Naruto: I am Uchiha Fugaku

"Lost track of Uchiha Shisui?"

The others present frowned slightly. If they didn't even know Uchiha Shisui's whereabouts, ambushing him would be impossible.

"Could Uchiha Shisui have been secretly sent out of the village by the Third Hokage on a mission?" Uchiha Hoshi wondered.

"That's a possibility, but it's also possible that he sensed his informant identity was exposed, and to prevent the Uchiha clan from acting against him, he was placed in a secret location," Third Elder Uchiha Satoru explained. "To deal with Uchiha Shisui, we must first pinpoint his location. We need to gather intelligence and confirm his whereabouts as quickly as possible."

Uchiha Fugaku looked at Uchiha Yakumi. "During patrols, instruct the police force members to be extra vigilant. If Uchiha Shisui is spotted, or if a potential location for him is found, report it immediately."

"I will," Uchiha Yakumi replied.

Shisui's Recovery

Meanwhile, in an empty house in Konoha, Uchiha Shisui, who hadn't returned to the Uchiha clan compound in a long time, stood in the courtyard. His right eye was wrapped in white gauze. This was a secret residence the Third Hokage had prepared for him, allowing him to temporarily avoid the Uchiha clan and undergo his eye transplant in a quiet environment.

Footsteps approached, and he looked with his left eye in that direction. A middle-aged woman, carrying a medical kit and wearing a medical ninja uniform, walked toward him. The woman's name was Akame Haru. She was a medical ninja, and while her skill wasn't on par with Tsunade, the strongest medical ninja, she was still one of Konoha's most skilled medical ninjas. She had performed Uchiha Shisui's eye transplant.

"Dr. Akame, can I have the gauze removed today?" Uchiha Shisui asked, looking at Akame Haru.

"Enough time has passed; the gauze can be removed. However, the effectiveness of the transplant can only be determined after an examination," Akame Haru nodded. As she spoke, she opened her medical kit and took out a pair of scissors. Approaching Uchiha Shisui, she cut the knotted gauze and unwrapped it layer by layer.

With the gauze removed, intense light streamed into Uchiha Shisui's right eye. He instinctively closed his eyes, opening them a moment later. What his right eye now saw was no longer a blur of white. Every detail was clear, incredibly sharp. The veins of the leaves on the plants in the courtyard were perfectly visible.

Akame Haru stepped forward and meticulously examined Uchiha Shisui's right eye. After a moment, she stepped back and said, "There's no rejection, and your vision is good. It's done. The eye transplant was a complete success."

"Thank you," Uchiha Shisui expressed his gratitude.

"No need to thank me. I was merely following Lord Third Hokage's orders." Akame Haru shook her head slightly. "I'll take my leave then!" Gathering her medical kit, she nodded slightly to Uchiha Shisui and turned to depart.

Uchiha Shisui reached up and touched his right eye, a wave of joy washing over him. The blindness in his right eye had made him incredibly uncomfortable. Now, it was fixed, and his blind right eye had finally recovered. Along with it, his recently gloomy mood also lifted.

Donning his ninja uniform, which he hadn't worn in some time, he went to the center of the courtyard. He drew his katana and practiced his swings repeatedly. An hour later, with sweat beading on his forehead, he stopped. He let out a long breath. After a long period of inactivity, he felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration, a feeling of pure satisfaction.

Clap, clap, clap!

Applause sounded. He looked toward the source of the clapping and saw the Third Hokage, dressed in his Hokage robes, standing at the edge of the courtyard. The Third Hokage had arrived at some unknown time and hadn't disturbed him, simply watching in silence. Because he had been so engrossed, he hadn't noticed.

"Lord Hokage!" he greeted respectfully.

"Hmm, it seems you're recovering well. How is your right eye? Any discomfort?" the Third Hokage asked with a smile.

"I don't feel any discomfort at all," Uchiha Shisui replied.

"That's good," the Third Hokage nodded, satisfied. Uchiha Shisui was his strongest fighter and extremely loyal to him; the stronger he was, the better. Unfortunately, he didn't possess a Mangekyo Sharingan. Otherwise, if he could have given Uchiha Shisui a Mangekyo Sharingan, Uchiha Shisui's strength would not only recover to its peak but might even surpass it due to the unique visual jutsu within the Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Lord Hokage, now that my eye has recovered, I can begin missions. When can I return to the Anbu?" Uchiha Shisui asked. With his eye transplant complete and feeling better than ever, he was eager to return to the Anbu and contribute his strength to the Third Hokage and the village.

"No rush. Rest for a while longer." The Third Hokage waved his hand. "You've just had the gauze removed. Rest for a bit longer to ensure your eye is stable before returning to the Anbu. There's no hurry."

"Yes." Though he wanted to return to his Anbu post immediately, since the Third Hokage said so, Uchiha Shisui had to temporarily suppress his eagerness. Thinking about how isolated he had been from the outside world during this time, he couldn't help but ask, "Lord Hokage, has anything happened in the village recently?"

"You must be aware that Orochimaru infiltrated the village a while ago," the Third Hokage said.

"Yes. It's a pity I had just completed my eye transplant then and couldn't help the village. Otherwise, we might have been able to stop that rogue ninja, Orochimaru," Uchiha Shisui regretted.

"Besides Orochimaru's infiltration, there was also the incident where elite Jonin Shimura Tomohisa was killed by a rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist Village while on an outdoor mission."

"Killed by a rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist Village?" Uchiha Shisui frowned slightly. An elite Jonin killed by a rogue ninja?

"This rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist Village possesses the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, and his strength surpasses that of a typical elite Jonin," the Third Hokage briefly explained. He didn't attach too much importance to this matter. Without Shimura Danzo, the Shimura clan no longer held much significance for him.

"What about the Uchiha... clan?" Uchiha Shisui asked after a slight hesitation.

The Third Hokage's already sparse eyebrows furrowed slightly. After a moment of silence, he spoke. "According to Itachi's report, there are still many within the Uchiha clan who are discontent with the village and with me." At this point, the Third Hokage paused. "Not long ago, Uchiha Fugaku even publicly defied me."

"Publicly defied you, Lord Hokage...?" Uchiha Shisui's heart sank, and his good mood from the successful eye transplant vanished. For the clan head to publicly defy the Hokage suggested just how strained the relationship between the Uchiha clan and the Hokage, and the village, had become.

'Is that really the only way? 'He couldn't help but ask himself.

PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/Xentronix