Danzo: You're an Uchiha!

Pfft—

Danzo was sent tumbling backward in a rather pathetic state, clutching his right shoulder tightly.

A large chunk of flesh was already missing from his right shoulder, yet strangely, not a drop of blood flowed out.

His gaze was still full of shock. For a moment just now, he seemed to have seen his teacher...

In more ways than one!

"What are you?"

Danzo tried hard to remain calm as he began sizing up the person before him.

An orange spiral mask, a black robe patterned with red clouds...

Suddenly, he thought of something!

"What is your relationship with Orochimaru?"

"That rotten snake?"

The figure hidden behind the mask spoke in a hoarse voice, making it impossible to tell who he was.

"Come to think of it, I should thank him for his records. He probably wouldn't be happy about it, but at least they let me watch quite a show."

"You..."

Danzo's expression turned even colder. He had never expected Hyuga Makoto's intelligence to be true. Orochimaru had actually joined an organization?!

What made it even harder for him to accept was that someone had actually stolen a look at Orochimaru's files? His scalp went numb. In order to deal with Shisui, he had deliberately disabled the barrier around this area.

He had done so to avoid being discovered, yet now he had somehow become the prey?!

"Still, it doesn't matter."

The Mysterious Person spoke indifferently, his eyes fixed on the Sharingan in Danzo's other hand.

"I need some other materials too, so I'll have to trouble you."

As he spoke, Chakra began surging through his body.

An indescribable, natural aura lingered around him. The power felt utterly unfamiliar to Danzo, yet somehow faintly familiar as well!

It felt somewhat like a certain power possessed by the First.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"

Danzo did not dare dwell on it. He immediately formed hand seals.

With a breath, the accumulated Chakra shot out like bullets!

Yet the Mysterious Person merely glanced at them, the ninja blade in his hand tracing dazzling arcs through the air.

The rapidly approaching Chakra wind bullets were instantly knocked away without exception.

"That kind of perception?"

Danzo was startled. Every slash was clean and precise, and every strike dispersed his wind bullets.

That level of insight immediately made him think of something!

"Could it be..."

Buzz—

The Mysterious Person closed in, forcing Danzo to retreat and form hand seals once more!

"Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere!"

The massive high-pressure wind sphere surged forward, but the Mysterious Person unhurriedly raised his ninja blade.

Whoosh—

The wind sphere split in two instantly, crashing into the surrounding area and causing the valley to thunder violently!

That razor-sharp blade had also sliced directly across his body.

Spots of blood sprayed through the air. If he had not reacted so quickly, that strike would not have been so simple!

"Just as I thought... an Uchiha..."

His expression was exceedingly grim. Even though the man's face was completely hidden behind the mask, he trusted his own judgment.

Only an Uchiha's Sharingan could accomplish something like this!

"Are you planning a rebellion?!"

"?"

The Mysterious Person froze slightly, then accelerated again and rushed before Danzo in an instant.

"If you say so."

The hoarse voice accompanied the sharp blade, forcing Danzo to dodge awkwardly.

But he had barely evaded it when the ninja blade coiled around him again like a maggot on the bone!

"And don't you have a Sharingan too? It's just that..."

You used it for Izanagi. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared come out here.

After all, there was a chance the Sharingan could see through the Transformation Jutsu...

This Mysterious Person was clearly Hyuga Makoto!

After sending his Shadow Clone back, he had rushed over at once. The valley containing the Ninja Temple and its two giant Buddha statues was far too distinctive; he had even visited it as a child.

At first, though, he had not dared act recklessly. This was no joke!

But when he discovered with the Tenseigan that the barrier here had been shut down, Danzo had sent all of Root to hunt Shisui because he was fighting on home ground.

And after obtaining the Mangekyo, Danzo had become so excited that his guard was down. The Chakra inside his body had also begun to grow unstable after losing the Sharingan. Hyuga Makoto immediately realized that this was his best chance. This time, the advantage was his!

"But I need to move faster, in case trouble comes..."

With that thought, he pressed his attack even harder, making Danzo increasingly unable to keep up.

"This can't go on..."

Danzo dodged another attack, his expression grim. The First Hokage Cells inside his body were consuming too much of his attention and Chakra, putting him at a severe disadvantage!

