Chapter 115: The Brainwashed Shisui!
Danzō's words caused Shisui's expression to turn grave.
Asking the Uchiha clan to step forward and voluntarily take responsibility for an incident that hadn't yet been proven to be their doing…
This meant forcing the Uchiha to take the blame once again.
And it specifically required Shisui himself to act as the intermediary—to do the ideological work among the rest of the clan.
For a moment, Shisui's heart was filled with mixed emotions.
At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi continued speaking:
"Shisui, you must understand one thing clearly: everything we're discussing here today is for the sake of all of Konoha—and even the entire Land of Fire."
"The scars left by the Third Great Ninja War have still not fully healed in any of the nations."
"The village has only recently suffered the Nine-Tails attack, and our combat strength remains severely depleted."
"If we were to erupt into war with the Land of Wind at a time like this, the other major nations would certainly not sit idly by. Konoha cannot withstand another joint assault from the four great ninja villages…"
Hiruzen spoke with deep concern, sighing heavily.
Hearing this, Shisui froze.
"Lord Third… what exactly do you mean?"
"The envoys from the Land of Wind have made it very clear: if we refuse to hand over the suspect and return the tailed beast, they will join forces with the Land of Water to attack us."
"At that point, it's possible that Iwagakure from the Land of Earth, Kumogakure from the Land of Lightning, and even smaller ninja villages in surrounding regions might join the fight!"
Mitokado Homura explained on Hiruzen's behalf.
"So that's how it is…"
Shisui felt a chill run through him.
At the same time, he finally began to understand why the higher-ups were so cautious and why they had specifically called him here to act as the spokesperson.
Given Konoha's current condition, if it were to face a joint assault from the four great ninja villages, it wouldn't just be the Uchiha clan paying a heavy price.
The entire village—all clans—and countless innocent people across the Land of Fire would be dragged into the disaster…
Thinking of this, Shisui's mood grew even heavier.
"I understand, everyone."
"I will personally go speak with Lord Fugaku and find a way to make the clan accept the village's conditions."
"I will absolutely not allow Konoha to come to harm…"
Shisui solemnly looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, Mitokado Homura, Koharu Utatane, and Danzō Shimura, making this promise.
Hearing this young genius of the Uchiha clan—already renowned throughout the ninja world—agree so readily, Hiruzen naturally breathed a sigh of relief.
"If your ancestor Uchiha Kagami knew how righteous and大局-minded you are, he would be extremely proud."
Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction and praised him.
Meanwhile, in Danzō's half-lidded eyes, a subtle gleam passed unnoticed.
…
Uchiha compound.
After hearing Shisui's persuasion, Fugaku's face became extremely ugly.
He sat there in silence.
Beside him, Mikoto—who had brought hot tea for both—was filled with worry.
She had heard every word of Shisui and Fugaku's conversation.
On one side, the village's higher-ups had decided—for the sake of the greater good—to sacrifice the Uchiha clan.
Without concrete evidence, they demanded the Uchiha cooperate with Sunagakure's envoys and meet all their conditions.
On the other side, ever since the Nine-Tails incident, the Uchiha had been treated unfairly. The higher-ups had gone back on their word, failing to clear the clan's name.
Instead, they allowed the conflicts between villagers and the Uchiha police force to escalate, making relations increasingly hostile…
This had caused the Uchiha clan to lose all trust in the village leadership.
The situation was obvious—even Fugaku, the clan head, was deeply dissatisfied.
Her husband would almost certainly refuse this demand.
If that happened, it would mean the Uchiha clan—already a subordinate group—was openly defying the village's orders.
This was an extremely serious matter.
It could easily be misinterpreted by the higher-ups as the Uchiha planning a coup…
Mikoto's mind was in turmoil, yet she still forced herself to appear calm.
She handed the hot tea to Fugaku and Shisui.
But the moment the cup touched the table, Fugaku slammed his fist down and stood up.
"Impossible!"
"There is no room for discussion on this!"
"They want our Uchiha clan to sacrifice one of our elite members and hand him over to Sunagakure's envoys?"
"Shisui—is this the higher-ups' demand, or yours?"
Fugaku's sharp gaze locked onto Shisui as he questioned him.
"It is the higher-ups' demand—but it is also mine."
Shisui's expression remained calm and his tone gentle.
He firmly believed his choice was correct. Shinobi must be willing to sacrifice themselves.
This was something Danzō had repeatedly instilled in them.
Now, sacrificing one Uchiha could prevent the entire village from being dragged into war—even prevent Konoha from facing a combined assault from the four great nations.
Given the circumstances, this was the best possible choice.
"Then you should understand very well—Sunagakure doesn't just want one Uchiha scapegoat!"
"They also demand the return of the tailed beast. Where are we supposed to find a One-Tail to give them?"
"The higher-ups are being utterly absurd—they're not considering reality at all!"
"All the pressure is being dumped on the Uchiha clan, while they stand on the moral high ground and point fingers at us."
"Shisui—as a member of the Uchiha clan, tell me: if you were sitting in my position, what would you choose?"
Fugaku had already been extremely restrained.
Despite his usually excellent self-control and mild temper, his entire body was now trembling, his face twisted with anger.
If the person before him weren't Shisui—if it were any other shinobi coming here as a spokesperson—the scene would likely be very different.
"Lord Fugaku, if I were clan head, I would still make this decision."
"I would first send one clan member to accompany Sunagakure's envoys back to their village and cooperate with their investigation. After calming their anger, we would buy as much time as possible while conducting a thorough investigation ourselves."
"If we can find the real culprit within the time we gain, not only can the clan member sent to Sunagakure return, but we can also return their tailed beast…"
Shisui spoke very calmly, laying out his inner thoughts and plan step by step.
After hearing him out, Fugaku fell silent for a moment.
Because after careful thought, he realized this plan actually seemed somewhat feasible.
For a moment, he had no response.
Seeing that Fugaku was no longer outright rejecting him and that his emotions had eased somewhat, Shisui immediately continued:
"Lord Fugaku, as long as you agree to my suggestion…"
"I will personally conduct the investigation and ensure the Uchiha clan receives a satisfactory resolution."
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