The Spiral of Karma

Time turned back.

That night, the rain poured down in torrents.

Having quickly seen Danzo off.

Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled the back of Shisui as he departed, a strange light flickering in his eyes.

Even though, in his eyes, Shisui was a man who had inherited the Will of Fire.

This time, he would no longer believe the slanderous words of the Uchiha.

The consequences of the Flame Explosion Technique were far too severe.

And now...

Kotoamatsukami, yet another enigmatic technique.

Its power was even more horrifying than the initial version of the Flame Explosion Technique.

Usable only once every ten years? Having learned from past experience, Hiruzen Sarutobi would never believe such claims again, even if the person saying them was Shisui Uchiha.

Recalling the capabilities of Kotoamatsukami even made Hiruzen Sarutobi feel as though he were already being manipulated.

He could no longer concern himself with the issue of Chuanhe; the problem of Kotoamatsukami had to be resolved with the highest priority. Delay would only invite disaster.

Otherwise, they would all live in a state of mutual suspicion.

The entirety of Konoha would collapse from within without a single blow.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was a complex man; the one who would eventually order the massacre of the Uchiha clan was now turning his butcher's blade toward Shisui Uchiha.

"Sun, go to the Anbu warehouse, retrieve weapon number 42, disguise yourself as Chuanhe... and kill... Shisui Uchiha."

Hiruzen Sarutobi had finally steeled his resolve. He issued the order in a low voice to the empty shadows.

He closed his eyes, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.

Kagami, I am sorry. Shisui, I am sorry.

All of this is for the sake of Konoha.

Sun, hidden in the shadows, remained silent for a moment before acknowledging the order and departing.

"...Understood."

Sun received a long, rod-like "stick."

The center was hollow, and after injecting chakra, patterns symbolizing barrier ninjutsu shimmered across its surface.

This was a weapon that an Anbu ninja had recently repaired at the request of Hiruzen Sarutobi, based on known intelligence regarding Chuanhe.

This had originally been Chuanhe's first creation, lost on the battlefield after being damaged, only to be recovered by the Konoha Anbu during cleanup.

It had only been discovered two days ago while organizing files on Chuanhe.

Yet, they had ignorantly assumed this weapon was nothing more than an oversized crossbow.

Sun recalled the method for using this weapon, his hand trembling slightly as he gripped it.

He was not afraid of the weapon itself, but rather the fact that he was about to murder a comrade of the village.

Shisui Uchiha felt somewhat lost as he slowly made his way through the torrential rain.

The events of the day had left him physically and mentally exhausted.

As he walked, he pondered how he could lead the Uchiha clan through this crisis.

He had made his decision: he would use Kotoamatsukami to alter Chuanhe's will.

But what was Shisui to do afterward?

According to the Third Hokage, every member of the Uchiha clan who knew the A-rank version of the Flame Explosion Technique was a potential bomb.

Based on the path through which Shisui knew the Flame Explosion Technique was obtained, every clansman who possessed the Sharingan had practiced this technique.

This meant that every single elite member of the clan had become a bomb.

Now, Shisui could only hope that Chuanhe possessed a means to undo all of this.

Shisui stood in the rain, staring blankly at the sky. Why had everything turned out this way?

Senior Chuanhe had clearly been so gentle, and a large portion of the strength he currently possessed had originated from him.

"If only you weren't a spy. But why..."

Shisui's eyes unconsciously transformed into the Sharingan.

Staring blankly at the heavens, Shisui Uchiha slammed his right hand forcefully against a nearby wall.

Without infusing any chakra, relying solely on his physical strength, Shisui smashed a small crater into the wall, from which cracks began to spread.

Sun was currently at the highest point in all of Konoha—the Hokage Rock.

Watching Shisui, who had not traveled far and remained standing in place, Sun placed his index finger on the trigger.

He used Earth Release to craft a projectile. He did not understand why only ninjutsu-created objects could cause such massive destruction, but that was not important.

Right now, he only wanted to end all of this as quickly as possible.

He did not want to experience the pain of killing a comrade ever again.

With a complicated heart, Sun pulled the trigger.

But Shisui subconsciously tilted his head slightly. The lethal Earth Release projectile grazed the back of his head, passed through his left eye, and struck the wall in front of him at a downward angle.

A massive cloud of dust spread out, and the sound of the explosive tag rang out like a thunderclap, yet it did not attract much attention.

It was only slightly strange why the sound of this thunder was somewhat different.

With a heavy heart, Sun leaped and ran toward the scene, which was still shrouded in smoke.

At this moment, he was still disguised as Chuanhe, looking at everything around him with a cold expression.

When he arrived at the scene, his pupils contracted violently.

The place was empty, leaving behind only faint traces of ninjutsu and a small amount of blood.

The heavy rain was still falling, and thunder rumbled in the sky.

The rainwater washed away everything.

As a Jonin of the Uchiha, Shisui had covered his own tracks.

