Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Oriole in the Rear

So, the high-level officials of Konoha were aware of Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyo ability. Since they knew, there was no reason for Danzo to be ignorant of it; otherwise, he would not have struck first to seize Shisui's Sharingan.

Orochimaru was obsessed with the power of the Uchiha Clan and was in league with Danzo, so there was no reason for him not to know about Shisui's Mangekyo.

There was only one possibility: Danzo had concealed the truth from him.

Orochimaru did not know that Shisui had awakened the Mangekyo, which was why he was so agitated.

"Who is he?"

Orochimaru licked the corner of his mouth and asked in a sinister tone.

He had already made up his mind; no matter who it was, he would go and retrieve that Mangekyo.

Cough, cough!

Hōzuki Mangetsu paused, then extended his right hand with a beaming smile.

"The Snake Clan Contract!"

He still could not get that item out of his mind.

Bastard!

A flash of killing intent crossed Orochimaru's eyes, but he quickly let it go.

Although they had not been dealing with each other for long, he had a profound understanding of this kid from the Hozuki Clan.

He was an absolute scoundrel who would never act without profit.

It seemed that if he did not give him something, he would not speak plainly.

After pondering for a long time, Orochimaru threw a scroll to Hōzuki Mangetsu.

"This is the ultimate defensive ninjutsu used by the First Hokage, Rashomon. It can be summoned from hell to provide defense."

Ultimate defense, huh?

Hōzuki Mangetsu looked at the scroll in his hand with pleasant surprise. Summoning this thing required a massive amount of chakra. He remembered that the First Hokage, Hashirama, had once summoned five layers of Rashomon, while Orochimaru could only summon three at most, and Sakon/Ukon could only summon one.

Hōzuki Mangetsu's chakra levels were higher than Orochimaru's, so summoning four layers at full power was definitely achievable.

Four layers of Rashomon could basically look down upon the majority of attacks.

Although he had failed to get back the Snake Clan Contract, being able to trade for such a decent defensive ninjutsu was still a very good deal.

"Uchiha..."

He deliberately drew out the sound.

Orochimaru said coldly, "Kid, if you dare to play games with me, I will definitely make you regret it."

Seeing that Orochimaru was getting angry, Hōzuki Mangetsu spoke word by word: "Uchiha Shisui!"

Uchiha Shisui!

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed.

"A descendant of the Second Hokage's student, Kagami, eh? Very good!"

As he spoke, he prepared to use Earth Style to depart.

"Wait a moment!"

Hōzuki Mangetsu suddenly blocked him and said, "In return for Mr. Orochimaru's generosity, this kid will give you one more piece of information for free. In a few days, at the border between Konoha and the Land of Water, Shisui will clash with a Mist Ninja investigation team."

Orochimaru looked back at him, his eyes icy.

"If you dare to pull any tricks, I will not let you off."

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!"

Hōzuki Mangetsu shrugged and said, "I have no interest in the Uchiha..."

Orochimaru quickly formed a few hand seals, and his body vanished into the earth once more.

As if!

Hōzuki Mangetsu finished the second half of the sentence in his heart!

Once Orochimaru had completely departed, Hōzuki Mangetsu tucked away the Rashomon technique scroll and dashed rapidly toward Ranmaru's hiding spot.

This time, he had killed two birds with one stone: he had tricked Orochimaru into acting as the vanguard to exhaust Shisui's strength, and he had obtained a formidable defensive technique from Orochimaru's own hands.

Now, all Hōzuki Mangetsu had to do was rush to the border between Konoha and the Land of Water as quickly as possible and wait there for Orochimaru and Shisui to leave each other battered and exhausted.

A few days later, at the border between Konoha and the Land of Water.

Ao of the Byakugan led a team of sensory-type ninjas as they approached the Konoha border at high speed.

This time, they were on a reconnaissance mission at the Konoha frontier.

Just as they stepped into the border of Konoha, the two ninjas beside Ao suddenly collapsed to the ground, convulsing all over.

Ao was greatly alarmed and hurriedly came to a halt.

Genjutsu?

He looked left and right, only to find that there were no enemies in sight.

Byakugan!

Ao immediately activated the weapon in his right eye, a trophy he had obtained from the battlefield.

A figure stood on a treetop not far away.

Green chakra!

Byakugan Ao was shocked once again and said, "Retreat! This is Konoha's Body Flicker Shisui; we are no match for him."

Being able to trap them in a genjutsu just by glancing at them from afar—the strength of this young man was truly unfathomable.

Besides, they were here to scout this time, not to provoke a war.

The Mist Ninja retreated quickly.

Uchiha Shisui's figure stepped out, muttering to himself, "With this, the Mist Ninja should behave themselves for a while."

Three ninjas appeared behind him.

This time, they had received a mission to patrol the border.

"Captain Shisui, it is fortunate that you were here, otherwise the Mist Ninja would not have retreated so obediently."

One of the team members said sincerely.

Body Flicker Shisui was famous far and wide, especially for his mastery of genjutsu. As long as he could catch a glimpse of his opponent from afar, he could make them fall victim to his techniques.

Shisui smiled faintly and said, "Mission accomplished, it is time for us to return."

The three subordinates acknowledged the order and were about to leave.

The group of people returned, and it was indeed the ninjas from Hidden Mist.

How preposterous!

One team member sneered and said, "These guys truly do not know the meaning of death. Knowing full well that Captain Shisui is here, they still intend to force their way in. Have they forgotten the lesson from just a moment ago?"

Prepare for battle!

Shisui frowned and used a Body Flicker to meet them head-on.

The reputation of Body Flicker Shisui was well-deserved; in a few flashes, he arrived right in front of them.

"This is the territory of Konoha. Hidden Mist has committed an act of invasion. Do you intend to provoke a war?"

Shisui asked calmly.

Having suffered from his genjutsu earlier, the Hidden Mist ninjas were now on guard, avoiding eye contact with his Sharingan.

The genjutsu of the Sharingan was triggered by ocular power; if the opponent was prepared, it would lose the element of surprise.

However...

A cold smile appeared at the corner of Shisui's mouth.

He was not only skilled in genjutsu.

The few Mist Ninja ignored him, simply lunging forward with all their might.

Not good, this is a trap!

Uchiha Shisui suddenly realized something and hurriedly led his subordinates to retreat rapidly.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A series of explosions rang out.

The bodies of the few Mist Ninja instantly burst apart.

They had long since attached explosive tags to their bodies.

Fortunately, Shisui was alert, and the entire team did not suffer much damage.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

A voice suddenly rang out.

Shisui's squad suddenly felt the space above them darken as a massive figure appeared over them.

A giant snake appeared in the forest, and Shisui's squad had already been pinned beneath the snake's body.

Uchiha Shisui used a Body Flicker technique to escape the snake's reach, but his three subordinates were not so lucky.

They were firmly pinned under the giant snake; two were killed instantly, and the last one was left half-dead, lying on the ground wailing incessantly.

"What truly excellent eyes."

A slender figure appeared on the head of the giant snake.

Orochimaru!

Uchiha Shisui said in shock.

He never imagined that this rogue ninja of Konoha, an S-rank terrorist, would actually appear on the border of Konoha.