Time rewound.
That stormy night.
Danzo was quickly sent off.
Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled Shisui's departing figure, his eyes glinting with an inscrutable light.
Even though Shisui was a man who had inherited the Will of Fire in his eyes.
This time, he would no longer believe the Uchiha's lies.
The consequences of the Flame Explosion Technique had been far too severe.
And now...
Kotoamatsukami—another mysterious technique.
Its power was even more terrifying than the original version of the Flame Explosion Technique.
It could only be used once every ten years? After what had happened before, Hiruzen Sarutobi would never believe such a claim again, even if the one making it was Shisui Uchiha.
As he recalled Kotoamatsukami's abilities, Hiruzen even felt as though he were already being manipulated.
He could no longer concern himself with Chuanhe's situation. Kotoamatsukami needed to be dealt with first. Any delay could lead to disaster.
Otherwise, all of them would be trapped in suspicion.
Konoha would collapse without even being attacked.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was a complicated man. Though he had ultimately ordered the Uchiha Clan's massacre, he was now turning his blade toward Shisui Uchiha as well.
"Sun, go to the Anbu armory and get weapon number 42. Disguise yourself as Chuanhe... and kill... Shisui Uchiha."
Hiruzen Sarutobi finally made up his mind. He gave the order in a low voice to the empty shadows.
He closed his eyes, his heart a tangle of conflicting emotions.
Kagami, I'm sorry. Shisui, I'm sorry.
This is all for Konoha.
Sun remained silent in the shadows for a while before accepting the order and leaving.
"...Yes."
Sun received a long, rod-shaped "club."
Part of its center was hollow. Once chakra was infused into it, patterns symbolizing Barrier Ninjutsu would light up along its surface.
At Hiruzen Sarutobi's request, an Anbu Ninja had only recently repaired the weapon, using what was known about Chuanhe.
It had been Chuanhe's first creation. After it was damaged and lost on the battlefield, Konoha's Anbu had found it while clearing the area.
They had only discovered it while sorting through Chuanhe's files over the past couple of days.
And yet, they foolishly believed this weapon was nothing more than an oversized crossbow.
Sun recalled how to use the weapon, his hand trembling slightly around it.
He wasn't afraid of the weapon. It was because he was about to kill a comrade from his own village.
Shisui Uchiha was somewhat bewildered as he slowly made his way through the downpour.
Everything that had happened that day had left him physically and mentally exhausted.
As he walked, he wondered how he could help the Uchiha Clan survive this crisis.
He had made up his mind to use Kotoamatsukami to alter Chuanhe's will.
But what was Shisui supposed to do afterward?
According to the Third Hokage, everyone in the Uchiha Clan who knew the A-rank version of the Flame Explosion Technique was a potential bomb.
Based on what Shisui knew about how the Flame Explosion Technique had spread, every clan member with a Sharingan had already practiced the technique.
That meant every elite member of the clan had become a bomb.
All Shisui could do now was hope Chuanhe had some way to undo all of this.
Standing in the rain, Shisui stared blankly at the sky. How had everything come to this?
Chuanhe had been so kind. Even the strength Shisui now possessed had come largely from him.
"If only you weren't a spy. But why...?"
Shisui's eyes unconsciously turned into Sharingan.
Staring blankly at the sky, Shisui Uchiha slammed his right fist against the wall beside him.
Without even using chakra, Shisui's bare fist smashed a small crater into the wall, fractures spreading out from it.
Sun was now at the highest point in all of Konoha—Kage Rock.
Watching Shisui, who hadn't gone far and was standing motionless in place, Sun put his index finger on the trigger.
He had used Earth Release to create a projectile. He didn't understand why objects made with ninjutsu could cause more destruction, but that didn't matter.
All he wanted now was to bring this to an end as quickly as possible.
He didn't want to experience the pain of killing a comrade again.
With a conflicted heart, Sun pulled the trigger.
But Shisui instinctively tilted his head slightly. The deadly Earth Release projectile passed through the back of his head and out through his left eye, then struck the wall in front of him at an angle.
A huge cloud of dust spread through the air. The sound of the Explosive Tag rang out like thunder, yet it didn't draw much attention.
People only found it a little strange. Why had that thunder sounded different?
Heartbroken, Sun raced toward the scene, where smoke still lingered.
At that moment, he was still disguised as Chuanhe, watching everything around him with a cold expression.
When he reached the scene, his eyes contracted sharply.
There was no one here, only a few traces of ninjutsu and a small amount of blood.
The downpour continued, and thunder rolled overhead.
The rain washed everything away.
Shisui Uchiha, a jonin, had concealed his own tracks.
With no other choice, Sun reported to Hiruzen Sarutobi, then cleaned up the scene.
Am I dying? Is this how I die?
Was that the weapon from the intelligence reports? Heh, you were that eager to kill me.
