After a long silence, Uchiha Yūichirō forced a smile and said, "Even if we can't be certain the future will turn out that terrifying… from now on, I'll support you with everything I have."
Uchiha Shinji spoke with unwavering resolve, "The glory of the Uchiha clan cannot be severed in our generation… absolutely not!"
Miwa Masayo crouched atop Uchiha Yoru's head, watching the two old men lead Shisui away. She tilted her head and asked, "They didn't really believe it, did they, nya?"
"If it were me, I wouldn't believe it that easily either. Inference is, at the end of the day, just a possibility—and not even a very likely one."
With the calico cat perched on his head, Uchiha Yoru didn't nod. Instead, he reached up and grabbed her dangling tail, stopping it from brushing against his nose.
"If I didn't already know the outcome and reason backward from it, there's no way I could've understood the Third Hokage's line of thinking."
"That's the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi—son of Sarutobi Sasuke, disciple of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. How could someone like him be so irresponsible? How could he be so cold as to watch the Uchiha clan walk toward extinction without lifting a hand?"
"Isn't it possible that the current Hiruzen Sarutobi—this Hiruzen in the 43rd year of Konoha—can't even imagine that in a few years, he'll make a move that drives Orochimaru away? That ten years from now, he would silently allow Danzō to collude with outsiders and annihilate the Uchiha clan?"
"That's what time does to a person. Things the current Hiruzen can't even conceive of—he'll carry them out naturally a few years later. And eighteen years from now, he'll regret it so deeply he'd rather die, conveniently letting himself be killed by his own student—atonement, and concealment all in one."
"Yoru, what are you talking about, nya?"
"Haha, nothing… As long as I'm here, a lot of things definitely won't happen. Just treat it as me talking nonsense."
"Tch, always making this cat worry all day long. So exhausting, nya."
"Sorry…"
"So make me a midnight snack. I'm hungry, nya."
"Sure. I'm hungry too."
At this hour, it obviously wasn't suitable to make a big fuss. After checking the kitchen, he found eggplant, scallions, eggs, and some chicken breast. So Uchiha Yoru simply stir-fried shredded eggplant, scrambled eggs with scallions, and diced chicken together, making a simple mixed topping.
Then he dropped in a "bucket" of noodles.
A perfect late-night meal.
Miwa Masayo, however, looked a bit dissatisfied. As she devoured the noodles at speed, she muttered, "Weird… has my mouth gotten pickier lately, nya? Why does today's midnight snack feel… not refined enough, nya?"
Uchiha Yoru just smiled without saying a word. Ever since they obtained the dried fish, their dietary structure had undergone a dramatic shift.
Under the stimulation of extraordinary food, the digestive systems of the two "immortals" had evolved, greatly enhancing their ability to process such food. At the same time, their sense of smell and taste had undergone a leap in sensitivity, making their perception of food extremely delicate—while their tolerance for ordinary food had declined.
Not growing weary of fine food, not tiring of meticulous preparation—that was merely the demand of scholars.
For immortals, the requirement leaned even further toward refinement, far exceeding the abilities of modern chefs. If Uchiha Yoru didn't put his heart into it, even his cooking would fail to satisfy Miwa Masayo's heightened senses.
This was only the early stage of change. The calico cat hadn't yet realized it, but once her body fully transformed, she would no longer be able to eat outside at all.
As evolution continued, there would come a day when they couldn't tolerate even the faintest hint of spoilage in food, nor the slightest imbalance in flavor.
Aside from extraordinary food, everything else would fail to stimulate appetite. Even drinking water might become unbearable, as they could taste the bacteria within it.
Uchiha Yoru suddenly felt that "living on wind and dew" might not be some romantic ideal of immortals—but an inevitable compromise.
In truth, his own evolution was even faster, and his pickiness even more extreme. But the body still had its needs. Until he could find divine nectar, rare delicacies, or spiritual fruits, he couldn't survive on dried fish alone.
Fortunately, Uchiha Yoru had found another way to make food delicious.
If flavor wasn't enough—then emotion would fill the gap.
The taste of home. The taste of youth. Memories layered onto every bite.
Facing a bucket of noodles that looked appetizing but stirred no real hunger, he grinned and pulled out a whole bulb of garlic. With a light twist of his fingers, it broke into a pile of pristine cloves. He casually tossed one into his mouth, then slurped down the noodles with gusto.
In the blink of an eye, an entire basin was gone. He chewed a few more cloves and let out a satisfied sigh. "Noodles really need garlic cloves. That's the real deal!"
