Chapter 39: Danzō's Plan, a Dazzling Scheme
Konoha Village, in the dark and damp underground, was the headquarters of "Root."
"Heh heh… heh heh heh…"
Danzō let out a series of chilling laughs. The Ninja World's Darkness, hiding in the shadows, was in an exceedingly joyful mood at this moment. Uchiha Shisui, the Mangekyō Sharingan, the genjutsu that could control and change will—all of it would soon belong to him.
"That old man Hiruzen Sarutobi finally did something smart."
Danzō had long coveted the power of the Sharingan; that incredibly powerful Bloodline Limit, deeply rooted in the bloodline, made Danzō obsessed. Especially the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan, which was Danzō's ultimate dream.
Danzō had many ordinary Sharingan transplanted into his arm, which greatly increased his strength and gave him multiple "lives," allowing him to use Izanagi at critical moments.
However, compared to a true Mangekyō, it was still far inferior. Danzō was even willing to exchange all the Sharingan on his arm for a pair of Mangekyō. The vision and insight provided by ordinary Sharingan, as well as the subtle perception of Chakra, were already heights that ordinary ninja could hardly achieve. However, the unique genjutsu contained within the Mangekyō—that was the true power that could influence battles and even change the world.
And now, the opportunity had arrived. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was abruptly placed before Danzō. Uchiha Shisui, the genius hailed as "Uchiha's Strongest," the man known as Shunshin no Shisui. He had actually voluntarily revealed the secret of his Kotoamatsukami, an inconceivable genjutsu, to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
In Danzō's view, this was simply seeking his own death. An utterly foolish act.
"Foolish! Naive!" Danzō snorted coldly.
To reveal such an important trump card so easily, especially at a time when the Uchiha's relationship with the Village was so tense. What was the difference between this and offering his neck to the butcher's knife?
However, it was perfect; Shisui's naivety had completed his plan.
"How can such powerful strength be held in the hands of an Uchiha who is emotionally unstable and could be swayed by family emotions at any moment?" The Uchiha Clan was born with genes of stubbornness and madness. The deeper their love, the stronger their hatred; once they fell into extreme emotions, the power of the Sharingan would also run wild.
This was a fact that history had long proven. Allowing an Uchiha to wield Kotoamatsukami, a genjutsu capable of manipulating others' wills, was tantamount to handing a child a sharp, unsafeguarded blade.
"These eyes should belong to me, Danzō Shimura!"
Danzō firmly believed that only someone like him, who had abandoned all personal emotions and dedicated everything to the "Root" of Konoha, could truly unleash the value of Kotoamatsukami. And only he, Danzō, was worthy of possessing this power.
At this moment, Danzō's mind was already envisioning the future. Using Kotoamatsukami to easily change the Daimyō's will, allowing the Land of Fire's resources to endlessly flow towards Konoha.
He would even use these eyes to subtly manipulate the Kage of the other four Ninja Villages, making them make decisions most beneficial to Konoha during the Five Kage Summit. By then, Konoha, under his hand, would usher in an unprecedented peak. Even unifying the Ninja World would not be a distant dream.
Danzō immediately summoned the most elite core members of "Root." A subtle, almost imperceptible fluctuation came through the air.
"Yamanaka Fū, Aburame Torune."
"Yes!"
Two figures appeared silently before Danzō, kneeling on one knee. Yamanaka Fū, an elite of the Yamanaka Clan, whose perception abilities and mental secret techniques were unmatched in all of "Root." Aburame Torune, an anomaly of the Aburame Clan, whose nano-sized poisonous insects within his body were the most deadly weapons in the dark, making him an absolute master of assassination and defense. They were Danzō's sharpest fangs and his most trusted right-hand men.
"My orders!" Danzō's voice was cold, devoid of any emotion. "Effective immediately, place Uchiha Shisui under the highest level of surveillance! Fū, you will personally lead this operation! I want to know Shisui's every move: who he meets every day, where he goes, what he eats! His daily routes, who he talks to, the content of their conversations, even the slightest change in his facial expression—I need to know it all precisely. No clue, no matter how small, can be overlooked. Once the time is right, notify me immediately. Shisui's eyes will surely be mine, Danzō's, for the taking."
Danzō paused, a more sinister glint flashing in his single eye as he added, "Remember, the operation must be covert! After the eye is successfully taken, immediately spread rumors secretly throughout the Village! Say that… Uchiha Shisui, dissatisfied with his family's treatment in the Village and harboring resentment towards Konoha's higher-ups, has secretly defected from Konoha and joined an enemy force! Make everyone believe that Shisui is a traitor to Konoha. Completely erase all of Shisui's achievements and positive influence in Konoha!"
