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Chapter 33 - CHAPTER 33

Chapter 33 Confrontation

Countless green arrows rained down from the clouds, each one forged from Shisui's Mangekyō and condensed into razor-sharp chakra.

In the blink of an eye, the storm of attacks reached Danzō's position.

The Earth Flow Wall, raised desperately by Root operatives, cracked and shattered as if made of paper. The combined defense of several elite Root shinobi was useless, penetrated instantly, leaving behind only the broken bodies of those who had stood in the way.

Many didn't even have time to scream—their flesh was ripped apart and scattered by the sheer force of Susanoo's arrows.

"Protect Danzō-sama!" a high-ranking Root commander barked, his voice trembling even as he issued the order.

Several loyal shinobi leapt in front of Danzō, offering their own bodies as shields. But even with flesh and blood as a barrier, the storm of Susanoo's chakra still pressed forward, irresistible, swallowing everything in its path.

Some Root tried to burrow away with Earth Release, clawing at the ground in panic, but Susanoo's arrows pierced the soil, exploding beneath their feet and erasing every escape.

Danzō's single visible eye narrowed. A trace of despair flickered across his face. Am I really going to die here…?

No—he refused to believe it. A desperate thought clawed its way into his mind. Even if it cost another Sharingan, he would rely on Izanagi. He would twist death itself and survive—then strike Shisui down.

Yes. No jutsu was invincible. Susanoo consumed enormous chakra, and even the Uchiha could not maintain it indefinitely. If it were truly flawless, the clan would have used it already to seize Konoha by force.

Just as his fingers tightened toward the seals of Izanagi, a surge of familiar chakra washed over the battlefield.

"Ape Demon—now!"

A booming voice carried across the clearing. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, had arrived. Relief spread across Danzō's face, relief deeper than he had felt in years. Even if judgment awaited him under Sarutobi's gaze, it was preferable to being annihilated here by Shisui's Susanoo.

With a thunderous crack, the Kongōnyoi expanded, Enma's true form elongating like steel. From its end, a massive, fur-covered hand extended, grabbing Danzō's body and hurling him away from the impact zone.

"Earth Release—Earth Style Rampart!"

Hiruzen and two shadow clones slammed their hands to the ground. A titanic wall of stone erupted, larger and stronger than anything Root could muster, shielding the village from the falling arrows.

"The Vajra Prison Wall!"

Kongōnyoi split into countless staffs, scattering across the ground like a living lattice, intercepting the remaining volleys of chakra. The barrier shimmered under the strain, but Hiruzen's defenses held.

The Third… Shisui thought, recognizing the presence immediately. He could no longer hide his intent. The chance to eliminate Danzō had slipped away.

His vision dimmed. The colossal green warrior behind him began to fade. The Susanoo dissolved into fragments of chakra light, and Shisui's body plummeted from the sky.

At the battlefield's edge, Danzō exhaled slowly, his composure returning. A faint, satisfied look crossed his face. With only a glance, he signaled his surviving subordinates.

They understood instantly. Two shuriken glinted in the moonlight, whistling toward Shisui's falling form.

"Shisui!"

A blur of motion. Itachi appeared beneath him, catching his mentor in mid-air. Sharingan blazing crimson, Itachi twisted, deflecting the deadly projectiles.

Cradling Shisui, he pressed two fingers to his neck. Still breathing. Exhausted, chakra completely drained—but alive. Relief washed through him.

His eyes hardened as he turned toward the Root operatives. Despite the Uchiha clan's mounting arrogance, it was Danzō and his secretive methods that sickened him more.

"Itachi… and the Uchiha," Hiruzen muttered, sighing as more presences entered the clearing.

From the treeline, Fugaku Uchiha emerged, flanked by a squad of clan shinobi, their Sharingan glowing in the darkness.

The battlefield was unrecognizable. Trees had been erased. The earth was cratered and torn apart. Even the river nearby had been diverted, its current forced into a newly carved trench gouged by Susanoo's strikes. Bodies of Root operatives lay scattered, testament to the destructive power Shisui had unleashed.

Fugaku's chest swelled with pride and shock. Such power… this is what Susanoo can do?

