Susanoo

Inside the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat wearily in his Hokage's chair.

Tonight, he was completely unable to sleep.

He had already spent the day running all over the place because of the Jinchuriki matter, giving speeches everywhere before barely managing to suppress the village's resentment toward Naruto.

Just as he was about to fall asleep that night, these old bones of his had been dragged out of bed by Uchiha Shisui.

Although he had long suspected that the Uchiha Clan was planning a coup, he had never expected them to actually dare to rebel. Did the Uchiha Clan truly intend to disregard the village's safety?

If the Uchiha Clan really launched a rebellion, the other four shinobi villages would certainly not sit idly by. They would surely seize the opportunity to attack Konoha, and the Fourth Shinobi World War would erupt as a result.

The village had first lost the White Fang of the Leaf to suicide. Tsunade had left Konoha because of the demons in her heart. Jiraiya had wandered abroad in pursuit of some illusory prophecy. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had sacrificed himself to seal the Nine-Tails. In the end, even his favorite disciple, Orochimaru, had become a rogue ninja.

After all that, Konoha was no longer the strongest shinobi village that could challenge the other four villages with its strength alone.

Having lost so many of its core forces, the village was also beginning to suffer from a gap in its generations. Konoha truly could not endure another war.

He could only strike first.

Was the Uchiha Clan truly, as Tobirama-sensei had said, an innately evil clan?

Just like Uchiha Shisui's Sharingan...

When he thought of Shisui telling him about the ability of his Mangekyō Sharingan, his heart nearly leaped out of his chest.

Kotoamatsukami could directly invade someone's mind without anyone noticing and permanently, completely alter their will.

Didn't that mean Uchiha Shisui could turn anyone into his puppet without anyone ever discovering it?

Such a dangerous ability...

Thinking of how he had once chatted and laughed with the other man, Sarutobi Hiruzen could not help but shudder.

He... hasn't influenced me, has he?

Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a puff of white smoke without changing his expression, but the wariness in his eyes deepened.

Shisui, I deeply approve of your Will of Fire.

But in the hands of an Uchiha, this power is simply too dangerous.

"Someone!"

"Summon Elder Danzo to the Hokage's office at once!"

"Hm?"

Naruto landed directly where Uchiha Shisui had been earlier, but he found no traces of anyone having landed there. That faint malice, however, kept shifting positions around him.

The Body Flicker Technique?

It made no sound at all, yet its speed of repositioning made it difficult for him to track. The user's Body Flicker Technique was quite advanced.

So it was Uchiha Shisui.

He would play with him for a while.

It had to be said that awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan really did make people swell with confidence.

Naruto directly released his Invisibility Release, and his transformed appearance emerged out of thin air.

He had a tall, sturdy yet remarkably agile build. He wore a long robe made of white linen, with a hood pulled over his head. Beneath the hood's shadow, only half of a mask was visible. Leather belts and greaves were strapped around his body, with all kinds of small tools and weapons hanging from them. Together with his specially made leather gloves and boots, he looked completely out of place in the shinobi world.

From the very beginning, Uchiha Shisui had been circling him, looking for an opportunity to strike. Clearly, he had already found Naruto's position through his Sharingan. Since his location had been exposed, there was no need to keep using this useless bloodline limit.

Besides, he had prepared a Multi Transformation Technique.

Ordinary Transformation Techniques might be easily seen through, but the Transformation Technique he performed with the help of his Mangekyō Sharingan was not so simple. At the very least, Uchiha Shisui, who also possessed a Mangekyō Sharingan, had failed to see through it.

Likewise, when Naruto appeared out of thin air, Uchiha Shisui's body, which had been constantly using the Body Flicker Technique, paused slightly. It was clear that he, too, was surprised.

Then came a barrage of kunai and shuriken fired from every conceivable and treacherous angle.

It was the Uchiha Clan's shurikenjutsu, using collisions between shuriken and kunai in midair to alter their trajectories, sealing off every possible avenue of escape and leaving the enemy nowhere to evade.

