At the second-line camp, after everyone returned to the camp, Shisui quickly wrote a letter in front of everyone and sent someone to urgently deliver it to the Kuro Town camp.
He then gathered everyone to assess the casualties.
"Shisui-sama, a total of fifteen squads, including three medical ninja teams, came to provide support. In this attack, seventeen ninjas have been confirmed dead, among them..."
The one reporting was also Koizumi Satsuki, a Special Jonin born into a civilian family, appearing to be in his thirties. His expression was somber as she spoke.
Shisui looked puzzled and gestured for him to continue.
"Among them, the team leader, Utatane Rikito, a Chunin, was also killed."
"What?!"
Shisui's pupils contracted, seemingly in disbelief. He turned to Uchiha Kai beside him to confirm the news.
"Yes, the body of Utatane Chunin has been brought back by us. Sigh..."
Uchiha Kai shook his head and sighed, appearing somewhat reluctant.
Sima Yi, who had been silent all along, finally showed a sad expression, lowering his head slightly.
Seeing this, Shisui immediately reacted, slamming his hand on the table and his eyes filled with rage.
"Damn the Mist Ninjas! Kai, gather the troops right away! We must avenge Utatane Chunin!"
Three Tomoe appeared in his Sharingan, the oppressive Chakra shocking everyone.
"Understood!"
"Wait! Shisui-sama, calm down!"
"Shisui-sama, please don't!"
The previously silent squad captains could no longer hold back and spoke up to advise, "We can't confirm the intelligence on the Mist Ninja. We just experienced an attack and lost many comrades; it's really not the time to fight again."
"Yes, Shisui-sama, it's not worth it for someone like that!"
Someone blurted out, and immediately regretted it, as everyone else fell silent and looked over.
"What do you mean by 'someone like that?'"
Shisui's eyes flickered as he pressed for answers.
"Uh..."
Uchiha Kai, visibly displeased, stepped forward and reprimanded, "He came here to support us despite the dangers; how can you say that about a comrade from the village?"
Under Uchiha Kai's questioning, the person's face turned red, and he hurriedly replied, "If it weren't for him deliberately stalling us, we would have reached the camp long ago and wouldn't have been attacked by the Mist Ninja!"
"That's right! If it weren't for that bastard, we would have arrived at the camp before dark, and the Mist Ninja wouldn't have attacked us, and my teammates wouldn't have died!"
With someone leading the charge, the group couldn't hide their anger and began to vent their frustrations.
"That bastard has put all of us in danger!"
"What?!"
Shisui's eyes widened in disbelief, his whole body trembling as he forced himself to say, "Nonsense! Utatane Chunin was chosen as support by Nara Jonin; he's a comrade just like you all!"
"He's a comrade of the village! How could he have deliberately delayed us?!"
Shisui's face turned pale, his pupils shaking, and his Chakra became increasingly violent.
Koizumi Satsuki, who was closest, truly felt what it meant to stand on the edge of a precipice when faced with the Uchiha's strength.
The Mist Ninja who had unleashed the large-scale Water Release was nothing but a rabble in front of this young man.
"Shisui-sama, you don't need to be angry over someone like him; his death was self-inflicted. But why is your camp here instead of the Front Line?"
This was also the confusion in everyone's minds; they felt that something about this situation was off.
Uchiha Kai snorted coldly and shot back, "Isn't it because you were delayed for too long? The Mist Ninja's attacks have been too frequent; we can't guarantee that we can stop their infiltration."
"We can only retreat and contract the defense line; this is the order given by Commander Nara yesterday. Didn't you know?"
The crowd suddenly realized and exchanged glances, realizing that they only had one person with whom they could communicate from that side, and now that person was gone.
"It's all Utatane's fault!"
The hatred in everyone's hearts surged, and their thoughts became more unified. Some even turned to look at the mangled corpse outside the tent, which eased their anger a bit.
"Regardless, you chose to return to support us at this time; the Uchiha will never forget you!"
"Thank you!"
Shisui composed himself and bowed in gratitude. After standing up, he sincerely looked at each person, and those who made eye contact with him instinctively averted their gaze.
"Uh, no…"
"It should be us who thank you; if it weren't for Shisui-sama leading the rescue, we…"
"We were supposed to be the reinforcements, and now, sigh, this is just too embarrassing."
Everyone understood that if they hadn't been forcibly selected, who would willingly come to the Front Line at this time?
"Hahaha, don't say that; you all have been a great help by coming. Alright, let us handle the patrol tonight; everyone else can go rest."
"Yes, truly reliable, just as expected from Body Flicker Shisui!"
After a few rounds of declining, everyone accepted the offer, and some couldn't help but express their admiration, feeling a sense of yearning.
If they worked under such a person, perhaps there would be a brighter future ahead.
"Hehe, it seems you're starting to adapt."
Once only the two were left in the tent, Sima Yi jokingly remarked with a smile.
"No, no, no, this feeling is really strange; I can hardly believe I said those words."
He rubbed his face vigorously, recalling the expressions and words from earlier, trembling slightly and feeling uncomfortable all over.
"To win people's hearts, these are all necessary; you need to adapt quickly. Once we reach Konoha, we'll have to do this often."
"Often!"
Shisui shrank his neck; the thought of that scene sent shivers down his spine. However, considering the current state of the Uchiha, he could only nod helplessly, "To restore the Uchiha's image, we have no choice but to do so."
Sima Yi nodded with relief, pleased to see this young man finally showing some growth.
"Have everything been arranged?"
Shisui nodded, his eyes filled with anticipation as he said, "There are no more personnel on the Mist side. Tomorrow, we'll send them to scout the area. After the report, we just need to wait for a personnel change, and in less than half a month, we can return to Konoha."
"Alright, then let's sit down. Today, we will talk about Zheng Bo Ke Duan Yu Yan."
Shisui obediently took a seat, looking forward to his favorite part of the day—listening to stories.
Each of the unique stories from Sima Yi offered him insights.
Meanwhile, Sima Yi felt quite helpless; with limited conditions, Shisui's education could not be delayed. He could only use this method to instill some concepts.
"Toaday's the famous story of 'Duke of Zheng defeat Duan at Yan'"
"Once upon a time, there was a country called Zheng. Zhuang Gong, the Duke of Zheng, had a younger brother named Duan. Their mother, favoring Duan, urged Duke Zhuang to give him more land and power.
Zhuang Gong complied reluctantly, giving Duan the city of Yan.
However, Duan became ambitious and plotted to overthrow his brother.
Duke Zhuang, aware of this treachery, waited for the right moment and ultimately attacked Duan at Yan, defeating him and consolidating his rule.
"Therefore, it is said: 'Those who commit many unjust acts will surely perish; just wait for it.'"
"This sentence means that if someone frequently engages in unjust acts, others will not be close to him. Although his territory may expand, he will eventually collapse."
"Those who commit many unjust acts will surely perish!"
Shisui stared blankly, repeating this phrase.
Seeing this, Sima Yi slowed down. After finishing the story of Gongshu Duan, he deliberately omitted the subsequent encounter between Duke Zhuang and his mother which ended in them separating for years because of her support for his brother's rebellion.
Shisui remained silent. For some reason, the Third's evaluation of Itachi flashed through his mind.
"A child with the thinking of a Hokage."
Then, the image from that night appeared again—Itachi standing among the bodies of his clan members and he couldn't help but feel that this story might end up as his future with the Hokage and his advisor being the mother pushing his brother to rebel...
"Duke of Zheng defeat Duan at Yan!"
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