"Is something wrong with that?" Shisui asked, looking confused. "These people would have died eventually—from illness, hunger, old age, or at the hands of others. There is no real difference."
"Since they were destined to die regardless, dying for your sake gives their lives their only true value. It's a good thing for them. If they knew, I imagine they would feel nothing but happiness."
As Shisui spoke with such poise and sincerity, as if he were reciting some universal truth, Ren's mind momentarily went blank.
His thoughts raced as he stared at Shisui, a strange sense of unfamiliarity washing over him.
Noticing Ren's odd behavior, Shisui's heart tightened. He asked tentatively, "My Lord, is there a problem with what I said?"
"Shisui... is that really you?"
Ren murmured softly, leaving Shisui even more perplexed.
The young man blinked, truly unable to grasp what Ren meant.
"It's me, My Lord."
To prove it, he even plucked the metaphysical strings connecting him to Ren.
Feeling the vibration, Ren snapped back to reality and looked at Shisui.
When did Shisui's ideology become so distorted?
Originally, Ren thought Shisui wouldn't be able to stomach the sight of souls dying in experiments.
But looking at him now, he didn't care about those souls at all.
In Shisui's eyes, Ren was a higher existence, and those souls were insignificant; dying for Ren was seen as their ultimate privilege!
'What nonsense!'
Ren knew full well that he was the mastermind behind the deaths of those souls!
Since when was harming others considered a 'good thing'?
For a moment, he wanted to ask: 'Shisui, have you lost your mind? Have you become so unable to distinguish good from evil?'
But the words caught in his throat, refusing to come out.
What fault did Shisui have? His way of thinking was just... abnormal.
Ultimately, Ren himself was the root cause. What right did he have to criticize Shisui?
His expression shifted several times before settling into its usual calm.
Ren waved his hand, his tone returning to normal.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking about something else."
Seeing Ren act normally again, Shisui finally relaxed.
"I'm glad you're alright, My Lord."
Shisui let out a sigh of relief, his dark eyes shimmering with a light as cold and firm as iron.
"No matter what happens, I am your weapon. Please, command me as you see fit!"
"Yes... I believe you, Shisui."
At that moment, Ren was absolutely certain of the unshakeable truth in Shisui's words.
Even if he ordered Shisui to take his own life right now, the boy wouldn't hesitate for a second.
Even if he ordered Shisui to slaughter the entire Uchiha clan, he would swing his blade without remorse!
Yet, precisely because of this, Ren felt a sliver of unspeakable fear toward Shisui rising from the depths of his heart.
From Shisui, he felt an obsession that transcended life and death.
It wasn't loyalty or a bond of affection; it was a twisted philosophy far deeper and darker than that.
It ignored good and evil, right and wrong, and everything else in the world, chasing only a specific, extreme obsession.
It was pathological and bone-chilling.
'Shisui... is the Shisui before me truly the one I thought I knew?'
'Or... is this the true Uchiha Shisui?'
For the first time, Ren understood the true nature of the Uchiha.
The Uchiha were all mentally unstable, especially those who had awakened their eyes!
And an Uchiha with the Mangekyo Sharingan was a madman among madmen!
Shisui had likely been insane for a long time...
Senju Tobirama was right.
The Uchiha clan truly was born evil!
Ren didn't want to dwell on it any longer. He changed the subject to something else.
"Shisui, accompany me to the Shadow Space this afternoon. Go and call Senju Tobirama now."
"Yes, My Lord."
After Shisui fetched him, Ren assigned Tobirama his duties for the afternoon and then headed to the underground facility.
In the vast subterranean space, two massive Senkaimon had been constructed. One led to Yomi Castle, and the other to the Shadow Space.
This place had become a major logistics hub; soldiers poured in from Yomi Castle, while supplies from the Seireitei were gathered here before being transported to the Shadow Space.
In front of the two gates, crowds of people and lines of carts moved like dragons. Under Zephyr's direct command, everything was moving in perfect order.
After a quick greeting with Zephyr, Ren led Shisui through the Senkaimon and into the Shadow Space.
Upon entering, all that met his eyes was a vast, empty void.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]