"Shisui, introduce yourself to the Hokage."
Fugaku's words made Minato glance at the Uchiha jonin behind him, flashing a slightly awkward smile.
Shisui bowed and said, "Lord Hokage, I am Uchiha Shisui, currently serving as a squad leader in the Konoha Military Police Force."
Minato scratched his head in slight embarrassment. "I've only heard of your nickname 'Shisui the Body Flicker' from the battlefield, but you joined the Police Force afterward, so…"
"Hoo... Let's pause for a moment," Minato said as he exhaled and took out a scroll, forming hand signs.
"Barrier: Seal!"
Releasing the jutsu, he looked at the slightly tense Fugaku and smiled. "It's a barrier that blocks outside perception. We don't know if the enemy has any accomplices, and that phasing ability allows them to bypass village defenses, so…"
After a pause, Minato's expression turned serious. He looked at Fugaku and asked, "So first, I want to know: between you two, has either awakened the legendary Uchiha eye, the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
The barrier fell into silence.
After a long moment, Fugaku sighed and stepped forward. "The Mangekyō Sharingan has only ever been awakened by Uchiha Madara and his brother Izuna. Asking if Shisui or I have it is giving us too much credit, Lord Hokage."
Minato frowned slightly and spoke after some thought: "Ever since I took over as Hokage from the Third, I've slowly come to understand the tensions between the Uchiha and the village. Captain Fugaku, I understand your concerns. But the enemy I mentioned just now is not the Uchiha clan of Konoha."
"This time... is Konoha's chance, and the Uchiha's last chance. So I ask sincerely: has either of you awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Fugaku said nothing…
After a moment of silence, a voice responded.
"Lord Hokage… can I trust you?"
Minato's head snapped toward Shisui. The young Uchiha's raised eyes shimmered as his three tomoe stretched, morphing into a shuriken-like pattern.
Not just Minato, but Fugaku and Kakashi were all stunned.
'So young, yet he had awakened the fabled eye. As Hokage, he knew the price: To gain love, then lose it.'
'Most Uchiha succumbed to darkness through that pain. Rare exceptions, like Uchiha Kagami in the records, instead grew more attached to love.'
'This boy, Uchiha Shisui, if the shadowy figure's words were true, then he was one of those rare few.'
Minato let out a breath. "You can trust me. And I promise to do everything I can to maintain the relationship between the Uchiha and the village, even achieve full integration into Konoha."
Fugaku wanted to speak but hesitated. Minato looked at him and added, "Trust goes both ways. Tonight, Kushina will give birth to my child. And inside her is the Nine-Tails."
This revelation shocked Fugaku and Shisui.
Kushina had told Fugaku's wife, Mikoto, about the pregnancy, since they were friends, but the exact timing was top secret.
And the Nine-Tails... had a history of being controlled by the Uchiha. Sharing this showed just how serious Minato was.
Compared to six years later, when Shisui would die, the Uchiha had not yet reached the point of rebellion. And Shisui's Mangekyō, he hadn't told anyone about it yet.
Not until six years later, when Itachi was eleven, did Shisui reveal Kotoamatsukami, the genjutsu so powerful it was like a cheat. Ultimately, due to the manipulations of Konoha's darker forces, Shisui died, buying two more years before the Uchiha coup.
Fugaku bowed slightly. "We entrust everything to you, Lord Hokage."
Shisui clenched his fists tightly, his emotions intense. With support from the Fourth Hokage, perhaps the gap between clan and village could be bridged... and Kotoamatsukami could—
After a moment, Shisui respectfully said, "Lord Hokage, what can I do?"
Minato looked back at Kakashi. "According to intel, Kakashi's Sharingan, the one he received from Obito, has already awakened the Mangekyō. But he can't control it yet. Shisui, I need your help to draw out the power of his left eye."
"It's not that I don't trust you, but our intel says that Kakashi's Mangekyō is the perfect counter to the enemy's ability…intangibility!"
"An ability that lets the user phase part or all of their body into another dimension to avoid harm. Most ninjutsu and taijutsu don't work on it. So..."
Shisui understood the unspoken part and replied immediately, "I trust you, Lord Hokage. And my Mangekyō specializes in genjutsu, I can use it without even making eye contact. It's called Kotoamatsukami."
"Kotoamatsukami?" Minato was confused.
Shisui continued naturally, "Kotoamatsukami implants a 'seed' into the target's mind, guiding them to act on that idea as if it were their own."
"In most cases, people don't even realize they're under genjutsu. But... it requires continuous chakra output. That's the weakness."
Shisui didn't finish his sentence, but he keenly sensed that Minato had just exhaled in relief.
'Of course...Wherever it appeared, Kotoamatsukami would always be feared by political leaders.'
'The left eye's Kotoamatsukami... had already been used. That couldn't be revealed, for now.'
As morning light broke over the horizon, Uchiha Yun was awakened by the sounds in the kitchen.
For five years, his mother had always woken up early, preparing breakfast before heading out to work, never a day of rest.
And yet, she always remained optimistic. She did it all for Yun and Izumi's growth.
"Can I take the afternoon off today?" Yun asked.
His mother, Uchiha Hazuki, turned around, a bit puzzled. "Do you have something planned?"
Yun shook his head. "I just want to eat your tempura today. Can you come home early to make it for me?"
Hazuki smiled in the kitchen, reaching out to ruffle Yun's hair, but pulled her hand back. She remembered her son didn't like people touching his hair; he was too mature for his age.
"If Yun wants it, of course I will. I'll ask my boss for leave and go to the market early. You come back early, too, okay? I'll take Izumi with me."
Yun nodded. "I'll come home after noon. I'll tell Uncle Teuchi as well."
After breakfast, Yun headed to Ichiraku Ramen to resign from his job.
He had a busy morning ahead; he needed to visit the Nara clan compound and the Tatsumi Shelter, and if time allowed, head to the mountain behind the Hokage Rock.
He hadn't had time to fully test the Secret Scroll: Clone last night. To maximize its potential, he needed actual experimentation.