Sage of Six Paths

After Yichen rescued Shisui Uchiha from the cliff, Itachi Uchiha took advantage of their conversation to unleash Amaterasu that could burn anything, on Yichen.

Unexpectedly, Yichen was prepared, and all Itachi Uchiha saw from beginning to end was a Porcelain Release Clone by Yichen.

When the Porcelain Release Clone was burned by Amaterasu and turned into a rock without Chakra, falling directly to the ground, Itachi Uchiha finally saw Yichen form, which had been obscured by the clone.

However, at this point, Itachi Uchiha could no longer determine whether this Yichen was a clone, like the previous one, created to lure him into attacking.

What frustrated Itachi Uchiha the most was that his newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan closed down after using this one Dōjutsu.

Although he knew after sensing that this shutdown was temporary because he had not yet fully mastered the ability, Itachi Uchiha still felt as if he had been tricked by fate when his greatest reliance at this critical moment suddenly disappeared.

Although Yichen didn't see the change in Itachi Uchiha's eyes because he deliberately avoided looking at him, he could still sense that Yichen's aura had suddenly weakened.

The change was obvious; even without any Mind's Eye, Yichen could clearly discern it and make an accurate judgment.

"That makes sense. When Sokai first awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, he immediately fell into a coma. Even if Itachi Uchiha was a genius, he should have reached his limit after using a single Dōjutsu." Yichen concluded in his mind.

However, Yichen did not immediately kill Itachi Uchiha. Instead, he said, "I will exchange Shisui Uchiha's life for the Sharingan in your hand."

"At the same time, as the Tsuchikage, I guarantee your safe departure and that I will not cause you any further trouble."

Yichen's Mind's Eye ability hadn't recovered yet, so waiting a while and chatting for a bit was fine. However, Yichen had already made up his mind that if Itachi Uchiha tried to play Mind's Eye again, he would just take it by force.

There were three Mangekyō Sharingan on the field, Yichen felt that even if he had to resort to brute force, it wasn't impossible to snatch one or two.

Although Itachi Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan was less valuable than Shisui Uchiha's, it was still better than waiting for Konoha's reinforcements and getting nothing in return.

Sensing Yichen's undisguised killing intent, Itachi Uchiha spoke directly, "I don't believe the Lord Tsuchikage's guarantee. I don't think the Lord Tsuchikage has any reason to let us go."

Itachi Uchiha wanted to buy time, both to wait for reinforcements and to allow his eye power to recover quickly.

Yichen laughed and said, "Killing you directly would certainly be to my advantage, but if we could expose the fact that the Konoha High-ranking officials were targeting the Uchiha, I think that would also be a good option."

"So, as long as Shisui Uchiha is alive, he can sow discord between your Uchiha Clan and the Konoha High-ranking officials, which is a win-win situation for me."

"If I do this, I can also obtain Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan, which would be even better. How about this reason? Doesn't it fit my style?"

Yichen was unaware of the specific relationship between Itachi Uchiha and the Konoha High-ranking officials, and wanted to stir up trouble.

Itachi Uchiha then asked, "Lord Tsuchikage, after this exchange, how can I trust that you will let us go?"

Yichen sighed and said, "I've already told you, as the Tsuchikage, I assured you. You need to understand, we are enemies, and our deal can never be perfect."

As the two were talking, Yichen's change of Mind's Eye came to an end.

Yichen sensed it briefly and, sure enough, the limit of his perception range had doubled again.

Standing still, Yichen could sense things 160 kilometers away. His Mind's Eye had taken another big step forward on the path to becoming Super S-rank Ninjutsu.

Unfortunately, there aren't many geniuses left in the Uchiha Clan who can give Yichen another ride. Otherwise, with a few more evolutions, Yichen might actually be able to sit in the Tsuchikage's Office and oversee the entire Ninja World.

Pulling himself back to reality, Yichen said, "The people looking for you are coming soon. You have no chance to stall for time. Tell me, do you want your eyes or your life?"

"By the way, there's something I can tell you. Your brother Shisui once awakened the ultimate Dōjutsu of the Mangekyō Sharingan with one eye: Susanoo."

"If you get the other eye and transplant it back to your brother Shisui, he can regain his Kage Level strength. Losing one Mangekyō Sharingan is no big deal. Make your choice!"

Itachi Uchiha sensed Yi Chen's impatience and dared not gamble with his Shisui brother Yichen's patience. So he said, "I choose Shisui, but you have to return Shisui to me first, and then I'll give you his Mangekyō Sharingan."

