When Kuroto thought of this matter, he felt quite strange about it.

If he was Sandaime-sama, and he had evidence that Uchiha Shisui is Homusubi of Amatsukami, then he would have definitely chosen to summon Shisui in secret. ​​

And when Shisui arrived, Sandaime cooperates with Danzo and Jiraiya to ambush Shisui, swarm at him together and deal with him effectively without causing much fiasco.

After being defeated and captured, whether they want to torture him to obtain intelligence or execute him for the betrayal both are the options that can be considered.

But Uchiha Shisui has not been captured yet and the news has already spread about him being the Homusubi, no matter how you look at it, this should not be how Sandaime-sama works.

Because Kuroto doesn't believe that Sandaime-sama would risk releasing such critical intelligence.

The reason is very simple, Sarutobi Hiruzen may not have an exact idea of Uchiha Shisui's strength, but he can make a rough estimate based on Shisui's past records. Hypothetically speaking, if Uchiha Shisui really is Homusubi, then how much damage can he do if he goes on a rampage?

Taking such a risk to openly release such intelligence is foolish if they really have the evidence about Shisui being Homusubi.

So, after thinking about it, Kuroto said with a confident tone, "Don't worry, the village does not have any evidence against you!"

Listening to Kuroto's confident tone and his reasoning, Shisui also thought about it and felt that's the case, so after calming his initial panic, he spoke in realization, "Ah… does that mean someone intentionally spread the rumor?"

Kuroto pondered over it a little bit and said, "That's the most reasonable explanation, and this means that someone is intentionally targeting you. The other party has no evidence to use against you, in fact, they may not even be sure, but when you think about it that person does not need any evidence to target you!"

Judging from how the situation has developed, the person who spread the rumor seems to be targeting Shisui, and the approach he used is also very simple, frighten the 'snake' and wait for the 'snake' to jump out by itself.

As for how the other party is targeting Shisui to be Homusubi?

That's very easy to speculate if you think about it.

Officially only two shinobi are known to have the Mangekyou Sharingan, one is Uchiha Shinichi and the other is Uchiha Shisui, so Homusubi has to be either one of the two, and if Uchiha Shinichi is excluded from the possibility then Uchiha Shisui is the only option left.

Kuroto can be sure that the other party has no evidence and yet they are targeting Uchiha Shisui, so it was not difficult for him to figure out who that person is.

In Konohagakure, the Uchiha Clan would not openly throw dirty water on Uchiha Shisui, that is to say, Uchiha Fugaku would have silently confronted Shisui if had his doubts, the same goes for Sandaime-sama.

So, the only person left who can target Uchiha Shisui for his Mangekyou Sharingan is Shimura Danzo, this speculation can be easily confirmed based on the fact that aside from the Anbu, only Root subunit has the ability to spread such rumors throughout the village without garnering any attention.

And Shimura Danzo has both motivation and ability, so it doesn't take much brainstorming to figure out the source.

Thinking so, Kuroto said, "Now that we have figured this out, think if there was any flaw that you revealed?"

Shisui thought about it carefully and recalled all the actions he carried out while he played Homusubi, "The only flaw right now can be the confrontation of visual prowess I had with the Patriarch, so if Patriarch becomes suspicious and he confronts me, I am afraid he will figure out that it was me."

Everyone's chakra has a unique color and nuanced signature to it, and the visual prowess based on Chakra is no different in this regard.

While acting as Homusubi, Shisui had a brief confrontation with Uchiha Fugaku, so although, Shisui's Chakra signature and Mangekyou Sharingan shape was not revealed because of the isolation Fuinjutsu used in the mask, the two of them still had a confrontation, therefore, Uchiha Fugaku must have recorded Homusubi's visual prowess.

If Uchiha Fugaku does not doubt Shisui then everything is well and good.

But if Uchiha Fugaku develops doubts about Shisui because of the rumors, and if he confronts Shisui to verify those doubts then Shisui will be immediately exposed.

Thinking so, Kuroto asked, "What do you think, will your Patriarch doubt you?"

Shisui just said, "I do not know."

"That's a bit troublesome." – muttered Kuroto.

During the scuffle that night, Kuroto and Shisui were non-existent witnesses of each other, if it is proven that Shisui is Homusubi then it would be difficult for Kuroto to get by, and by then there is a possibility that he will also be exposed.

Holding his chin, Kuroto thought, 'How to solve this trouble?'

If he wants Shisui to get cleared of all the suspicions then the best way is to find another person with the Mangekyou Sharingan and let him play as 'Homusubi,' but is that an easy thing?

In the entire shinobi world, even if he includes, Kakashi and Obito, then there are only five people who have the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Of these five, four can be excluded unquestionably, and only one option is left.

'Should I call Shinichi?' – As soon as this thought came up in his mind, Kuroto shook his head.

In their previous communication, Shinichi has notified him that under Pain's order, all the members of Akatsuki have evacuated out of the Land of Fire, and in such a case, it would be difficult for him to sneak into the territory of the Land of Fire.

And once Shinichi is involved with Amatsukami, he will no longer be able to continue his undercover mission in Akatsuki.

So only one possibility remains, 'It seems I have to speed up the progress of stimulation tests on Hideki and Ryota. If I can obtain a pair of Mangekyou Sharingan from them, these troubles will be resolved.'

Although Kuroto does not have much expectation, he also does not have any other option.

'I guess I will see what I can do about it!'

After making up his mind, Kuroto said to Shisui, "I will see what I can do about it. Remember Shisui, do not admit to anyone that you are Homusubi, no matter how sure they act. Even if your patriarch confronts you, make sure to not pose any resistance, I may not know about others, but Uchiha Fugaku would not convict you without any solid evidence, as long as you aren't proven guilty, Uchiha Clan will protect you with everything they have!"

Shisui nodded, "I understand!"

"Also make sure to not meet Shimura Danzo in this period, if he summons you, there would only be one intention, that is to steal your Mangekyou Sharingan, we may have used Fuinjutsu to make sure that your eyes are destroyed if they are taken out without solving the seal but that is no reason to let them be destroyed."

Shisui said, "I will keep that in mind."

"And lastly, don't be too worried, I have a backup plan, but it will take some time, so make sure to keep your guard up and do not give others any sign that they can use."

Shisui nodded and with that, both of them said goodbye and left.

…

Shisui soon arrived near the Uchiha Clan as the Uchiha Patriarch had ordered for his return.

Shisui understood that what he is going to be facing now, so taking a deep breath he hurried forward with a determined look.

Whoosh…

Just as Shisui was passing through the forest and was about to enter the Uchiha Clan grounds, a figure jumped down from the tree and appeared before him.

Shisui was not startled by the appearance of this person and asked, "Itachi, what are you doing here?"

Itachi stared at Shisui deeply, and finally asked with a sincere look, "Shisui-san, are you Homusubi?"

Looking at Itachi's sincere expression, although Shisui wanted to say no and deny, but for some reason, he just couldn't and finally nodded with a sigh.

'Sigh, so much for not admitting!'

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Read up to Chapter - 444 on P.a.t.r.e.o.n. Page: p-atreon.com/Milta_translations