Chapter 174: One Eye, Obito?

"Lord Shisui actually got up late; that's rare~"

Outside the bedroom, Xuehua, following the usual schedule, was tidying Shisui's room, but found that Shisui had gotten up an hour later than usual and was still resting inside.

But Xuehua did not go in to disturb him, merely sitting quietly outside the door, watching; Shisui works hard every day, so a good rest is also a good thing.

However, clearly, Xuehua's light movement and familiar aura approaching still roused Shisui.

"Hm? Oh no!"

By the light, Shisui quickly realized he had overslept, leapt up, changed clothes, and hurried out.

Wham—, the bedroom door swung open.

"Lord Shisui, have breakfast before you go; your health is important!"

Xuehua's voice came, and Shisui froze.

Under Sima Yi's influence, Shisui began, to some extent, to pay attention to his bodily condition, and breakfast was indispensable.

Seeing Shisui did not immediately refuse, Xuehua quickly added, "Butler Yi, before leaving, also reminded that Lord Shisui must eat on schedule!"

". Well, okay."

Shisui hesitated briefly, glanced at the sky, and since it was already late, decided to finish breakfast before leaving.

Xuehua's eyes curved attractively as she stood and said, "Lord Shisui, please go have breakfast; I'll tidy your room."

"Please."

Shisui smiled, turned, and left, encountering a stunned Jin Huo on the way.

"Huh? Lord Shisui, why are you still at home?"

After Shisui left the bedroom, Xuehua seemed to recall something, her breathing grew rapid, and she hurried back into the bedroom.

The bedroom was starkly simple, with only a sheet of blankets pulled back, and scattered clothes atop them.

"Lord Shisui's body~"

Xuehua slipped into the blankets, feeling the lingering warmth, her complexion gradually flushing.

"This is Lord Shisui's scent~"

She carefully embraced Shisui's clothes he hadn't yet put away, and, enamored, buried her face in them and inhaled.

An exhilarating aroma surged to her mind; Xuehua twisted her body and instinctively slipped her hand into the blankets.

Wham~ Suddenly, the bedroom door opened; Xuehua's body trembled slightly, then she sat up sharply and looked back.

"Sister, hasn't Lord Shisui's room been tidied yet? Let me help."

The newcomer was Meihua; she stared at the scene, mouth agape, eyes full of disbelief.

At this moment Xuehua's face bore a slight flush, her disheveled hair clumped from tiny beads of sweat on her neck, and the sudden door opening flustered her; she hadn't even set down the clothes in her hands.

Seeing Meihua arrive, Xuehua exhaled and, nervous, explained, "No, it's not what you think; I just— I just saw that Lord Shisui trained too long yesterday, so his clothes might have some odor!"

Yes, that's it; I was only trying to determine if Shisui's clothes had any off‑smell, whether they need washing!"

Meihua's eyelids flickered; with a helpless expression she said, "Whether or not Lord Shisui's changed clothes smell, they all need washing; no need for you, sister, to judge!"

". No way"

A whisper like a mosquito's wing flutter made Meihua shake her head helplessly, and she stepped forward to snatch the clothes from Xuehua's arms.

"I still have to wash the clothes; sister, hurry up and tidy."

Having said that, she grabbed the clothes and left in a hurry.

"Bad Meihua!"

With a wham— the door slammed shut again, and Meihua's heartbeat quickened as she looked at the clothes in her arms.

"Just a moment, I'll sniff~"

Sniff~ "This is Lord Shisui's scent~ hehe~"

"It's finally over."

Inside the Hokage Building, Shisui watched the various reports and finally breathed a sigh of relief; however, the changes in the Police Department entangled many aspects, with endless matters, leaving Shisui exhausted for several days.

Yesterday there was another breakthrough in sealing techniques, so he practiced a bit longer, and having been in Konoha for a long time, rarely taking action, he relaxed, which caused his late rising this morning.

As for being late, he is the Hokage; who dares to call him late?

"Lord Hokage, this is intelligence gathered from the Land of Water."

After handling the Police Department matters, the next task is updating intelligence from various nations.

"From the Hidden Mist Village? We rarely receive news from there; is their security really that strict?"

The visitor was Kakashi, temporarily in charge of ANBU training; Shisui was also curious why the Hidden Mist intel was delivered by him.

"We have learned that the Hidden Mist Village appears to be pursuing a closed‑off policy; our spies find it hard to infiltrate."

"Closed‑off?"

Shisui was taken aback, not understanding why the Hidden Mist would do this; the Land of Water is an island nation—how can it develop without leaving the continent?

