In the 56th year of Konoha, the Nine-Tails' attack six years prior had not only robbed the Hidden Leaf Village of the Land of Fire of its robust Fourth Hokage, but had also left the Uchiha clan—one of the village's founding pillars—in an increasingly precarious position.
After all, in the disaster six years before, the Sharingan imprint within the Nine-Tails' pupils was undeniable.
Faced with the growing radicalization of his clansmen during clan meetings, Uchiha Shisui, who harbored the Will of Fire, was burning with anxiety. At that moment, the Uchiha clan was like a powder keg on the verge of exploding.
Fortunately, the Uchiha clan meetings had never been able to agree on any concrete course of action. Yet right then and there, Shisui had already made up his mind to resort to his ultimate trump card.
"It seems this is the only way," Shisui murmured after stepping out of the clan meeting, looking up at the moon before touching his left eye.
Time waits for no one. Shisui intended to head to the Hokage's office overnight to report his plan to the Third Hokage.
To avoid drawing attention, he planned to take a detour around the Forest of Death.
However, just as he entered the forest, a figure suddenly appeared before him.
At first, Shisui thought it was an enemy ambush, but when he caught sight of the newcomer's features in the moonlight, he let out a breath of relief, his expression softening.
"Dohuan, what are you doing here?"
Shisui was no stranger to the newcomer. Uchiha Dohuan was a genius of his generation within the clan, on par with Shisui himself.
Unlike other Uchihas who excelled in Fire Release and genjutsu, Dohuan was an outlier. He had maxed out his skills in Lightning Release. On a battlefield during the Third Great Ninja War, by summoning a natural disaster with a single Lightning Release technique, Kirin, he had wiped out fifteen Mist village squads in one fell swoop, earning himself the moniker "Pale Thunder Dohuan."
Moreover, in Shisui's eyes, this clansman who was a year younger than him was a rare Uchiha possessing the Will of Fire. In his duties with the Military Police Force, Dohuan always treated the villagers with kindness, and he almost never attended the Uchiha clan meetings—something that earned him considerable criticism from the radical faction within the clan.
"I just finished my routine training. What about you, Shisui-bro? What brings you to the Forest of Death at this hour?" Dohuan asked with a gentle smile.
"I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk," Shisui explained, knowing he certainly couldn't spell out that he was heading to the Hokage's office to leak clan intelligence.
"Is it because of the situation between the clan and the village?" Dohuan asked.
"Yes," Shisui sighed heavily. "Dohuan, you must understand. If the clan rebels, it stands absolutely no chance against the village. At the same time, the village would suffer devastating blows, and the peace we've fought so hard to achieve would vanish into thin air."
Shisui did not hold much guard against Dohuan. The latter's amiable approach to his work in the Military Police Force had given Shisui the urge to pull him onto the same side.
"People living in peace often fail to realize its true value," Dohuan said. "At the same time, the vision of the people in our clan is limited only to the clan itself, which is naturally why we find ourselves in this predicament."
Hearing this, Shisui felt immensely gratified. He hadn't expected that besides Itachi, whom the Third Hokage praised for having the mindset of a Hokage, there was yet another young man in the clan with such far-reaching foresight.
"However, I do have a few ideas regarding the current predicament between the clan and the village. But this method requires your help, Shisui-bro." Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the forest canopy, landing on Dohuan's pure white *haori*. In Shisui's eyes, Dohuan at that moment resembled a divine being.
"What is your idea?" Shisui asked solemnly. "What do you need me to do?"
"Please, Shisui-bro, lend me your eyes." Dohuan's words sent a chill down Shisui's spine. The very next instant, a flash of blue lightning cut across Shisui's vision.
The clashing of metal echoed through the sky above the Forest of Death. At the critical moment, Shisui drew his ninja blade, narrowly blocking the fatal blow.
"Dohuan? Why?" As they locked weapons, Shisui demanded an explanation.
"You were planning to side with the village, weren't you? To avoid being detected by your clansmen, you even went out of your way to take such a huge detour to report to the Hokage." Dohuan's voice was as cold as frost.
The two touched and instantly retreated, standing opposite each other with drawn blades, the three-tomoe Sharingan in their eyes locked in a stare.
"So your vision is limited to the clan after all? And here I thought you were a fellow traveler who shared the Will of Fire." Shisui's gaze turned icy as well; Dohuan's previous strike had clearly been aimed at his life.
"Hahaha!" Dohuan threw his head back and laughed wildly. "Ridiculous! You and Itachi think you possess the vision of an entire village, but your eyes cannot even help you see the future of the clan and the village. How are you any different from a frog at the bottom of a well gazing at the moon?"
Dohuan's body crackled and popped, wreathed in lightning. "My vision is no longer confined to this tiny corner. What these eyes of mine see is far beyond what you can perceive. This diseased world needs a thorough, complete revolution!"
"Are you planning to start a war? You're insane!" Shisui gritted his teeth. "I thought you stayed away from the clan meetings because you loved peace, but I never expected you to be even madder than those conservative elders. I really was fooled by your disguise."
"No, no, no. The reason I don't attend clan meetings isn't that complicated. It's simply because I refuse to associate with worms," Dohuan said coldly. "They yelp about rebellion all day long, yet they've never once discussed a single viable plan. How can anyone handle politics when surrounded by a bunch of maggots like them!"
"I see. I understand now." Hearing this, Shisui took a deep breath, as if making a firm resolve. "Dohuan, your ideas are far too dangerous. For the village's sake, I have to stop you!"
The three tomoe in Shisui's eyes spun rapidly, merging into a pinwheel pattern.
"Is this your trump card?" Dohuan watched coldly. "Kotoamatsukami—the genjutsu capable of altering a person's will."
Shisui's eyes widened in shock. Ever since his Mangekyo Sharingan had awakened, he had never exposed it. Why was Dohuan able to pinpoint his ocular jutsu's ability with a single word?
"You look surprised?" Dohuan laughed loudly, then pointed at his own eyes. "I already told you, my eyes see much further than you can possibly imagine."
With that, the three tomoe in Dohuan's eyes also began to transform, three sharp lightning-bolt patterns circling the central pupil.
"A Mangekyo Sharingan?" Shisui stared in disbelief, never expecting that Dohuan was concealing such a trump card as well.