Chapter 7: The Terrifying Power of the Panel

Sima Yi's lips curled slightly as he nodded in satisfaction. He had long sensed that Shisui harbored an unrealistic fantasy about his greatest enemy.

This was fatal! It could even lead to disaster, specifically the destruction of his clan!

"Sensei, you are right. I have placed too much importance on the Ninja profession; I have trusted them too much."

After this thought entered his mind, Shisui became much clearer-headed.

"As fellow Ninjas, even if we are the ones holding the rear, it shouldn't always be the Uchiha. The villagers' support shouldn't always exclude the Uchiha. They are the ones suppressing us; they are the ones rejecting us!"

Having lost some of the filters regarding the Third, Shisui immediately reacted and gained a clearer understanding of his past doubts.

"If you can think this way, we're not far from success."

"Thank you for your guidance, Sensei!"

Feeling successfully praised by Sima Yi, Shisui felt joyful and stepped forward to help him take a seat.

"Sensei, but the Jonin Suzaku's mission has already been issued. I must lead my clan to the rear. Is there any way to avoid this?"

As soon as Sima Yi sat down, Shisui couldn't wait to ask.

"Don't rush. Your style of action today is quite different from before. Although you have Kai as a cover, it's unavoidable that you will attract their attention. For now, don't complicate things; just wait quietly for a few days."

"Alright, Sensei." Seeing Sima Yi say this, Shisui had no choice but to give up. He stood alone nearby, a little lost in thought, as if he were contemplating something.

Suddenly, his eyebrows twitched as he looked toward the outside of the tent.

Seeing this, Sima Yi also turned his head to look, only to find no one outside the tent. Just then, a voice called from afar.

"Shisui, are you still inside?"

Uchiha Kai called out loudly, quickly approaching from a distance to lift the tent flap.

"Eh? Who are you?"

The unexpected presence in the tent surprised Uchiha Kai.

Shisui had sensed this earlier, but he didn't let Sima Yi hide because he wanted to have a reasonable justification for bringing him back to Konoha. The sudden appearance of an unknown person would raise suspicions in Konoha.

And this required Uchiha Kai's help.

"This is…" Shisui stepped forward to introduce, but saw Uchiha Kai, after a moment of confusion, suddenly showed a look of realization.

"Ah? Isn't this Uncle Yi? How did you end up here?"

Uchiha Kai clapped his hands as if remembering something and hurried over to Sima Yi's side, looking quite upset.

"This isn't a place for retirement. If something happens to you, my dad will scold me to death!"

Eh?

Shisui was shocked, his pupils trembling uncontrollably. He looked at Sima Yi, and both of them were taken aback.

However, having accepted his death and coming to this different world, what else could he not accept?

So, it was only for a moment; Sima Yi quickly changed his expression and nodded with a gentle look, saying, "I am still in my prime; how can I retreat to the rear?"

"Hahaha, Uncle Yi, you're over fifty, right? You really don't make things easy for anyone."

"Just fifty! I still have at least twenty more years to live. As the saying goes, an old steed still aspires to gallop a thousand miles, and a warrior's spirit does not diminish in old age!"

Kai's personality was very likable to Sima Yi, who stroked his beard and laughed as he spoke.

"What old and what young?"

Kai scratched his head, looking embarrassed. He didn't understand a single word of those phrases but guessed they seemed to express some kind of ambition.

So he nodded and praised, "Mm-mm-mm, no wonder you are one of us Uchiha. Uncle Yi, I will protect you well!"

Seeing Sima Yi handle the situation with Kai, Shisui finally asked, "Is Brother Kai's father close to Mr. Yi?"

"Of course! I remember my dad telling me that Uncle Yi saved his life on the battlefield."

"I see, so that's it," Shisui nodded, feeling astonished and instinctively focusing on the Panel.

Points: None

Strategist: Sima Yi (Enhancement times: 0)

This Panel can actually alter consciousness and even existence.

This simple Panel once again left him deeply shocked, but it also helped him a great deal; he no longer needed to think hard about arranging an identity for Sima Yi.

They could return to Konoha openly.

After pondering for a moment, he looked up, only to see Sima Yi still conversing with Kai.

He remained calm, extracting information about himself from Kai with just a few words.

An inconspicuous old Uchiha, who hadn't even awakened his eyes, didn't know many people in the clan, and had a very low presence.

After understanding his own identity, Sima Yi turned the conversation to Shisui.

"Coming here so late, is there something you need to discuss with Shisui?"

"Oh, right! I almost forgot!"

Reminded by Sima Yi, Kai finally recalled the purpose of his visit.

"Shisui, the Jonin Suzaku and the others have already set off one after another. The clan members are all waiting for your arrangements."

At this point, Kai's expression turned a bit grim.

"After I announced today's mission, quite a few clan members were very dissatisfied, and even…"

Shisui looked at Sima Yi, feeling a bit down, and asked, "Even what?"

"Even many people are saying that the village doesn't treat us Uchiha as companions; they're just using us.

We've been fighting continuously for a long time, and too many clan members have left us, yet they have once again left us behind.

We are also part of Konoha!"

Kai lowered his head, feeling very downcast. Just because he didn't speak these words often didn't mean he was unaware; Konoha's attitude was too obvious.

"Sorry."

Shisui stepped forward. He had always been aware of the clan members' complaints, but he always held onto hope for the Third. If the clan could endure just a little longer, surely the Third would see his efforts and recognize Uchiha's feelings for Konoha.

However, he had already wavered more than once in his previous thoughts today.

Does the Hokage really not see the Uchiha's contributions to Konoha?

"Why are you apologizing? This isn't your fault."

The boy's guilty expression drew a sneer from Kai.

"But there really are clan members saying you abandoned the family. But how could they understand how much you've sacrificed for the clan? I can't tolerate such misunderstandings!"

Kai clenched his fists, revealing a chilling and wild smile.

"What have you done? Don't go overboard!"

"What are you talking about? I'm just teaching them a lesson in the Uchiha way. After I was done, they were quiet!"

"You…" Shisui's mouth twitched, feeling overwhelmed.

"Getting them to quiet down isn't a bad thing either."

Sima Yi nodded in agreement, supporting Kai's approach.

After all, in the military, negative talk can affect morale; such people must be dealt with or guided promptly. He had fought in wars all his life and was well aware of this.

"Right? Uncle Yi supports me too!"

With Sima Yi's support, Kai immediately straightened his back, and upon seeing this, Shisui instinctively began to ponder the reason.

"Alright, Shisui, don't dwell on this anymore. You should hurry and arrange the patrols for the near future; it's almost dark, and the other teams' missions are starting to hand over to us."

"Nani?"

Shisui was taken aback, turning to look outside the tent, only then noticing that it was almost dark.

"Time flies when I'm with Sensei~"

---- 

Support me on patreon for More advanced chapters up to 50 so far patreon.com/DemonWriter