Yichen smiled slightly and said, "You have no negotiation experience, so I'll teach you. You're unwilling to give me the Mangekyō Sharingan first, and I'm unwilling to release the person first. How about this, we each take a step back."

After saying that, Yichen tore off one of Shisui Uchiha's arms amidst Itachi Uchiha's eyes blazing with fury.

"Here, take this as a token of my sincerity. I've made a concession. Now it's your turn," Yichen said calmly after tossing Shisui Uchiha's arm to Itachi Uchiha.

Itachi Uchiha's heart sank. He was still too naive. It was too foolish to try to outsmart someone who had spent his whole life scheming and plotting.

Itachi Uchiha dared not hesitate any longer and quickly threw out the Mangekyō Sharingan in his hand. Yichen caught it, examined it, and laughed, "Why didn't you do this sooner?"

After saying that, Yichen released the Porcelain Release seal on Shisui Uchiha and threw him to Itachi Uchiha.

Itachi Uchiha put Shisui Uchiha's severed arm into a scroll, then, holding Shisui Uchiha in one arm and a long sword in the other, quickly retreated.

As Itachi Uchiha retreated rapidly towards Konoha, Yichen's clone in the air made no move.

However, Yichen, who was hiding in the shadows, quickly Hand Seals, preparing to launch a devastating attack in the direction that Itachi Uchiha had fled.

But at that moment, a chilling sense of crisis suddenly arose in Yichen's mind.

This feeling came suddenly, without any prior warning, and the sense of crisis was extremely strong. Yichen couldn't even judge the level of the person who gave him this feeling. At least, Nagato would never have given Yichen this feeling.

Without a word, Yichen stopped his Ninjutsu and turned to run. At the same time, Yichen's clone in mid-air made the same choice.

Because he had prepared in advance, Yichen's movements were very smooth. One second he was determined to kill Itachi Uchiha with one blow, and the next second he had already escaped dozens of meters away.

Yichen didn't stop, fleeing for more than twenty miles before finally stopping after confirming that the fleeting sense of danger had disappeared.

After Yichen's main body stopped, his clone, who had escaped with him, arrived a while later. After taking Shisui Uchiha's eyes from the clone, Yichen turned to look in the direction of Konoha and sighed softly.

Before and after Hand Seals, Yichen's Mind's Eye monitored his surroundings from all directions, both above and below ground. He was 100% certain that there were no living beings around him who could threaten him.

However, he felt that threat of death very clearly.

Seeing this, Yichen felt there was only one possibility: the being who had given him the death warning was beyond his current comprehension. The other party's level was far superior to his; if the other party hadn't deliberately revealed its existence, Yichen would never have discovered that such a person existed.

"The Sage of Six Paths!" Yichen silently uttered this long-held guess in his heart.

If Yichen hadn't been worried about the Sage of Six Paths interfering, why would he have wasted so much time talking to Itachi Uchiha? Wouldn't it have been easier to just kill him? With those two brothers dead, Konoha's strength would be greatly diminished, making it much easier to suppress Konoha from there.

Today was not without its gains; at least it confirmed that the Sage of Six Paths had indeed been watching over his two sons all along. It wasn't as Yichen had initially imagined: that the Sage of Six Paths only awoke from his slumber after sensing the God Tree's resurrection.

Floating in the air twenty miles away from Konoha, Yichen's Mind's Eye was still fixed on the direction of Konoha, just like before.

After struggling for a long time, Yichen shouted, "I'm doing this to Guardian Ninja world! The Ninja World is currently powerless to resist the invasion of external forces!"

"I need to Unifying the Ninja World and increase Ninja World strength. Konoha is only good for internal strife, unlike the Iwagakure I govern. Look at our Iwagakure now, isn't our strength far greater than before?"

"If I Unifying the Ninja World, Ninja World strength will surely rise again, just like Iwagakure. Our goals are the same; you can't stop me."

"Furthermore, I have never laid a hand on your son. You are interfering with the normal development of the Ninja World, and I resent this. This is inconsistent with the impartial image you projected when you founded Ninja Sect."

Yichen's words were filled with frustration, grievance, and resentment.

After Yichen finished speaking, he waited for a while, but there was nothing around him.

"As expected, I was overthinking it. The Sage of Six Paths wouldn't take the words of an ant like himself to heart," Yichen thought to himself.

But after a moment of silence, Yichen spoke again, "I want compensation! Otherwise, I'll unleash a Light Release on Itachi Uchiha."

