Chapter 1: Do you want to stop being confused?

Do you want to know the future of the Uchiha? Do you want to stop being confused?

"Yes" or "No"

In the forty-eighth year of Konoha, border frictions among the countries never ceased.

With the outbreak of the Nine-Tails incident, the golden flash that intimidated the ninja world and the Nine-Tails jinchuriki died in Konoha, and the ninja world, which was about to settle, boiled over again.

In the winter of the forty-eighth year, the Third Hokage held steady in Konoha, raising the banner to stabilize morale; Konoha's elite forces were fully deployed, and even the Uchiha clan, right at the center of the vortex, was repeatedly sent to the eastern front to clash with the Mist ninja.

In the winter of the forty-ninth year, sensing Konoha's resistance, the villages were unable to fight further, and the aftermath of the Third Great Ninja War gradually subsided.

Captain, captain, Shisui, wake up, Shisui!

The worried voices of the clansmen rang in his ears; lying under the tree, Shisui Uchiha slowly opened his eyes, his gaze vacant, silently staring at the dense foliage of the forest without moving.

Shisui, what's wrong with you? Damn it, clean up the traces, we're retreating immediately!

I. What's happening? A big hand waved before his eyes, and Shisui Uchiha finally reacted, regaining control of his body.

What came into view was his clansman, Hui Uchiha, with an anxious expression.

He shook his head, feeling his mind light and airy as if he'd had a dream, yet he couldn't remember anything.

What happened?

"You don't remember?" Hui Uchiha exclaimed, then hurriedly explained, "Just now you defeated two Mist ninja and then suddenly fainted, giving me a fright."

But after I checked, I found your body wasn't injured; perhaps you've been too tired lately, so I'll still take you back to the camp to rest.

Mist ninja.

Shisui Uchiha came to his senses, recalling the current situation.

After the Nine-Tails incident, the Uchiha clan's situation became even more difficult; to restore their honor, the clan head obeyed the Hokage's summons and sent clansmen to the eastern front.

As the ostensible strongest of the Uchiha clan, he naturally should have fought bravely against the enemy; although the war had entered its final stages, recent movements from both sides had become increasingly frequent, and after two consecutive months of high-intensity combat he suddenly lost consciousness.

And the others?

After recalling the reason, Shisui Uchiha paid no heed to his own condition; he had more important things to do.

I had them stand guard, but this place has actually been infiltrated by Mist ninja; there may still be enemies nearby.

The enemy may have already bypassed our defenses; fall back immediately, we're going to check the rear camp!

The rear camp includes the logistics and medical units; aside from the frontline command post, it is the most important base.

"The rear camp has Shuihumen Changwu guarding it with his men; the urgent matter is still your condition, Shisui." Hui Uchiha was somewhat worried; fainting in battle is something Shisui Uchiha has never experienced before.

"It's fine, my body is unharmed; fall back!" Shisui shook his head; he knew his own condition well and had not pushed himself to that extent.

Yes, captain!

At the command, Hui Uchiha had no choice but to send out a signal; shortly afterward, the other three appeared from all sides, wearing Konoha ninja attire but lacking the Uchiha clan crest.

Shisui looked at the four with solemn expressions and said, "From now on, rush to the rear camp at full speed!"

Yes, captain!

Without further words, Shisui took the lead and set off, weaving through the dense forest.

Along the way, a voice continually echoed in his mind, yet it was indistinct, making him somewhat absent-minded.

Don't panic, reinforcements will arrive soon; gather together, all ninja who can still move, join the battle!

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

After a quarter of an hour, the howls coming from near the rear camp woke Shisui.

Only then did his pupils shift, the three tomoe slowly turning, his scarlet eyes gazing toward the rear camp.

There, mist had already enveloped the area, with firelight and explosions intermittently intertwining.

Too late, they've really slipped in! Where are the Shuihumen people?" Hui Uchiha's face changed; this was going to be troublesome.

Prepare for battle!

Shisui turned his back to everyone and raised his right hand, then brought it down decisively.

The four had no hesitation, instantly flicking into the mist and sprinting toward the rear camp; Shisui glanced once, then instantly moved in another direction.

Swish swish swish~ As soon as the four entered the thick mist, dozens of kunai shot out from all directions.

Hmph, petty tricks!

Hui Uchiha smirked, his eyes shifting as the three tomoe of his Copy Wheel Eye slowly turned.

He swung his hand, tossing several kunai; they flew in strange arcs, colliding midair with the enemy's kunai.

For a moment, they clanged and sparked flew everywhere.

Dozens of kunai instantly shifted trajectories, grazing past the four.

What!

Damn it, they're Uchiha clan members; block them, we must not let them through to reinforce!

Only four people? How boring." Hui Uchiha curled his lips, revealing a hint of ferocious smile, his katana crackling with electricity as his scarlet eyes swept over the crowd.

Don't underestimate people!

Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet.

Boom boom boom~ 'Water Release: Torrent Water Blade'

At the rear camp, dozens of torrent water blades shot from all directions toward the tents.

Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!

Some ninja stepped forward, raising earth walls that barely blocked part of the water blades.

Yet a large number of water blades still pierced the tents, sending up sheets of flesh and blood.

At that moment, aside from a few medical ninja, the rear camp held only the wounded who had retreated from the front line; facing the sudden attack, they had almost no capacity to resist.

Captain, we've been surrounded and can't contact the Shuihumen captain.

