CHAPTER 51

The shadow clone guarding Shisui Uchiha froze momentarily before calling Naruto, who was training nearby. Naruto approached with a curious expression, eyeing Shisui suspiciously. "So, even if you understand the current state of the Uchiha clan," Naruto began, "do you think you can escape from here? You've broken free from Kotoamatsukami's control. Isn't it time to reflect on your situation?"

"Maybe take a step back, like me," Naruto added, shrugging.

Shisui acknowledged his predicament with a nod. "You're right," he admitted. "I've lived as a prisoner for months now—comfortably, if I'm honest. No freedom, sure, but no burden of worrying about the village or my family either. All I've had to care about is what tomorrow's meal might be." Despite his calm words, Shisui's expression darkened. "But at night… I can't help thinking about my family and the friends I left behind."

Naruto observed him silently as Shisui sighed and murmured, "Running away won't solve anything. But knowing how my family is doing, even if only a little, might give me some peace. And isn't it a little ironic, Naruto? Doesn't telling me all this interest you, too?"

Naruto smirked. "I'll tell you," he said after a pause. "Since you disappeared, the relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha Police Force has only worsened. The tensions have grown so obvious that even the villagers are whispering about it. New ninjas have joined the village, and everyone's convinced a conflict is brewing—an open clash between the Police Force and Konoha's higher-ups."

Naruto's tone grew colder. "Your 'death' didn't stop the Uchiha coup; it only delayed the inevitable. When the countdown hits zero, Uchiha's demise will come, one way or another."

Shisui's eyes narrowed. "You sound so certain of Uchiha's failure," he challenged. "Who's to say Fugaku's plan won't succeed? What if he really overthrows the leadership and becomes the Fifth Hokage?"

Naruto's response was a quiet, knowing smile—one that unsettled Shisui. "If you truly believed that," Naruto said softly, "why would you have resorted to suicide back then? Instead of worrying about hypothetical victories, why not focus on staying alive? As long as you're breathing, the Uchiha bloodline won't end."

Shisui fell silent, mulling over Naruto's words. Deep down, he couldn't deny his doubts. He had never fully believed in the coup's success. Even if it succeeded, the cost to both the clan and the village would be devastating. It would be a hollow victory. That was why he had tried to use Kotoamatsukami to buy time, only to fall into Danzo's trap and lose his Sharingan.

Breaking the silence, Shisui asked, "Do you think there's any way to prevent this conflict—any way to bring peace between the Uchiha and the village?"

Naruto chuckled. "You're asking me? I'm the guy who took your eye in the first place. Shouldn't you be asking Hokage?" His sarcasm brought a faint smile to Shisui's lips.

Still, like a drowning man grasping for a lifeline, Shisui pressed on. Naruto sighed, then spoke, his tone uncharacteristically serious. "The higher-ups treat Uchiha like outsiders, and the Uchiha resent their treatment. So why not leave? Break away from Konoha entirely and start fresh in another village. Out of sight, out of mind."

Shisui frowned. "That's defection—a collective defection, no less. How's that different from staging a coup?"

Naruto shrugged. "It's completely different. Leaving has a higher success rate, for one thing. Plus, if Uchiha can't coexist with Konoha, isn't it better to part ways peacefully than destroy each other?"

Naruto's words lingered in Shisui's mind, planting seeds of doubt and curiosity. Could defection truly be an option? The more Shisui thought about it, the more he questioned his previous assumptions. He had always viewed Uchiha and Konoha as a single entity, but perhaps that had been naïve. Konoha's leaders, after all, didn't see Uchiha as equals—Danzo's betrayal proved that.

Shisui's thoughts spiraled further. "If we did leave," he muttered aloud, "how would I convince the clan's jonin to follow me? And where would we go? Another village? Somewhere in the Land of Fire? What about our income? Would we bring assets along during the defection?"

Naruto interrupted, bemused. "You're getting ahead of yourself. Shouldn't you be thinking about how to escape my watch first?"

Shisui froze, suddenly remembering his status as a prisoner. Embarrassed, he glanced at Naruto. "You're right… I've been planning as if I'm already free."

Naruto shook his head, amused. "You've changed, Shisui. Without Kotoamatsukami's influence, I thought you'd be different—but I didn't expect this."

Shisui met Naruto's gaze, his resolve hardening. "You've been waiting for me to change, haven't you? That's why you haven't handed me over to Konoha."

Naruto smirked again, sipping a glass of milk. "You're sharp. But no, I'm not letting you go. Without your Sharingan, you'd just become Konoha's prey. That wouldn't be interesting."

Shisui's expression darkened. "I'll need my Sharingan if I'm to convince anyone in the clan. But I can't reclaim it from you… so I'll have to take it back from Danzo."

Naruto laughed. "Good luck with that. You'll need to fight him and Root for it—or maybe you'll find another Sharingan in the clan."

Shisui fell silent again, contemplating Naruto's cryptic words. His thoughts circled back to Naruto himself, wondering who this mysterious ninja truly was.

Visit patreon.com/Akeyno to get 30+ chapters