This way, even if the Uchiha Clan wanted to defend Shisui, they would be unable to refute the charge of "traitor." The people of the Village, out of hatred for a traitor, would also overlook Uchiha Shisui's past achievements.
Fū and Torune both felt a chill when they heard this. They had long operated in the dark, carrying out various dirty missions—assassinations, interrogations, creating chaos—and had long been accustomed to life, death, and betrayal.
But at this moment, they couldn't help but feel a chill rise from the soles of their feet. Lord Danzō, what a vicious scheme. Truly worthy of being the Ninja World's Darkness. This was to completely nail Uchiha Shisui, once a genius and the pride of the Uchiha Clan, to the pillar of shame, never to rise again. This was a hundred times more malicious than mere physical annihilation.
"Your Lordship is wise!" The two spoke in unison, their voices filled with deep reverence. Danzō's methods were always so ruthless.
"Shisui's Shunshin Jutsu is extremely fast; ordinary ninja can't even catch his afterimage. This operation must be foolproof. No mistakes allowed. Torune, select the most elite assassination squad, bring special poisons designed to counter the Sharingan, and the sealing scrolls left by Orochimaru.
Once the barrier is activated, immediately launch a fatal blow. The barrier squad must ensure the barrier's strength, enough to trap him for at least 10 seconds. 10 seconds is enough. Shisui must not be able to escape. For this operation, there's no need to dispatch all members.
Only select those who harbor the deepest prejudice against the Uchiha, have the highest loyalty, and are the strongest elites. Firstly, this can maximize the prevention of information leaks."
Although "Root" was an organization solely controlled by Danzō, he couldn't guarantee 100% loyalty from all members; human hearts were always the most complex thing in this world.
"Secondly, it also ensures that they will not have the slightest hesitation or wavering when executing orders!" When dealing with the Uchiha, any sympathy or hesitation is fatal. Ninja who harbored prejudice against the Uchiha would be more decisive in their actions; they would not be bound by that ridiculous camaraderie with fellow villagers. This was the insight Danzō had summarized from decades of training "tools."
"As for that newly promoted Uchiha elder, Uchiha Akira…" A hint of apprehension flashed in Danzō's single eye.
Akira's strength was unfathomable, and his actions were even more ruthless and decisive, making Danzō feel quite troublesome. Akira's rise was too fast, so fast that Danzō was somewhat caught off guard.
Two consecutive assassination failures had already pushed Danzō's apprehension towards Akira to the highest level; without absolute certainty, Danzō would not easily move against Akira again. This sudden variable, Uchiha Akira, disrupted many of Danzō's deployments against the Uchiha.
"Hmph, a mere brat, even if he has some strength, what can he do?" Danzō quickly suppressed this apprehension. What if he had some strength? Once he acquired Shisui's eyes, Uchiha Akira would no longer be a threat. Even if Akira had Kage-level strength, he would only obediently comply when facing Kotoamatsukami.
What Danzō didn't know was that Uchiha Akira had already taken precautions, spending a full 200,000 Family Honor points to exchange for the Mental Barrier skill; Kotoamatsukami had no effect on the current Akira whatsoever.
"In the face of my meticulously planned eye-snatching operation, even if Uchiha Akira senses something, he absolutely won't be able to stop it in time!" Danzō believed his plan was flawless. No matter how strong Akira was, he couldn't guard Shisui every single moment. As long as the opportunity was seized, a single strike would suffice.
"As long as I obtain 'Kotoamatsukami,' my strength will leap forward again! By then, neither Uchiha Akira nor Hiruzen Sarutobi will be my opponents! The Hokage position… it's time for a change!" He had coveted this position for too long.
Since the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, chose Hiruzen Sarutobi instead of him, this seed had been planted. Decades of patience and accumulation were all for this moment.
And Uchiha Shisui, oblivious to all of this, still believed naively in Konoha's higher-ups, and in the peace he upheld. Shisui's naivety was destined to make him pay the most tragic price for this naivety with his life and his eyes.
"Shisui went to the Hokage building today, staying for about half an hour. After leaving the Hokage building, the target went to Training Ground 3 and trained alone. There was no abnormal contact with anyone."
Information was continuously being compiled and sent to Danzō.
"Continue surveillance, await the optimal moment. Understood."