47 Chapter 47

After Shisui finished speaking, he silently watched Uchiha Itachi.

And Itachi had already closed his eyes, falling into a deep silence, because he truly couldn't imagine that such words would come from Shisui.

The Second Hokage was displeased with the Uchiha clan?

Then why did the Second Hokage take Uchiha Kagami as a disciple and teach him meticulously?

The Third Hokage inherited the will of the Second and also harbored dissatisfaction with the Uchiha?

Then why did the Third Hokage let the Uchiha clan control the Police Force, and why did he allow both Shisui and himself to join the Anbu?

And what about the idea of making the Uchiha clan lower its guard through the Police Force, thus causing a divide between the Uchiha and the village; how could that be possible?

The Uchiha clan gained tremendous power through the Police Force, but wasn't it the Uchiha's own attitude that caused the divide between the clan and the village!

In Itachi's mind, he dared not and didn't want to believe Shisui's words. At this moment, he felt like the Shisui in front of him was a stranger.

He didn't know why Shisui would believe such words. Couldn't he see everything the Hokage had done for the Uchiha clan?

And if the Third Hokage truly harbored dissatisfaction with the Uchiha, the reports they had submitted to the clan meetings could have long provided a basis for the Konoha to act against the Uchiha!

Feelings of anger, sorrow, and disappointment were spreading in Uchiha Itachi's heart, but he quickly suppressed his inner thoughts.

As a qualified ninja, especially as a member of the Anbu, he knew he couldn't easily reveal his emotions.

Moreover, he needed to confirm many things; he had to gather more intelligence!

"So, what are you planning to do?" Uchiha Itachi tried to make his tone sound as normal as possible: "What's your new idea?"

"Itachi, are you okay?" Shisui furrowed his brows. Even though Uchiha Itachi seemed quite normal, Shisui was a member of the Anbu.

He naturally sensed that Itachi was not quite himself at this moment, but after a moment of thought, he decided it would be best to have a serious talk with Itachi.

After all, Itachi was the prodigy of the clan. If he could truly assist the clan, it would undoubtedly be a good thing for them.

Especially now, things were different from before. Shisui saw hope for the future, and he truly wanted to persuade Itachi to join them and offer his help.

"I'm fine, don't worry." Uchiha Itachi took a deep breath before speaking earnestly.

"In that case, let me tell you." Shisui gently nodded, then began to speak seriously.

Shisui spoke slowly, but also with great detail.

He discussed the debates of the two factions within the clan about the current situation of the Konoha and the clan, and relayed the conclusions they had reached after excluding Uchiha Kaito from their considerations.

For instance, the clan had come to understand that continued weakness would lead to no good outcome, because weakness would inevitably result in the Konoha gradually eroding their influence.

In the end, the clan wouldn't get any closer to the Konoha, but instead the distance would continue to grow until they ceased to exist within the Konoha.

Continuing with a hard-line stance also won't result in anything good. If they persist in being obstinate, the clan will only end up antagonizing the whole Konoha, and the ultimate result will still be their demise.

Given this, the best course for both sides would be to integrate their thoughts and wills, stop fighting, and stop fracturing the clan.

They decided not to compromise excessively with the Konoha. They need to be assertive, they need to resist, they need to rebel!

But they can't be dogmatically assertive, they must have a clear objective.

They don't plan to betray, but they will take the necessary hostile measures towards their own objectives. They want the Konoha to hear their voices.

With that, Shisui stopped talking. In his view, this was enough.

Even though what he said wasn't especially detailed, he had promised Kaito he wouldn't betray his trust. He thought what he'd shared was completely understandable.

Because the meaning Shisui conveyed was quite clear: they intend to adopt a different method to achieve peace between the clan and the village!

However, Uchiha Itachi's face had become even more grim. Particularly when he heard Shisui say 'no longer compromising or retreating, needing to be assertive and rebel,' he knew things were going to get bad.

Although Shisui kept emphasizing that the clan would not revolt, and that the clan wanted peace with the village, how could the clan 'not compromise yet not rebel' to achieve this?

