After listening to how Byakuya seized the position of leader of Amegakure, Shisui fell into deep contemplation.
Previously, he had no idea about Byakuya's rise alongside Yahiko and others where he genuinely believed that Byakuya had been valued by Hanzo of the Salamander and thus chosen as the successor for Amegakure. But unexpectedly, the public narrative of Amegakure was merely a façade—what truly transpired was a rebellion.
However, after the coup that overthrew Hanzo's rule, for the sake of stability, Byakuya and the others did not directly eliminate Hanzo but rather stripped him of his power.
Reflecting on this, Shisui began to feel lost again, even his Mangekyo Sharingan couldn't help him see a clear path ahead.
Why must the clansmen pursue the position of Hokage? Why is it that they yearn to become Hokage, despite the limited benefits it brings?
Why couldn't they coexist harmoniously with other ninjas in the village?
At that moment, Shisui seemed to recall something and said to Byakuya, "Didn't you say before that the Uchiha's pursuit of the Hokage position would bring misfortune? Why are you sharing your coup experience with my clansmen this time?"
Byakuya said meaningfully, "Becoming Hokage is the Uchiha's will. Unless faced with a heavy blow, the Uchiha will never abandon the pursuit of becoming Hokage."
"A heavy blow?" Shisui asked, confused and eager to know the answer.
Byakuya extended his finger towards the Uchiha camp and then pointed at himself, "The former Uzumaki clan also believed that Konoha was a good ally until they encountered a national extermination crisis, after which the surviving members understood that Konoha was not to be trusted.
If the Uchiha were to face a clan extermination crisis, the remaining members would become much clear about their goals."
"Extermination crisis?" Shisui frowned.
If they truly faced such a crisis, the remaining clansmen would indeed give up on becoming Hokage, but that price seemed far too heavy. Moreover, the Uchiha currently did not seem to be facing any extermination crisis.
At this moment, Byakuya said thoughtfully, "In normal circumstances, the Uchiha would not encounter an extermination crisis, but that would change if you attempted a coup. Given the current trend, the probability of the Uchiha staging a coup in the future is not low. So, To leave a few embers for your Uchiha clan, why not send some weaker clansmen to me? This way, they won't end up in a situation of death and extermination."
After hearing this, Shisui froze momentarily, then stared intently at Byakuya.
After testing him for so long, Byakuya finally revealed his true intentions. His keen interest in the Uchiha clan was indeed due to his desire for the Sharingan bloodline.
However, unlike others who sought to seize the Sharingan, Byakuya wanted the entire Uchiha clan.
This was why he frequently crossed paths with Shisui, continuously instilling the idea that the Uchiha could not become Hokage and would eventually instigate a coup.
But the most terrifying part was that what Byakuya said was true—it reflected the reality unfolding within the clan.
After pondering for a moment, Shisui gently shook his head: "I'm sorry, Byakuya-sama. I can't control the thoughts of the other clansmen, let alone send them to Amegakure."
"It's fine. You will come to understand in due time. After this battle is over, you'll realize it."
Regarding Shisui's rejection, Byakuya didn't take it to heart. If one could easily persuade a prominent family like the Uchiha with mere words, Konoha would have long since crumbled.
Konoha was a village established by two idealists, built on their own beliefs.
No matter how great the pressure they faced, it would not change the Uchiha's obsession with Konoha and the Hokage position—unless the Uchiha's beliefs were to collapse.
After chatting idly with Shisui for a while, Byakuya temporarily left the Uchiha camp, casting one last glance at Shisui as he departed.
He wasn't worried that Shisui would reveal what he had said. After all, he was Hanzo's disciple, and Yahiko, Konan, and the others were his close friends and allies, making them targets that Konoha was trying to win over.
And who was Shisui? Just a restless member of the Uchiha clan.
Even if Shisui rushed to the Hokage building to repeat his words to the higher-ups in Konoha, the only one who would truly doubt him would probably be Danzo Shimura.
However, it went without saying what Danzo's attitude toward the Uchiha was.
...
In the following weeks, Byakuya frequently traveled between the borders of the Land of Fire and the Konoha camp, hunting down isolated Cloud ninjas while building good relationships with Konoha's Jonin.
With his outstanding strength and medical ninjutsu, he got to know quite a few of Konoha's Jonin.
On a certain day, two weeks later, Byakuya's ring became hot, indicating that he had received intel from Sasori and Kakuzu.
This was not the first time he had received intel from Sasori and Kakuzu.
During the days he had been out on his own, Sasori and Kakuzu had also taken down several Cloud ninjas.
Their actions had caught the attention of the higher-ups in Kumogakure.
Initially, when Byakuya read the intel sent by Sasori and Kakuzu, his expression became strange, marveling at the vastness of the ninja world and its wonders.
After several failed ambushes, the higher-ups in Kumogakure developed the idea of recruiting Sasori and Kakuzu. Since rogue ninjas worked for money, rather than going through the trouble of ambushing them, they might as well directly recruit them.
In light of this proposal, Sasori and Kakuzu seemed tempted and came to ask for Byakuya's opinion.
After some consideration, Byakuya provided a vague answer; he neither opposed nor agreed, tacitly accepting Sasori and Kakuzu's actions.
Arranging for Sasori and Kakuzu to become mercenaries for Kumogakure would not only weaken Konoha's strength on the battlefield but also allow him to gain insight into Kumogakure's movements, preparing for his upcoming plans.
His efforts in coming to Konoha and Kumogakure front were not solely for the sake of earning bounty money or recruiting the Uchiha clan; they were also to make the Akatsuki's name known and establish it as a famous organization in the ninja world.
The intel sent by Sasori and Kakuzu this time was quite simple; it contained descriptions of the situation at the Kumogakure camp.
First, Kumogakure had not disclosed the disappearance of the Two-Tails Jinchuriki; the Cloud ninjas thought he was simply out on a mission.
Second, the number of ninjas around the Kumogakure camp had clearly increased in recent weeks.
These two pieces of intel led Byakuya into deep thought.
Kumogakure's silence regarding the Two-Tails' disappearance was likely aimed at maintaining morale, while the increased number of ninjas on the front indicated that Kumogakure had significant actions planned.
Coupled with the reduced number of patrols from Cloud ninja teams over the past few days, Byakuya came to a conclusion.
If all went according to expectations, the physically strong yet not overly clever Fourth Raikage was planning to engage Konoha in a decisive battle.
This wasn't necessarily good news for the Akatsuki; only prolonged warfare could maximize the depletion of both Konoha and Kumogakure's strength.
However, it was clear that Kumogakure had no intention of dragging things out, and Amegakure also could not intervene in this war.
But the inability of Amegakure to interfere in the conflict between Konoha and Kumogakure didn't mean that the Akatsuki couldn't take action against the surrounding smaller ninja villages during this period.
Thinking of this, Byakuya looked at the ring on his hand and issued orders to the Akatsuki.