Naruto: The Flame That Reshapes Fate

Shisui wasn't stupid.

Just a bit of thinking would make it clear why Rēn did what he did—he was trying to provoke the Hyūga clan and drive a wedge between them and the Third Hokage. But would that really work? The Hyūga hadn't resisted two years ago; would they really turn against the Hokage now?

Besides—

"Rēn, Hyūga Hizashi killed himself, right?"

"Tch... this is the first time I've seen you talk so much nonsense, Shisui. Why do you even care whether Hizashi killed himself or was murdered? It doesn't matter."

Rēn let out a laugh of frustration.

Shisui's personality... really was troublesome.

If they weren't friends, he might've already dug out his own eyes to study whether the Kotoamatsukami's power could be embedded into his own body. After all, the Sharingan was just a plug and play as long as you were a Uchiha; even Uchiha Madara had once used Obito's Mangekyō...

Of course, that wasn't the right path.

His own eyes were best. Rather than obsess over swapping eyes, it was better to study how to awaken the Rinnegan. In terms of level, the Mangekyō Sharingan was ultimately inferior to the Rinnegan. Kotoamatsukami might seem powerful, but against the Rinnegan, it might not work at all.

Even without the Rinnegan, Rēn doubted Kotoamatsukami could permanently alter someone's will. At most, it would just distort it for some time... it was just that that "time" was measured in decades.

He forced himself to refocus and explained:

"The key is to make the Hyūga and other clans realize the Third is old. He's no longer the legendary shinobi he once was. Under his leadership, Konoha is becoming a pushover, a sucker being extorted. You may think these methods are shameless, but the truth is, the Third bowed his head to the Cloud's threats."

"If I don't do this, and the Third decides to hand over a Uchiha corpse to appease the Mist, what do you expect me as clan head to do? Find someone from our clan and send them to die?"

Rēn stood up from his chair, stepped toward the sofa, and closed in on Shisui, demanding:

"If I choose to go to war then, are you going to try to stop me again from clashing with the village? Shisui, you need to make up your mind. Either you support me and trust that I can unite the clan and the village, or stop questioning me every time. Of course, you can also make another choice... Don't you want to know what my dōjutsu is? Try it for yourself."

As he spoke, his right hand moved to the hilt at his waist.

Sitting on the sofa, Shisui looked up at Rēn's blood-red eyes. They locked eyes for over ten seconds.

Then he turned away and said quietly:

"Rēn, don't let me down."

"Since you've decided, then act quickly. You have one minute. I want results. I'll handle the ANBU outside. If I don't see what I need in one minute..."

Shisui was his friend, and he had the Mangekyō Sharingan. So Rēn could tolerate a certain level of annoyance. But precisely because they were friends, he wouldn't allow him to make the wrong choice. The Uchiha's rise needed more than just one person's strength.

As the sages once said: "A single flower doesn't make spring; a hundred blooming flowers bring spring."

If the Uchiha wanted to rise again, Rēn alone wouldn't be enough.

So if Shisui really went astray, Rēn would correct him—even through force.

Leaving that final ultimatum, Rēn turned, walked to the window, opened it, and leapt out, stopping the incoming ANBU from barging into the Police Force by intercepting them on a nearby rooftop.

"Uchiha Division Commander!"

The dog-masked ANBU knelt on one knee. "The Hokage requests you to bring the Mist envoy to the Hokage Tower."

"I understand. I'll head over shortly."

Rēn replied expressionlessly. Seeing the ANBU still kneeling, he frowned.

"Didn't you hear me? You can return and report to the Hokage. Tell him I'll be there soon."

The ANBU flinched slightly, then silently left without daring to say another word.

When Rēn returned to the office, Shisui was wiping blood from the corners of his eyes. The trash bin held several blood-soaked tissues. Clearly, using Kotoamatsukami had taken a toll. Even without mentioning his exhausted state, the sheer amount of blood loss was telling.

Rēn lifted the limp Mist ninja and opened her eyelids, casting his dōjutsu... just like Shisui had done earlier, using hypnosis to interrogate his memories.

"... Intimidating Konoha with war... copying the Cloud's successful tactic... demanding Samehada and Uchiha Shisui's head... Not bad! No holes in the plan."

Rēn let go.

The Mist ninja slumped to the floor again.

"Well done."

Rēn praised Shisui.

In response,

Shisui forced out a bitter smile. If Rēn hadn't pushed him, he would never have used Kotoamatsukami. He hated that technique—it was rotten to the core. He'd rather kill the enemy cleanly than altering someone's will.

"One more thing, Shisui. From now on, don't leave your blood or hair behind. Burn it."

As he spoke,

Rēn flicked his hand. A small flame dropped into the trash bin and incinerated its contents. In a flash, only ash remained, but the ceramic bin itself was completely unscathed. This impressive Fire Release display left Shisui marveling inwardly.

"This guy really mastered Fire Release to the extreme."

Shisui quietly wondered if he should buckle down and train more too.

"Shisui, get ready. Bring that guy. We're heading to the Hokage Tower."

Rēn ordered.

Shisui walked over and picked up the chunk of human garbage.

"Wait."

Rēn approached with Samehada in hand and placed the hilt into Shisui's hand. "Hold it tight."

Samehada obediently released its chakra into Shisui's body. Warmth filled his eyes as the energy healed his damaged eyeballs and replenished his spent dōjutsu power...

In less than three minutes, Shisui felt fully restored—even his prior Mangekyō usage from Susanoo and Kotoamatsukami from long before.

"Rēn, this is...?"

"Keep it secret. I don't want too many people knowing."

Rēn said quietly. "Don't forget the unnamed Uchiha from the Nine-Tail's attack. Compared to the Third and the others, that's the real threat to our clan."

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