"But I don't know how Shisui is doing recently. If he could join this battle, we would have a great chance of winning."
Uchiha Fugaku thought of another genius from the Uchiha clan, one even more outstanding than Itachi. Since Shisui left Konohagakure, he had lost contact with the Uchiha clan. Unless he contacted them first, they had no way to reach him.
"Shisui? Isn't he right here?"
Hatake Satoru suddenly said.
"What?"
Fugaku, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the others all showed puzzled and somewhat surprised expressions. Only Namikaze Minato's face remained unchanged, as if he had known all along.
"Come out, Shisui. Let everyone see you. There's no need to hide your identity anymore."
Suddenly, Namikaze Minato spoke, and an Anbu appeared in front of everyone so quickly that most people didn't notice how he appeared.
"Is this person Shisui?"
Fugaku asked in a puzzled tone.
"Long time no see."
The Anbu removed his mask, revealing a familiar yet unfamiliar face, and smiled at Uchiha Fugaku.
"Is it really you? When did you come back?"
Fugaku quickly stepped forward, looking at Shisui with excitement. As the only one who could lead the Uchiha clan, if Shisui could live openly in Konohagakure, it would greatly relieve his pressure.
"I've hardly ever left Konohagakure."
Shisui replied with a smile.
Then, Fugaku turned his gaze to Minato, seemingly waiting for an explanation.
"That's right. Since that incident, Shisui has been hiding in Anbu. Besides cooperating with Itachi's actions, Shisui has mostly stayed in Konohagakure."
Minato gave Fugaku the answer he wanted.
"You two, you even kept it from me."
Fugaku glanced at Minato, then at Shisui, and then back at Minato, speaking with a slightly helpless tone. As the Patriarch of the Uchiha clan, he had become one of those kept in the dark, even though he had been involved in those matters back then.
"Not only did you not know, but even we didn't know."
Hatake Satoru said. He had only discovered the clue about Shisui's presence by chance.
This matter was known only to the two involved, and no one else.
"I didn't expect you to hide it so deeply."
Fugaku looked at the two again and said.
"We had no choice. We did it to protect Itachi."
Shisui explained. If others found out that he had returned to Konohagakure, the news would surely reach the Akatsuki organization, and they would inevitably become suspicious of Itachi.
If that happened, Itachi would be in danger. So, to ensure Itachi's safety, Minato decided to completely hide Shisui in Konohagakure.
But now, with the decisive battle against Akatsuki approaching, it didn't matter if Shisui was exposed.
"Can Itachi come back now?"
Suddenly, Fugaku's tone showed a hint of emotion. His greatest wish was for Itachi to live openly in Konohagakure.
"Of course, but it depends on Itachi's will."
Shisui replied.
"What do you mean?"
Fugaku frowned and asked.
"You should know how Sasuke feels about Itachi. If Sasuke finds out that it was all a lie, how do you think he would react? I think Itachi might use this opportunity to help Sasuke awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan, so Sasuke can protect himself in the upcoming war."
As Itachi's close friend, Shisui knew exactly what Itachi was thinking.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of sparks will fly when the Mangekyou Sharingan is combined with Sage Mode."
This had never happened in the history of the Uchiha clan. The Uchiha had never signed contracts with the sacred places, so they didn't know what Sage Mode was.
They believed that having the Mangekyou Sharingan was enough. After all, the number of people with the Mangekyou Sharingan and those who could use Sage Mode was not very different.
In the past, the Uchiha clan had never thought of combining the Mangekyou Sharingan with Sage Mode, but now a successful case was about to appear, and Fugaku was quite excited.
He just wanted his child to become stronger.
"It might have unexpected results."
Even Hatake Satoru was curious about what kind of sparks would fly when these two forces clashed.
Sage Mode combined with Nine-Tails Chakra Mode would become Sage Fox Mode, so would Sage Mode combined with Mangekyou Sharingan become Sage Eye Mode?
"Finally, everything is about to end."
Uchiha Fugaku sighed. It had been a long time since their family of four had sat down for a meal together. Even though they were about to face a war, Uchiha Fugaku was full of confidence that they would win this battle.
No matter what kind of enemy they faced, they had the will to win.
"Yes, everything is about to end."
Minato repeated Fugaku's words.
However, at this moment, Satoru, who was sitting nearby, suddenly changed his expression and stood up immediately.
"What's wrong?"
Minato asked immediately, and everyone else turned their gaze to Satoru. After all, it was rare to see Satoru show a hint of panic.
"The Otsutsuki clan has appeared. I have to leave now. I hope that when I return, I will hear news of victory, not that you have all been wiped out."
Satoru's expression returned to normal in an instant.
"Don't worry, when you come back, you will see a complete Konohagakure."
"Be careful, don't make father worry about you again."
At this moment, Kakashi also stood up and spoke. From his eyes, it was clear that he cared about Satoru.
"I should be the one saying that to you."
After saying that, Satoru's figure disappeared in front of everyone.
(End of Chapter)