A bite of garlic, a basin of noodles—the savor of the topping mixed with the pungency of garlic, igniting vivid memories from his past life. It wasn't about the perfect balance of sweet and salty, nor the MSG-rich combination of eggs and salt. It was the taste of a summer noon back home.
Compared to that cold, lifeless sushi flavor, this was infinitely better. Pure comfort.
Though… it was still missing something. Uchiha Yoru had yet to find perilla in the ninja world. If he could, that would truly hit the spot.
With the added flavor of nostalgia, Uchiha Yoru completely outperformed the calico cat. Even after eating until her belly was round, she had only managed two basins. Meanwhile, her human ended with not a single noodle left.
After eating and drinking their fill, Miwa Masayo began to enjoy her servant's bathing service.
During this mission, she had experienced drifting through river valleys and the storms of the open sea. She had completely overcome her fear of water.
Combined with the ongoing evolution of her body, even when her fur was soaked, she no longer looked pitiful—only sleek and powerful.
So she had gone from hating baths to enjoying them.
As bubbles rose, Miwa Masayo closed her eyes in contentment, savoring the perfectly measured kneading. Then suddenly, she asked, "Yoru, you know Shisui was eavesdropping outside, nya?"
Uchiha Yoru paused slightly, then answered, "I know."
"Shisui isn't even four yet. Don't you think what you said was too much? Too cruel, nya?"
"I did it on purpose."
"Nya?"
Uchiha Yoru clicked his tongue. "Yesterday, when you weren't here, Shisui came to me alone. I realized his thinking has already surpassed his age."
"That's impossible, nya?"
"…Sigh. Shisui's situation is actually my fault."
"I shouldn't have forgotten the nonsense I wrote on that scroll when I was younger. And I definitely shouldn't have been lazy and handed him the original instead of copying a new one."
"Sigh… everything he should and shouldn't have seen—he's seen it all…"
"Are you an idiot, nya?"
"I really deserve to die. I mocked Clan Head Fugaku for being stupid, but I'm an even bigger idiot!"
"Is it really that serious, nya? What do we do, nya?"
"It's serious. Very serious. Before Shisui turns eight, I have to take him as my disciple and keep him by my side for careful guidance. Otherwise, I'm afraid…"
"Afraid of what, nya?"
"Nothing. Just unimportant details."
[Of course I'm afraid that Uchiha Shisui will develop a distorted worldview and start spreading some misguided 'slay-the-dragon' ideology with Kotoamatsukami.]
[At the very least, I need to teach him what it means to seek truth from facts, to understand that different worlds have different social structures—you can't just copy and paste ideas blindly.]
Miwa Masayo looked him up and down, suspicion filling her gaze. After a long pause, she hesitated and asked, "Yoru… you're not careless. And you're definitely not lazy…"
"Did you… deliberately give that old scroll to Uchiha Shisui from the very beginning?"
"Ahahaha…"
The calico cat's fur instantly puffed up in anger. "So it was on purpose, nya!"
"Uchiha Yoru! You even tricked little Shisui—tell me, have you been tricking me all along, nya?!"
Uchiha Yoru suddenly lifted her up, meeting her eyes with the most serious expression he could muster, speaking in a tone just as solemn, "Miwa Masayo, I will never harm you."
Faced with that impossibly handsome face at such close range—after three years of having her sense of aesthetics thoroughly warped—Miwa Masayo's mind went blank. She couldn't say a single word.
It wasn't until the next morning that she finally came back to her senses.
Damn it.
What he said was "won't harm me."
He has tricked me!!
…
Why did Uchiha Yoru resort to such methods?
Because he didn't have enough time with Uchiha Shisui.
Shaping a worldview is a long, gradual process. It requires prolonged interaction—one worldview slowly influencing another.
Shisui's worldview had to be shaped early. From the moment he met that prodigy, Uchiha Yoru had already decided it.
After all, Shisui wasn't as fortunate as Uchiha Itachi. His age and talent meant that by six—seven at the latest—he would be pushed onto the battlefield by both clan and village.
Even if Itachi graduated early, he still wouldn't make it in time for the Third Shinobi War.
Since Shisui was destined to roll through blood and fire, it was necessary to shape his worldview in advance—equip him with a strong will, and teach him the most suitable way to realize his ideals. Otherwise, on the battlefield, his thoughts might lead him down the same path of absolute compromise as history.
After all, without realizing it, Shisui had already confessed his ideals to Yoru—he wanted to protect the village, to see harmony between the village and the clan.
