What Would Shisui Think of Itachi’s Plan?

Summary:

• Shisui didn’t live long enough to see Itachi slaughtering the Uchiha clan.
• He would have understood the reasoning behind Itachi’s actions.
• Shisui wanted to resolve the conflict peacefully, so he might also have sided with the ones under attack.

Itachi and Shisui used to be very close, and we can even say that these two managed to form a brother-like bond. Shisui’s death brought Itachi great anguish, as he was his best friend and someone truly dear to him. What if this bond could have changed the future events of Naruto? And even if it couldn’t, would Shisui be onboard with the plan to wipe out the entire Uchiha clan?

Itachi massacred his entire clan

Itachi was given a choice: he could side with the Uchiha clan coup and get the entire clan killed in the ensuing conflict or deal with them on his own. Sasuke, Itachi’s brother, was part of the clan too, so if Itachi had decided to support the coup, his brother would have died, and the man could not allow that. He chose to save his brother instead and slaughtered the Uchiha clan.

Shisui might have understood

Itachi believed that if Shisui were alive at that moment, he would side with the clan and be ready to confront his best friend. He would protect the clan at all costs. But fans are not so sure about that. These two were really close, and they actually listened to each other. Shisui sympathized with Itachi and knew that something had to be done. Since his first plan failed, which led to his death, there was only one way out, and this is the massacre that happened. Some believe that Shisui would understand that too, and he would not see Itachi’s actions as a betrayal.

Shisui asked Itachi to protect the clan, and while it may sound bizarre to talk about saving while we’re talking about a slaughter, it’s exactly what happened. Itachi made sure that the clan wouldn’t start a war and go down in history as traitors. It’s sad and twisted, but it’s a way of preserving the clan’s reputation. Because reputation was the only thing that could be saved: the lives of the Uchiha clan’s members were doomed.

Moreover, Danzo forced that “choice” on Itachi, he didn’t see another way out. He saw a chance to save his little brother, and he took it. We’re sure Shisui would understand that. Another question is if he could forgive that, though. And this one might be tricky.

A number of fans suggest that Shisui would want the conflict to be resolved peacefully, so he would only fight the one who decided to resort to violence. If the Uchiha clan decided to go with the coup, Shisui would confront them and protect the village. If other forces attack the clan, he would fight them.