If the Third Elder dared to continue colluding with Konoha, Shine wouldn't mind if he "accidentally" passed away from illness in his manor, even if he was a clan elder. He would then support a member of the Moderate Faction who understood how to "appraise the situation" to take the position.
His thoughts gradually drifted to Shisui, that younger cousin who was only ten years old but exceptionally gifted. Shine's gaze softened slightly, but it was quickly covered by a layer of cold hardness.
Shisui's talent was beyond doubt. Within that yet-to-be-awakened Mangekyo lay the Kotoamatsukami, a power capable of changing the course of a war—this was the Uchiha's supreme treasure and an indispensable part of his plan.
He was willing to give Shisui enough respect and opportunity, willing to wait for him to grow into a combat force capable of standing on his own, and even willing to hand over a portion of the Uchiha's future power to him.
"But if you insist on following the old path of the Moderate Faction, if you insist on being Konoha's 'good boy'..." Shine's voice carried a trace of imperceptible regret, but it was mostly the decisiveness of a ruler. "Kotoamatsukami in the hands of an obedient follower is better than giving it to an ungrateful white-eyed wolf."
He believed in Shisui's intellect, and even more so, he believed the madness in their Bloodline would make his cousin see Konoha's true face—but if Shisui truly chose to stand against him, he would never show mercy.
The moon outside the window finally broke free from the clouds, casting cold moonlight onto Shine's face—half in the light, half hidden in the shadows.
He stood up and walked to the window, pushing open the sliding door. The night wind ruffled his hem, carrying the scent of Konoha's daily life, as well as the oppression before a coming storm.
The Moderate Faction, the Radical Faction, Shisui, Sarutobi, Danzo... all the pieces were already in place on the board, and he was about to make the first Move that would determine the Uchiha's fate.
Shine's murmurs dissipated into the night of Konoha, while thousands of miles away at the border of the Hidden Mist, cold and damp mist was carrying the stench of blood and Water Release, sweeping over the temporary defensive lines.
In the muddy trenches, thin white frost formed on the Ninjas' uniforms. In the distance, the roar of the Hidden Mist Ninjas' Water Release rose and fell like muffled thunder rolling across a swamp—this was the battlefield where Uchiha Fugaku led his clansmen, and it was also the starting point where Uchiha Shisui's name would echo throughout the Ninja World.
"Clan Chief, the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan has detected a large-scale Water Release trap three hundred meters ahead!" An Uchiha Chunin knelt on one knee in the mud, his crimson Sharingan not yet retracted from the mist, his tone carrying the urgency unique to the battlefield.
At the end of the trench, Uchiha Fugaku wore a black cloak embroidered with the clan crest. The hem of the cloak was splattered with mud, but it did not diminish his majesty in the slightest.
He protected a small figure in front of him with his left hand. Three-year-old Uchiha Itachi was wearing a miniature version of a Ninja outfit. His little face was pale from the cold, but he didn't cry or make a fuss. His obsidian-like eyes quietly watched the crimson light flickering in the mist, the calmness in his gaze far exceeding that of children his age.
"Understood." Fugaku's voice was steady as a rock as he raised his hand to signal the messenger. "Have the first squad of Uchiha Ninjas form a 'Fire Release Array' and use the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique to evaporate the water ahead and break the trap;"},{
Advance chapter available on pãtrêon Got1808