Uchiha Shisui's heart wavered—but he immediately forced himself to turn away from that line of thought.
Perhaps… he simply didn't dare to think any deeper.
"Questions about the village, war, and justice—we'll have time to discuss those later," Shisui said slowly.
"But I came today because of what you did—killing villagers…"
"And just now, I personally witnessed you shatter a thief's legs into pulverized fractures."
"Such methods are… undeniably too ruthless."
Qianyu didn't respond. He finished his pancakes and glanced at the portion in front of Shisui.
"Aren't you eating?"
"I… I'm not very hungry…"
Qianyu reached out, took the plate, shoved the food into his own mouth, and began eating without restraint.
"If you haven't even figured things out for yourself," he said calmly, "then don't bother discussing them with me."
"The reason I discussed war and justice with you at all is because the question you wanted to ask…"
"We already discussed it."
Shisui froze. "When?"
"The pancake shop owners."
Shisui's heart jolted.
He understood.
From the standpoint of that elderly couple, Qianyu's actions were a decisive, once-and-for-all eradication of evil—cutting weeds by the root, protecting their lives and safety.
Of course they would be endlessly grateful to him.
However—
"What you said isn't wrong," Shisui admitted.
"Standing in their position, it's natural to approve of your actions."
"But those criminals… they might not have been completely without a chance to reform…"
Qianyu finally revealed a cold, mocking smile.
"That's the difference between you and me."
"You choose to stand on the side of evil."
"And I—choose to stand on the side of the good."
Shisui felt as if he'd been struck by lightning. His entire body stiffened, unable to utter a single word.
Qianyu pressed forward relentlessly.
"On the battlefield, your justice is 'the strong devour the weak.'"
"In daily life, you still stand on the side of evil."
"Do you know who walks that same path?"
"Demons."
A surge of anger shot straight to Shisui's head.
Bang!
He slammed the table and stood up.
"You butcher!" he roared.
"You dare call me a demon?!"
"Butcher?" Qianyu replied coldly.
"When it comes to killing, you've killed dozens—no, hundreds—more people than I have."
"And the ones I killed were all evil."
"What about the ones you killed?"
"Can you guarantee every single one of them was evil?"
Shisui's lips trembled. He slowly collapsed back into his seat.
Qianyu calmly finished Shisui's pancakes as well, then drained his bowl of soup without ceremony.
After eating his fill, he clapped his hands and stood.
"Uncle, he's paying today."
"Alright, Captain Qianyu. Leaving already?"
"Yes. Time to continue patrols."
"Take care—come anytime. Our doors are always open to you…"
Qianyu nodded, showing a rare trace of a smile, and walked out.
The old woman wordlessly extended her hand to Shisui.
Shisui gave a bitter smile and paid the bill.
Outside, he followed closely behind Qianyu and lowered his voice.
"Qianyu… even setting aside the debate over justice…"
"You understand the situation in the village, don't you?"
"The upper leadership and the Uchiha clan are locked in a silent standoff—mutual suspicion, tension stretched like a drawn bowstring, ready to snap at any moment."
"At such a critical point, why can't you restrain yourself even a little?"
"This isn't just for the Uchiha clan…"
"It's for the entire village."
"Do you really want to trigger an irreversible catastrophe?"
Qianyu stopped and looked deeply at Shisui.
"Since you treated me to a meal…"
"I'll say one more thing."
"Uchiha Shisui—listen carefully."
He spoke each word slowly and clearly.
"Even if everything I do truly ignites a complete rupture between the Uchiha clan and Konoha's leadership…"
"Even if rebellion breaks out, slaughter erupts on both sides, and everyone ends up destroyed…"
"The outcome you believe to be the most tragic…"
"Compared to the outcome that was originally destined to happen…"
"Would still be ten thousand times better."
Shisui's face drained of all color.
"Y-you… what are you saying?"
Qianyu replied indifferently, "You still don't understand?"
"The originally destined outcome is far crueler, bloodier, more brutal, more nauseating, and more hateful than you could ever imagine."
"So… believe me."
"If I can trigger the Uchiha clan's rebellion—then for the Uchiha, that would be the greatest stroke of fortune."
With that, Qianyu straightened his uniform collar and walked away without another glance.
Shisui stood frozen in place, his heart violently shaking.
Staring at Qianyu's receding back, he finally couldn't hold back and shouted—
"Uchiha Qianyu!"
"How far into the future do those eyes of yours see?!"
The only answer was Qianyu's figure, growing farther and farther away.
Shisui's entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Akagane and Shiden stepped forward, staring at their shaken leader in confusion.
What on earth had that man said…
To leave the strongest Uchiha of this generation in such a state?
…
Qianyu did not like Uchiha Shisui.
By his own logic, Shisui might not be evil—
But he was a fool.
In front of Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō, voluntarily exposing the secret of the Mangekyō Sharingan's Kotoamatsukami…
That was no different from walking willingly toward death.
A technique capable of unconsciously manipulating another person's will and thoughts—
For any ruler, that was the ultimate dream weapon.
And no ruler would ever allow such a thing to remain in someone else's hands.
Not even if that person believed himself to be absolutely loyal.
Shisui's ultimate fate—suicide and a tragic death—was rooted in nothing but his own foolishness.
Shisui was indeed powerful.
But power alone never meant everything.
Even the strongest could still be fools.
"Captain Qianyu!"
Lost in thought, Qianyu saw two figures sprinting toward him—it was two members of his squad.
Uchiha Aoki.
Uchiha Yamabuki.
Qianyu frowned.
"You were ordered by the clan head not to report to me."
"Showing up suddenly—did something major happen?"
The two men panted heavily and exchanged a glance.
"…Yes."
"Let's go."
Qianyu didn't waste a single word and immediately dashed off in the direction they had come from.
"Captain, we haven't even told you what happened—!"
"Talk while running."
Qianyu knew that if they were this urgent, it meant something enormous had occurred—there was no room for delay.
The wind roared past his ears as he pushed his speed to the limit.
The two subordinates struggled to keep up.
"Captain! Please slow down—this matter is extremely sensitive! I think we should first report it to the clan head—"
Qianyu said coldly, "Speak."
Only then did Uchiha Aoki hesitate and say—
"It's… it's the Sarutobi clan…"
"The Sarutobi clan?"
Qianyu's heart stirred. He finally understood what they meant by "too sensitive."
But—
So what?