On the outskirts of the Root base.
Hearing footsteps behind him, Shimura Danzō turned around and looked at Uchiha Shisui, as if he had been waiting for him for a long time.
"Shisui, you finally came," Danzō said calmly. "I thought you wouldn't."
Shisui harbored many unpredictable thoughts about Danzō. He lowered his head slightly and replied,
"Danzō-sama, are you looking for me because of the coup? I still need to attend the clan meeting."
Danzō asked coldly,
"Is it to use your dōjutsu to control Uchiha Fugaku and stop the coup?"
Shisui glanced at him and nodded.
"As long as Captain Fugaku is controlled, the Uchiha will abandon the idea of launching a coup. This is the best method I can think of."
Hearing this, Danzō sneered inwardly and questioned him without any courtesy:
"Controlling Fugaku can indeed delay the Uchiha rebellion—but only delay it. As time passes, some Uchiha will grow dissatisfied with the status quo and eventually rise against the village."
Shisui frowned.
"I believe that under Hokage-sama's leadership, the clan can change and eventually integrate into the village. Danzō-sama is being overly suspicious."
"Suspicious?" Danzō snorted coldly. "I simply think further than the Third Hokage. They always place their hopes for peace on others. I prefer to create peace myself."
Shisui pretended not to hear Danzō's criticism of the other high-ranking officials and said impatiently,
"If Danzō-sama only wanted to discuss this, then please allow me to leave. I must go stop the coup."
Danzō stepped in front of Shisui and said indifferently,
"You always expect the Uchiha to integrate into the village. But have you ever considered that people like me will never trust the Uchiha?"
Shisui's expression turned ugly, but he held back his words and turned to leave with a cold face.
At that moment, Danzō suddenly leapt forward and reached straight for Shisui's eyes—his target unmistakably the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Shisui, who had been prepared for this, shot Danzō a glance and instantly subdued him with a genjutsu.
Looking at Danzō trapped in the illusion, Shisui sighed softly.
"Danzō-sama, I know you want to stop me, but no one can stop me from protecting both the village and the Uchiha."
"Don't worry. This is only a basic illusion. I won't kill you and create new hatred."
With that, Shisui turned and left the Root base, preparing to return to the Uchiha clan meeting.
Suddenly, Danzō—who had been immobilized by the genjutsu—vanished.
In the next instant, he appeared in front of Shisui and struck with lightning speed, tearing out Shisui's right eye.
Shisui reacted immediately, retreating at full speed. He covered the bleeding wound and stared at Danzō in shock.
He had expected Danzō to make a move—but he couldn't understand how Danzō had broken free from his Sharingan genjutsu, his greatest specialty.
At that moment, Danzō removed the bandages covering his eye.
Seeing the lost pupil power—Sharingan—Shisui understood everything.
Danzō had used Izanagi to rewrite the reality controlled by the genjutsu.
But when did Danzō obtain Sharingan?
And how did he learn Izanagi?
Could it be that Danzō had been secretly collecting Uchiha eyes all along?
The more Shisui thought about it, the colder his heart became. Fear toward Danzō surged uncontrollably.
After succeeding, Danzō did not continue his attack. He simply looked at Shisui expressionlessly and said in a gloomy tone:
"Give up resisting, Shisui. Hand over the other Mangekyō Sharingan. I will make these eyes realize their true value."
Hearing this, Shisui completely abandoned restraint and shouted in a low voice,
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Just as the flames took shape, several Root ninja leapt out and jointly performed Water Style, extinguishing the attack.
Seeing this, Shisui realized that Danzō had prepared far more than he imagined. Using the dense steam created by the clash, he activated Body Flicker Technique and escaped.
With both eyes, he might have been able to fight Root.
With one eye? That would be suicide.
If Danzō obtained both Mangekyō Sharingan, not only Shisui himself, but the clan—and even the Hokage—would be under threat.
He had to escape.
Watching Shisui flee, Danzō's expression darkened.
Although he had already overestimated Shisui's strength, even surrounded by Root, Shisui still escaped. His power was greater than expected.
Chase… or not?
Danzō hesitated briefly before ordering only the Root ninja to pursue.
If the pursuit failed, he would lose at most one Mangekyō.
If he chased personally, he risked being controlled by Kotoamatsukami—and that was a risk he wasn't willing to take.
In the forest, the fleeing Shisui was quickly caught up to by Root ninja.
Facing these elite shinobi, Shisui gradually fell into a disadvantage. When he was about to be struck by ninjutsu, he forcibly activated Susanoo.
After consuming most of his remaining chakra, an emerald-green half-body Susanoo manifested within the forest.
Blocking all incoming attacks, it repelled the pursuing Root ninja. Ignoring the massive chakra drain, Shisui forcibly used Susanoo: Yasaka Magatama.
As chakra arrows condensed, Shisui unleashed them.
Countless arrows rained down like a storm. Wherever they landed—trees, rocks, or flesh—everything was pierced through and reduced to sieves.
Using his Sharingan to scan the surroundings, Shisui confirmed that no Root ninja remained alive.
Panting heavily, he released Susanoo and staggered deeper into the forest. His physical strength and chakra were both nearing total exhaustion; even running was a struggle.
After finding a safe place, Shisui checked his injuries and analyzed the situation.
At least a month would be required for recovery. In his current state, he couldn't stop the coup. Appearing before the clan now would only intensify their determination—it would backfire completely.
But doing nothing would only allow the conflict between the clan and the village to erupt, harming both sides.
After some thought, Shisui made his decision.
After roughly bandaging his wounds, he rushed toward the cliff where he often met Itachi.
If he couldn't stop the coup while alive, then he would do so in death.
The loss of the clan's strongest combatant would deal a heavy blow to their morale. But before dying, he had to entrust his remaining eye—and his ideals—to his closest friend.
With that in mind, Shisui wrote his suicide note, folded it, and placed it within the lining of his clothes.
Just as he was about to leave, Shisui noticed a figure standing with their back against a large tree ahead.
The figure turned around and raised a hand, signaling him to follow.
Who is it?
Shisui narrowed his eyes—but the doubt quickly faded.
That jumping style… that movement…
Exactly the same as his best friend's.
It must be Itachi.
After all, they had already agreed to meet.
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