That aligned perfectly with Uchiha Yoru's own goal: to reshape the Uchiha clan into his primary safe haven, ensuring he could cultivate in peace and enjoy life.
It wasn't that Uchiha Yoru was too cruel. Nor was he as foolish as Uchiha Fugaku.
Uchiha Shisui was a child born to carry heavy burdens. The shinobi world bore too much malice toward him; his fate was too harsh. There was no room for gentle, slow teaching.
Since destiny couldn't be avoided, then he would train him into a fearless warrior—someone who understood who his true enemies were, and had the courage to raise his blade against any of them.
Whether it was clan elders, the clan head, the Third Hokage, Shimura Danzō, or anyone else—if they stood in the way of Konoha's future, they would all be cut down without hesitation.
Before departing on his mission, Uchiha Yoru had indeed briefly forgotten the contents of the scroll. But he soon remembered—and went along with the flow, anticipating that Shisui would discover it and begin to question things.
His expectations weren't disappointed.
Last night, Shisui slipped away from Uchiha Shinji's sight and sought out Uchiha Yoru alone, asking question after question.
Uchiha Yoru didn't answer directly. Instead, he simply promised, "Over the next month, I'll take you around the village to observe certain things. I'll explain the stories behind them—and then you tell me your judgment."
From that day onward, Uchiha Yoru and Uchiha Shisui established a more secret connection—one even the old men didn't know about.
Uchiha Yoru poured his worldview into him with everything he had—especially his understanding of the interests between ninja clans, and the interests of Konoha's civilians.
No matter how precocious Shisui was, he was still only four. His worldview was fragile and incomplete.
Under Uchiha Yoru's overwhelming guidance, that fragile framework was quickly crushed—then reconstructed, piece by piece, shaped by real events from Konoha, the Land of Fire, the Five Great Nations, and the shinobi world itself.
Shisui had eight months before entering the academy.
Uchiha Yoru's goal was simple: by the time he heard of the "Will of Fire," he would feel not the slightest trace of emotion—but instead, sympathy and pity for those who believed in it.
His goal was that when someone tried to preach the Will of Fire to Shisui, his first instinct would be to see them as a liar—and feel anger at being treated like a fool.
Only then would Uchiha Shisui belong to Uchiha Yoru.
Not to the Third Hokage.
And certainly not to Konoha.
…
September of Konoha Year 43 passed peacefully.
Most people in the shinobi world remained oblivious, but a few at the peak of power sensed something unusual—such as the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki of Iwagakure, and the Raikage of Kumogakure, A.
In their view, Sunagakure's military resources had already crossed the threshold of deficit back in July. As time went on, their war potential would only decline. If delayed too long, they might even collapse without fighting.
It was understandable that Sunagakure didn't launch an attack in August. They needed time—time to gather intelligence, mobilize forces, and transport supplies.
But when September passed without war, that was beyond comprehension.
Something unusual had to have happened.
Ōnoki couldn't hold back any longer. He forcefully activated a large number of spies, and at great cost, Sunagakure's secret was finally exposed.
"The Third Kazekage is missing?"
"A mysterious powerhouse attacked Sunagakure?"
Ōnoki understood immediately. Both explanations were convincing. With the Kazekage gone, Sunagakure would naturally descend into chaos. A powerful enemy's attack would only deepen that instability.
But he couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath.
Sunagakure's delay had just made Iwagakure's situation dangerous.
Expecting Sunagakure to be the first to initiate war due to economic pressure, Iwagakure had already mobilized a massive force, deploying them along the border in a defensive formation.
They were prepared to either repel a Sunagakure attack—or, if Sunagakure struck Konoha first, reorganize instantly into an offensive formation and seize the opportunity.
But eight thousand shinobi had waited at the front lines for an entire month—and no war came.
That was both awkward and dangerous.
After thirty days of inactivity, their fighting spirit had inevitably dulled.
Worse, because they had spread out into defensive positions based on terrain, switching to an offensive formation required first gathering all forces.
Mobilizing eight thousand people would take time—at least half a day. And during that window, Sunagakure could easily detect their movements and strike before the reorganization was complete.
Ōnoki didn't dare shift formations in front of the enemy. The moment they moved, their lack of cohesion would be exposed.
It was like the Maginot Line in World War II—over a hundred infantry divisions, fully deployed in defense, immobilized by a mere dozen armored divisions.
Once that happened, Iwagakure would lose both terrain advantage and organizational strength. In battle, they would be outnumbered at every point.
The outcome would be obvious.
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