Chapter 59: Heaven‑Bestowed Opportunity

Huh?

That's your father!

That's your future position!

Sima Yi's pupils contracted as he looked at Itachi in disbelief.

Itachi, without any hesitation, chose Shisui, looking sincerely at Shisui, "Father and those clan elders cannot help the Uchiha get out of the predicament.

Their thinking is too narrow; only someone like Brother Shisui can help the Uchiha truly integrate into Konoha.

If we were to replace the clan head, I would definitely support Brother Shisui!"

"Thank you, Itachi!"

Shisui let out a sigh of relief, stepped in front of Itachi and stroked his short hair, feeling genuinely happy about Itachi's support.

"I promise you, I will work hard to set everything right!"

"Hmm~"

Seeing the two of them huddled together, Sima Yi twitched the corner of his eye, silently dispelled the seal formation he had set up these past days, picked up his chopsticks again, and in a low voice said, "Shisui, come to the study later!"

Shisui's body trembled; only then did he remember that Sima Yi was also here. He forced a dry laugh, patted Itachi's head again, and returned to his original spot.

He lowered his head, not daring to look at Sima Yi's expression; Itachi seemed a bit puzzled, but asked nothing further.

After the meal, the two went to the study, and Sima Yi looked at Shisui with a complicated expression, "I originally heard you say your relationship was good; I don't understand and won't argue with you, but your behavior today was still too reckless! I have always taught you that a gentleman does not stand beneath a dangerous wall—have you forgotten that?"

Even so, the other party is also the clan head's son; Shisui's actions amount to a bid for succession! This kind of probing is only a step away from directly asking whether he would support a regime change! "Sorry, Grandfather, but I trust Itachi; he would never betray me! It is precisely because I am confident that I act this way, not out of a momentary impulse!"

Shisui also remembered Sima Yi's previous teachings, but when facing Itachi, he was willing to trust him.

"You"

Sima Yi fell silent, sighed, and said nothing more; after all, judging by the outcome, Shisui was right, and Itachi really seemed indifferent to all this.

"You have your own judgment; this old man will not say more, but such matters should still be handled cautiously and must not become the norm."

"Grandfather, rest assured, only Itachi is special; if it were anyone else, I would never act like this."

Shisui nodded obediently; he did not consider himself the type to trust others easily.

Sima Yi gave Shisui a deep look, but in his heart he harbored other plans.

"Very well, since you have already probed the result, go and talk with him more."

Having said that, Sima Yi waved his hand for Shisui to leave; Shisui gave a simple smile, dared not argue, and said, "Alright."

After Shisui left, Sima Yi immediately summoned Ying Shu and ordered, "Go outside and investigate how the clan head's family discussion went."

"Yes!"

Ying Shu nodded in agreement, then set off at once; this wasn't his first time doing such a thing, not even Jin Huo knew about it.

Since Jin Huo is connected to all of Tie Huo, Sima Yi was uneasy about integrating him into the intelligence network, so these matters were kept away from Jin Huo.

Ying Shu moved quickly; in less than ten minutes he brought back a piece of intelligence.

"The clan head and the elders have finished arguing; the exact content is unknown. Midway, someone from the ANBU came by, and then news spread through the clan that the Hokage will select two squads from within the clan to enter the ANBU."

"Two squads."

Sima Yi pondered for a moment, lost in thought.

Entering the ANBU is not merely about being close to the Hokage.

Many high‑level missions are not open to lower ranks; aside from a few exceptionally strong ninja who might get access, most high‑level missions are issued only within the ANBU.

Even ninja of equal strength, as long as they can work within the ANBU, will receive opportunities and rewards far beyond others.

Among them are special missions with high reward and low risk; the Hokage also prioritizes issuing them to the ANBU, which explains why the ANBU budget is so large.

The Uchiha want to join the ANBU, not just for prestige.

"Still lacking something," Sima Yi said, gently stroking his long whiskers as he evaluated the intelligence. Ying Shu was puzzled, but he was well‑mannered and asked nothing.

"No problem, you go down first, keep an eye on the situation over there, and report any news later."

"Yes!"

"Wait a moment."

Ying Shu was about to leave when Sima Yi called him back; he turned around, looking puzzled at Sima Yi.

Sima Yi stood up, retrieved a scroll from under the table, handed it to Ying Shu and said, "This contains the cultivation method for the Phoenix Fairy Fire Technique, as well as Shisui's cultivation insights. Take it back and practice well; if there are parts you don't understand, you can find time later to ask Shisui."

Ying Shu was delighted, quickly took it, and said, "Thank you, Grandfather Sima!"

His father had left the cultivation method for the Phoenix Fairy Fire Technique, but Shisui's cultivation insights are rather rare.

After Ying Shu left, Sima Yi did not dwell on it and quietly studied the sealing art.

Shisui's actions gave him a wake‑up call; the seal reaction covering the entire courtyard was still too slow and not precise enough.

He still needs to set up seal arrays in several frequently used rooms in advance, for contingencies.

Immersed in study, time passed quickly; before he knew it, dusk had arrived, and outside remained a blank white expanse.

Suddenly a bell rang; Sima Yi looked up and saw a black cat with a bell pushing open the window and jumping in.

"So cold, meow~"

The black cat wore a short thin coat and spoke human language; it was Hui's ninja cat.

It was called a cat, but its body was quite broad and thick, somewhat like a dog.

"Did Hui send you to deliver a message?"

Sima Yi, not seeing this for the first time, wasn't surprised; he stood up, closed the window, and asked naturally.

"Don't start talking about work the moment you open your mouth, meow!"

The black cat seemed a bit displeased, rubbed against the stove, then slumped down in a lazy pose.

"That kid Hui wants to eat barbecue with others, yet makes me, the great one, come out in this cold weather to deliver a letter—how excessive, meow!"

Sima Yi smiled, not minding it, and instead cleared the items on the table to make space for it.

Then he casually took out a thousand‑tael banknote and handed it to the black cat, while his other hand kept petting it, "I still have to ask you for the information."

The black cat smelled the scent of money, its eyes instantly lit up, and it let Sima Yi's hand wander over its body.

"You're still a well‑behaved meow~"

The black cat took the money, perked up immediately, and shook off the letter that had been wedged between its clothing and fur.

Sima Yi opened the letter and then nodded with satisfaction.

The letter told him that the Hokage this morning had deployed a large number of the ANBU, and in just one morning had captured many spies in the Village, including the person who fled last time.

It then described the clan's reaction: although the talk of a Coup was suppressed, the Great Elder and others were still seething with anger and directly recalled all those who had previously been sent to the Ninja Hospital.

"Hahaha, a heaven‑sent opportunity!"

Sima Yi was overjoyed, set the letter down and let his hand wander over the black cat, "If you're not in a hurry, let's eat here tonight. I'll have someone buy you a mugwort drink."

"Really? You bastard may look pretty bad, but surprisingly you're a good person, meow! One serving isn't enough—could you bring a few more, meow?"

Sima Yi laughed heartily and sighed, "What a greedy little creature."

(End of chapter)