Chapter 026: Shisui Attacked, Tensions Escalate (Please Follow)

When Sasuke and Itachi returned home, night had already fallen in full.

“What happened to the two of you?” Mikoto Uchiha regarded her sons, a puzzled look on her face. “Weren’t you laughing and chatting when you went out? Why do you look like this now?”

There was no mystery to it: the brothers both appeared dejected and somewhat lost in self-doubt.

Sasuke was at a loss for words. Itachi shifted Sasuke, who was riding on his back, into their mother’s arms and said, “We’re just a bit tired, that’s all… Where’s Father?”

Mikoto glanced deeper into the house, toward the reception room. “Shisui came by. As soon as he arrived, he asked to see your father. Fugaku is speaking with him now.” Worry tinged her voice. “I don’t know what’s going on with Shisui—he was covered in blood, and one of his eyes was injured.”

At this, Itachi’s heart skipped a beat. He recalled what Shisui had told him earlier: the conflict between the clan and the village had escalated to a dangerous point. Now Shisui had arrived at their home, bloodied, in the dead of night—could it be…?

A terrible premonition seized Itachi. He quickened his pace toward the reception room.

Mikoto called after him loudly, “Itachi! Don’t go in! Your father is still speaking with his guest!”

Inside the reception room, Fugaku heard Mikoto’s shout and slid the door open. “Come in, Itachi. There are things you need to hear as well.”

Itachi entered.

At once, he saw Shisui slumped against the wall. “Itachi, you’re back. I was worried about you.” Shisui managed a weary smile, his voice faint. He was swathed in bandages, his right eye wrapped completely. The handiwork was unmistakably his mother’s; Itachi recognized it at a glance.

“What happened?” Itachi demanded. “Why are you so badly hurt? And your eye?”

“My eye is fine, just temporarily blinded after being gouged at,” Shisui replied with a weak smile. “Fortunately, it wasn’t taken. If it had been, that would have been a disaster.”

“Who would dare try to take your eye?” Itachi’s anger flared. “Who would be so bold as to covet the eyes of the Uchiha?”

“Let’s not talk about—” Shisui tried to change the subject, but Fugaku cut him off.

“It was Danzo Shimura,” Fugaku said. “Shisui possesses the Mangekyo Sharingan, which holds within it a genjutsu of immense power. Danzo coveted Shisui’s eyes. He set a trap and tried to seize the Mangekyo Sharingan, but Shisui managed to escape with his life.”

“Danzo, the senior Jonin…” Itachi had always known that Danzo harbored prejudice against the Uchiha, but he had never imagined the man would go so far. Even more disturbing, Danzo would never have acted without the tacit approval of the Third Hokage. Recalling the Third’s talk of peace and the so-called Will of Fire, Itachi felt a chill seep through his bones.

With a sigh, Shisui recounted the entire story for Itachi.

A prodigy of the Uchiha clan, Shisui had mastered both the Shadow Clone and Body Flicker techniques to perfection, and had awakened the legendary higher form of the Sharingan—the Mangekyo. It was said that these eyes contained limitless power; only Madara Uchiha and his brother Izuna were known to have awakened them in the past.

Like those recorded in clan history, Shisui’s Mangekyo possessed formidable abilities—and one that no other clansman knew of. Its name was Kotoamatsukami: an extraordinary genjutsu that could alter a person’s will at the subconscious level, making them act according to Shisui’s desires. Shisui feared the might of this technique and had refrained from using it lightly.

But Danzo coveted the Mangekyo’s power. Whether he knew specifically of Kotoamatsukami, who could say? In any case, Danzo gathered his Root operatives and ambushed Shisui at dusk by the banks of the Nakano River, within the Uchiha district.

“Danzo’s hands reached my eye,” Shisui said with a bitter smile. “Fortunately, someone I’d never seen before intervened—shot out one of Danzo’s eyes and broke his hand. That’s the only reason I managed to keep my eye.”

“In the end, even I couldn’t hold out against the sheer numbers. Had it not been for that, I’d have wiped them all out. As it was, I could only escape through a gap in their formation. I still don’t know who saved me—if not for them, I’d be dead.”

For some reason, when Itachi heard Shisui mention his mysterious savior, he thought of Naruto Uzumaki. The boy he’d met at dusk—around Sasuke’s age, a jinchuriki whose strength was unfathomable, whose techniques were dazzlingly unpredictable. After their exchange, Itachi had to admit, however reluctantly, that he couldn’t defeat this nearly seven-year-old child—even with the Mangekyo.

If anyone could employ a technique neither Shisui nor Danzo could recognize, it would be Naruto, wouldn’t it? Could it have been him?

On the other side, Fugaku gave a cold snort.

“You’ve nearly died once—maybe that’s enough to open your eyes. Otherwise, you’d still be standing with Hiruzen Sarutobi… No, with Danzo’s faction. Who knows when you’d turn on us and bring disaster to the entire clan.”

Shisui only smiled bitterly and averted his gaze, staring out the window into the depths of the night.

Itachi’s mind was in turmoil. Even a fool could understand now.

The rift between the Uchiha clan and the Leaf Village was beyond reconciliation.

Their feud was long-standing. Decades ago, the ninja world endured a period known as the Warring States Era. In those ancient times, endless conflict led to the rise of shinobi clans—sprouting up like bamboo shoots after the rain, scattered across the world. Shinobi did not till the land, and each clan bore blood grudges against the others. Thus, even when the wars among ordinary people subsided, the ninja wars continued.

Later, for the sake of peace, the two most powerful clans united, gathering lesser clans to found the Hidden Leaf Village. These two great clans were the Senju of the Forest—who produced the First and Second Hokage—and the Uchiha, from whom Itachi and Sasuke descended.

Decades ago, the Uchiha clan’s leader, Madara Uchiha, was a legendary figure, rival to Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage. Both longed for peace, but their visions differed, and so they clashed. Madara’s beliefs were ultimately rejected even by his own clan, and he left the village alone. When he returned, he fought Hashirama in a battle that shook the world, ending with his own death. Hashirama himself did not live long after.

Since then, most of the village’s ninja—especially those in the Senju line who held the Hokage seat—had harbored deep resentment toward the Uchiha. The Uchiha, for their part, were notoriously stubborn.

They took pride in their unique bloodline limit: the Sharingan. The Sharingan bestowed extraordinary perception, allowed easy casting of genjutsu, and enabled its bearer to copy opponents’ techniques. The process of awakening the Sharingan was cruel, requiring great emotional trauma for the Uchiha to unlock their eyes.

The Uchiha were already stubborn by nature, their emotions rich and intense. The village’s hostility was met with cold pride and aloofness.

What happens when someone as obstinate and sensitive as an Uchiha suffers a violent emotional shock—gaining power but changing in temperament? The villagers’ suspicion and fear of the Uchiha only deepened.