The newcomer could only be Anya. With Wood Release at his command, he had arrived early and watched the entire battle unfold. Shisui still had the same old problem as during the Third Battle—he liked holding back. Though his strength clearly surpassed Danzō's by a large margin, he fought hesitantly, unwilling to give it his all for fear of accidentally killing him.
Danzō was different—he struck with deadly intent every time. For Shisui to last this long was truly impressive.
"You actually showed up. When did you get here?" Danzō's expression changed drastically. Anya's presence loomed over him like a shadow. After the Nine-Tails' rampage, this man had vanished, and when Danzō asked Sarutobi about him, the answer had been "secret mission." He never expected that the man carrying out this secret mission would reappear right now, at such a critical moment.
"From beginning to end, watching everything. You've got guts attacking a young guy like that without holding back," Anya mocked slightly.
Danzō quickly regained his composure and scoffed, "Now I remember—you were his Anbu team leader once. Why didn't you step in and help back then? It's because you also wanted that eye, didn't you?"
Anya's gaze shifted briefly before he replied, "That's one reason. Second, Shisui once chose to stand aside; I'm merely following his example."
If Shisui had rescued his squad instead of staying with his clan back then, Haku wouldn't have died. At the very least, he could've lasted until Anya showed up.
Of course, Danzō couldn't understand any of this. His eyes darted around—clearly searching for an escape route.
Anya said with a smirk, "Don't waste your effort. I know exactly what you're doing—trying to stall me while you recover your strength. But you can't possibly think I'm as hesitant as Shisui, can you? He won't kill you. I will."
[Three Tomoe Sharingan!] As he spoke, Anya's Sharingan revealed itself. Several wooden pillars suddenly erupted from the ground, completely blocking all of Danzō's possible escape routes.
"This is...? Wood Release?" Danzō's single visible eye widened in disbelief.
"I occupied your Wood Release Laboratory for quite some time—it would be strange if I hadn't gained something from it," Anya extended his hand and said, "Hand it over. I let you live twice already. Of course, you can test whether I'll let you go a third time."
Trapped by Anya's cold, merciless Sharingan and encircled by walls made of Wood Release, despite his resentment, Danzō gave up resistance and tossed the acquired Sharingan toward Anya without care.
"Good choice." Anya took the eye, then sank into the earth and left openly right in front of Danzō.
"Cursed! Why can he control Wood Release? That shouldn't be possible!" Even now, Danzō couldn't believe it, yet the facts stood plainly before him.
Fortunately, not all was lost—if one eye was gone, he absolutely couldn't abandon the other. Thinking thus, Danzō sped off in pursuit of Shisui's fleeing figure.
By the time he arrived, five Root members were already lying lifeless. Judging from their injuries, three had been impaled by an unknown attack, and the other two were incinerated by a Fire Release technique.
"Reinforcements? Too bad." Danzo's merciless gaze revealed his frustration.
Danzo quickly composed himself and muttered, "In that case, there's no one left to save the Uchiha Clan. I must obtain the power of the Sharingan. Anya, sooner or later, you will regret this."
At the edge of a cliff, Shisui faced Itachi and said, "It seems the Uchiha Clan's coup is now unstoppable. Once Konoha plunges into civil war, enemy nations will surely seize the opportunity. War has become inevitable. I originally planned to use Kotoamatsukami to prevent the coup, but Danzo took my right eye. He doesn't trust me and insists on protecting the village in his own way. I fear he won't even spare my left eye anymore. Before that happens, I'd like to entrust this eye to you."
As he spoke, Shisui directly removed his left eye and calmly said to Itachi, "I can only count on you, my closest friend. Please protect both the village and the honor of the Uchiha Clan."
Itachi stared at his companion and finally summoned a crow to accept Shisui's left eye.
"I've accepted it. What are your plans?"
"I plan to give you a special gift, Itachi. You may walk a very dark path in the future. At that time, I won't be able to accompany you. I'm sorry. Still, I believe you won't fall into darkness. That's why I can entrust my will and the power of my Sharingan entirely to you." Stepping back toward the cliff's edge, he continued, "If I die, the situation should change. I've already written my letter of last words."
"Wait, Shisui!" Itachi shouted desperately.
"Don't stop me, Itachi. If you're still my friend." With those final words, Shisui unhesitatingly fell backward off the cliff.
"Shisui!"
Itachi hurried forward to grab him, but grasped only air. Helplessly, he watched as Shisui disappeared over the cliff's edge. A single streak of blood trickled from his eye—his Mangekyo Sharingan had awakened.
Anya sighed as he witnessed everything. He chose to leave. Although he had the ability to save Shisui, it was unnecessary. A man who had already accepted death could not be saved. Moreover, Shisui intended to use his death to help Itachi unlock a new power. As proven, he succeeded. Meanwhile, the final phase for the Uchiha Clan was about to begin. Anya needed to make his final preparations.
Originally, Anya planned to cooperate with Hiruzen Sarutobi to save Mikoto. Now, with the Kotoamatsukami, previous plans could all be canceled; rescuing people would become easier.
However, his new cooperation partner would need to change.
With these thoughts, Anya's clone immediately departed Konoha, heading toward the Grass Village.
Arriving once again at the Serpent Master's laboratory, a sharp whistling sound pierced the air just as he entered.
Anya stepped back, dodging the incoming attack. Looking closer, he realized it was actually a bone spike.
A white-haired boy slowly stepped forward. The boy had green pupils, red eyeshadow on his eyelids, and two red dots between his eyebrows, appearing unusually adorable. In terms of appearance, he was even a match for young Anya.
The boy's attack missed, and he was the first to speak: "Who are you? How do you know about this stronghold?"
"Looks like the boss is out. Leaving you here alone means he really trusts you." Anya made no move to fight and spoke directly. "Contact Serpent Master. Tell him an old friend has come to visit."
"You're... Anya?"
"Oh, so he mentioned me."
"If it's really you, then come in. I'll inform him."
The boy seemed quite curious about Anya, giving her a few extra glances.
With her Sharingan, Anya instantly analyzed the boy's traits — his physical strength was off the charts. Undoubtedly, he was someone Serpent Master had recruited to start building up his own forces.
Standing beside the familiar Wood Release Laboratory, Anya glanced around briefly before focusing her gaze on the deepest laboratory.
[Look No Further.] "The things inside are already gone."
He's being overly cautious. It must be an extraordinary experiment, one serious enough to keep even hidden from her, and upon leaving, he relocated everything inside. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of research they were conducting.
Pushing her curiosity aside, Anya turned to the boy beside her and asked, "What's your name?"
"Kimimaro."
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