As he spoke, Yichen flew higher and higher, making a Light Release gesture with his hands, aiming at Itachi Uchiha, who was twenty miles away, looking blankly at Shisui Uchiha's injuries.

This time, Yichen didn't gather Light Release Chakra in his hands. He was very uneasy. What if the Sage of Six Paths wasn't some righteous and benevolent being, but just a treacherous person like himself?

What if the Sage of Six Paths found him, an ant, too annoying and casually slapped him to death? Yichen dared not take the risk, so he was extremely cautious in this test.

But after Yichen held the cross hand gesture for a while, he suddenly heard a barely perceptible sigh. Then, a spatial fluctuation occurred around him, and an item suddenly fell out of the alternate dimension.

Yichen was overjoyed. He caught the item and put it in his pocket, then flew off towards Iwagakure without looking back.

At this moment, all the resentment, grievances, and unwillingness on Yichen's face had vanished, leaving only joy.

"We've made a fortune! This trip was totally worth it!" Although Yichen didn't know what the Sage of Six Paths had given him, he figured the Sage of Six Paths wouldn't be so embarrassed to give away ordinary things.

In Konoha, Itachi Uchiha brought Shisui Uchiha to a secluded place. Itachi Uchiha first bandaged Shisui Uchiha's wounds before waking him from his unconscious Shisui Uchiha.

"Brother Shisui, how are you feeling now?" Seeing that Shisui Uchiha had stirred, Itachi Uchiha quickly asked.

Shisui Uchiha was blind, but puzzled as to why he wasn't dead, he asked, "Itachi? How come I'm not dead?"

Itachi Uchiha said, "It was the Tsuchikage who appeared in time and saved you from the cliff. The Tsuchikage traded your life for your Sharingan."

Shisui Uchiha was unconcerned about his Sharingan, but upon hearing Itachi Uchiha Sharingan, he eagerly asked, "Itachi, your Sharingan...?"

Itachi Uchiha knew what he was worried about and immediately said, "Don't worry, Shisui -nii, I've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."

Shisui Uchiha breathed a sigh of relief. He had struggled to escape from Root, determined to die in front of Itachi Uchiha. His purpose was clear: to provoke Itachi Uchiha into Awakening Eyes.

Although the situation is already very bad, at least our dear Itachi has awakened the Mangekyo and is capable of protecting himself. He also has the strength to mediate the relationship between the clan and the village.

Shisui Uchiha struggled for a moment, trying to get up.

Itachi Uchiha quickly said, "Brother Shisui, don't move. Your left hand was torn off by the Tsuchikage. Rest now. I'll have someone transplant your hand back later."

Shisui Uchiha sighed and said, "Itachi, from now on, I'll leave the task of mediating the conflicts between the clan and the High-ranking officials to you. I believe you can do a better job than I can."

Upon hearing this, Itachi Uchiha's face contorted with rage. Tears streaming down his face, he cried out, "Brother Shisui, even in your condition, why are you still thinking of those bastards in the clan?"

Shisui Uchiha touched Itachi Uchiha's head with his intact right hand and said, "Itachi, I'm not doing this for any one clan member, I'm doing this for the entire clan, for the entire village."

"Itachi, don't act rashly. Besides those Radical Faction, there are many children like Sasuke in the clan. For their sake, we must remain calm."

"Sasuke," Itachi Uchiha murmured to himself.

Sure enough, Itachi Uchiha only calmed down after hearing the name Sasuke. However, the mention of children like Sasuke in Shisui Uchiha Itachi Uchiha at all.

After a moment of silence, Itachi Uchiha finally remembered to ask, "Brother Shisui, who gouged out your right eye?"

Shisui Uchiha did not tell Itachi Uchiha beforehand, fearing that he would cause Itachi to resent the Konoha High-ranking officials.

Now that he was still alive, and Itachi had asked again, Shisui Uchiha no longer hid the truth. He said, "It was Lord Danzō. Lord Danzō didn't trust me. He was afraid I would use the Kotoamatsukami Genjutsu to control him and the other high-ranking officials, so he took my eyes."

Itachi Uchiha clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and uttered two words incredulously. "Danzo..."

Itachi Uchiha is still a member of Root and Danzo's subordinate. Originally, he regarded Danzo as a senior figure, just like the Third Hokage.

But at this moment, Itachi Uchiha finally matured, and he began to understand the High-ranking officials from a different perspective.