Ryoma lifted the teapot and poured fresh tea for both himself and Shisui.
He knew changing someone's convictions could not be done in a single conversation.
Especially not someone like Shisui — gentle, principled, and deeply rooted in Konoha's Will of Fire.
Ryoma took a sip. The tea had already gone cold.
It didn't matter. His plan was already in motion.
Today's goal was simple: plant a seed.
"Ryougi," Shisui said quietly, "you shouldn't speak about the village like that."
He looked at Ryoma — calm, unreadable — and for the first time realized he no longer understood this younger clansman.
He had thought himself the guide. Yet somehow, the roles had reversed.
"The Hokage would never betray Konoha," Shisui said, more to himself than to Ryoma. "He isn't that kind of man."
"To err is human," Ryoma replied, meeting his gaze.
"Shisui-nii… do you believe in Konoha's Will of Fire… or in the Hokage's Will of Fire?"
Shisui hesitated.
"…Konoha's Will of Fire."
Ryoma set his cup down.
Good. There was still hope.
"Then set aside the title of Hokage for a moment," Ryoma said, sliding a stack of documents forward.
"And examine the Will of Fire itself."
Shisui glanced at the first page. A single sentence was written on the cover:
'All things must be studied to be understood.'
Ryoma stood.
"If you truly wish to know the answer, come find me again later. I'll show you something interesting."
Shisui blinked, lifted his tea — and found it tasteless.
He opened the documents and began to read.
That afternoon, a knock came at the door.
"Shisui?"
Itachi Uchiha stood outside.
Shisui smiled gently. "Itachi. Come in."
"Why weren't you at the training field today?" Itachi asked.
Their routine was long established — sparring, shuriken drills, then quiet discussion beneath the trees.
Ninjutsu, taijutsu… and the Will of Fire.
"I spoke with Ryougi for a while," Shisui answered truthfully.
Itachi's brow tightened almost imperceptibly.
Since Ryoma's graduation, his presence within the clan had grown… noticeable.
"…I see," Itachi said.
"He's thoughtful," Shisui continued. "I believed I understood Konoha. But perhaps… I do not. Not yet."
Itachi studied him carefully.
Shisui had always carried burdens quietly — the tension within the Uchiha clan, the mistrust from the village — but he had never sounded uncertain.
"Can you tell me what he said?" Itachi asked.
Shisui shook his head lightly and patted his shoulder.
"Give me a few days."
He didn't wish to mislead Itachi with half-formed doubts.
Or perhaps… he feared spreading those doubts further.
No one understood Itachi's heart better than Shisui.
A prodigy forced to witness death at four years old.
A mind too sharp, given purpose too early — the Will of Fire becoming his compass before he ever chose his own path.
Shisui knew well what such a path could lead to.
Itachi nodded silently, but as he left, he felt it clearly:
Shisui had changed.
Meanwhile, Ryoma walked alone through the village.
Originally, he was meant to perform low-rank missions under a jōnin team leader — retrieving lost cats, weeding fields, trivial chores.
But after Fugaku's intervention, those duties quietly vanished.
With free time on his hands, Ryoma headed for the training grounds.
Thanks to his remarkable memory, he had already memorized numerous Fire Style techniques from the Uchiha archives.
If not for limited chakra reserves, he could already rival a chūnin — perhaps even higher.
"Brother Ryougi! Brother Ryougi!"
A young voice called out.
Sasuke Uchiha came running, slightly out of breath.
Yesterday he had resisted training.
Today he came eagerly — the perfect demonstration of how pride could turn into motivation overnight.
"I have a question," Sasuke said. "Why is my brother so fast?"
Ryoma paused.
That question carried weight.
"…Go on," Ryoma said.
"The hand seals you taught me," Sasuke explained. "It takes me three seconds. But Onii-san only needs one."
Ryoma chuckled softly.
"That's because your brother has trained longer — and because his control is extraordinary."
He didn't mention that Itachi, even at this age, could perform multiple seals in a single second — a feat noted even among jōnin.
"But you can improve," Ryoma said. "Speed comes from two things: precision and simplification."
He began demonstrating, breaking down finger transitions carefully.
Sasuke watched, completely absorbed.
When Itachi arrived at the training field, he stopped at the edge of the clearing.
Sasuke — his quiet, stubborn little brother — was smiling as he trained with someone else.
It wasn't jealousy that stirred in Itachi's chest.
Just surprise.
Sasuke rarely opened himself to others.
Yet here he was — laughing, trying again and again.
"…Another Uchiha," Itachi murmured.
Strange.
"Onii-san!"
Sasuke ran to him immediately.
"What are you doing?" Itachi asked, placing a hand gently on his head.
"…Nothing," Sasuke said quickly.
He wanted this surprise to remain secret for now.
Itachi didn't press him. Instead, his gaze returned to Ryoma.
"Ryougi," Itachi said calmly. "Father informed me. You'll accompany me on missions from now on."
He pointed toward the village gate.
"Meet there in three days."
His tone was steady, professional — already the bearing of a future ANBU captain.
Ryoma smiled faintly.
"I'll be there."
In countless prior futures, he had died on the night of the Uchiha massacre.
But this time…
He intended to test his path — and his strength — against Itachi Uchiha himself.