As Itachi pondered these matters, a faint sound suddenly came from the window beside him. He immediately turned around warily, the Three Tomoe already appearing in his eyes.
What he saw was a small tanuki lightly tapping on the outside of his window. Seeing him turn, it swayed its tail before heading off into the distance.
Itachi quickly leaped out the window and followed. He recognized the tanuki—it was one of Shisui Uchiha's summoned beasts, usually responsible for delivering intelligence and skilled at concealment.
What does Shisui want from me at a time like this? he wondered.
Itachi moved quickly. Under cover of darkness, he quietly bypassed the Uchiha Clan's sentries and reached the cliff by the river in about ten minutes.
A figure sat cross-legged at the edge of the cliff, silently watching the river flow by. The tanuki leaped onto his shoulder and chirped several times before vanishing in a puff of white smoke.
"You're here, Itachi," Shisui Uchiha said softly as he slowly rose and turned around.
Itachi had intended to reply, but the words caught in his throat. The first thing he saw was Shisui's tightly shut right eye, with bloody tears that had yet to dry. There were several wounds on his body as well.
"Shisui... what happened to your eye?"
Itachi asked instinctively, horror on his face. Shisui appeared to have gone through an extremely brutal battle. Who could have injured him to such an extent?
Shisui gave a soft laugh. "Don't worry. I'm fine for the time being. It was Danzo. I intended to use Kotoamatsukami to stop the Uchiha Clan's rebellion, but Danzo didn't trust me. He tricked me into meeting under the pretense of discussing the Uchiha Clan's situation, then ambushed me. I fought my way out of the encirclement, but