Chapter 60 - Kidnapping Sasuke, Itachi Breaks Down!
From beginning to end, when Renji read through the Will of Fire, all he saw was cannibalism.
And for children who had yet to come of age, whose wills and values hadn't fully formed, it was especially easy for them to be influenced.
Based on his own deductions, Senju Hashirama's original intention in establishing the Will of Fire was to get all clans in the village to let go of their prejudices, abandon clan interests, dissolve their clans, and integrate into Konoha just like the Senju clan had.
But was that really possible?
It was impossible from the start!
So, beginning with the Third Hokage, the Will of Fire underwent a shift.
In the early years, Hiruzen Sarutobi may have realized his governance had stirred dissatisfaction, so he stepped down and passed the power to the civilian ninja Namikaze Minato. Yet he couldn't bear to give it all up—he still retained control over the Anbu.
When he returned to power a second time, the Will of Fire had completely devolved into a tool for ruling the village.
"Clan Head Renji, isn't it because of the Will of Fire that our village has survived until now? Isn't it also the reason why we remain the top Hidden Village?"
Shisui let out a bitter smile as he tried to refute Renji. But he couldn't find any solid ground to argue from, so he could only fall back on vague reasoning.
He wasn't arguing for the sake of others—it was for the beliefs he had held onto for years.
"What really made this village number one wasn't the so-called Will of Fire.
It was people like you and me—people who worked for the village. It was the civilian ninjas, the clan ninjas, and all the villagers whose efforts made it happen.
If a single ideology could make a village strong, then why train at all? Everyone could just sit around and strengthen their 'will.'
Why bother working so hard?
Shisui, the Will of Fire has long since been distorted by those in power. After all these years, can't you see that clearly? The Uchiha and them have already reached a point where fire and water can't coexist!"
Peace in the village was built on the sacrifices of others.
If they had all fought and died in the Shinobi World Wars, Renji wouldn't be able to say anything.
Danzo was one thing—he at least commanded from the battlefield—but Hiruzen Sarutobi stayed far behind the lines.
And for all these years, it had always been the clan ninjas who paid the highest price.
Hadn't the Uchiha clan made enough sacrifices?
Then why did those sacrifices never yield the rewards they deserved?
"Do you know why the clansmen always wanted someone from the Uchiha to become Hokage?"
Renji raised his head and looked at Shisui as he asked.
"Why?"
Shisui was confused. Everyone knew that it was unlikely for an Uchiha to ever become Hokage.
But somehow, the clan always held a deep obsession with that title.
Even when the radicals spoke of rebellion, their slogan was always to overthrow the current Hokage and become Hokage themselves—not to annihilate Konoha or fight to the death.
"Because we made sacrifices but never got what we were owed.
All these years, the Uchiha haven't even had a seat at the decision-making table.
The clansmen believe that after all we've given, we deserve at least a share of what's fair. But not only have things not improved—things have actually gotten worse.
During wars, we made the most sacrifices and received the least.
Sometimes we got nothing at all.
Meanwhile, clans like the Sarutobi, Shimura, Mito, and Koharu—these mid-tier families—because they had a Hokage or elders on the council, always got a generous cut of the benefits.
And they barely contributed anything.
Tell me, does that sound fair?
What the Uchiha want is fairness—fairness and more damn fairness!"
If fairness couldn't be achieved, what else was there to talk about?
Renji stood up, then pointed outside. "Shisui, come take a walk around the compound with me."
He knew he had said all that needed to be said.
All that remained was for Shisui to come to his own conclusion.
Right now, Renji wanted to walk Shisui around the clan grounds. Over the years, likely due to being shunned by the clan, Shisui rarely spent time within the compound.
He followed behind Renji. The entire Uchiha district had been completely renewed, ever since they moved back to this location. Everything had been refurbished. They had returned to their original home.
Everyone in the clan was extremely satisfied.
Back when they lived in a remote area, stores and markets were far away. For ninjas that wasn't an issue, but for civilians, it was.
Not everyone in the Uchiha clan was a ninja.
This was the most direct change they could feel—life had become more convenient. In the past, business could only be done within the clan's own district because the location was so remote. Other ninja clans had no reason to shop there.
As a result, many Uchiha businesses struggled.
But after moving back here, even if there were those who still held bias against the Uchiha, this was the center of the village. With enough foot traffic, people would inevitably shop here.
"Good day, Clan Head. Hello, Brother Shisui!"
"Sasuke? How are you liking it here?"
Renji looked at Sasuke with mild surprise. The little brat seemed to be just getting back from school.
This was actually his first time seeing Sasuke.
He had to admit—at this age, the second-born Uchiha was pretty cute.
He hadn't yet entered that phase of 'the more he gets beaten, the more he likes to show off, and the more he shows off, the more he gets beaten.'
And judging from Sasuke's eyes, he seemed to really admire Renji?
"You know who I am, Clan Head?"
There was a flash of excitement on Sasuke's face. He didn't expect Renji to know his name.
As far as he could remember, he hadn't ever met Renji before.
He knew Shisui thanks to his older brother, Uchiha Itachi.
"Of course I know. I've heard of Fugaku's youngest son—also the genius student at the Ninja Academy!"
"Not really..."
Sasuke was still a bit shy inside. Being praised by Renji made him feel unworthy—he didn't think he measured up to Renji.
"You are a genius. I heard you're ranked first at the academy?"
Shisui stroked his chin, his gaze nostalgic. If he remembered correctly, Itachi had mentioned his younger brother's grades to him before.
As expected of Itachi's little brother.
Shisui couldn't help but sigh—talent really did run in the bloodline.
"Being first at the academy doesn't mean much. If I could be like Clan Head, that would be amazing!"
"Oh? Like me?"
