Chapter 59 - The So-Called Will of Fire Is Just Hot Air!
"Shisui, you're focusing on the wrong thing. It's not about proving to the villagers that we're innocent."
That's right.
Right now, under public pressure, the Uchiha clan had already become the symbol of guilt.
And even Shisui had started following this line of thinking.
"Are we supposed to just let our clan be misunderstood like this?"
Shisui looked at Renji, confused. He couldn't understand why Renji would say such a thing. This wasn't how Renji usually handled matters.
Even if they didn't take action, should they really allow their clan to be misunderstood?
"We shouldn't be trying to prove our innocence. They should be the ones proving our guilt."
"Your whole approach is wrong."
"You've been saying that we need to prove the Uchiha clan has no intention of rebelling. But why must we prove that?"
"Shouldn't they be the ones presenting evidence that we're planning to betray the village?"
Why is it always on us to defend ourselves?
Shouldn't it be their responsibility to justify their accusations?
All someone had to say was, "The Uchiha clan is a destabilizing force. They might rebel."
And Shisui would immediately panic, trying to prove that they weren't.
But… why?
"But..."
Shisui fell silent. He didn't know how to respond.
Renji's words had truly shaken him.
Right.
All this time, Shisui had been trying to show the others that the Uchiha had no ambition, no thoughts of rebellion.
But what proof did they really have?
While Shisui was still struggling with doubt, Renji saw his chance and pressed on:
"Think about it. The ones who've never wanted to live peacefully with us… it's always been Konoha's leadership."
"Didn't you notice? These rumors always start among the villagers."
"You really think the Uchiha would be dumb enough to spread those themselves?"
The most disgusting part—
It wasn't just civilians spreading the rumors.
The Uchiha clan didn't care much about what villagers thought.
But some of those villagers would become civilian shinobi. Or their relatives would.
And civilian shinobi made up a huge part of Konoha's forces.
So over time, it damaged the relationship between the Uchiha and the broader shinobi population.
From a young age, they were raised to dislike the Uchiha.
Even after becoming ninjas with the ability to judge right from wrong, they still didn't want to associate with them.
Then there were the other clans.
Because the Uchiha were seen as the "first clan," their usual behavior, and the fact that the police force offended many others—
Even among clans, hostility toward the Uchiha was natural.
So you see—
Rumors destroyed the goodwill of the civilians.
And clan rivalries, along with the police force's actions, ruined relationships with the other families.
The result?
The Uchiha were left completely isolated in Konoha.
"Doesn't it feel familiar?"
"After the White Fang's death, the village became really good at manipulating public opinion."
"Didn't the Sannin leave the village after people whispered behind their backs?"
"Before Orochimaru left, he had deep ties with Danzo."
"And look at Naruto. You know who his father is."
"Why was he labeled the Nine-Tails and publicly shamed for it? Why did that rumor never get stopped?"
"Who really doesn't want peace in this village, Shisui? Tell me!"
Renji's voice grew more intense. He slammed his hand on the table, eyes sharp and unyielding as they locked onto Shisui.
Who didn't want peace between the Uchiha and Konoha?
The same tactics used to destroy others were now being used against them.
"Shisui, stop running."
"The Hokage you believe in—he won't solve anything for you."
"You carry the blood of the Uchiha. That alone means Konoha will never truly accept you."
Renji's low voice hit like thunder in Shisui's heart.
Shisui looked up at him, eyes filled with pain and hesitation.
To abandon the path he'd believed in all this time—it filled him with confusion and fear.
He had sacrificed so much to walk that path.
But the longer he spent around Renji, the more he realized—
Maybe… just maybe… he'd been wrong.
And now, after walking so far down that road, the pain was unbearable.
"…Clan leader. I've awakened the Mangekyō."
Like making a final decision, the tomoe in Shisui's eyes spun rapidly.
Then, the Mangekyō Sharingan bloomed within his gaze.
"My eye technique is Kotoamatsukami."
