Chapter 44: Those Are Words I'd Never Expect You to Say

Shisui's expression changed abruptly, and he instinctively spoke up to stop it.

Someone as dangerous as Orochimaru was troublesome even to him.

With that gloomy disposition, if Orochimaru became Itachi's teacher, Shisui dared not imagine what the two of them would do together.

"Hmm?"

Fugaku paused the hand holding his teacup and looked at Shisui with some puzzlement, not understanding why his reaction was so strong.

No matter how you looked at it, Orochimaru was one of the Legendary Sannin and a disciple of the Hokage — he was perfectly qualified to be Itachi's teacher.

"Lord Orochimaru already has a disciple, and don't you think his personality is also unsuited to teaching Itachi?"

Personality... Fugaku thought it over carefully. Orochimaru was indeed somewhat eccentric, and his reputation had been declining steadily even before the Fourth took office.

But "For the sake of the Uchiha, some sacrifices are necessary. Besides, he is my son."

Fugaku felt rather helpless too. If the Fourth were still alive, perhaps Itachi would have become his disciple.

"According to intelligence I've received in the Anbu, Lord Orochimaru has been getting very close to Danzo. Danzo would never agree to him taking Itachi as a disciple, and even if he did, it wouldn't be out of good intentions."

Danzo was a trouble the Uchiha could not avoid, and Fugaku knew this well.

Recalling the hostility directed at them in the Hokage's office during the day, he fell silent. The two faced each other but had nothing more to say.

"Lord Orochimaru can't be relied on. Leave Itachi to me. I hope Itachi can train alongside me, and when the time is right, I will recommend him to the Third Lord so he can join the Anbu."

Shisui bowed low, his tone sincere.

Fugaku was moved. He stared at Shisui and couldn't help asking, "Why go to such lengths?"

"For Itachi, and for the future of the Uchiha!"

Shisui raised his head, his expression solemn, his gaze burning like a torch.

He mentioned Itachi, he mentioned the Uchiha, but he did not mention Konoha. Fugaku felt Shisui's resolve from the depths of his heart.

He wavered again, but he still did not relent, because Itachi represented far more than just his son, far more than just a single Uchiha clansman.

"I will persuade the clansmen. Itachi can be taught by someone from the Uchiha. Please, Clan Head Lord!"

"Those are words I'd never expect you to say."

Fugaku was surprised, as though meeting Shisui for the first time, but this time he did not refuse again.

He folded his arms across his chest, his expression calm, and nodded. "However, if you can pull it off, I'll leave Itachi to you."

"Thank you, Clan Head Lord!"

Shisui showed delight and breathed a sigh of relief, then glanced to the side.

Itachi stepped out at just the right moment. He had been listening from the side all along, and both Shisui and Fugaku were well aware of his presence.

"Itachi, from now on, find time to go train at Shisui's place."

"Yes, Father."

A faint smile appeared on Itachi's face, which made Fugaku pause slightly in surprise.

"Then I'll take my leave for now. I'll find another opportunity to report to you about Anbu matters."

"Mm. Be careful with everything. Don't expose yourself."

After bidding farewell to Fugaku, Shisui looked at Itachi again. Seeing a hint of reluctance in Itachi's eyes, he slowly raised his hand and stroked his short hair.

"Remember to come over to train tomorrow. I'll be waiting for you at home."

"Mm~"

After Shisui left, Itachi stood in the corridor gazing into the distance, while Fugaku, unnoticed, looked down at his own hand and fell into thought.

Did Itachi like having his head touched?

Shisui's residence, the study. Sima Yi was still reading quietly. On the desk were laid out various ninjutsu and bloodline abilities recorded by the Uchiha clan.

Many of these ninjutsu not only recorded the ninja clans who excelled at them, but also included training methods and countermeasures.

It was rare for the Uchiha to have gone to such lengths. The detailed records saved him a great deal of effort — a rough skim was enough to memorize them.

On another corner of the desk sat over a dozen intelligence reports he had processed, some sent by Hui, others gathered by Jin Huo and the others.

"Grandfather, I'm back."

Just as he was flipping through a page, Shisui's voice came from afar, followed immediately by a knock on the door.

"Come in," Sima Yi replied casually without looking up, the book in his hand turning page by page.

Shisui pushed the door open and entered, carefully approaching without making a sound, and stood quietly at his side.

"Hmm?"

Sima Yi sensed something was off and finally looked up, only to see Shisui's eyes darting about, his expression conflicted.

He gave a light chuckle and asked, "Go ahead, what's troubling you so much?"

"Hehe, nothing gets past you, Grandfather." Sima Yi spoke first, and Shisui felt much more relaxed, quickly moving closer to pour him more tea.

"It's actually nothing major. Grandfather, you still remember Itachi, right?"

"The clan head's eldest son. What? You want me to teach him?"

"Eh? Grandfather, you—"

Shisui froze, his expression utterly astonished. "Grandfather, how did you know?"

Sima Yi glanced at Shisui and couldn't help shaking his head. "You mention him and look this troubled — what else could it be but wanting me to teach him? Very well, bring him over. Having him right under my nose will make it easier to keep an eye on him."

Sima Yi still remembered how dangerous Itachi was. Keeping him here also meant he could deal with him at any time.

"Really? That's wonderful! Thank you, Grandfather!"

Shisui was overjoyed. He had thought it would be very difficult, since Sima Yi had previously urged him to take action. He never expected him to accept Itachi so easily.

"He'll come over tomorrow. I'll introduce you to him."

Sima Yi nodded, not particularly concerned. Itachi was still only a minor problem for now — a perfunctory effort would suffice.

He set down his book and handed the stack of intelligence reports on the desk to Shisui.

"Take a look at this first. These are incidents that occurred across various parts of Konoha today, all related to the Police Department. It seems someone is making moves in the shadows."

Shisui took it and looked, and his expression quickly turned grave.

Ninja conflicts, villagers arguing, merchants from the outskirts having their property stolen, foreign spies exposed yet escaping with ease—one incident after another, each a minor matter taken on its own, yet they all happened to converge at once, showcasing the Uchiha's incompetence in full display.

Shisui frowned, and instead of getting angry, asked, "Grandfather, could we take this opportunity to propose expanding the guard force to the Third?"

A flash of surprise passed through Sima Yi's eyes. "Those are words truly unlike you."

Huh? Shisui was taken aback—why did that sound so familiar?

However, Sima Yi still offered some affirmation. "A good idea, but the timing is wrong, and they would never agree. For now, you still need to keep your focus more on the inside."

"Then what about these?" Shisui raised the intelligence report in his hand and asked in confusion.

"The higher-ups are busy suppressing the Police Department, the clan head and the clan elders are busy dealing with it—neither side has attention to spare elsewhere. I've already more or less understood the situation of the clan and the Village. It's also time to proceed to the next step."

"Are we going to make a move on Clan Head Fugaku?"

Shisui's mood was low and even somewhat agitated, yet he did not avoid the topic. After today's contact, he was even more certain that Fugaku would only lead Itachi down a dead end—the Uchiha could not be handed over to him.

"Haha, it's still too early. Developing yourself first is the real priority. Leave the rest to the will of Heaven. Remember—only by staying steady can you endure."

(End of this chapter)