"Shisui, actually, the point you should be focusing on isn't how to prove our innocence to the Villagers!"
That's right!
Now, under the guidance of public opinion, the Uchiha Clan has become the embodiment of guilt.
And Shisui, it seems, has also followed this ingrained way of thinking.
"Are we just going to let our Clan members be misunderstood like this?"
Shisui looked at Bai Ye with some confusion; he didn't understand why Bai Ye would say that. It wasn't like Bai Ye's usual way of doing things.
Even if they didn't act, they shouldn't let their Clan members be misunderstood, right?!
"What we need to do isn't to prove our innocence, but to make those guys prove our guilt. Your thinking is wrong. It's like you've been saying, we need to prove that the Uchiha Clan doesn't have any rebellious intentions. But why should we prove it, and not them provide evidence that we intend to rebel?"
Why must one prove their innocence?
Shouldn't others present evidence of their guilt to prove them guilty?
Moreover, as soon as the other party said that the Uchiha Clan was a destabilizing factor and would rebel.
Then Shisui would anxiously insist on proving that the Uchiha Clan was not a destabilizing factor and would not rebel.
By what right?
"But—"
Shisui was momentarily speechless, completely unsure how to respond to Bai Ye, and at the same time, he was shocked by his words.
That's right!
He had always thought that he had to prove to others that the Uchiha had no ambition and no intention of rebelling.
But what did they have to prove it with?
While Shisui was still doubting his past, Bai Ye secretly thought, 'The opportunity has come,' and continued to mislead him: "So, the ones who truly don't want to live in peace have always been Konoha. Haven't you noticed that these rumors have always spread among the Villagers first? Would our Uchiha Clan be so foolish as to directly spread such things among the Villagers?!"
The most disgusting thing was that the spread of rumors was not limited to civilians.
In fact, the Uchiha didn't particularly care that the Villagers themselves had no good feelings toward them.
However, some Villagers would become civilian Ninja, or their relatives would become civilian Ninja. In fact, a significant number of civilian Ninja existed in Konoha, so to a certain extent, this actually affected the relationship between the Uchiha and civilian Ninja.
Having had no good feelings towards the Uchiha since childhood, even after becoming a Ninja and gaining the ability to discern right from wrong, they still deep down were unwilling to interact with them.
Similarly, other Clans in the Village, due to the Uchiha's title as the first Clan, their usual way of doing things, and the fact that the Police Force had also offended many Clans, naturally harbored a hint of malice towards the Uchiha Clan.
Thus, Clan Ninja instinctively harbored a trace of malice towards the Uchiha Clan.
Looking at it this way, rumors shattered the good feelings of civilian Ninja towards the Uchiha, while the Police Force and some Clan interests shattered the good feelings of Clans towards the Uchiha Clan.
This directly made the Uchiha an isolated existence in Konoha.
"Doesn't it feel very familiar? From the death of Konoha White Fang, those people have been very good at manipulating public opinion. Didn't the departure of the Sannin also involve some rumors in the Village? Before Orochimaru left, he had a deep collaboration with Danzo. And there's an even better example in the Village now, which is Naruto, the guy called the Nine-Tailed Fox. You know whose child that person is, right? Why did his title of Nine-Tailed Fox spread widely in the Village, and why wasn't it stopped? Who truly doesn't want things to go well? Shisui, tell me!!!"
As Bai Ye spoke, his emotions gradually surged, and he slammed the table, staring sharply at Shisui!
Who truly doesn't want the Uchiha Clan and Konoha to live in peace?
This method of manipulating public opinion, used identically against others, was also used against the Uchiha.
"Shisui, stop running away. The Hokage you put your hopes in simply cannot help you solve the problem. The blood of the Uchiha Clan flows in your veins, and that predetermines that you will not be accepted by the current Konoha!!!"
Bai Ye growled, his words like thunder, deeply etched into Shisui's mind.
He looked up at Bai Ye, a flicker of painful struggle in his eyes.
Overturning the path he had always adhered to made Shisui feel both lost and afraid.
He had given a lot on this path, but the longer he interacted with Bai Ye, the more he realized that the path he had taken might have been wrong.
And having walked on one path for so long, Shisui's heart was even more pained.
