Shisui's Death (I)

"PRIVATE_PERSON, you're only the Acting Hokage!"

At the thought of using his Mangekyō Sharingan to control Sarutobi Hiruzen, then leading Konoha to eliminate the evil Uchiha and finally succeeding him as the Fifth Hokage, Danzo could barely hide the joy in his eyes.

Once that happened, the deposed Sarutobi Hiruzen could inherit Root, while he, Shimura Danzo, would become the dazzling Lord Hokage basking in the sunlight.

"PRIVATE_PERSON, I'm the Hokage!"

Thinking of that wonderful future, Danzo couldn't help wearing a lecherous grin.

Ahem... cough!

As if realizing he'd let his feelings show a little too much, Danzo gave a feeble cough, as though an old wound had flared up, while Shisui looked at him as if he were an idiot.

"Even if Hiruzen is willing to act, the village's suspicion of the Uchiha won't disappear, and the Uchiha Clan's evil desires won't cease either."

Using that cough as cover, Danzo quietly took another step toward Shisui, then continued in a wistful tone.

At that moment, Shisui's mind was consumed by the conflict between the village and his clan. Trusting the Third Hokage, he didn't realize the danger lurking behind this "special envoy from the Hokage."

After a brief, naïve moment of thought, Shisui looked at Danzo earnestly and said with fervor,

"I'll do everything in my power to bring the village and the clan..."

Before Shisui could finish, Danzo cut him off with a dismissive wave of his sleeve.

"No matter how hard you try, a suspicious man like me won't change his mind so easily. What will you do then?"

Using the sweep of his sleeve as cover, Danzo lowered his head slightly and sneered. Beneath the bandages, his Sharingan was ready to strike, and he had quietly activated Izanagi.

"Danzo!"

A flash of anger crossed Shisui's eyes, but he still forced himself not to attack Danzo.

"What? Losing your temper already?"

Danzo sneered at Shisui's normally expressionless face, now finally showing a hint of anger. Then he closed in once more and rebuked him sharply.

"Would you use Kotoamatsukami on me then, too?"

What?!

Shisui was stunned by the sudden accusation, his mind going blank for a brief moment.

But in that split second, Danzo keenly sensed his chance. He abruptly raised his head, his single left eye blazing with malice. He threw away his crutch, then lunged with his left hand for both of Uchiha Shisui's eyes.

"I'll take those Sharingan of yours!"

Hmph!

Under the chill of that murderous intent, Uchiha Shisui, a veteran of countless battles, snapped back to his senses.

Facing the ruthless, decisive ambush, Shisui's blade-shaped Mangekyō Sharingan turned slightly in his eyes. At the same moment, his left hand clamped down on Danzo's lunging left hand.

"It's just an ordinary genjutsu. It'll wear off soon."

As the wielder of the Mangekyō Sharingan, how could Uchiha Shisui be defeated so easily? He had pinned Danzo in place with nothing more than an ordinary Mangekyō genjutsu.

Sigh...

Take a good look at the humiliation of being trampled beneath someone's feet!

Shisui slowly lowered Danzo's left hand. His eyes held deep disappointment and the faintest trace of schadenfreude. Then he turned to leave.

"Something's wrong!"

Before Shisui had taken more than a few steps, his thoughts in turmoil, he suddenly sensed a strange ripple in the air before him.

Then—

A punch slammed into Shisui's stomach. Danzo appeared in an instant and continued without hesitation, striking toward his temple, spine, chest...

The combination was clean and fluid, every move precise and graceful, as if it had been practiced countless times.

Finally—

With a sharp rip, a long streak of blood shot through the air, and Danzo decisively gouged out Shisui's right eye with his left hand.

Only then—

The pain finally gave Shisui an opening to fight back. Clutching his empty right eye socket, he sprang backward, quickly putting distance between himself and Danzo.

"Izanagi!"

As Danzo coolly pulled back the bandage covering his right eye, Shisui remembered the forbidden ocular technique that could erase any unfavorable outcome for its user!

Damn you, Danzo!

The agonizing pain of losing an eye made Shisui realize he could no longer carry out the Hokage's mission. The Root shinobi who had already surrounded him now multiplied several times over.

Had all the Root shinobi been deployed?

A trace of despair flashed in Shisui's eyes, but it wasn't for his own predicament. It was for the bleak future of his clan and the village.

"As long as the Uchiha Clan exists, the village will remain under threat. Sarutobi is far too weak, but I'll change all of that..."

Danzo wore a triumphant grin. Gently stroking his now completely blind right eye, he spoke to Uchiha Shisui with feverish excitement.

"Give me your other eye, too, and I'll lead Konoha to the pinnacle of the Ninja World!"

"You want to attack the Lord Hokage? You bastard!"

Shisui had been wondering how he could escape this hopeless situation, or even prevent tonight's conflict from happening at all. But Danzo's words kindled the hottest anger in his heart.

Just as Jin had said, as long as Danzo was around...

"Susanoo!"

Shisui clutched his eyes in agony as an immense green giant, shaped like a skeleton, suddenly rose before him.

Its immense pressure swept through the area as countless green rays shot in every direction. In mere moments, more than a dozen Root shinobi who hadn't reacted in time lay dead.

"What... what is that?!"

Faced with power as terrifying as a demon god's, even the emotionless Root shinobi could only gape, a powerful sense of helplessness welling up inside them.

"Kill!"

But at Danzo's cold, decisive command, the Root shinobi, devoid of their own will, charged forward without regard for their lives.

"Danzo, you deserve to die!"

The intense pain caused the power of Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan to surge against all expectations. The massive Susanoo grew even more solid, and a gigantic samurai sword took shape in its hands.

Grasping the samurai sword that had formed from the void, the skeletal Susanoo charged forward.

At the same time.

As the enormous green giant rose from the ground, Uchiha Jin, who had been calmly sipping wine and enjoying the barbecue, snapped to attention.

Smash!

The wineglass hit the ground and shattered into pieces. The Uchiha, who had been immersed in laughter and conversation, all turned to look, confusion and hesitation in their eyes.

"So it's finally happened!"

Uchiha Jin ignored them and turned to shout at the head of the Akimichi Clan.

"Put it on the tab. I'll have Clan Head Fugaku reimburse us later!"