I was wrong about you all these years. I shouldn't have tried to understand you.
After all, everyone who tries to understand you ends up dead.
Who's that up ahead?
He looks like Elder Danzo. Good. Maybe I can finally breathe easy.
Something seems wrong. Why has Danzo brought so many Root Ninja?
They look like they're going to attack.
Why?
My head hurts so much. I just want to sleep.
No! At the very least, I have to get this information back to the Uchiha Compound.
Shisui no longer had the strength to speak. He didn't even want to ask Danzo why he was trying to kill him.
All he wanted now was to tell his clan the truth about Chuanhe. Perhaps that would let some of them survive.
Shisui forced himself to stay conscious and unleashed the ultimate power of his Mangekyou.
Susanoo.
A huge, green, half-bodied tengu warrior stood upon the earth.
Shisui recklessly gathered chakra and threw three Tomoe joined together in a ring.
Yasaka Magatama.
After blasting away all the Ninja in front of him, he rode Susanoo and charged toward the Uchiha Compound without looking back, ignoring the Shuriken and ninjutsu flying at him from behind.
Shisui didn't even know if he was still breathing. All he could feel now was darkness before his eyes.
It wasn't that he couldn't see. It seemed he was about to lose consciousness.
There was someone familiar up ahead.
Who was it?
I remember his name only had one character.
Whoever it is, it doesn't matter, as long as it's not Chuanhe.
Using the last of his strength, Shisui passed on the information.
Chuanhe was a spy, and the one who had tried to kill him.
Danzo couldn't be trusted. He had just chased Shisui down.
At the same time, he entrusted his right eye to the clan member before him.
He hoped his right eye would give this clan member the power to change everything.
At the very end, Shisui died in his arms with a smile on his face.
Shisui had finally fulfilled his last wish. Now he could leave in peace.
Chuanhe... I'll wait for you in hell!
Tears streamed down Uchiha Itachi's face. The fury and hatred in his heart became a flame that ignited his Three Tomoe.
The Tomoe spun rapidly, transforming into a curved Shuriken with only three blades.
He looked at Shisui Uchiha, who had died in his arms—his older brother, who had treated him like a younger brother of his own.
Furious, Uchiha Itachi howled again and again, pounding the ground with his hands.
Blood ran down his fists, mingling with the rainwater and flowing into the puddles on the ground.
Slowly, the rain let up, and Uchiha Itachi calmed down. He began to take action.
After a brief investigation, Uchiha Itachi finally arrived at the Hokage Office...
The Konoha High Command, who had already begun to act, were making their final preparations for the battle.
Uchiha Itachi's arrival changed everything.
Just as in the original timeline, Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Itachi to wipe out the clan. But this time, things were a little different.
They truly had "righteous cause" on their side.
Though Hiruzen Sarutobi was still shocked by Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyou.
Itachi had awakened those legendary eyes, but this time, at least, their ability was within what Hiruzen Sarutobi could accept.
During his conversation with Hiruzen Sarutobi, Uchiha Itachi "understood" that his clan members were beyond saving, but his younger brother Sasuke still had a chance.
He decided to bear it all himself in exchange for a bright future for Sasuke.
At Uchiha Itachi's insistence,
he and Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed to wait until Sasuke's school term ended before taking action.
For Sasuke's sake, Itachi regained what little reason he had left. He needed time to gain strength.
Chuanhe was no ordinary man. Itachi didn't know whether he—or even anyone in Konoha—could assassinate Chuanhe without his knowledge.
That home visit had left a deep impression on him.
But even if they really did assassinate Chuanhe, what then? His clansmen would still be under the control of those scum from Kumogakure.
He couldn't tell whether any of his clansmen had secretly been taught the A-rank version of the Flame Explosion Technique. To keep the secret, even Fugaku had practiced the A-rank version himself.
So Uchiha Itachi believed he had only one option: after killing all his clansmen, he would take revenge on Chuanhe and Kumogakure.
For now, he needed to familiarize himself with the power of these eyes.
Perhaps, for him, it was really all for Sasuke.
After spending five days shut away in contemplation, his parents, Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, also agreed to his proposal.
They decided to cover for Itachi's actions.
Chuanhe! Once I've brought all of this to an end, I'll go to Kumogakure and, day after day, year after year, use the Flame Explosion Technique you taught us to utterly destroy the entire village.
Scum of Kumogakure, feel the revenge of the Uchiha and Konoha!
Uchiha Itachi, who had regained a little reason only when Sasuke was mentioned, fell into madness once more.
A one-eyed Masked Man silently watched everything. In a secluded corner, he met with Uchiha Itachi...
The problem could originally have been solved by simply asking the person involved.
Why did Uchiha Itachi, just like in the original timeline when he never asked Sasuke what he wanted, take everything upon himself without a word?
Before you continue