Konoha: Uchiha Shisui's Strategist Alliance

"How does it feel?"

Sima Yi heard Yan Shifan's curious voice, but he kept his eyes closed and ignored it.

The two clusters of light did not immediately dissipate after entering his body. Sima Yi could clearly feel two streams of liquid, one cold and one hot, moving within him.

These two energies continuously strengthened his body and mind, and in an instant, his vitality underwent a tremendous transformation.

After the two energies were completely consumed, a piece of information was suddenly poured into his brain, and Sima Yi opened his eyes.

"Grandpa, your eyes!"

Shisui's delighted expression and Yan Shifan's sour look made Sima Yi realize that his Sharingan must have made considerable progress.

Sima Yi took the mirror that had been prepared earlier and examined it carefully.

The original single tomoe had transformed into three unidentified black patterns connected end to end.

"What a strange pattern. But it's good that it can be upgraded. I never thought that a single point could turn Grandpa's single tomoe into a kaleidoscope. The panel's abilities are truly terrifying!"

Shisui was somewhat excited. Sima Yi, now with his kaleidoscope activated, would be able to protect himself no matter who he faced, which made him feel much more relaxed.

Yan Shifan, however, squinted at the pattern in Sima Yi's pupils. After a moment, he put his hands behind his back, turned his head to the side, and curled the corners of his mouth down.

Although the pattern was somewhat abstract, he recognized it.

Sima Yi noticed Yan Shifan's actions, but he remained silent. His feelings were also somewhat complicated, because he recognized him as well.

Three elongated horses, head to tail.

"Grandpa, quickly, let me see what your eye technique is!"

Shisui was unaware of these things and simply asked out of curiosity.

Sima Yi listened carefully and pondered the words, and then he learned the abilities and names of the pupil techniques. However, the names were somewhat inexplicable, so he ignored them and summarized them briefly before saying, "The pupil technique of the left eye can be called 'Concealment.' When activated, it can absorb all damage. When activated, the pupil technique of the right eye can return the absorbed damage."

Sima Yi did not fully reveal the contents of his pupil technique, and his pupil technique was far more complex than he claimed.

When the concealment is activated, the body will be replaced by a phantom, and all damage will be borne by the phantom. The damage borne will be converted into energy and stored, and then poured out through the right eye.

Of course, the kaleidoscope has its limits, and the kaleidoscope enhanced by points also has its limits. Once the damage the illusion can withstand exceeds the limit, it will disappear, and the caster will also suffer great side effects.

Yan Shifan nodded, but in his heart he was quite disdainful. He knew even a fool that Sima Yi was not telling the truth.

Zhi Shui's expression was also somewhat strange; he suddenly noticed that the contents of his panel had changed.

Score: 0

Strategists: Sima Yi (Upgraded 1 time), Yan Shifan (Upgraded 0 time)

Bonus: Divine Longevity (LV1)

Divine Longevity: Slightly increases lifespan; the longer one lives, the stronger one becomes; for every year Sima Yi lives, this effect increases by one level. (Buff comes from Sima Yi.)

Shisui sensed a slight change in his own strength, most notably in the increase in his chakra and eye power, which was about half a percent higher.

"Grandpa, my stats have also received some boosts after you enhanced them."

Shisui suppressed his doubts and told the two about the changes on the panel.

"This ability seems to be related to your grandfather's experiences."

Yan Shifan, well-versed in history, immediately pointed out the key point, and his words seemed to imply something.

Sima Yi ignored Yan Shifan's sarcastic remarks and simply nodded in agreement with the conjecture. "It seems that after the enhancement, we will have some other uses for you. If there are no major issues, use the points next year to enhance the East Tower first."

Patience, explosive power, longevity.

Upon Yan Shifan's reminder, Zhishui immediately recalled the stories Yan Shifan had secretly told him.

"Hahaha, that's wonderful! With such capabilities, our great undertaking is within reach!"

Although the annual bonus is not much, it accumulates into a terrifying force over time, and there will be other bonuses in the future, which makes Shisui quite looking forward to it.

The group chatted for a while longer until late at night, and Zhishui could only suppress his excitement and go back to rest.

The next morning, Zhi Shui noticed something was wrong when he saw Sima Yi with his full head of black hair.

"Grandpa, your hair?"

Sima Yi's hair, which was originally mixed with gray, has turned black again. Although his appearance has not changed, he looks more energetic.

Sima Yi stroked his beard and smiled, saying loudly, "It turned out like this last night. The enhancement seems to have the power of Yin and Yang, with changes both inside and out."

