Naruto: The Fall of the Uchiha - Chapter 48
[Ding! Detected the death of a Uchiha clan member!]
[Ding! Would you like to…?]
Upon hearing the system’s notification, Uchiha Jin did not feel the expected joy but rather a sense of calm that even he found difficult to describe.
Uchiha Shisui…
After numerous careful and strategic maneuvers, this stumbling block on the path to progress had finally fallen by Jin’s hand.
You must be wondering…
As Jin gazed at the lifeless body, the slightly naive face showed no pain, only a lingering expression of confusion and doubt.
It was not hard to imagine the complexity of Shisui’s emotions in his final moments, so overwhelming that he seemed to forget the physical agony and the fact that his life was ebbing away.
Even until the moment of his death, Shisui did not realize that his demise was not due to his injuries but because of Uchiha Jin.
Why?
Even though Shisui could no longer speak, his gaze conveyed his message clearly to Jin.
“Why ask why? Saints should die!”
Despite inheriting the “Uchiha Betrayer System,” which was an arch-enemy of the Uchiha, Jin did not follow the stereotypical route of slashing any Uchiha he saw.
After all, he wore the Uchiha name as his own, like a farmer pretending to be a turkey. Even if he did not see himself as one, he could not stand by and watch a deranged turkey drag him and the others to ruin.
That’s right!
Shisui’s calls for peace were loud and sincere, which was precisely why he had to die.
Politics is about compromise.
But Shisui’s existence broke this fundamental rule, ultimately pushing the Uchiha to the brink of extinction.
Yes!
It was Uchiha Itachi who acted, another misguided fool.
Jin recalled the science fiction novel “The Three-Body Problem,” where a character’s saintly compassion led to the destruction of humanity, Earth, and possibly the universe.
If Itachi was like Evans from “The Three-Body Problem,” inviting the aliens to destroy humanity, then Shisui was like Cheng Xin, whose naive morality doomed humanity.
Their shared trait was a misguided sense of morality.
Protecting their sense of morality came first for such saints, regardless of solving actual problems.
As for the consequences?
They would feel sad and claim innocence, urging others to stop fighting.
They never considered that protecting the sheep with love meant the wolves would starve in a zero-sum game.
Extreme love requires extreme ruthlessness. Like a mother fighting to protect her child, killing threats without hesitation—hence the saying, “Mother’s love makes one strong.”
If you cannot be strong, you cannot protect love and goodness.
Cheng Xin’s failure lay in her naive belief that everyone would follow her moral code, leading to humanity’s missed chances for survival.
Shisui’s mistake was believing in Hiruzen Sarutobi and the hollow, twisted concept of the Will of Fire, never considering Uchiha’s perspective.
The Uchiha must compromise! The Uchiha must retreat!
He never thought about the zero-sum game’s rules, where not showing their sharp claws meant the Uchiha would be silently extinguished after being worn down.
But!
It didn’t have to be this way. The result didn’t have to be so dire!
With the power of the Mangekyou and the wonder of Kotoamatsukami, a balance could have been maintained between the Hokage and the Uchiha.
Though conflicts would remain, both sides would keep some restraint, benefiting Konoha.
But Shisui didn’t understand this. He naively thought it was wrong, believing in controlling Fugaku to force the Uchiha into submission.
Even after being betrayed by Danzo, he chose to commit suicide to avoid worsening the village and clan’s conflict.
Worse, he passed his twisted Will of Fire to Itachi, leading to the Uchiha massacre.
Lose humanity, lose many things.
Lose beastliness, lose everything!
Recalling this famous saying, Jin felt no guilt for killing Shisui. As a Uchiha elder, he felt a sense of saving the clan.
After all, as the farmer, Shisui was the plump turkey destined for Thanksgiving.
Thus.
Only a dead Shisui was a good Shisui!
Even knowing Shisui was mortally wounded and unlikely to survive even at the hospital, Jin chose to end his life personally.
He didn’t deserve it!
Letting Shisui die with his naive fantasies would mock the innocent Uchiha who perished in the original story.
Swish!
Jin tossed it aside by pulling the kunai from Shisui’s chest and cleansing it with fiery chakra.
Ignoring the system prompts in his mind, and Jin calmly observed the intensifying battle ahead before turning to the approaching figures.
“Shisui!”
A youthful, panicked voice called out as Uchiha Itachi appeared, stumbling to Shisui’s body, unable to accept his friend’s death. Tears streamed down his face.
“Jin, what happened?”
Fugaku and Uchiha Setsuna arrived shortly after, drawn by the commotion near the Uchiha district.
Jin ignored them, his gaze fixed on the distant chakra signals.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
A basic C-rank jutsu, it instantly blew away the mist from the battlefield.
Hiruzen Sarutobi descended from the sky as the mist cleared, landing heavily on a rooftop and shouting.
“Stop, what are you doing?”
…
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