"Clan Head, I awakened the Mangekyo—"
As if having made up his mind, the three tomoe in Shisui's pupils spun wildly, and then the Mangekyo appeared in his pupils: "My ocular jutsu is Kotoamatsukami, which can change a person's thoughts without them realizing it. The Sharingan is known as the 'eye that reflects the heart.' Back then, when I was wavering between the Uchiha and Konoha, I saw no hope, and it came into being. I couldn't see any hope for solving the problem, nor did I know how to resolve the issues between the Uchiha and Konoha, so I hoped to solve it directly through a simple, direct, and violent method."
But even with Kotoamatsukami, he couldn't guarantee he could accomplish this.
So, at this moment, Shisui could only accept the Hokage's arrangements. Compared to the previous Uchiha Clan, he felt the Uchiha Clan would fail, so he attempted to use Kotoamatsukami to change Uchiha Fugaku's thoughts.
Because his previous idea was to prove that their Uchiha Clan was innocent.
And not what Bai Ye was saying now, that there was no need for the Uchiha Clan to prove the so-called guilt theory.
Kotoamatsukami, he had only told Itachi about it until now. Revealing his ocular jutsu to Bai Ye now actually showed a glimmer of hope in his heart for Bai Ye.
"You'd best not tell anyone about this ocular jutsu, otherwise no one can guarantee that they won't become greedy."
As soon as Shisui told Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo about this eye, Danzo immediately took action not long after.
And after that, Hiruzen Sarutobi also tacitly approved of this matter. In fact, didn't both of them fear Kotoamatsukami?
Hiruzen Sarutobi always said he trusted Shisui, but did he truly trust him?
For Root to act, if you say Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know, that's impossible!
The entire Konoha, one could say, was completely in Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands. This Hokage had been in power in Konoha for so many years; setting aside other foundations, if Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't nod, Danzo's Root would simply cease to exist the next day.
Currently, all of Danzo's power and authority were dependent on Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi, fearing Kotoamatsukami, ultimately chose to tacitly approve of this matter. As for why Danzo didn't use Kotoamatsukami on Hiruzen Sarutobi to make him abdicate to himself, it's highly probable that they had an agreement, or Hiruzen Sarutobi understood that Danzo wouldn't personally act against him.
"I know. Only Itachi knows about it so far, and he won't tell anyone else. I probably know what you mean by looking for me, Clan Head. I'm willing to tell you about my Mangekyo and its abilities because what you said before truly made sense, and it also made me feel that the Uchiha's problems don't necessarily need to rely on external forces to solve. But if you, Clan Head-sama, want to win me over, please tell me the specific plan. Of course, if you, Clan Head-sama, don't want to trust me, then it doesn't matter if you don't say!"
Shisui had already laid his cards on the table with Bai Ye. Since he dared to directly tell Bai Ye about his abilities, it meant he was willing to trust Bai Ye one more time.
His current status was also very awkward, and perhaps Bai Ye might not be willing to trust him.
Having been in Anbu for so long, he even doubted himself, wondering which side he truly belonged to.
"Why wouldn't I be willing to trust you? Haven't you also been working hard to rectify the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha? It's just that what you've done before was fundamentally a misguided effort."
Ultimately, the direction Shisui had been striving for was always wrong: trusting Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo, which would eventually lead the Uchiha Clan to their demise.
In fact, Bai Ye himself was very clear that, looking at Konoha's strength, their Uchiha Clan might not actually succeed if they were to become aggressive and oppose the entire Konoha.
On the eve of the Fourth Shinobi World War, during the Five Kage Summit, Sasuke already had the Mangekyo, yet he was almost killed by the Raikage.
If the Raikage had truly been prepared to sacrifice his legs at that time, he probably could have crushed Sasuke.
And later, if Obito hadn't appeared, he probably would have been taken down by Ōnoki.
Mangekyo combined with Kage-level strength is icing on the cake, but a Kage who relies on the Mangekyo to become one might not necessarily win against the Five Kage.
Don't think that Hiruzen Sarutobi is old now and weak; he's truly not an imbecile. When he fought Orochimaru, he was fighting against inferior versions of the First and Second Hokage, as well as Orochimaru at his peak, and he still took one of Orochimaru's arms. If he hadn't been soft-hearted, he probably could have taken Orochimaru with him.