"That's amazing!"

After Shisui sighed for a while, seeing that it was getting late, he went to the Hokage Building as usual, while Sima Yi called Ying Shu, who was preparing to go to the clan academy for training, to the backyard to familiarize himself with his abilities.

"Master Butler, is this really necessary?"

Ying Shu looked at Sima Yi, who was wearing sunglasses, with some worry. The fact that he was using ninjutsu on the butler was truly...

"As long as the power is smaller, there's no need to worry."

"Okay, I'll control it!"

Hideki's forehead was covered in a fine sheen of sweat; this was even more stressful than when he fought Itachi at the clan school.

He formed hand seals and used Water Release: a small water ball struck Sima Yi's chest at a slightly faster speed.

The water balloon exploded, but Sima Yi remained standing motionless, his entire body soaked.

"Master Butler, are you alright?"

Ying Shu was startled and quickly ran over to check on him.

Sima Yi shook his head and reassured him, "It's alright, nothing serious. Your clothes are just a little wet. It's getting late, you should go to the clan school to cultivate."

After confirming several times, Ying Shu saw that Sima Yi looked normal and did not appear to be injured, so he breathed a sigh of relief and left.

However, he found Sima Yi's behavior strange.

After Ying Shu left, Sima Yi took a small step, and his body twisted slightly. The water droplets on his clothes disappeared as if he had never been hit by the water ball.

"I see. The illusory body is essentially a substitute, and the damage it suffers is unrelated to my original body. Is this the power of the Uchiha clan, or that mysterious power?"

Sima Yi sighed softly, then began to test the ability of his right eye. A water ball instantly condensed and shot out, but its power was somewhat weaker than when Ying Shu used it.

After Sima Yi became familiar with it, he stopped trying. This power came out of nowhere, and he didn't want to waste his energy on it. So he went straight to his study and began to look through the sealing technique books that he had brought from the Barrier Department.

Another month passed, and as the year drew to a close, news of Danzo finally arrived.

The order to send Danzo back to the village had actually been issued for nearly two months, but Danzo used all sorts of means to keep delaying. Even with Shisui's secret help, the ninjas of all departments were still full of complaints, and there were even comments that Danzo had betrayed the village and that someone should be sent to capture him.

This shows just how much the various ninja factions hated Danzo.

Shisui couldn't even imagine how long Danzo would live if he were no longer willing to protect him.

Danzo, however, seemed to know nothing and proudly led his army through the gates of Konoha.

After all, they were fighting for the village, so even if they were dissatisfied with Danzo, they had no choice but to hold their noses and come to the gate to greet him.

Amid cheers, Danzo scanned the entire arena, a fiery glint in his eyes as he looked at each and every ninja.

Then, he looked up at the distant Fire Shadow Rock. The statue of Shisui had been completed. Looking at the towering head, a feeling of jealousy and disgust welled up in his heart.

However, he quickly adjusted his mood and went directly to the root.

Shisui was somewhat surprised to learn that Danzo had not come to see him, while Nara Suzaku and Mitokado Homura, who were standing nearby, had different expressions.

"Danzo must have been too tired."

Mitomon Homura offered a weak explanation, while Nara Suzaku remained silent. He vaguely sensed that Shisui had ulterior motives for keeping Danzo alive, and even if Danzo's behavior was somewhat rude, Shisui probably wouldn't hold it against him.

As expected, Zhishui simply smiled and said, "The advisor is right. They've been traveling all day and deserve a good rest."

The matter was dropped, but Danzo's return certainly made the atmosphere in the village even stranger.

"Damn it, what are you doing? I was just about to buy this!"

"Huh? But you haven't paid any money."

"What? You're from the fermented rice wine clan, aren't you? Are you looking down on me?!"

On the street, Hui helped Shisui pick up some documents from the police department, but saw two ninjas arguing in front of a shop.

Hui stopped and approached, puzzled.

"You bastard, you're deliberately trying to cause trouble!"

"What did you say?!"

As more and more people gathered around, the members of the fermented rice wine clan began to lose face, and their argument grew louder and louder. It looked like they were about to lose their tempers and start fighting, but fortunately, the police arrived in time and took them away.

Hui scratched his head. Since he was also going to the police department, he left with the police officers and took the opportunity to find out what had just happened.

The reason for their argument was as trivial as he had overheard.

"They almost came to blows over such a small matter; these ninjas have quite the temper."

Hui didn't know how to describe it, so after taking the documents, he returned to the Hokage Building and told Shisui what had happened.

Shisui felt that things might not be so simple, so he immediately summoned Inahi.

