I'M NARUTO UZUMAKI

Shisui's Awakening

After leaving the Forest of Death, Shisui returned to Konohagakure.

Standing atop the Hokage Rock, he gazed down at the quiet, peaceful village below, his heart filled with complex emotions.

Once, he had believed the village was everything—his foundation, his purpose. Without it, he thought he could not move forward.

But after being betrayed by his own people, after "dying" once, the village beneath his feet suddenly seemed so small. It was because he had confined his perspective to the walls of Konoha, never daring to look beyond them.

No matter how powerful Kotoamatsukami was, his vision at the time had been too limited to fully grasp the true potential of his own Mangekyō Sharingan.

With a quiet sigh, Shisui pulled a dark cloak over his body and donned a crow-shaped mask. He had no intention of revealing his identity before meeting Itachi Uchiha.

After losing his Mangekyō Sharingan, his strength had diminished. Though still above an average jōnin, he no longer possessed the overwhelming power he once had.

His three-tomoe Sharingan could support advanced genjutsu, but activating Susanoo was out of the question. And as for Izanagi—the price of permanently losing his sight was too steep. He would not sacrifice the legacy of his ancestors so carelessly.

---

Upon returning to the Uchiha district, Shisui used the Transformation Jutsu to disguise himself as an ordinary chūnin. He had another task to complete before meeting Itachi—identifying the mole within the clan.

Without this traitor, Danzo could never have obtained such detailed intelligence on the Uchiha's internal affairs.

After all, the coup had only been discussed among the clan and the Hokage.

Yet, when Danzo confronted him that fateful day, he had shown no concern about the coup—only a cold, decisive intent to eliminate Shisui.

If he wanted to help his people escape their doomed fate, the first step was removing the informant. And Shisui already had a good idea of who it was.

---

Inside the Uchiha Police Force headquarters, Shisui greeted his clanmates with a friendly nod. As an undercover chūnin, he was well-liked among the lower-ranked officers—an unusual experience for someone who had never been particularly sociable.

Before he could act, however, his squad leader dragged him onto the streets to carry out patrol duty.

Throughout the day, he observed the harsh way his comrades enforced the law. After resolving a minor dispute between villagers, one of his fellow Uchiha sighed.

"It's exhausting keeping a straight face all day. Why can't these villagers just behave?"

Shisui tilted his head. "Aren't we supposed to uphold justice? Why be so strict with them?"

The Uchiha next to him scoffed. "Justice? That's part of it, but strict enforcement also reduces crime. If we didn't do it this way, we'd lose all authority. Besides, you don't want to be overcharged at the market just because a vendor resents the Police Force, right?"

Shisui fell silent.

Perhaps he had misunderstood his own clan all this time.

Another officer chimed in: "Compared to civilian shinobi who risk their lives on missions, this job isn't bad—aside from all the resentment we get."

"Then why do you still support the coup?" Shisui asked.

The atmosphere shifted. The chūnin beside him narrowed his eyes. "Because it's unfair. Why does Uchiha get relegated to the Police Force while clans like the Sarutobi and Ino-Shika-Chō hold higher government positions?"

"During the Third Great Ninja War, the Hyūga and Uchiha were the ones who held back Kirigakure's forces."

"Ever since the Fourth Hokage's death, we've been ostracized. All because of the Nine-Tails' attack. Just because the Sharingan can control the Nine-Tails, we're treated like criminals. But tell me, who in our clan actually did it?"

The chūnin became so agitated that his Sharingan flared to life. Shisui placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

"Then why not leave the village?" he asked. "If Konoha refuses to acknowledge Uchiha, why should Uchiha stay?"

The chūnin looked at Shisui in disbelief before shaking his head. "Leave? And go where? Even if the village allowed it, the clan elders wouldn't. They want the coup to succeed. They want the Uchiha name to reign."

Shisui's expression hardened. "And that's exactly why we have to leave. There's no reason to die for the ambitions of a few power-hungry leaders. There must be others who feel the same."

His comrade hesitated. "Even if I agree with you... how would we escape? The village would never allow it, and the clan would see it as treason."

"That's why we need to plan ahead."

Shisui's Sharingan spun, casting a subtle genjutsu. The chūnin's eyes widened with realization—this man standing before him was far more powerful than he had assumed.

"If we gather enough people, we can make it happen," Shisui murmured. "Trust in my power."

When the illusion ended, the chūnin exhaled sharply, his eyes now filled with something new—hope.

---

Over the following weeks, Shisui continued working as a low-ranking officer, subtly probing his clanmates' thoughts. Slowly, he began assembling a faction within the Uchiha—those unwilling to participate in the coup.

And as for the mole?

Shisui had identified him almost immediately.

It wasn't just one person—it was two chūnin, alternating shifts to disguise their movements. Even when reporting to Danzo, they ensured they were never seen together.

Had Shisui not used genjutsu to control them on the spot, they might have escaped.

Danzo's reaction to their disappearance was of no concern to him. The village elders would suspect nothing, as long as the clan remained divided.

---

In time, Shisui had built a network of defectors—an unseen force within the Uchiha.

As for Itachi?

Shisui chose not to meet him.

Partly because he didn't know how to explain his continued existence.

And partly to test him.

If Itachi was as perceptive as he claimed to be, he should have noticed the growing changes within the clan. Yet, he remained focused only on the radicals—the extremists, the elders.

It was the same arrogance as before.

The same mistake.

Moreover, another presence had begun to stir within the Uchiha district—an unknown masked man. His abilities suggested mastery over space-time ninjutsu, making it unlikely that he was the man who had once saved Shisui from Danzo's attack.

Whoever he was, he had his own designs for Itachi.

With so many uncertainties in play, Shisui decided it was best to stay in the shadows.

Without his Mangekyō Sharingan, without the overwhelming power he once wielded, every step had to be taken carefully.

The future of the Uchiha depended on it.

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