Outside Konoha, in an abandoned Buddhist temple, two enormous painted Buddha statues at the entrance resembled weathered skeletons in the twilight, groaning and weeping in the night wind. The air was filled with the decaying scent of stale incense ash, rotten wood, and earth.
Withered weeds stubbornly stretched out among the rubble and broken tiles, only to be bent low by the night dew.
Twelve figures, like ink seeping from the ground, silently blended into the shadowy corners of the Buddhist temple ruins.
They wore identical dark, tight-fitting combat uniforms and expressionless animal masks—foxes, wild boars, Crow— "
Behind the eye openings of the mask lies an emptiness deeper than the night.
His aura was completely concealed, as if he himself were part of the shadows, and even his heartbeat was barely audible.
Only the occasional glimpse of Kunai or Ninja Blade peeking out from the cuffs or waist reveals a chilling killing intent.
Aburame Tatsuma hid behind a half-leaning giant pillar, where countless tiny Kikaichū silently crawled within his wide sleeves, forming a chilling black ripple.
Yamanaka Fu hid behind the only remaining half of the broken wall of the Buddhist hall, his hands forming a mudra to maintain the starting position of the Mind Transfer Jutsu, his spirit like an invisible spider web, quietly covering this desolate battlefield.
Shimura Danzō alone on the relatively open, gravelly ground in front of the Buddhist hall.
The moonlight outlined his slightly hunched figure, yet it exuded a sinister Coercion. The heavy bandages wrapped around his right arm and right eye were particularly glaring in the moonlight.
He was like a venomous spider lurking in the center of its web, patiently waiting for its prey to step into the final trap.
A soft whooshing sound came from afar, and a figure, like a gust of wind blending into the night, came to a steady stop a few steps away from Danzo in a few leaps.
It was Shisui Uchiha.
He wore the Uchiha Clan's signature dark blue stand-up collar robe, carried a short sword on his back, had a bandage over his left eye, and had a calm expression with a hint of barely perceptible worry between his brows.
Those black eyes, inheriting the Uchiha bloodline, were clear and bright in the moonlight, yet to ignite a crimson glow.
" Danzo." Shisui nodded slightly, his voice steady, carrying a polite respect for the village's higher-ups.
"What important matter brings you to invite me so late at night?"
Danzo's single eye slowly rotated behind the gap in the bandage, scanning Shisui like a cold probe.
Instead of answering Shisui's question, he posed a sharp, venomous one, his voice dry and hoarse, piercing to the core. " Shisui, I'll ask you one more time. If you ultimately fail to change the Uchiha Clan's rebellious will, what will you do then?"
Shisui's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
He took a deep breath of the cool autumn night air, his gaze meeting Danzo's single eye with composure, his voice firm and clear. "If it truly comes to an irreversible point—for the sake of the village's peace, I will use ' Kotoamatsukami '."
He paused, his tone carrying an almost sacrificial weight.
"To change the will of the most core and radical ninjas within the clan, and extinguish the flames of rebellion at their very core."
"This is a last resort. The Third Hokage Lord Hokage has also promised that once the threat from the Uchiha is eliminated, he will do everything in his power to promote integration and make the Uchiha a truly indispensable part of Konoha."
"Integration? Promise?" Danzo let out a very soft, mocking laugh.
"What a naive idea, Shisui. Even if your Kotoamatsukami changed the Uchiha's will, making them as docile as lambs, are the suspicions and fears in people's hearts so easily eliminated?"
"Can your miraculous eyes so easily erase the shadows in the hearts of people like me, like those villagers and ninjas who experienced the Nine-Tails Incident and witnessed the terrifying power of the Sharingan?"
His voice suddenly rose, carrying a deliberately provocative edge and a cold probing. "If I still cannot trust the Uchiha, and still believe those eyes are the root of all calamity, will you also use your supreme genjutsu to 'change' my will?"
"You want to turn me, this old man, into a source of shame for your will?!"
This thought-provoking question struck like a thunderbolt!
Shisui shuddered, a flash of shock and disbelief crossing his clear eyes!
He never imagined that Danzo would so blatantly question his bottom line!
This is no longer an inquiry; it is the most vicious accusation!
Just when my mind was in turmoil and my vigilance had faltered by the slightest crack!
Danzo his move!
That hunched figure unleashed a terrifying speed that was completely disproportionate to his age!
His left hand, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, pierced the air with a shrill shriek, aiming straight for Shisui's remaining right eye!
This attack was ruthless, cunning, and completely unexpected!
This is precisely the time to take advantage of your weakness and kill you!
However, he was faced with " Body Flicker Shisui "!
The shock in Shisui's eyes instantly turned into a sharp, cold glint!
Faced with this deadly sneak attack, his body seemed to anticipate the attack's trajectory, and with a speed exceeding the limits of visual perception, he slid only half a step to the left!
At the same time, Shisui's right hand shot out like lightning, precisely grabbing Danzo's wrist!
" Danzo advisor!" Shisui's voice was as cold as a knife, filled with the rage of betrayal and a powerful sense of oppression, "You've gone too far!"
Before the words were even finished, Shisui's clear black eyes instantly ignited!
The scarlet light surged forth like hellfire!
Three jet-black Tomoe spun wildly in his blood-red pupils, instantly transforming into a complex and mysterious pattern.
A windmill-shaped Mangekyō Sharingan!
"Genjutsu: Sharingan!"
Eyes widened!
An invisible and intangible yet terrifying power of vision, capable of distorting the mind, surged forth like a burst dam, crashing into Danzo's mind as their gazes met!
Danzo's body stiffened abruptly!
It was like being struck by an invisible giant hammer!
The sinister intent and scheming in that one eye instantly froze and dissipated!
He felt as if his soul had been forcibly ripped out and thrown into a blood-red purgatory, where countless distorted illusions and fear from the depths of his soul instantly overwhelmed him!
His body went out of control, frozen in place like a puppet.
Shisui looked at Danzo, who had been instantly Danzo by the illusion, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
The anger had not completely subsided, but the murderous intent was ultimately suppressed by reason.
He released his grip on Danzo's wrist, his voice carrying a warning and a barely perceptible hint of weariness. "The illusion will soon be dispelled. Take care of yourself, Danzo."
He stopped looking at Danzo, and turned to leave.
His silhouette appeared somewhat lonely and heavy in the twilight.
He just wanted to leave this place full of intrigue and betrayal as soon as possible.
Just as he turned around, his mind momentarily relaxed due to anger and disappointment!
A sudden change has occurred!
Danzo, who should have been pinned to the spot by the illusion, suddenly unleashed a strange chakra fluctuation from the Danzo in the bandage wrapped around his right eye!
Izanagi!
Shisui suddenly felt the scene before him blur strangely!
Danzo, who was originally behind him, suddenly appeared in front of him like a ghost!
A withered hand, wrapped in blood-soaked bandages, like a demonic claw reaching out from hell, pierced Shisui's unsuspecting right eye with a shrill shriek that tore through the air!
Shisui's pupils suddenly contracted!
It's Danzo!
He actually broke free from the Mangekyo illusion? How is that possible?!
puff!
A sickening, sticky, muffled thud!
A sharp, soul-wrenching pain exploded from his right eye and swept through his entire body!
Warm liquid, mixed with an indescribable sense of shattering, surged down my cheeks!
My vision was instantly swallowed by a thick, crimson red and absolute darkness!
"Nee ah!"
Shisui let out a suppressed groan of pain, his body jerking backward to his knees from the intense pain and loss of balance! He then quickly created distance between himself and the ground.