Forced by circumstance, Sun had no choice but to report to Hiruzen Sarutobi before cleaning up the scene.

Dead? Am I dying?

Was that the weapon mentioned in the intelligence? Heh, are you really that impatient 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 eventually dies.

Who is that up ahead?

It looks like Elder Danzo. That's good; it feels like I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Something seems wrong. Why is Danzo bringing so many Root ninja with him?

It looks like they are about to attack?

Why?

My head hurts so much. I just want to sleep.

No! At the very least, I must bring this intelligence back to the Uchiha Compound.

At this moment, Shisui no longer had the strength to speak. He did not want to question Danzo as to why he wanted to kill him.

All he wanted now was to reveal Chuanhe's true face to his clansmen. Perhaps this way, some of his kin could still survive.

Shisui forced himself to stay conscious and unleashed the ultimate power of his Mangekyou.

[Susanoo]

A massive green, half-bodied tengu warrior stood upon the earth.

Shisui violently gathered his chakra and threw three interlocking magatama.

[Yasaka Magatama]

After blasting away all the ninja in front of him, he steered the [Susanoo], ignored the shuriken and ninjutsu flying from behind, and sprinted toward the Uchiha Compound without looking back.

Shisui did not even know if he was still breathing; he only felt that everything before his eyes had turned to darkness.

It was not that he could no longer see, but that he seemed to be losing consciousness.

There seems to be someone familiar up ahead?

Who was it again?

I remember his name only had one character.

Whoever it is, it doesn't matter, as long as it isn't Chuanhe.

Shisui used his final breath to relay the intelligence.

Chuanhe is a spy and the culprit who killed him.

Danzo cannot be trusted; he was the one who just hunted him down.

At the same time, he entrusted his right eye to the clansman before him.

He hoped his right eye would grant this clansman the power to change everything.

In the very end, Shisui died in his arms with a smile on his face.

Shisui had finally fulfilled his last wish and could depart in peace.

Chuanhe... I will be waiting for you in hell!

Itachi Uchiha's face was streaked with tears, the fury and hatred in his heart acting as the 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 was passing away in his arms—the brother who had regarded him as his own flesh and blood.

An enraged Itachi Uchiha roared continuously at the scene, pounding his fists against the ground over and over again.

Blood flowed from his knuckles, mingling with the rainwater and pooling into the puddles on the ground.

Slowly, the rain began to cease, and Itachi Uchiha calmed down, beginning his course of action.

After a brief investigation, Itachi Uchiha finally arrived at the Hokage's office.

The high-ranking officials of Konoha, having already taken action, were making their final preparations for war.

Itachi Uchiha's arrival changed everything.

Hiruzen Sarutobi issued the order to exterminate the clan, just as he had in the original timeline, but this time, there was a slight difference.

They truly possessed a "greater cause."

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi remained shocked by Itachi Uchiha's Mangekyou.

Itachi had also activated those legendary eyes, but this time, their abilities were at least within Hiruzen Sarutobi's range of acceptance.

In his conversation with Hiruzen Sarutobi, Itachi Uchiha "understood" that his clansmen were beyond saving, but that his younger brother, Sasuke, still had a glimmer of hope.

He decided that he would shoulder it all, trading everything for a bright future for Sasuke.

At Itachi Uchiha's resolute insistence.

He and Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed to delay the operation until after Sasuke finished the current school term.

For the sake of Sasuke, Itachi regained a shred of his sanity; he needed time to acquire power.

Chuanhe was not simple, and as for his current self—or perhaps the entire village of Konoha—Itachi did not know if there was anyone who could assassinate him without Chuanhe's knowledge.

That home visit had left him deeply shaken.

But even if he were to successfully assassinate him, what then? His clansmen were still under the control of those scumbags from Kumogakure.

He had no way of distinguishing whether any of his clansmen had been secretly taught the A-rank version of the Flame Explosion Technique. To keep the secret, even Fugaku himself only practiced the A-rank version.

Therefore, Itachi Uchiha believed he had one, and only one, method: after slaughtering his clansmen, he would seek revenge against Chuanhe and Kumogakure.

And for now, he needed to familiarize himself with the power of these eyes.

Perhaps for him, it was actually more for the sake of Sasuke.

His parents, Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha, agreed to his proposal after five days of closed-door deliberation.

They decided to provide cover for Itachi's actions.

Chuanhe! Once I end all of this, I will go to Kumogakure day after day, year after year, and use the Flame Explosion Technique you taught us to utterly destroy the entire village of Kumogakure.

You scumbags of Kumogakure, feel the vengeance of the Uchiha and Konoha!

Itachi Uchiha, who had only regained a modicum of sanity when mentioning Sasuke, fell back into a state of madness.

A man in a one-eyed mask watched all of this in silence, meeting with Itachi Uchiha in a secluded corner.

A problem that could have been solved simply by asking the person involved.

Why did Itachi Uchiha, just like in the original timeline where he never asked for Sasuke's wishes, insist on shouldering everything all by himself?