"It can alter someone's thoughts without them even realizing it."
"The Sharingan reflects the soul. When I awakened this ability, I had already given up hope between Uchiha and Konoha."
"I couldn't see a solution. So I hoped for a direct, simple, even violent method to end it all."
But even with Kotoamatsukami—
He couldn't guarantee it would work.
That's why, at the time, he accepted the Hokage's plan.
Compared to the Uchiha's chances, he believed they were bound to fail.
That's why he wanted to use Kotoamatsukami on Uchiha Fugaku—to change his mind.
Because his entire belief had been that the Uchiha had to prove themselves innocent.
Not what Renji said now—
That they didn't have to prove anything at all.
Until now, only Itachi had known about Kotoamatsukami.
Now that he had told Renji, it meant—
A small part of him… had started to believe in Renji, too.
"You'd better not tell anyone else about this technique."
"Otherwise, no one can guarantee they won't come for your eyes."
Back when Shisui first revealed the truth to Hiruzen and Danzo—
Danzo acted almost immediately.
And after that?
Hiruzen did nothing.
At the end of the day, weren't they both afraid of Kotoamatsukami?
Hiruzen always said he trusted Shisui.
But did he really?
Root made a move.
You think Hiruzen didn't know?
Impossible.
The entire Konoha was essentially under the complete control of Hiruzen Sarutobi. As the Hokage for so many years, even putting aside the rest of his influence, just considering Danzo's Root—if Hiruzen didn't give his approval, Root could be shut down the very next day.
Right now, all of Danzo's power and authority were entirely dependent on Hiruzen.
Therefore, fearing Kotoamatsukami, Hiruzen ultimately chose to turn a blind eye to the situation. As for why Danzo didn't use Kotoamatsukami on Hiruzen to force him to step down and hand over power, it was most likely due to some agreement between them—or perhaps because Hiruzen knew Danzo wouldn't dare lay hands on him directly.
"I know. So far, only Itachi is aware, and he won't tell anyone else. I more or less understand why the clan head is looking for me. I'm willing to reveal my Mangekyō Sharingan and its abilities because what the clan head said before made sense. It also made me realize that the Uchiha clan's problems might not necessarily require outside help to solve.
But... if the clan head is trying to win me over, then please tell me the specific plan. Of course, if the clan head doesn't trust me, then there's no need to say anything."
Shisui had already laid all his cards on the table with Renji. The fact that he dared to reveal his abilities meant he was willing to trust Renji once more.
But his current position was awkward, and Renji might not be willing to trust him.
Having stayed in the Anbu for too long, even he had started to doubt which side he truly belonged to.
"Why wouldn't I trust you? Haven't you always worked hard to mend the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha? It's just that all your past efforts were in the wrong direction."
In truth, Shisui had been working hard, but his faith was misplaced. Trusting Hiruzen and Danzo only ended up dragging the entire Uchiha clan to their doom.
Renji himself was very clear—considering Konoha's strength, the Uchiha might not actually succeed if they turned against the village.
Before the Fourth Great Ninja War, during the Five Kage Summit, Sasuke already had his Mangekyō Sharingan, yet he was nearly killed by the Raikage.
If the Raikage hadn't cared about his own leg at that moment, he really could've stomped Sasuke to death.
Later on, if Obito hadn't shown up, Sasuke probably would've been finished off by Ōnoki.
Mangekyō combined with Kage-level strength was a bonus, but becoming a Kage solely by relying on the Mangekyō? That wasn't enough to win against the other Kage.
Don't be fooled by Hiruzen's old age—he wasn't an idiot. When he fought Orochimaru, it was against inferior versions of the First and Second Hokage, plus peak-form Orochimaru. And he still managed to take Orochimaru's arms. If he hadn't hesitated, he might've taken Orochimaru down altogether.
