Chapter 31: Uchiha Jin: No Matter How You Choose, Shisui, You Cannot Escape My Calculations!
Jin's face was filled with mockery, and he didn't even bother to hide his disdain.
As he said, he excelled at using Open Schemes. Even if he told Shisui exactly what was going to happen, the probability of Shisui walking down the same old path was incredibly high.
Because a leopard cannot change its spots. Some things were ingrained in a person's nature.
Of course.
If Shisui actually woke up and realized the truth, that would be a good thing for Jin too. Either way, Jin wouldn't lose!
"Impossible!"
"The Hokage-sama is a kind, benevolent elder. He would absolutely never do such a thing."
"Uchiha Jin, your schemes won't work!"
Shisui shook his head, his eyes firm.
He refused to be bewitched by Jin. Even though the memories of his meetings with the Hokage kept flashing in his mind—the guarded distance, the averted gaze—he chose to steel his heart. He believed that only the Hokage could help the Uchiha integrate into the Leaf.
The others in the room sighed.
Although their brains were also wired simply, they could at least distinguish between good and bad.
Before Jin had shown his strength, they wouldn't have listened to his "nonsense." But now that Jin had proven himself, they were willing to listen calmly.
But unfortunately...
Shisui, as someone who had awakened the Mangekyo, was inherently more extreme than even the average Uchiha. A person like him couldn't be easily persuaded.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been extreme enough to awaken those eyes in the first place!
Understanding this, the elders didn't try to argue. They just shook their heads with bitter smiles, looking at Shisui with eyes full of pity.
On the other side, Jin remained unfazed by Shisui's outburst.
"Shisui, do you know what an Open Scheme is?"
"It means that no matter what choice you make, it will not affect the outcome of my plan."
"If you choose to suspect Hiruzen Sarutobi, then it is a good thing for me and the Uchiha, as we gain a powerful protector."
"Even if you choose to continue trusting him blindly, it has zero impact on my strategy."
"Unlike a hidden conspiracy, an Open Scheme cannot be broken!"
Shisui froze.
The others looked at Jin with awe. It felt like gazing up at a high mountain. Jin's strategic ability was simply terrifying.
Even after telling you the trap, you couldn't change it. You could only walk into it!
Finally.
Shisui let out a helpless sigh and walked out of the courtyard.
Jin didn't stop him. He just watched indifferently as Shisui left. Only then did he turn back to the crowd. "Fugaku choosing to surrender power is a good thing. Now, let's proceed with the plan."
Hearing this, the crowd looked confused.
Their brains hadn't caught up yet. Finally, Setsuna asked, "Execute the original plan? Or the one you just told Shisui?"
"Jin, were you lying to Shisui just now?" Yashiro asked, equally puzzled.
Jin blinked.
He glanced around the room and realized everyone was confused. He couldn't help but sigh helplessly.
Good lord.
The Uchiha brains really are simple.
He rubbed his temples in frustration but proceeded to explain.
"Both plans need to be executed!"
"I wasn't lying to Shisui. Although I don't have hard evidence and it's all based on deduction, I genuinely believe the High Command intends to kill him."
"And I genuinely intend to use Shisui's death to entrap the High Command."
"But that doesn't conflict with our original plan to raid Root and seize back our authority. I told Shisui I wouldn't lie to him, and I didn't. I just didn't promise to tell him everything."
Uh.
Hearing Jin's explanation, black lines appeared on everyone's foreheads.
Technically true, but... wasn't that just misleading him by omission?
However...
Thinking about it carefully, Jin hadn't done anything wrong. Shisui wasn't "one of us" anymore. The plan he was told was real; he just wasn't told the whole plan.
So... sigh.
They looked at Jin with complex expressions, but also with a sense of security.
Having a leader like this was a good thing for the Uchiha.
At the very least, if the village wanted to trick Jin, it would be exceptionally difficult!
Outside the Radical Compound.
After leaving Jin's courtyard, Shisui walked with eyes full of confusion.
His heart was truly in chaos.
He knew he shouldn't believe Jin's "slander," but Shisui—while foolishly loyal—wasn't stupid. Sometimes, lies didn't hurt, but the truth cut like a knife!
As "Shisui of the Body Flicker" who had made a name for himself in the war, his ability to read people wasn't non-existent.
So...
Thinking back to when he told the Hokage about Kotoamatsukami... it was exactly as Jin had said. Since that day, Hiruzen had never met with him privately. Every time they met, there were at least two Anbu guards present.
Especially Hiruzen's eyes. He had never looked Shisui in the eye since.
In the past, Shisui hadn't thought much of it. But now that Jin had pointed it out, it was impossible to ignore the seed of doubt.
Even if he tried to rationalize Hiruzen's caution, the feeling of betrayal was bitter. Especially since he trusted Hiruzen so deeply.
"Did you hear? About Elder Jin's speech!"
"It's spread all over the compound. I never thought Hiruzen Sarutobi could be so ruthless!"
"The Hokage looks so kind... I can't believe he did all those things."
"Do you think Elder Jin is overthinking it?"
"Although he has no evidence, when there are this many coincidences, they stop being coincidences."
"That makes sense. We need to be careful from now on."
Hearing the dense chatter around him, Shisui suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.
What is happening? What is everyone talking about?
Something about... the Hokage?
Shisui's gaze turned serious. Despite his doubts, he still trusted the village more.
He didn't ask directly. Instead, he ducked into an alley, used the Transformation Jutsu, and walked back out.
Then, he mingled with the chatting crowd and learned the full content of Jin's earlier speech.
His scalp went numb!
From the strange deaths of Nawaki and Dan Kato, to the extermination of the Uzumaki and the fading of the Senju, to the departure of the Sannin, the suicide of Sakumo, and finally the death of Minato...
Incident after incident.
It left a chaotic mess of emotions in his heart. Many of these events were indeed inexplicable. The leak of Sakumo's mission alone defied all logic.
An S-Rank mission secret leaked to the entire village in one day? And the Anbu never investigated?
It didn't make sense!
Even if he didn't know the details of the other events, he knew that one or two could be accidents. But could all of them be coincidences?
Hokage-sama...
Should I trust you?