The original story had a lot of flashbacks, after all.
And Jin had been here for many years, so he only vaguely remembered that it was on this cliff that the eye was dug out.
Then Shisui, pursued and cornered, had met Itachi, entrusted the eye to him, and leaped down.
They never even found the body.
Yeah, even Kabuto, the corpse-collecting maniac, hadn't been able to find it.
Maybe he'd been smashed to pieces when he fell?
Puzzled, Jin followed behind the Root members.
Gradually, the forest grew taller and denser.
In the pitch-black night, it looked like a gigantic beast.
Its jaws were wide open, waiting for someone to jump inside.
And foolish Shisui had just leaped right in.
A quarter of an hour earlier.
Shisui had eagerly made his way into the forest.
When he saw the man waiting in the distance, he couldn't hide the smile on his face and waved in greeting:
"Lord Danzo, do you really have a way to resolve the conflict between the Uchiha and the village?"
Take note: this sunny, cheerful young man was called Handsome... Shisui.
At that moment, a broad smile was on his face.
"Wonderful!
The village and the clan can finally live in peace!
That little Jin even said Lord Danzo couldn't be trusted. What a silly little boy."
Not long ago, he'd suddenly received a message.
Danzo had a way to peacefully resolve the conflict between the village and the clan!
That was why he'd rushed over without a moment's delay.
He'd practically skipped all the way there.
The forest at midnight, his bouncing steps, his cheerful voice, his springy gait.
All of these showed the protagonist's joy and anticipation, using a technique of raising expectations before dashing them to emphasize the direction of the plot to come.
"That's right. This method is rather secretive. Come over and I'll explain it to you."
Danzo waved Shisui over.
And—the sunny, cheerful young man didn't hesitate for a second. He leaned right in to listen.
At the sight of this, the smile in Danzo's scarred eyes grew broader.
Even the corners of his mouth were about to give him away.
He could barely stop himself from covering his face with one hand and laughing wildly!
Shisui didn't notice. He simply leaned his head closer. "Lord Danzo! What's the method?!"
"The method is—give me your eyes."
"Huh?!"
Squelch!
Shisui froze for a moment.
Then one of his eyes went blind.
Only when blood had soaked Danzo's right hand did he finally realize what had happened.
His expression darkened at once, but above all, he looked bewildered. "Lord Danzo, what are you—doing?!"
"What am I doing? Can't you see?"
"Shisui, you're a good boy, but the power of these eyes is too great. You can't control it. Let me do it!"
Danzo laughed loudly, his whole body trembling.
"If you give me your eyes, I can change Fugaku and the Monkey!"
"Then there'll never be another coup by the Uchiha Clan!?!"
"And the Leaf won't suppress you anymore!"
The more he spoke, the more excited Danzo became.
He could already picture the days when he'd kick Sarutobi Hiruzen and punch Utatane Koharu!
"Hiruzen really has gone too far lately!"
As he spoke, he put the eye away. Just as he was about to say more—
A dozen figures of Shisui suddenly appeared before him, running off in different directions.
"Body Flicker?" Danzo wasn't surprised. He simply watched the fleeing figures and shook his head. "This forest is full of my men!"
"You won't get away!"
"I'm telling you, even if the Monkey shows up, he'll have to stand aside and watch!"
Bang!
"Take that, you monkey!"
Before he could finish speaking, a powerful attack suddenly struck the back of his head!
A smooth brick glowing red appeared without warning right behind his skull.
Burning crimson and the blue-white glow of Eight Trigrams Palm came together as it slammed down!
The brick not only sealed Chakra with Eight Trigrams Palm, but was also empowered by the Two-Tails' and Nine-Tails' power.
Its force was enormous!
And it landed while Danzo was completely off guard.
Everything had been timed to perfection.
Then—Danzo's vision went black, and he collapsed face-first.
He vaguely heard two words by his ear: "Monkey..."
The person who'd arrived wasn't the Monkey, of course, but Jin.
Jin had activated his Weak Presence and sneaked right up beside him!
Plop.
The instant Danzo fell, Jin casually reached out.
A bloodied eye, its edges a vivid crimson, landed in his hand.
It really was quite big.
How had this big idiot still ended up getting his eye dug out?
Jin sighed and put the eye away, intending to turn and leave.
But when he looked at Danzo lying on the ground, the urge to loot the body stirred within him.
Kill Danzo now?
That was definitely out of the question. Kakashi was right behind him.
Besides, if the Leaf's Pot Kage died just like this, who would the Uchiha Clan redirect the conflict toward in the future?
So Jin didn't kill him. Instead, he treated him like a pig he was raising.
He'd fatten him up before slaughtering him.
Let this pig live for a couple more days.
Of course—even if he couldn't kill him, he could still beat him up!
Bang!
Bang, bang, bang!
The next moment, glowing fists rained down in a dense flurry.
Even after he'd finished, Jin still wasn't satisfied. He turned his gaze toward the brick beside him.
Then he picked it up again.
Deep down, he really did love braining people with a brick!
Under the moonlight, Danzo murmured in his sleep.
He was dreaming of the Hokage position he'd lost beneath the setting sun.
"Lord Danzo, you..."
After Jin disappeared, Kakashi arrived behind him and looked at the scene with a complicated expression.
Especially when he saw that Danzo had been completely off guard and Jin had knocked him down with a single brick, his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
They were even wider than when he saw the latest issue of Makeout Paradise!
Kakashi knew how strong Danzo was. Even ordinary Elite Jonin were no match for him!
But...
How had Jin managed to sneak up on him without Danzo noticing at all?
"Could it be... he was so excited after getting that eye that he lost himself?"
He rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
After everything that had happened today, he didn't even know how to explain it to the Third Hokage.
Should he say that Danzo had tried to steal an Uchiha's eye, only to get knocked unconscious by Jin with a brick?
If word got out, relations between the Uchiha Clan and the village would probably fall into a complete deadlock.
Of course, he still had to do his job.
He sent a signal to inform the Third Hokage.
Then he stayed there, guarding the crime scene.
Whoosh!
Before long, a team of figures rushed over.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, arrived at full speed, carrying his staff.
"Kakashi! Has the Leaf been attacked?!"
Hearing that Danzo had been knocked unconscious, he'd instinctively assumed the Leaf had been attacked.
That was why he'd come straight over in battle mode.
Beside him, Enma stood ready, his gaze sweeping darkly across the area.
When Hiruzen's eyes settled on the scene, Danzo below opened his eyes at just that moment.
The moment he opened them... he saw a monkey.
A monkey...?
The voice from before he'd passed out suddenly rang in his ears!
Danzo sprang up and pointed at the Third Hokage and Enma, shouting in accusation:
"Monkey! You actually attacked me from behind!"
Before you continue