But on second thought, the great reputation of the Land of Water wouldn't care about such things.

"If ninja won't work, try bribing some merchants; no need to waste lives. They have a Byakugan; they're not so easy to fool."

Shisui recalled Qing, recalled that Byakugan, was pondering how to retrieve it, then suddenly thought of the person before him, and looked up, startled by Kakashi's one‑eye expression.

"Speaking of it, Kakashi, your Copy Wheel Eye was given to you by Obito, right?"

Kakashi's body trembled; the name Obito brought back painful memories.

"Yes, Lord Hokage, this is the most precious gift Obito gave me."

Kakashi, feeling down, subconsciously lowered his head and stroked his covered Copy Wheel Eye.

An outsider took a Uchiha's Copy Wheel Eye; had it been on someone else, the Uchiha would have already acted to retrieve it.

However, Kakashi was a disciple of the Fourth Hokage; at that time the Uchiha had a harmonious relationship with the Fourth, and the three Uchiha factions all consented to the gift of that eye.

Even after the Fourth's death, no one suggested reclaiming Obito's eye.

Because this is almost the only bridge between the Leaf and the Uchiha.

Obito.

Shisui also recalled that passionate and fighting‑spirited senior, feeling a bit regretful, but he knows the bond between the person before him and Obito will only grow deeper; the loss of a close friend brings an immeasurably heavy blow.

Shisui opened his mouth intending to advise a little, but as he looked at Kakashi's covered eye, his expression grew increasingly solemn.

"Kakashi, do you still remember where Obito's incident happened? There's an opportunity now; I plan to send people to retrieve and properly bury those who couldn't be brought back, so the villagers may revere them."

Kakashi was startled; he had come to apply for a mission to the Land of Water, but clearly, retrieving Obito's remains stirred him more.

"Of course I remember, in the Land of Grass!"

Kakashi's expression turned emotional, his left eye throbbing slightly; he indeed remembered, as it was one of the most painful memories of his life, one he would never forget even in death.

"Then prepare; in the next few days finish the ANBU training work first. I still need to gather some intelligence on my side."

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

After Kakashi left, Shisui's smile gradually faded, his expression exceedingly solemn. "Indeed, how could I have forgotten that!"

The tiger‑skin‑masked ninja's mask covers only one eye; if he didn't want to reveal his Copy Wheel Eye, why expose the other one?

There must be a problem on the other side!

Moreover, Kakashi's Copy Wheel Eye is in his left eye, while the masked man's is the right; could such a coincidence truly exist? "Obito. I heard he activated the Copy Wheel Eye before dying, and it opened as a double tomoe; with such talent, the chance of awakening a Mangekyou is very high."

"But it shouldn't be him."

Shisui furrowed his brows; the more he compared, the more he felt Obito's possibility was high.

Yet Obito had left such a deep impression on him that he couldn't believe a person whose heart was full of light would do such a thing.

"That's not right; when Obito's incident happened, the Copy Wheel Eye he gave Kakashi was only a double tomoe, now it has evolved into a triple tomoe. Can the Copy Wheel Eye evolve on someone outside the clan?"

Shisui truly wasn't clear on this; previously no one in the clan had trouble with Kakashi over it, and he always thought it reasonable, but now he has long since reviewed the family records and found no such precedent.

Shisui didn't waste time; he rose, left behind a Shadow Clone Jutsu, and returned to the clan lands to find the Elder.

"Shisui, why did you suddenly come to me?"

The Elder no longer manages clan affairs; each day he simply basks in the sun, leisurely content.

Seeing Shisui arrive, a smile that couldn't be suppressed spread across his face.

Now the Uchiha have become this powerful; within the clan not only have people become Hokage, but there are three pairs of Mangekyou, two characters, invincible.

Even if he were to die on the spot, he would still have the confidence to be listed among the ancestors in the afterlife.

Seeing the Elder's complexion turn a bit flushed, Shisui felt somewhat embarrassed; after the New Year he hadn't visited the Elder for a while, and if not for Obito's matter, he probably wouldn't have thought to come.

"Stealing a moment from my busy schedule, I suddenly thought of the Elder and came by for a walk."

"Hahaha, you must have something to ask me. At the last annual meeting, seeing you had just become Hokage I truly had no time, so I propped up these old bones to help you; this time it's not possible!"

The Elder could not be unaware of Shisui's purpose, and teased with a smile.

"Nothing can hide from the Elder; this visit is actually about the Copy Wheel Eye, and I have some questions I'd like the Elder to clarify."

