"Itachi..."

"The Uchiha coup can no longer be stopped.""Once the clan and the village go to war, other villages will surely attack Konoha... War will be inevitable."

At the Naka River, Shisui stood on the cliff, his back to Uchiha Itachi, feeling the evening breeze brush against his face. While his heart felt light, a deep sorrow also weighed on him.

Because Itachi's younger brother had once told him...

He was far too naive.

At the time, he hadn't taken it seriously, thinking a child of just a few years couldn't possibly understand the complexities between nations, villages, and clans.

But now, looking back...

Kaito had been right.

Shisui narrowed his single eye slightly, continuing with a hint of remorse.

"I had planned to use Kotoamatsukami to stop all this... but Danzo took my right eye."

"I trusted Danzo too much. That man only wants to protect the village through his extreme methods."

"I fear he won't spare my left eye either."

Shisui turned around, taking one last look at his dear friend before plucking out his own left eye.

"My eyes... I leave them to you."

"I hope you can protect the village... and the Uchiha..."

Itachi stood frozen. He desperately wanted to stop Shisui, but deep down, he knew this was the only path left for him.

If Shisui returned alive, it would only worsen the conflict between the village and the clan.

Danzo...

Would never let the Uchiha clan go.

"Shisui..."

Itachi whispered the name softly, his eyes instantly reddening.

He knew... he had failed in the task his younger brother had entrusted to him.

When Shisui handed the eyeball to Itachi, he could only numbly accept it, staring blankly at his friend's blood-streaked face.

"And one more thing..."

"Don't tell Kaito or Sasuke anything about me."

"I'm counting on you, my dear friend."

With that, Shisui leaned backward, falling headfirst into the Naka River below.

Itachi finally snapped out of his daze. He had never expected Shisui to jump. Reaching out, he tried to grab him.

But he was too late...

He could only watch helplessly as Shisui plummeted into the river.

"SHISUI!!!"

Itachi's anguished cry echoed as overwhelming emotions surged to their peak. The Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes spun uncontrollably.

When he opened his eyes again...

The pattern in Itachi's eyes had transformed into the Kaleidoscope Sharingan.

"Are you insane?!"

"You had to jump now?"

Meanwhile, a shadow clone by the riverbank, who had been taking his dog out to relieve itself, heard a loud splash nearby before he could even begin. Clearly, someone had fallen into the water.

And just moments ago...

He had heard Itachi's shout.

Worried about Shisui's imminent death but afraid of being discovered by Itachi, the shadow clone grabbed a Shiba Inu and dove headfirst into the water.

Elsewhere.

Kaito, who had just finished checking his equipment, suddenly froze. His pupils contracted sharply, and without hesitation, he activated his teleportation ability.

"What are you barking at?"

"What are you barking at?"

Woof woof—

Woof woof woof...

The night in Konoha was suddenly filled with the incessant barking of dogs.

Perched on a tree, Kakashi had been sleeping soundly with a book covering his face. He smacked his lips twice, scratched his cheek, and drifted back into slumber.

When Kaito teleported to the Naka Riverbank, he found himself inside a cave. The entrance was covered with dry grass, likely arranged by the shadow clone.

And Shisui...

Lay on the ground, drenched, blood still pouring from his eye sockets. Judging by the amount of blood loss, he was at risk of dying from hemorrhage even if he hadn't drowned.Looking at the barely alive Shisui, memories of his usual bright smile flashed through Kaito's mind. His fists clenched tightly, knuckles turning white.

Suppressing the emotions in his heart, Kaito turned Shisui over to make the idiot more comfortable before summoning his "Left and Right Guardians."

One after another, golden light spheres were spat onto Shisui's body to heal him.

Ten minutes later.

"Is that... Itachi?"

After recovering, Shisui struggled to adapt to his blindness and immediately called out Itachi's name.

"Why did you save me?"

"You know this will only make—"

Thud—

With an expressionless face, Kaito grabbed Shisui by the collar and punched him hard in the face.

After taking the hit, Shisui seemed to realize something. A brief look of surprise flashed across his face before his sunny smile returned.

Kaito yanked his collar again, steadied him, and then began punching him repeatedly, left and right.

With each blow, Shisui maintained his smile, as if it were the only way to keep himself from looking too pathetic.

He didn't fight back, just waited quietly.

A long time later, Kaito finally stopped beating Shisui. He stood still, arms hanging limply at his sides, his fists now a bloody mess.

It had to be said...

Beating someone up was sometimes a skill, but all Kaito felt was resentment toward this guy. It seemed like the only way to vent his emotions.

"Kaito."

"It's you, right?"

Shisui grinned, still smiling, unaware that his mouth was now full of blood, making him look somewhat terrifying.

From the first punch, Shisui had known it wasn't Itachi who saved him.

Aside from his best friend...

The only other person Shisui could think of was this guy.

Kaito patted his "Left and Right Guardians" on the shoulders twice, spitting out two more light spheres to heal their injuries. Only after calming down did he speak coldly to Shisui.

"You're going to get everyone killed like this!"

"What good will dying do?"

"Stupid!"

"You and Itachi are both idiots!"

His voice was hoarse, nothing like a six-year-old's.

Even though he knew the outcome of Shisui's cliff jump, he had kept telling himself...

That sunny, optimistic, cheerful boy next door—maybe, just maybe, because of his presence, there was a sliver of hope Shisui wouldn't do something so foolish.

The truth proved...

He was wrong.

He shouldn't have assumed Shisui was that smart.

Even though this guy was so strong...

Did he really have to end things by seeking death?

Shisui listened to the scolding seriously, giving Kaito the respect he deserved and accepting all his fury.

Only after the silence returned did Shisui finally speak.

"Kaito, some things aren't as simple as you think."

"The clan... the coup can't be stopped anymore."

"A six-year-old like you can't possibly understand what the current state of the clan and the village will lead to."

Kaito sat there, his crimson eyes revealing a single tomoe.

Under the weight of resentment and anger, he had naturally awakened the one-tomoe Sharingan.

Honestly...

The moment he noticed the change, Kaito even considered beating Shisui up again.

Of course...

It was just a thought.

Shisui kept rambling, irritating him further.

"Shut up."

"I don't need a blind man lecturing me."

Shisui froze for a few seconds, sensing that familiar ocular power, before smiling gently again.

"Not a bad deal, right?""I'll jump off a cliff once..."

"And make two people awaken their eyes at the same time."

Kaito: "..."

The Uchiha clan is truly insane!

...