At the center, a blood-soaked ninja staggered back from the thick mist, his expression grief-stricken, and reported to the medical unit captain, Zhuanqin Xianghui, at the rear camp.

Damn it, why did they break through here? This isn't what we agreed on! Her face turned pale as she strained to command the remaining ninja to raise earthen walls to block wave after wave of enemy attacks.

At the moment of the attack, she organized personnel to blow open the fog and break through, attempting to contact the forward troops.

However, it now appears they have failed.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

With a tremendous crash, the earthen walls collapsed, and dozens of Mist Ninja surged forward on massive waves!

Moreover, two individuals condensed Water Fang Blades in their hands and lunged at Zhuanqin Xianghui.

"It's over."

Zhuanqin Xianghui felt despair; unlike Tsunade, she leaned more toward being a medical ninja.

At that moment, in the thick fog, a pair of scarlet eyes slowly opened; the two facing Zhuanqin Xianghui merely glanced, then their bodies convulsed and they collapsed, unable to rise.

Swish~ silver light flashed, a figure darted through the mist, screams rose and fell, those eyes like the symbol of a death god; wherever he went, one Mist Ninja after another collapsed, utterly powerless! "It's the Body Flicker Shisui—how is he here? Quick, flee."

The terrified voice cut off abruptly, and with the last caster gone, the mist quickly dissipated.

The people in the rear camp regained their sight, all showing fear, their expressions complex as they gazed at the corpses littering the ground and him standing in the pool of blood—Shisui Uchiha.

Shisui's expression remained calm; he had wiped out three of the five Mist Ninja squads tasked with intercepting reinforcements, and all eight squads assigned to assault the rear camp had been completely defeated by him.

After confirming the numbers, Shisui finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Taihe, hold on, Taihe! We clearly agreed to return to the Village together, and Huizi is waiting for you! Hold on!"

A roar rang out; everyone looked and saw a ninja named Taihe, his body wrapped in old bandages, his abdomen sliced by a water blade, now filled with blood.

The person holding him was likewise covered in injuries.

"Sorry, it seems I can't make it back; please take care of Huizi."

Taihe gasped, his breath as thin as silk; before he could finish speaking, he lost all signs of life.

Shisui's face showed sorrow; looking around, the over a hundred wounded in the camp had been halved, the rest writhing in painful cries.

Seeing this, Zhuanqin Xianghui rushed forward in a single stride, her expression furious as she loudly accused: "Shisui Uchiha, why did you let the Mist Ninja break through the lines and reach the rear camp? Why did your reinforcements only arrive now?"

"If it weren't for your negligence, how would anyone have died?"

"Huh?"

Shisui froze on the spot, momentarily at a loss for words.

"That's right, it's all the fault of the Uchiha; if it weren't for you—"

"A single stone stirs up a thousand waves."

As Zhuanqin Xianghui's words fell, the faces of everyone in the camp shifted repeatedly; their original sorrow instantly turned to hatred as they coldly glared at Shisui standing in the pool of blood.

"What a joke—Taihe, Taihe had promised to return with me! It's all your fault, all yours, Uchiha!"

A painful howl tore through the camp's silence; anger and hatred were hurled together at Shisui.

"Silence! You ungrateful wretches—if it weren't for the captain arriving, you'd already be dead!"

A furious shout rang out; Hui Uchiha and four others rushed from the woods, having dealt with the remaining two Mist Ninja squads.

Hui Uchiha, not as easygoing as Shisui, had his Three Tomoe slowly turn as he scanned the crowd; the area fell silent at once, some averting their gazes, others filled with hatred yet remaining silent.

"Blocking them was originally the Uchiha's duty; if it weren't for your negligence, how would we have suffered this attack?"

Zhuanqin Xianghui gave a cold snort and accused again.

"Exactly, that was originally your responsibility!"

"Damn Uchiha, it's all your fault!"

The crowd found justification—this was supposed to be the Uchiha's duty, so why should we be grateful to them?

"You!"

Hui Uchiha's veins bulged, scarlet chakra nearly overflowing his body.

"Sorry!"

At that moment, Shisui grabbed Hui, his expression sorrowful, and slowly bowed toward everyone.

"Shisui!"

"Brother Hui, let's go first."

Turning his back, ignoring the accusations, Shisui gave a gentle smile to the four and vanished.

Hui Uchiha glared fiercely at Zhuanqin Xianghui, his Three Tomoe turning; the defenseless Zhuanqin Xianghui instantly stiffened, fear flashing across her face as her body moved uncontrollably backward.

"Hmph~"

Hui Uchiha let out a cold snort and turned away, taking with him the two Mist Ninja that Shisui had controlled before departing.

Returning to the front camp's headquarters, Shisui found East Line Commander Nara Suzaku and reported today's events.

Nara Suzaku always wore a grim face; after hearing the report, his eyes grew complex, and after a moment he said: "Thanks to you today, I will convene a Jonin Council tomorrow to investigate the attack."

"However, the Hokage has informed us today that our war with the Land of Water has ended, so those two Mist Ninja may need to be taken for a hostage exchange."

"I understand; tomorrow I will have Hui hand them over to you." Shisui smiled, the war finally over—this was good news.

"You've worked hard, Jonin Shisui; go rest now."

"Yes."

Returning to the tent, after shutting out outsiders, Shisui restrained his smile and lay quietly on the bed, his eyes unfocused.

"Why?"

"Do you want to know the future of the Uchiha? Do you want to no longer be lost?"

"Yes" or "No"

(End of Chapter)