Chapter 27 The Battle with the Roots
Shisui moved at a measured pace toward the outskirts of Konoha, his body flickering between branches in rhythmic bursts. At full speed, even Root operatives specialized in pursuit could not catch him—but conserving chakra was essential. Slowing down was also a way to maintain his stamina for the inevitable confrontation.
He did not head for crowded streets. Though exposing Danzō's crimes before the villagers might have revealed the truth, innocent bystanders would have been endangered. Besides, the Uchiha name was already under suspicion; the people would more readily side with a Konoha elder than with a young Uchiha.
Tonight he would face Root and Danzō directly. This was not only about preventing the coup—it was also about avenging Uchiha Kagami's stolen Sharingan, desecrated by Danzō. The Third Hokage had once told Shisui that seeing him was like seeing Kagami again, his late friend. Yet that same Kagami's dōjutsu had been twisted into a tool of ambition. It was a bitter irony.
While darting through the forest, his thoughts were cut short as several shuriken hissed toward him. With a sharp twist, he evaded, landing lightly. They've caught up.
A Root pursuer landed on the branch he had vacated—only to trigger a blast tag. The explosion shook the trees.
"You fools… if you want my Sharingan, then witness its true power," Shisui muttered coldly.
"Don't step on the branches he just touched!" a sharp-eyed operative barked. "He's planted detonating tags!"
But Root pressed on regardless. Their training made them relentless, and their numbers grew. Shisui's Mangekyō spun, his chakra surging. He had to fight economically: the least chakra expenditure for the greatest result, and still return in time to halt the clan assembly.
In an instant, he unleashed several clones. They rushed the enemy, striking with terrifying speed.
"Illusions—!" a masked Root agent realized too late. Behind him, the real Shisui drove a kunai into his back.
This was Shisui's famed Shunshin no Shisui technique—the Body Flicker elevated to a legendary level. His speed created mirages and clones so fast they seemed real, blurring the line between genjutsu and physical assault. It was impossible to distinguish reality from deception.
At the same time, his prowess with genjutsu was unmatched. To meet Shisui's gaze was to court disaster. The Sharingan, the Uchiha's deadly inheritance, was both beautiful and inescapable.
In minutes, several Root operatives had fallen. Yet victory felt hollow. Root shinobi were unlike normal enemies—they moved without fear, like weapons stripped of humanity. Their teamwork was flawless, their cooperation efficient. And more of them were coming.
Then Shisui staggered slightly. His chakra flow dulled, his limbs felt heavy. Poison… He bit down on an antidote pill from his pouch, forcing his body to respond.
So it comes to this. Must I unleash everything?
Still hesitating, he pressed on, finally reaching the appointed clearing.
...
Elsewhere, Uchiha Itachi waited at the rendezvous. He had been there for some time, unease gnawing at him.
Why hasn't Shisui arrived?
He shook his head. No—it wasn't delay. Shisui was his closest friend, even a mentor in some ways. If Shisui had not appeared, something had gone wrong.
Shisui's bond with both clan and village ran deep. For him, the coup was a nightmare he would risk everything to prevent. Itachi's heart tightened. He must have run into Danzō…
Itachi slipped on his ANBU mask, his Sharingan glowing behind it. Through his eyes, he perceived chakra traces—Shisui's chakra signature was veering toward the village's edge, pursued by multiple signatures behind.
It can only be Danzō.
He had to move. But first, he had to warn the Hokage. A crow fluttered down to his arm, and he tied a scroll to its leg.
"Fly to the Sandaime. Deliver this." The bird took off into the night sky, and Itachi launched himself after Shisui.
...
Back at the Uchiha compound, Fugaku's expression darkened. "Has Shisui not arrived?" he muttered. Though unlike other clansmen, Shisui maintained ties with Hiruzen, he was still highly respected within the clan. His absence at this critical meeting was troubling.
Mikoto's eyes lingered on the door. But Fugaku pulled her gently toward the hall. "We begin," he said firmly.
...
Meanwhile, at the clearing, Shisui landed silently, kunai drawn.
"Hand over your Sharingan, Shisui," Danzō's gravelly voice called out. At last, the elder stepped forward from the trees, breath labored but eyes burning with ambition.
"Only through me can the Uchiha's power serve its true purpose."
Shisui's only answer was silence, his Mangekyō spinning.
Danzō exhaled slowly. "So stubborn… all of you. Very well. Baku, it's your turn."
He slammed his palm down. With a thunderous crack, a massive, grotesque tapir-like creature appeared—its trunk-like snout sucking in air with frightening force. The Dream-Eater, the Baku, a beast of nightmares.
Around them, more Root operatives closed in, circling Shisui like wolves.
"You cannot escape, Uchiha Shisui," Danzō declared. "Your Kotoamatsukami will belong to me."
Shisui tightened his grip, his eyes sweeping over the enemies closing in.
Why? He only wanted to mend the bond between the Uchiha clan and Konohagakure, to stop the rift from turning into bloodshed.
A trace of disappointment flickered across Shisui's heart.
"Lord Danzō… do you truly intend to steal my Sharingan?"
For an instant, Danzō faltered. The young man before him bore a face uncannily similar to Uchiha Kagami—the comrade who had once fought at his side during the Great War. The memory of those days, when he still vied with Sarutobi Hiruzen for the Hokage's seat, surfaced briefly. But sentiment quickly hardened into resolve.
No… both the Sharingan and the Kyūbi must be under my control. Only then can the village be safeguarded.
Without answering, Danzō thrust his arm forward and roared:
"Summoning Jutsu—Baku!"
The monstrous tapir materialized in a thunderous gust. Its enormous maw gaped, and the suction of its wind release began to tear branches from trees, pulling everything toward the vortex.
The gale howled, threatening to drag Shisui into the beast's throat. The fate of being swallowed alive would be brutal.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Shisui countered instantly. The massive sphere of flame was dragged by the Baku's suction, swallowed whole into its maw. The summoning beast let out a shrill, agonized wail as flames erupted inside it.
"Tch… useless beast," Danzō cursed, narrowing his eyes at the faltering summon.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
Root operatives around him formed seals in unison, launching blades of compressed wind that cut through the battlefield.
Shisui's chakra surged violently. Around his body, a green aura erupted, solidifying into a titanic skeleton with a single glowing arm grasping a blade. The storm of wind was cleaved aside in a single stroke, scattering the attacks like paper.
"This is—?!"
Danzō's lone visible eye widened. Shisui stood within the spectral warrior of the Uchiha clan's ultimate defense.
The Root operatives faltered, staring up at the giant construct that loomed above the trees.
"Susanoo…" Shisui's voice echoed from within the avatar. "Let this be the end of the battle."
The colossal warrior raised its hand, in which formed a spinning magatama of chakra—Yasaka no Magatama. With a single motion, the luminous disks of power were hurled outward, whirling in deadly arcs.
"Ugh—!"
Several Root shinobi were obliterated before they could even cry out, their bodies scattered by the devastating blast.
"This power… the Susanoo of the Mangekyō Sharingan?!"
For once, even Danzō Shimura felt genuine dread. His heart twisted with awe and fury, confronted with the living embodiment of the Uchiha's godlike might.