One Stone, Three Birds

Finally, I have it!

Hōzuki Mangetsu looked at the vessel in his hand with satisfaction.

Uchiha Shisui's eyes were a bug-level existence in the Naruto World.

The strongest genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, could completely control a target without them ever realizing it, permanently altering their thoughts.

This already transcended the boundaries of mere genjutsu.

Although he felt a twinge of reluctance, Hōzuki Mangetsu still took action, knowing that even if he didn't take them, Danzo would eventually seize them anyway.

Rather than letting Danzo benefit, it was better for Hōzuki Mangetsu to claim them for himself.

Though they were currently in a cooldown period, once he obtained Hashirama's cells in the future, these eyes would naturally be unsealed.

Soon, Hōzuki Mangetsu's gaze fell upon the unconscious Orochimaru.

Hashirama's cells naturally resided within Snake Uncle; it was well known that he had researched those cells quite thoroughly.

Therefore, Orochimaru absolutely could not be allowed to fall into the hands of Konoha.

Thinking of this, a smile curled the corners of Hōzuki Mangetsu's mouth.

"Lord Mangetsu!"

Ranmaru's figure suddenly appeared by his side, speaking urgently: "Konoha's Anbu have arrived."

Anbu?

A sharp glint flashed through Hōzuki Mangetsu's eyes, and a brilliant idea instantly took shape in his mind.

He was going to stir up some trouble regarding Shisui's death.

The earth-shattering battle between Orochimaru and Shisui had been discovered by four Konoha Anbu who were on their way back from a mission.

When they finally arrived at the scene, they were immediately stunned.

The terrain had undergone a cataclysmic transformation.

"Did a Tailed Beast attack?"

One Anbu said in shock.

"It's Shisui's squad!"

Another Anbu pointed at the three corpses on the ground.

He was acquainted with all three of them.

After confirming there were no traps, the four Anbu approached the three bodies.

"Two died under immense pressure, and the other was stabbed from behind with a sharp blade."

The lead Anbu was highly experienced and quickly reached his conclusion.

"Everyone, look around. See if you can find any trace of Uchiha Shisui."

Uchiha Shisui was incredibly strong; he wouldn't be taken out so easily.

Just then, one Anbu suddenly called out: "Captain, come look at this!"

The other Anbu members appeared before him.

Z-shaped tracks and viscous, foul-smelling slime suggested a giant snake had slithered through.

The group shuddered in unison, immediately thinking of one person.

Orochimaru!

Only he possessed the ability to summon giant snakes.

"One person, return immediately to report the situation. The rest of you, begin a search to see if we can find any other clues!"

The Anbu squad leader ordered.

His subordinates immediately acknowledged the command.

At that moment, a figure came stumbling toward them.

Uchiha Shisui!

The Anbu members immediately recognized the silhouette.

Byakugan!

One of the Anbu was from the Hyuga Branch Family and immediately activated his Byakugan to confirm.

It was indeed Shisui; his chakra, a mix of blue and green, was far too conspicuous.

"Shisui, are you alright!"

One Anbu started to leap toward him, but was stopped by a gesture.

"Don't come over! It's the people from Root and Orochimaru!"

Shisui shouted a few times before a giant snake appeared before him and swallowed him in one gulp.

Shisui!

Several Anbu were about to step forward when a violent explosion suddenly erupted ahead.

Earth Style: Multiple Earth-Style Wall!

One Anbu hurriedly deployed the earth technique for protection.

As the smoke cleared, the area was left in shambles, and Shisui's trail had vanished.

Damn it!

The hearts of the four Anbu sank; they immediately realized that Uchiha Shisui had been taken out.

The Third Hokage had long suspected collusion between Root and Orochimaru, and now, they finally had the evidence.

They had heard Shisui's words with their own ears.

"Retreat, quickly!"

One Anbu immediately signaled his subordinates to pull back.

This information was critical and had to be reported to the Third Hokage. Besides, with Shisui already dead, staying here would only lead to needless casualties.

Just then, one of the Anbu inadvertently spotted a sword on the ground.

The Kusanagi Sword?

The man immediately recognized it as Orochimaru's weapon.

This was a vital piece of physical evidence!

Securing the precious blade, the man immediately caught up with his team.

After the four retreated, the figures of Hōzuki Mangetsu and Ranmaru slowly materialized.

"Lord Mangetsu, this Mirage is truly incredible; to think it could create such a large-scale illusion."

Ranmaru gazed at the Giant Clam not far away with a look of pure admiration.

Hōzuki Mangetsu nodded in satisfaction as well.

Ordinary illusions were triggered through the five senses and had a relatively short effective range; techniques like those of Uchiha Shisui, which could ensnare a target just by being seen from afar, were extremely rare.

But this Mirage was different.

Its effective range was massive, covering nearly a kilometer in radius, and it could project images to any location at will.

If that were all, it wouldn't be perfect, as it couldn't deceive the Byakugan or those with sensory capabilities.

However, the addition of Red-Eyed Ranmaru had bridged that gap.

Because this child possessed the ability to fabricate the illusion of chakra flow anywhere he pleased.

With that, the Mirage's illusion became flawless.

The illusion just now would surely convince the four Konoha Anbu beyond a shadow of a doubt, and upon returning, they would certainly report this news to the Third Hokage.

By then, Third Hokage Hiruzen, Danzo, and the Uchiha Clan would have their hands full.

With Uchiha Shisui dead and Danzo and Orochimaru taking the blame, the mutual distrust between the parties would ensure that no one would notice a small player like Hōzuki Mangetsu.

Thinking of this, Hōzuki Mangetsu finally felt his heart relax.

"Lord Mangetsu, what should we do with this person?"

Ranmaru pointed to the unconscious Orochimaru nearby.

Thoughts raced through Hōzuki Mangetsu's mind.

Orochimaru certainly couldn't die; if he were dead, the Hashirama cells would be out of reach. Besides, Hōzuki Mangetsu was still counting on him to be the scapegoat.

That was why he had spared no cost to rescue Orochimaru.

It was just that Shisui's illusion was truly formidable; even now, Orochimaru remained in a deep slumber.

What a pity about that Kusanagi Sword!

Hōzuki Mangetsu felt a pang of regret; as a fan of ninja tools from his past life, he had quite a fondness for the Kusanagi Sword.

After all, Orochimaru had used this very blade to kill two Kage-level figures.

Hōzuki Mangetsu could have claimed it for himself, but he couldn't afford to yet. He wanted to use the sword to stir up trouble.

Although Orochimaru was unconscious now, he would eventually wake up. Once he realized Shisui was dead, he would surely deduce that someone had taken advantage of the chaos to steal Shisui's eyes, and that he himself had been framed.

With his shrewdness, he would certainly suspect Hōzuki Mangetsu, who had leaked the information to him.

A conflict between the two would be inevitable, and since the Snake was a man who sought revenge for the slightest grievance—and was intent on seizing Shisui's eyes—he would never let Hōzuki Mangetsu go.

Though Hōzuki Mangetsu's strength had increased, he was still no match for Orochimaru, so he had to shift the conflict elsewhere.

If Orochimaru discovered that his Kusanagi Sword had ended up in the hands of Konoha's high command, he would surely conclude that he had been framed, and that the culprit was, in all likelihood, Danzo.

Once Orochimaru's focus shifted to Danzo, Hōzuki Mangetsu would be relatively safe.

Two birds with one stone—killing with a borrowed knife!

Being the Hokage really did require a sharp mind.