And Danzo, in the original work, made all sorts of idiotic moves, like stabbing Susanoo with a kunai, but his strength was definitely at an elite Jonin level. Plus, with so many Ninja in Konoha, even with the Mangekyo, Bai Ye felt he couldn't defeat Konoha.
So Bai Ye could understand the despair Shisui felt back then.
Right now, Shisui seemed to be leaning towards him, so unless he was out of his mind, he wouldn't drive Shisui away!
"Thank you."
Shisui's heart warmed. He had been misunderstood for years, but he had no complaints. Now that someone was willing to trust him, his heart felt somewhat complex.
"Shisui, do you know about Danzo's affairs?"
"Danzo?"
Shisui shook his head, his eyes showing some confusion as he continued to ask, "Is the Clan Head talking about understanding him or...?"
"No, I know what kind of person he is. He has always followed the Second Hokage's policies, but he's more radical. He wants to exterminate the Uchiha Clan and also covets the Uchiha's power. He already knows about the Uchiha's secret jutsu, Izanagi, and his arm has already been transplanted with our Uchiha Sharingan. This extermination, in fact, is something he has been pushing for from behind the scenes."
Bai Ye had to warn Shisui about Danzo's matters.
That guy had always coveted the Sharingan.
And when Shisui heard Bai Ye's words, his face immediately changed: "Then why don't we expose this matter, Clan Head? And we can tell Hokage-sama!!!"
Shisui was a little agitated. Although he had always disapproved of using force, that didn't mean he could just watch their Sharingan be taken by others.
And how did Danzo get his Sharingan? How did Bai Ye know?
Shisui's mind was a mess at the moment.
Every word that came out of Bai Ye's mouth made Shisui feel like his brain wasn't big enough.
"Do you think our Hokage-sama doesn't know what Root and Danzo have been doing all these years? Danzo's Sharingan arm came from Orochimaru's research back then. Later, Orochimaru was let go by our Hokage-sama, and Danzo wasn't held accountable by our Hokage-sama. It's impossible for him to say he knew nothing at all, right? It just means our Uchiha Clan isn't our Hokage-sama's favorite!"
Bai Ye couldn't help but mock at the end of his sentence.
Hiruzen Sarutobi has always been good at being a hypocrite. The Uchiha Clan is a destabilizing factor, yet Danzo has done so many things over the years and is still the Hokage's advisor. Truly, what a good classmate!
And Bai Ye wanted to laugh even more at Shisui's naive idea.
"Shisui, did you learn katon: the will of fire?"
"That's right! Where tree leaves dance, fire will burn bright!"
Shisui believed that he understood katon: the will of fire very well!
"You're still proud of that?"
Bai Ye looked at Shisui with a black line on his face. So, this guy seemed very proud of his understanding of katon: the will of fire.
"Clan Head, I—"
Shisui awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. His subconscious words seemed to have angered Bai Ye, right?
But he felt he wasn't wrong?
"Forget it, Shisui. What's called katon: the will of fire, all I see in it is two words: 'pyramid scheme'! It's just a way to fool people.
If katon: the will of fire were useful, back in the Valley of the End, Senju Hashirama wouldn't have personally killed his good brother Uchiha Madara, with whom he built the Village, for the sake of the Village.
The purpose of establishing the Village was to protect the people in the Village, yet Senju Hashirama killed Madara for the sake of the Village.
Similarly, if katon: the will of fire were useful, then the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, wouldn't have ostracized our Uchiha Clan but would have chosen to accept us.
Under the Third Hokage, it's even more ridiculous. The primary spirit of katon: the will of fire is self-sacrifice, yet during the Second Shinobi World War and the Third Shinobi World War, the Hokage strategized from behind, sending children to the battlefield to protect the Village. Isn't that laughable?!
The Kage of a Village hides in the Village and commands, while Danzo, as the Hokage's advisor during the Nine-Tails' Chaos, led Root to remain inactive.
The Fourth Hokage was good, but unfortunately, he died too early; otherwise, our Uchiha Clan wouldn't have reached this point with Konoha.
So, Shisui, tell me again, what exactly is katon: the will of fire?!!!"
Today, Bai Ye was going to completely crush all of Shisui's former beliefs. He had to create a new Shisui, a Shisui who belonged to the Uchiha!