In the end, they would likely become endlessly entangled with the Hokage, leading to a schism between the Hokage and the clan, thus causing a split between the Konoha and the clan!

The Hokage is the Hokage of the Konoha. Being at odds with the Hokage, doesn't that equate to being at odds with the Konoha?

This is nothing but rebellion cloaked in euphemism, merely donning an attractive disguise!

His heart is now a whirl of chaos. He could never have dreamt that the one he regarded as an elder brother, who had taken care of him for many years and shared the same ideals, had utterly changed in this moment, turned completely into a stranger!

Silently, Uchiha Itachi turned his head to one side, his gaze fixed on the massive, towering cliff.

He felt as if, with Shisui's words, the Shisui of his memory – who was both a mentor and a friend – had departed.

The gentle Shisui who loved the Konoha had fallen into the abyss; the Shisui who he saw as a role model had gone forever!

The moment this man before him uttered such words, he could no longer find the Shisui of the past. He felt a grief in his heart that was about to burst forth.

Suppressing the sorrow within him, he raised his head to look at Shisui silently. Finally, his thousands of thoughts and countless words condensed into one sentence.

"Shisui, are you certain you want to abandon our once shared dream, and embark on such a path?"

"What?"

Shisui was slightly baffled by Uchiha Itachi's words, wondering if he had said something wrong or failed to explain himself clearly.

However, Uchiha Itachi clearly didn't give him the chance to clarify. Raising his head, Itachi's eyes had already transformed into a crimson red.

His gaze was firmly fixed on Shisui, his tone resolute as he continued to question.

"Are you sure you want to confront the village, are you sure you want to disrupt the peace of the village, are you sure you want to drag both the clan and the village into the abyss?"

With these words, Shisui's expression changed as well.

He could see that Itachi in front of him seemed incapable of understanding their thoughts, unwilling to even try.

It seemed to him that Itachi had firmly decided that the only way for the clan to integrate into the Konoha was through peace, and everything they were doing seemed to be pushing both the clan and the village into the abyss!

Such a situation made Shisui's expression very unpleasant. He had once thought the same way, but under Kaito's guidance, he had changed.

He seemed to remember the clan elders saying that Itachi was a person of firm will, not prone to changes.

Such resolute will could mold him into a great ninja, but once a problem arises, he could potentially walk a path of darkness!

"Itachi, listen to me..." Shisui was a bit anxious, his feelings for Itachi were sincere, and he wanted to attempt to salvage the situation.

"There's no need to continue, Shisui." But before Shisui could finish, Itachi interrupted him.

"Wishing to oppose the village, wanting to confront the village through your so-called combination of all clan members' will.

Breaking the peace of the village and even dragging unrelated parties into it, then...."

At this point, the three tomoe Sharingan in Uchiha Itachi's eyes began to rotate rapidly.

"I will absolutely not allow it, I will not let your plans harm my family, harm the entire village, you'll have to get past me first!"

As his words fell, Uchiha Itachi looked deeply at Shisui. He trusted Shisui more than he trusted the Third Hokage.

But from today onwards, he felt that he could no longer trust Shisui.

He had his own stubbornness, he hoped for the village's peace and stability, he wished for his younger brother to grow up safely in the village.

He did not want there to be any problems between the clan and the village, he yearned for that sincere peace.

Turning around, Uchiha Itachi left silently, feeling as if there had been some changes in his eyes, but the heartbroken him had no time to pay attention to these things.

Meanwhile, Shisui, watching Itachi's retreating figure, couldn't help but sigh. He wasn't sure if everything he said was wrong. His expressed viewpoint was actually the same as Kaito's.

That is, 'one cannot always compromise, but also cannot always be tough'. The clan's integration into the village is not about servitude, they just want the Konoha to hear their voice.

Drawing a deep breath, Shisui quietly closed his eyes. After a long while, he smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"It seems that Kaito was right not to let me speak about him, not to disclose all the plans...."

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