"Hmm?"

The Elder suppressed his smile, his expression suddenly a bit startled, "Could it be that your Mangekyou has already—"

"Didn't I tell you not to misuse it? It's broken; let's go to the shrine, and today Fugaku will give you the eye; his use of it was also in vain!"

The Elder rose, pulling Shisui to set off, but Shisui quickly stopped him, explaining, "Elder, you've misunderstood; my eye is fine."

Helping the Elder sit down, Shisui continued, "Elder, do you still remember a person in the clan named Obito?"

"Obito?"

The Elder pondered briefly then nodded slowly, "He was a disciple of the Fourth, a pity, if he were still alive—"

Obito's reputation within the clan was still great; after all, he was a disciple of the Fourth's purpose, which could be said to have already secured a ticket to run for Hokage.

"Before dying, Obito gave his left eye to Kakashi, but when he gave that eye it was only a double tomoe; now it has become a triple tomoe.

So I'm curious, can outsiders also help the Copy Wheel Eye evolve?"

"I once doubted Kakashi's matter as well, but after all he is the final bridge between the Leaf and the Uchiha, so Fugaku and I did not send anyone to look for him."

The Elder shook his head, continuing, "There may be other behind‑the‑scenes I cannot confirm, but I can tell you clearly that before Kakashi I had never heard of such a possibility, and there is no record of it in the clan."

It may exist, but it has never appeared.

"After all, he was the Fourth's disciple; if there is no obstacle, let that eye remain on him."

It's just a single triple tomoe; the Elder now doesn't care at all.

"I understand, thank you, Elder." Having received the answer, Shisui had already made his decision.

"Your Mangekyou—will it ever be eternal? As for Fugaku, still consider it a bit more."

The Elder kept thinking about Fugaku's Mangekyou; Shisui is still too young—no matter how sparingly he uses it, he'll eventually go blind.

"Hahaha, I'll discuss it with Uncle Fugaku. By the way, there are some matters in the Village; I'll handle those first and visit you later." Shisui, of course, could not go dig up Fugaku's eye, and now he no longer faces the risk of blindness; it's just that the method isn't suitable to spread.

"Hurry up. I've heard Itachi's talent is also impressive; if he awakens the Mangekyou, that would be troublesome."

Although Itachi, after Shisui's modifications, has begun to value the clan, the Elder still looks at him unfavorably.

"Alright then, I'll leave now. Elder, you rest first."

After the farewell, Shisui hurried away.

Something's off; nine out of ten times it's off. This Obito has too many doubts.

"Obito, if it really is you, what exactly happened to make you become like this?"

Shisui felt heavy‑hearted; suddenly his steps halted, and he suddenly recalled the awakening conditions of the Mangekyou.

Enlightened love, lost love.

"I see now."

At that moment, Shisui no longer hesitated, turned, and went to the shrine.

"Uncle Fugaku, I would like to ask you for a favor."

Fire Country, East Mountain Road, an underground money‑changing shop near a small town close to Hot Springs Country.

"Just this amount, these guys really have no luck with money~"

Jiao Du, carrying a box, walked out of the money‑changing shop and sighed coolly.

"But the Leaf Village's pursuit is also a hassle; it's time to leave Fire Country."

After leaving the East Sea Highway, Jiao Du realized he seemed to have offended the Uchiha, but it wasn't a big problem—just the Uchiha; even the entire Leaf Village wouldn't scare Lord Jiao Du.

Later he received news that Shisui Uchiha had become the Hokage.

Of course, Jiao Du didn't feel afraid of the Leaf Village; it was just that the north happened to have the heart he needed, so he stopped by to take a look.

As for evading the Leaf Village's investigation, that was all just a coincidence.

"But before leaving, there are a few little rats that need to be dealt with."

Jiao Du's gaze fell on several trees beside the money‑changing shop; perhaps he had killed too many times recently while hunting suitable hearts, or had stayed in Fire Country too long, and the Leaf Village's people still found him.

The few people hidden in the trees, seeing Jiao Du's stare sweep over them, instantly felt their hair stand on end, hearts race, and under the threat of death they unhesitatingly fled to the side.

"Wind Release: Press Harm!"

A gale swept by, and an air cannon roared in.

One person, unable to dodge in time, was instantly blown into a cloud of blood mist.

"Tuo Zhi!"

"Ignore him, go!"

At the same time, in the small town near the money‑changing shop, a blonde little girl looked up toward the sound.

"Eh?"

(End of Chapter)