Joy flickered in his heart. To think that Shisui, a son of Uchiha, wielded such strength. With Shisui's support, perhaps the clan could ascend to the Hokage's seat without bloodshed. And Itachi—brilliant, prodigious Itachi—if he too could awaken Susanoo, then perhaps "Hokage Uchiha Itachi" would one day be reality.

But Itachi's expression shattered Fugaku's illusions.

The boy's crimson eyes met his father's without warmth. Cold, indifferent—eyes that seemed to pierce through every thought Fugaku concealed. The sight stirred unease in him, even annoyance.

Don't forget—you are an Uchiha too, Fugaku thought bitterly, words on the tip of his tongue. But before he could speak, more figures arrived at Hiruzen's side.

A new formation stepped into the light. At the front was a sharp-eyed man with a pineapple-shaped haircut—Shikaku Nara. Beside him stood the towering Chōza Akimichi and the stern Inoichi Yamanaka. Behind them, squads of Konoha jōnin assembled, veterans of countless missions, their presence turning the ruined clearing into a standoff.

The stage had shifted. This was no longer a secret clash between Root and Shisui. The eyes of the entire village leadership had arrived.

Is it the three clans of Pig, Deer, and Butterfly? There are also the Inuzuka clan, who fight alongside their ninken, and the Aburame clan, who wield swarms of kikaichū.

Although Fugaku held deep pride in the power of the Uchiha, he did not underestimate the strength of Konoha's other founding families. One by one, the Uchiha drew kunai, shuriken, and prepared their Sharingan, tension thickening in the air.

Nara Shikaku, chief strategist of the village and trusted aide to the Hokage, narrowed his eyes. He had anticipated that this turmoil would eventually involve the Uchiha, yet the sudden escalation to this battlefield, with so many eyes present, had come faster than even he calculated.

Was the center of this storm truly Uchiha Shisui—now collapsed from chakra exhaustion—and Shimura Danzō, slumped dazedly against a tree? Shikaku's mind raced.

Shisui, "Shisui of the Body Flicker," was the Uchiha the Third Hokage himself trusted most, known to oppose the clan's coup and said to be Itachi's closest ally in that mission. Shikaku had only crossed paths with him a handful of times, but each time Shisui left an impression of calm, loyalty, and clarity.

By contrast, Danzō… Shikaku's jaw tightened. In the highest circles of Konoha, few spoke well of him. Root, his personal foundation carved out from the ANBU, followed only his orders and disregarded Hokage authority entirely. Many shadows in the village's history seemed to trail back to Danzō's schemes.

It was more than likely that Danzō had indeed been moving against the Uchiha, just as Shisui's actions suggested. Yet the fact remained: on this night, many Root operatives had been cut down by Shisui's Susanoo. If Hiruzen hadn't intervened, even Danzō himself might have been erased.

Troublesome. Truly troublesome.

Shikaku exhaled slowly, his eyes sliding to the Hokage. He was a commander, yes, but only an adviser. In the end, it would be Hiruzen Sarutobi's decision that shaped this outcome. And the Third's foresight, cultivated across two Shinobi World Wars, often extended further than Shikaku's own.

"Third-sama," he murmured, awaiting his judgment.

Fugaku, however, stepped forward, his face calm but his voice edged with steel. Even as his mind balanced on the knife's edge of a planned coup, he seized this chance to strike. "We demand an explanation from the village," he said clearly. "Shisui fought Danzō because Danzō moved first against him. The attack came from your own councilor."

His words rang sharp in the night air. It was Danzō who struck at Shisui!

Hiruzen's eyes flared wide. He cut Fugaku off with uncharacteristic harshness, his voice booming. "Explanation? What is there to explain? Uchiha Shisui slew comrades of this village—his own allies!"

The reprimand struck like a hammer, merciless and unflinching.

Outside the walls of Konohagakure, the air thickened into a suffocating silence. Two great powers now stood in opposition: the Hokage with the clans of Konoha at his back, and Fugaku with his Sharingan clan, already poised on the edge of rebellion.

The atmosphere quivered, taut as a drawn bowstring.

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