Naruto had nowhere to dodge, but there was no need to. The shuriken and kunai Uchiha Shisui had thrown from every angle appeared motionless in his eyes. This was the terrifying perception granted by the Mangekyō Sharingan. Combined with the enhancement the Mangekyō Sharingan had fed back to him, the hidden blade in his hand snapped out.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

A series of metallic clashes rang out, and countless sparks burst through the dark, silent forest. Naruto used only his hidden blades to deflect every shuriken and kunai.

But Naruto did not stop moving. His body spun swiftly, both hands rising before him as his two hidden blades crossed in the air, blocking the slash Uchiha Shisui had swung down from the darkness.

In the darkness, two pairs of Three-Tomoe Sharingan reflected one another's figures.

One pair was filled with shock, rage, and confusion. The other held only calmness.

Their clash ended as soon as it began. Uchiha Shisui immediately retreated after failing to land his strike, only stopping several meters away.

He stared fixedly at the tall figure before him, the fury in his eyes seeming ready to take form and burn Naruto to ashes.

"Why did you do this?" Uchiha Shisui gritted his teeth, his expression filled with pain. "Do you know that your actions will make the clan and the village stand completely opposed to each other?"

"What did you do to Cat?"

Uchiha Shisui recognized the mask on Naruto's face, and the other man's Three-Tomoe Sharingan led him to believe that he was an Uchiha.

"Heh heh, are you referring to the owner of this mask?"

A harsh laugh suddenly rose from Naruto's throat. His voice was hoarse and fractured, like two sheets of rough sandpaper constantly grinding against each other.

Uchiha Shisui could not match that voice to any face within the Uchiha Clan.

"His bloodline limit was rather interesting, so I borrowed it to play around with. But it seems that's all it was."

Uchiha Shisui's eyes widened instantly. The three tomoe within them spun rapidly, connecting into a straight line, while barely concealed fury filled his voice.

"You bastard! You actually dared to steal the bloodline limit of a fellow village shinobi!"

"Oh? Does that make you so angry?"

"I'll capture you here, then take you to apologize to the Third Hokage."

The three tomoe in Uchiha Shisui's eyes transformed amid their rotation into the shape of a single-bladed shuriken.

"Is that so? It seems you side with Konoha more than your clan." Naruto retracted his hidden blades and drew the long sword at his waist.

"You think stealing the village's bloodline limit is an unforgivable crime, but have you ever seen what lies beneath Shimura Danzō's bandages?"

"What are you trying to say?" Uchiha Shisui's face turned cold. Though he seemed to be responding, he was actually searching for Naruto's opening. Yet the other man seemed full of openings, making it impossible for him to judge the situation or attack carelessly.

"So you really don't know. Beneath those bandages, there's a Sharingan hidden there!"

"H-how is that possible?!"

Naruto's hoarse words sent Uchiha Shisui into a momentary daze. He knew perfectly well how much the Uchiha valued their bloodline limit. If this were true, once the clan learned that Shimura Danzō possessed an Uchiha Clan Sharingan...

The entire clan would surely erupt into chaos.

Naruto seized that instant of distraction as well, swinging his long sword at the dazed Uchiha Shisui.

No time to dodge!

Uchiha Shisui immediately snapped back to his senses, but the blade was already before his eyes. Naruto's sword was wrapped in Wind Release Chakra; he could not take it head-on.

Clang—

"Susanoo?!"

Naruto looked in surprise at the emerald-green ribs that had blocked his attack. It was the first stage of Susanoo.

It really was cool.

He quickly retreated more than ten meters.

"Before these eyes, you have no chance of victory."

Uchiha Shisui looked coldly at Naruto. "I'll defeat you, then make you tell me everything."

He decided to use his full strength immediately and deal with the other man before either Konoha or the Uchiha Clan could react. That would prevent news of the Uchiha Clan killing Anbu from spreading, and also keep the Uchiha from learning about Shimura Danzō.

Then, veins and muscles rapidly grew over the skeletal frame surrounding Uchiha Shisui, transforming it into the imposing form of a Samurai wielding a Spiral Sword.

Second Stage Susanoo.