Noticing that something was wrong, Uchiha Shisui gripped Kaede's shoulders, his expression becoming deathly serious. "You're hurt, Kaede."
"Shut up... I'm fine."
Kaede tried to break free from Shisui's hold, but the movement agitated his internal injuries. He coughed up a spray of fresh blood, his body going limp as he collapsed against Shisui.
Gently lowering Kaede to the ground, Shisui sighed with a mix of helplessness and concern. "Why? Why are you so stubborn?"
Within the world of the Thought Network, Shiraishi gazed deeply at the projection of Uchiha Kaede. "You've developed genuine feelings for Shisui, for Itachi, and even for your mother. This attachment is causing you pain. I hope you haven't forgotten our shared mission."
Compared to Hozuki Haigetsu, Kaede's emotions were far more volatile and rich due to the volatile nature of the Uchiha bloodline.
Shiraishi had purposely avoided intervening, curious to see what Kaede's ultimate conclusion would be.
"I haven't forgotten a thing," Kaede replied coldly. "After all, I am you."
"And yet, you are furious regarding Shisui's fate."
The destiny of his younger cousin was a thorn in Kaede's heart. The more they interacted, the more irritable Kaede became. He tried to distance himself, yet Shisui's unwavering care never faltered.
Shisui was the descendant of Uchiha Kagami, one of the Second Hokage's six disciples.
He had inherited the Will of Fire passed down from the First Hokage and Kagami, allowing him to see beyond narrow clan interests from a young age—an ideology that would eventually deeply influence Uchiha Itachi.
Over the past year, Shisui had become renowned for his mastery of genjutsu and the Body Flicker Technique. His valor on the battlefield earned him respect across the nations.
After awakening his Mangekyo and manifesting Susanoo during the Five Kage Summit, his name—"Shisui of the Body Flicker"—was known even to recluses like Killer B.
His abilities were highly valued by the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and even after Minato's passing, the Third Hokage continued to try and win Shisui over.
In another timeline, Ao of the Mist once encountered Shisui's team and immediately ordered a retreat upon recognizing Shisui's chakra, admitting his squad was no match for him.
Such power, while brilliant, was also a magnet for danger. Shisui was not Minato; his identity as a Uchiha ensured a path filled with obstacles.
The reason for Kaede's current hostility toward Shisui lay in the truth already unlocked by Yamato and Kakashi in the future: the tragic end of Shisui.
In the wake of the Nine-Tails' attack, the village elders had turned their suspicions on the Uchiha, causing resentment within the clan to reach a breaking point.
Uchiha Fugaku had planned a coup. At that time, Itachi had lost the clan's trust, and Shisui—the strongest ninja in the clan—was tasked with monitoring him.
Seeking to prevent a civil war, Shisui went to the Third Hokage with a plan: use his ultimate genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, to rewrite Fugaku's thoughts and stop the rebellion.
But Shimura Danzo did not trust him. Coveting the power of the Mangekyo, Danzo used Izanagi to launch a sneak attack.
Though Shisui defeated Danzo initially, he was distracted by Root subordinates and lost his right eye to Danzo's treachery.
Fearing that his left eye would also fall into Danzo's hands and trigger a war, Shisui entrusted it to Itachi, charging him with protecting the village and the Uchiha name in secret.
To prevent conflict over his remains and to help Itachi awaken his own Mangekyo, Shisui staged a suicide, casting himself into the Nakano River.
His final words were a weary admission: "I've grown tired of the missions. If things continue, the Uchiha have no future, so I don't want to go on like this."
His death dealt a crushing blow to the clan's morale, delaying the coup by two years.
In the real world, Shisui was frantic as Kaede drifted into unconsciousness. He prepared to carry him to the medical squad, but Kaede's hand suddenly clamped onto his arm with surprising strength.
"Don't... I was hurt... resisting the Clan Head's genjutsu... do not... tell anyone..."
Feeling the desperation in Kaede's grip, Shisui's gaze turned incredibly complex. He looked at his cousin, whom he felt he understood less and less.
Back in the Thought Network, Shiraishi was performing a mental repair on Kaede's damaged psyche. "Aren't you afraid Shisui will use genjutsu to peer into your true nature while you're vulnerable?"
"If he were the type of person to do that," Kaede replied while drifting into sleep, "he wouldn't be Uchiha Shisui."
Shiraishi fell silent, pondering. The foundation of trust... a bond that transcends blood?
"Is he acting differently because of the Uchiha bloodline?"
Hozuki Haigetsu appeared in the mental space, dressed in his Mizukage robes. He was currently bogged down by the chaotic affairs of the Mist and often manifested in this form.
"Perhaps," Shiraishi mused. "But the third split... shall we proceed?"
Kaede's situation had slightly exceeded Shiraishi's predictions—his personality was almost entirely distinct from the original. Yet, they remained parts of a single whole.
"Naturally. The talent and bloodline of that Hagoromo youth are not inferior to either of you."
The Hagoromo lineage was uniquely suited to wielding the tools of the Sage of the Six Paths. When Shiraishi had obtained the Sword of the Sage from Ashura's era, he had also sensed a hidden staff of the Sage. Like the Amanonuhoko, that staff was a manifestation of will.
By utilizing the Heavenly Curse of the Five Phantoms, Shiraishi intended to create a third "Son of Heaven"—a vessel to divert the attention of the Sage of the Six Paths while he made his move.
The target for the third split was set. It would be the Hidden Cloud.
The one village among the Five Great Nations that was the hardest to infiltrate!
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