"Lord Hokage, ever since Advisor Danzo returned, there have been more and more fights between ninjas in the village. I think, perhaps, no, it must be Danzo's doing!"

After giving Shisui a brief summary of the recent cases handled by the police department, Inahime made no attempt to hide his disgust when mentioning Danzo.

Shisui frowned, tapped the table, and pondered quietly.

Hui and Daohuo exchanged a glance and then waited silently to the side.

A moment later, Shisui quickly understood the reason by combining his recent surveillance of Danzo and the ninjas who had returned from the Land of Grass.

Danzo was very impatient. Within a few days of returning, he had ninjutsu spread among the Chunin, deliberately avoiding ninjas from the major and minor ninja clans. This not only made the knowledge spread among ninjas differently, but also made their identities clearer.

The once harmonious ninja community began to unconsciously distinguish between ninja clans and commoners, and repeatedly clarified their stance.

The conflicts between them also accumulated more and more unintentionally.

After reading it, Shisui frowned. Things had taken him somewhat unexpectedly, and this was not what he wanted, at least not now.

"The police department should keep an eye out for any ninja fights. Arrest them immediately and send them to prison for forced labor."

"Yes."

"Keep an eye on things from the shadows. If there are any signs of a large-scale conflict, let me know immediately."

"Yes."

This is just the beginning; the conflicts are still accumulating, and only a few have erupted. Zhi Shui doesn't intend to deal with it immediately, but he's not sure if it's the right thing to do, so he goes back to consult Sima Yi and Yan Shifan.

"The spread of ninjutsu deliberately avoided ninja clans. This deliberate act would repeatedly remind those common ninjas of the difference between themselves and ninja clans. Once this concept is formed, even small things from the past will cause them to feel dissatisfied. The accumulation of conflicts will be faster than you think."

"If we let things develop naturally, it will be helpful in pushing for reform of the Ninja Academy in the future. But if we don't handle it well, conflicts may erupt prematurely. You need to keep a close eye on things."

This matter has both advantages and disadvantages, but Shisui's intention in luring Danzo to do this was to strengthen the civilian ninjas and suppress the ninja clans, so he cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater.

"I understand, I will keep an eye on it."

Shisui has too many things to deal with right now. The conflict between civilians and ninja clans is still some time away, so he needs to resolve other matters first.

A few days later, the ninjas gathered in the capital region began to send back messages.

"As expected, you don't feel the pain until the knife cuts you. The daimyo and nobles are not a monolithic entity."

Inside the Hokage Building, Shisui told Hikaru and Suzaku Nara the news and then sighed.

"I didn't expect the daimyo to react so quickly. They were attacked as soon as they showed up. It seems the daimyo's guards are indeed very strong. Should we send reinforcements?"

Those who can become the daimyo's guards are no ordinary people. With their strength, ordinary Chunin have no chance against them, and even the first batch of twelve Jonin would not be a match for those guards in a one-on-one situation.

"The nobles of Kyoto have also contributed. It seems that the fate of the local nobles has frightened them. In this situation, sending too few will probably be useless, while sending too many will easily expose us."

"Hokage-sama, let me go! I'm just a lowly Guardian Ninja; let me show them the power of the Uchiha!"

Hui patted his chest and stepped forward with considerable confidence.

"inappropriate."

Shisui shook his head. Even among the Uchiha, Hui's strength was not top-tier, and he did not have a high opinion of Hui.

"I will have Izayoi help me in secret."

Suzaku Nara only knew that Izayoi was on a mission, but he didn't know the specifics. However, since Shisui didn't say anything, he didn't want to ask any more questions.

"Izayoi~"

As a member of the Uchiha clan, Hikaru naturally admired and envied the Mangekyou Sharingan, so he had no objection to what was said.

After dealing with these matters, Shisui realized that there were too many things happening recently, and he couldn't let everything erupt at the same time, as this would cause the power he controlled to be constantly dispersed.

So he went to Sima Yi and Yan Shifan again to ask them questions.

"Why bother asking about such things? You've been relying on Donglou too much lately."

Unexpectedly, Sima Yi refused to answer and even lectured Zhishui. Yan Shifan, seeing this, naturally did not answer and even took the opportunity to mock him.

Shisui immediately realized something was wrong, and blushed as he returned to his bedroom to reflect on his actions.

"No matter what, the first thing to do is to clarify the goal, especially to distinguish between the means and the end."

Zhi Shui recalled the words Sima Yi had once spoken, and then sat quietly in his room to review his actions over the past period. After a long while, he made a decision.