As for Danzo and his dumb moves in the original story—like trying to stab Susanoo with a kunai—his actual strength was still at elite Jonin level. Plus, with so many Konoha shinobi backing him, even with the Mangekyō, Renji didn't think they could beat Konoha.
So Renji could understand the kind of despair Shisui had once felt.
And now, seeing that Shisui might be leaning toward his side, Renji would have to be crazy to push him away!
"Thank you."
Shisui felt a warmth in his heart. Though he had been misunderstood for so many years, he never bore a grudge. Now that someone was willing to trust him, his emotions were complicated.
"Shisui, do you know about Danzo's actions?"
"Danzo?"
Shisui shook his head, a hint of confusion in his eyes as he asked, "Is the clan head asking if I know about his personality or...?"
"No, I already know what kind of person he is. He's always followed the Second Hokage's policies—more radical ones. He wants to wipe out the Uchiha clan and covets our power. He already knows about the Uchiha's secret technique, Izanagi, and he's even transplanted Sharingan into his right arm. This massacre… it's all been orchestrated behind the scenes by him."
Renji had to warn Shisui about Danzo.
That guy had always coveted the Sharingan.
When Shisui heard Renji's words, his expression changed drastically. "Then why don't we expose this?! We can tell the Hokage!"
Shisui was agitated. Even if he didn't approve of using force, that didn't mean he could watch others steal the Uchiha's Sharingan right before his eyes.
How exactly did Danzo get those Sharingan? And how did Renji know all this?
Shisui's mind was a complete mess.
Every word coming from Renji was throwing him off more and more.
"You really think the Hokage doesn't know what Danzo and Root have been up to all these years? Those Sharingan in Danzo's arm came from Orochimaru's experiments. Later, Hiruzen let Orochimaru escape, and Danzo wasn't held accountable.
You think Hiruzen didn't know anything at all? That's impossible. Let's be honest—our Uchiha clan was never the Hokage's favorite."
Renji couldn't help but add some sarcasm at the end.
Hiruzen had always played favorites. The Uchiha were seen as a destabilizing force, and despite all of Danzo's antics, he was still the Hokage's advisor. No wonder—they were classmates after all!
As for Shisui's naïve thinking, Renji really wanted to laugh.
"Shisui, did you study the Will of Fire?"
"Yes! 'Where the leaves dance, the fire burns brightly!'"
Shisui believed he had a good grasp of the Will of Fire!
"And you're proud of that?"
Renji looked at Shisui, dumbfounded. This guy actually seemed proud of his understanding of the Will of Fire?
"Clan head, I..."
Shisui scratched the back of his head awkwardly. His instinctive response just now… seemed to have upset Renji?
But… wasn't he right?
"Forget it. As for this so-called Will of Fire, all I see in it are two words—propaganda! Just empty words used to fool people.
If the Will of Fire really worked, then back at the Valley of the End, Hashirama wouldn't have killed Madara, his friend who built the village with him, for the sake of the village.
If the Will of Fire really worked, then the Second Hokage, Tobirama, wouldn't have excluded our Uchiha clan—he would've accepted us.
And let's not even talk about the Third. The Will of Fire supposedly values sacrifice above all, yet during the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, the Hokage stayed in the back giving orders while kids went to the frontlines to die for the village. Isn't that laughable?
A village's shadow hiding in safety while children fight the war… Then during the Nine-Tails' attack, Danzo, as the Hokage's advisor, had Root stay completely inactive.
The Fourth Hokage was actually decent, but he died too early. If he had lived, the Uchiha clan wouldn't have reached this breaking point with Konoha.
So... Shisui, tell me one more time—what exactly is the Will of Fire?!"
Today, Renji was determined to shatter all of Shisui's former beliefs.
He had to reshape Shisui into someone new—someone who truly belonged to the Uchiha.
(The End of This Chapter)
Get early access to my chapters and read more frequently by joining my Patreon! You'll unlock 20 chapters immediately and can enjoy up to 65 chapters weekly. Support my ongoing work and become part of my reader community.
Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44
Support via Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44