And this man was simply too dangerous. He could move freely in and out of Konoha and had connections with Orochimaru.

"Most importantly, this man may be an Uchiha..."

Danzo made his decision. He had to pass this intelligence on!

But at that moment, Hyuga Makoto's blade came at him again.

"Isn't it a little inappropriate to get distracted at a time like this?"

"Hmph!"

Seeing the swift slash approaching, Danzo gritted his teeth and immediately reached out to meet it.

His hand opened rapidly, and Shisui's Sharingan quietly appeared, moving straight toward the blade!

"Hm?"

Hyuga Makoto froze upon seeing that. He immediately shifted his blade aside, avoiding a direct collision between the sword edge and the Sharingan.

At the same time, he grabbed Danzo's hand and forcibly gouged out the Sharingan.

Then he delivered a vicious kick to Danzo's abdomen!

Bang—

With a muffled impact, Danzo was instantly sent flying backward, though a vicious glint appeared in his eyes.

Although it pained him to lose the Mangekyo, he still had Shisui's other eye!

"An Explosive Tag..."

Hyuga Makoto's gaze sharpened. He had naturally noticed the condition of the eye in his hand!

"Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere Wave."

At that moment, Danzo formed hand seals again.

Saplings had already begun growing from his shoulder, but he still completed the technique!

"Tch, this old bastard..."

Looking at the dense mass of high-pressure wind spheres, Hyuga Makoto knew exactly what Danzo was planning.

This guy was trying to run!

And even as he fled, he had not forgotten to destroy this Mangekyo and the chunks of flesh on the ground. He also intended to use this technique to call Konoha for reinforcements!

"But I should thank Orochimaru..."

Tsunade had once extinguished an Explosive Tag with her foot. Hyuga Makoto could not compare to Tsunade, but he could still delay the explosion!

He lightly tapped the Explosive Tag. In an instant, the burning tag froze, and he tore it off in one motion.

At the same time, his figure flashed toward the chunk of flesh on the ground, while the high-pressure wind spheres and Explosive Tag erupted.

Boom—

In an instant, a deafening explosion echoed through the valley!

The rock walls continuously collapsed from the blast, while huge clouds of dust engulfed the entire valley.

Yet within the dust, a small figure flashed out in an instant before disappearing again...

The moon quietly rose. On a cliff not far from the Uchiha Clan Compound,

Shisui, who had just dealt with the Root ninjas, stood with his back to Uchiha Itachi and spoke weakly yet calmly.

"The Uchiha coup can no longer be stopped. Once civil war breaks out, the other villages will definitely take advantage of it. War will likely become unavoidable."

"Shisui..."

Uchiha Itachi murmured, but Shisui's voice remained calm.

"I had intended to use Kotoamatsukami to stop the coup, but Danzo took my right eye. He doesn't trust me. He's determined to protect the village in his own way."

As he spoke, Shisui turned around. His only remaining Sharingan was still scarlet, yet filled with helpless despair.

"I'm afraid he won't spare my left eye either, so before that..."

As he spoke, he reached for his own eye.

"I'm giving this eye to you. You're the only dear friend I can entrust with this. Protect the future of Konoha and the Uchiha."

"..."

Uchiha Itachi stared blankly at everything before him. Only after a long while did he close his eyes. A crow descended from the sky and landed on Shisui's hand.

The instant it seized the Sharingan, it transformed into scattered feathers and vanished.

"I'll take it. What are you planning to do?"

Uchiha Itachi asked softly, only to see Shisui take several steps back until he stood at the edge of the cliff.

"If I die, the situation should change somewhat. I've already left a suicide note."

"Wait, Shisui!"

Uchiha Itachi truly panicked at that moment, but Shisui continued backing away.

"Don't stop me, Itachi, if you're still my friend..."

As soon as his words fell, Shisui leaped off the cliff. Uchiha Itachi lunged forward to catch him, but they passed each other by.

Uchiha Itachi watched helplessly as Shisui's body fell. An immense agony violently assaulted his mind.

His eyes turned scarlet, and the three tomoe began spinning rapidly!

At the bottom of the cliff, a pair of eyes silently watched everything unfold...