"Shisui, your eyes are mine!"
Under Uchiha Shisui's resolute gaze, Shimura Danzō suddenly appeared from the darkness. He had already passed through Susanoo's protection and was raising his left hand to pluck out the precious other Mangekyō Sharingan.
But!
A flash of silver streaked down from the sky. A hunched figure clutching his chest was struck and sent flying, and the Susanoo, already on the verge of collapse, finally shattered.
"How could this happen?!"
Danzō, who had thought victory was assured, clutched his chest in pain and stared unwillingly at the handsome figure who had suddenly appeared before him.
Uchiha Jin!
Damn it!
Just a little more... Just a little more!
My Hokage Position! My place at the pinnacle of the Ninja World!
The unbearable pain in his chest, combined with the sudden shattering of a dream that had seemed within reach, dealt a double blow to his body and spirit. Even Danzō, for all his resilience, couldn't help but cry out in agony.
"Ah... Damn it! Damn it!"
Of course!
With an injury like that, anyone else would probably have been dead by now. But Danzō had already activated Izanagi, and in the next instant, not only did he regain his fighting awareness, but every physical wound healed completely.
"Lord Danzō..."
The Root shinobi, gradually driven back by the Uchiha who had rushed to the scene, quickly gathered around Danzō. They guarded their leader warily, ready to prevent another surprise attack.
"Get away!"
Danzō angrily kicked away the Root shinobi supporting him, then sprang to his feet and roared toward Uchiha Jin.
"Uchiha Shisui betrayed the village. I'm carrying out Lord Hokage's orders to execute a traitor. Does the Uchiha Clan intend to betray the village?!"
That was what you called getting your accusation in first!
Danzō had mastered the trick. Although he'd just let his guard down for a moment out of sheer delight and been successfully ambushed by that despicable Uchiha Jin—
But!
Things were different now. This time, Danzō hadn't been careless like before. At the very least, no one had restricted his chakra.
With a powerful technique like Izanagi protecting him, Danzō could fight back even against someone like Sarutobi Hiruzen. Why would he fear a mere Uchiha Jin...?
Well!
There were quite a lot of Uchiha here now...
But nearly all the Root shinobi had gathered here too. Although they'd suffered heavy losses while hunting Shisui, they weren't all that outnumbered by the Uchiha.
They should...
Be able to hold out until Hiruzen and the others arrived to rescue them, right?
Remembering that he'd wisely summoned Sarutobi Hiruzen in advance, Danzō felt a little more confident.
What Danzō failed to notice was that Uchiha Jin's eyes held not the slightest hint of emotion—only a near-deadly indifference.
"Your part is over. Time to leave the stage!"
Uchiha Jin glanced coolly at Danzō and the Root shinobi standing guard in the distance. Did Danzō really think Jin had refrained from killing him earlier because he feared Sarutobi Hiruzen?
He'd only wanted to cause trouble for Hiruzen, widening the rift between Konoha's clans and the Hokage's faction. That would give Uchiha Jin time to grow stronger without interference...
But most importantly...
Shisui!
Now, looking at Shisui, who was on the verge of death, Uchiha Jin knew Danzō had outlived his usefulness. Why would Jin waste his breath on a worthless man?
"Crush them!"
Whoosh!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...
At Uchiha Jin's signal, Uchiha Habara and Uchiha Tonan instantly became two sharp blades, leading the Uchiha behind them in an unhesitating charge against Danzō and the Root shinobi.
Just as Uchiha Jin had said, whether because of their personal hatred for Danzō or their clan's resentment toward Root, the Uchiha had only one thought in their minds now.
Crush them!
Fire Style: Blast Wave Wild Dance!
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!
Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!
Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!
Dragon Flame Song Technique!
The Uchiha opened with a barrage of their signature Fire Release techniques, followed by chakra constructs of Rasengan and Chidori. It was as if the Uchiha were declaring to the entire Ninja World:
The Uchiha were the strongest shinobi force!
Though Danzō couldn't believe Uchiha Jin would try to kill them without even saying a word, his years of battlefield experience allowed him to react quickly. He immediately began directing the Root shinobi to fight back.
Water Style: Wild Water Wave!
Water Style: Wild Water Wave!
Water Style: Wild Water Wave!
Water and fire collided and exploded in countless bursts. In an instant, it seemed as though mist had enveloped the entire world.
Within the steaming fog, countless flashes of silver and firelight flickered in turn. The sounds of blades tearing through flesh and shinobi crying out in agony mingled with the repeated shouts of cold, decisive commands.
This was war!
Uchiha Shisui had finally recovered a little strength, but his eyes were filled with pain he could barely conceal.
It wasn't because he'd lost his Sharingan, nor because of the countless wounds on his body. It was because the two sides of Konoha were now fighting each other.
He had wanted to stop the conflict, yet now he had become the very reason it had erupted.
"Do you know?"
Just as Uchiha Shisui sank into endless self-reproach, Uchiha Jin's cool voice suddenly sounded beside him.
Shisui struggled to turn his head. Uchiha Jin stood by in the firelight and fog, graceful and composed, as if he were an immortal who had seen through the mortal world.
"More often than not, it's good intentions that push things toward the depths of hell!"
Uchiha Jin's expression was neither sad nor joyful. He seemed remarkably at ease. As though chatting with an old friend, he quietly sat down beside Shisui and regarded the conflicted man with mild curiosity.
Shisui's heart suddenly trembled, as if he'd realized something. But he no longer had the mind to think it through.
"Jin... Danzō... Danzō took my... my Mangekyō... He wants to control Lord Hokage... You have to stop him!"
Shisui struggled to open his mouth. Threads of crimson blood streamed down in streaks. It was clearly all he could manage.
Even though he knew Uchiha Jin was the person least likely to grant his request, Uchiha Shisui still turned to this member of the Jade Shatter Faction for help.
"Those Root shinobi... They're innocent... They were just being... controlled by Dan..."
Sigh...
Even at a moment like this, Shisui still had that same attitude. Uchiha Jin wasn't sure whether to mock him or admire him.
But none of that mattered anymore...
"That's enough!"
Uchiha Jin reached out and gripped the kunai embedded in Shisui's chest, stopping his weak, rambling words.
"Don't... Don't worry about me yet... You have to get my... my eyes back..."
Shisui thought Uchiha Jin was going to treat his wounds. But he had long since accepted death; his only concern was protecting the eyes that had sparked this chaos...
"Don't..."
Squelch...
As the kunai scraped against flesh, Shisui, who had still been trying to say a few more words, lost the last trace of life.
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