A flicker of interest passed through Renji's eyes. Hearing Sasuke say that, he was curious to know what kind of impression Sasuke had of him.
"Of course! Everyone's saying that thanks to the Clan Head, we were able to return to our original district and restore the Uchiha's honor. Damn, I used to think the Clan Head wasn't as great as my father!"
Because Sasuke was still very young during the Nine-Tails incident, he didn't really understand what had happened.
He only had a vague idea that the Uchiha clan didn't originally live here, mainly from overhearing other clan members' complaints now and then.
But after Renji brought them back and Sasuke moved with the clan, he finally realized that their previous home had actually been right in the center of Konoha.
It was incredibly convenient for going anywhere.
And when he heard that all of this had been reclaimed by Renji, Sasuke's admiration for him grew immensely.
To think, he used to believe his father was the most suitable person to be clan head.
"So that's how it is. But if I remember right, Sasuke always looked up to his brother as a role model, didn't he?"
Renji rubbed his chin, a thought suddenly forming in his mind.
Dealing with Itachi might actually be much easier.
With Shisui, he had to go through all kinds of persuasion, but Itachi wasn't so easily swayed. However, there was one critical weakness Itachi had—Sasuke.
If he kidnapped Sasuke, that might actually work out well.
Especially since Sasuke's mindset hadn't fully formed yet—Renji could completely mold him according to his own ideals.
Rather than let him follow that trauma-filled Itachi, it'd be better to have Sasuke follow him instead.
Thinking this, Renji felt a tinge of excitement in his heart.
"That's different. I just…"
Sasuke was still a child, and couldn't clearly express everything he felt.
He thought Renji was impressive—but his brother was also amazing!
Still, there was a sense that Renji might be even more incredible. After all, the whole clan acknowledged him. Even Sasuke's father had recently been full of praise for Renji. That made Sasuke both curious and a bit emotionally swayed.
"There's no need to overthink it. Sasuke, how about you train with me?"
Renji asked directly.
At his words, both Sasuke and Shisui were stunned.
"Clan Head…"
Shisui thought Renji was trying to use Sasuke to threaten Itachi.
"It's just normal instruction. I feel a connection with Sasuke."
Renji slowly explained. While there was a bit of a motive to pressure Itachi, more than that, he genuinely wanted to instill his ideals in Sasuke.
After all, children were easiest to influence—once they grew up, it became much harder.
Besides, taking Indra's reincarnation as a disciple and changing his path—didn't that count as altering the story?
"Really?" Sasuke looked at Renji with hope, but then hesitated. "But… about Onii-chan…"
He was worried that if he accepted Renji's guidance, and Itachi later tried to train him, he'd be caught in a dilemma.
Rejecting either one wouldn't feel right.
But he was genuinely tempted by Renji's offer. Even though he was currently the top student at the Academy, he still felt it wasn't enough. He'd heard the stories of his brother's legendary record at the Academy.
He truly wanted to graduate early too, to better chase after Itachi.
"It's fine. It's just training. Sasuke, if you have tomorrow off, want to train with me?"
The Academy was closed on weekends—students usually either trained on their own or spent the day relaxing.
Sasuke naturally wouldn't turn down Renji's kindness and nodded enthusiastically.
"Then it's settled, Clan Head!"
Afraid that Renji might change his mind, Sasuke even turned back to remind him before running off.
This kid…
Renji smiled. He had to admit—raising a little Second Pillar seemed kind of fun.
"Shisui, let's continue."
"Yes, Clan Head!"
Though he still didn't know what Renji's goal was in bringing him around the clan, Shisui dutifully followed behind.
Along the way, people constantly greeted Renji. Whether old, young, or shinobi—at this moment, all of them genuinely felt gratitude toward him.
"See that, Shisui? All they want is to live in peace. They've done nothing wrong. When you're dedicating yourself to Konoha, why don't you ever look at the children and elders in your own clan? Right now, you're leading the clan step by step toward destruction—and they don't want to die."
Behind him, Shisui listened to Renji's words, and his heart surged.
He finally understood why Renji had brought him on this walk through the clan grounds.
It had indeed been a long time since he had roamed the Uchiha compound like this.
"Clan Head… So you're not planning to fight Konoha?"
"I've already said—Konoha isn't our enemy. Our true enemies have always been a few specific people. You need to decide whether you're siding with them or with our clan.
And I'll handle the relationships with other clans before I take any action."
Renji turned to Shisui, then lifted his left hand and patted his shoulder. "That's enough for now, Shisui. You probably have things to do. I won't keep you. Think about it."
"I understand, Clan Head."
Shisui nodded, then watched Renji's figure walk off into the distance. He lowered his head in thought for a moment, then leapt away.
In a secluded forest.
This was a usual meeting spot for Shisui and Itachi. Itachi had been waiting for some time, and when he saw Shisui arrive, he anxiously asked, "Shisui, what did the Clan Head want from you?!"
Renji calling for Shisui alone—it didn't sit right with him.
"Itachi, there's something I want to tell you."
Shisui was silent for a moment, then looked up and spoke with firm resolve. "I've decided… to help the Clan Head carry out his plans.
At least for now, I believe he's right. Everything we've done so far has been for nothing.
Not only are we hated by the clan, but the village doesn't really trust us either.
Clan Head Renji was right. Most people in the village don't want to fight us.
In fact, peaceful coexistence is possible—but only a few people think otherwise.
If we keep living like cowards, we'll just drag the Uchiha into extinction.
We shouldn't be placing our hopes on them anymore.
At least… I'm not sure I can trust them now. What do you think, Itachi?"
After he finished, Shisui said nothing more and gave Itachi time to process.
But Itachi—his whole mindset collapsed on the spot.
You guys talked for one afternoon and now you're defecting?!
(End of Chapter)
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