Ao took a deep breath and looked at the wound on his shoulder. He began to doubt the intelligence Danzo had given him.
"Byakugan!"
He hurriedly looked around, but there wasn't a soul in sight.
"Am I being too sensitive?"
After confirming that nobody was nearby, Ao headed deeper into Konoha, his mood heavy.
With the skills of Mist Village's Anbu Ninja at his disposal, Ao was exceptionally confident.
They had come prepared this time. This group of ninja were among the elite of the Mist Village Anbu.
"You seem to be celebrating a little too early."
Just as Ao slipped past a guard post on the security line, Kakashi leaped over with Raikiri in hand.
"Hatake Kakashi of Konoha. I've heard a lot about you. But with just your Sharingan, I doubt you can hold me back."
Taking him by surprise, Ao brought his hands together. "Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A gigantic water dragon shot into the sky, circled overhead, then roared toward Kakashi.
Kakashi furrowed his brow and jumped away.
High above, Kakashi somersaulted and gripped his wrist. The light of Raikiri grew brighter and brighter!
"Raikiri!"
Like a swooping hawk, Kakashi used the current to increase his speed and slammed into Ao.
"I've already read your movements, Kakashi! You'll never land a hit!"
The moment Kakashi was about to pass through Ao, a Water Mirror appeared in front of him.
Raikiri slammed into the mirror with tremendous force, and the current even distorted the air around it.
"Ah!!!"
Kakashi roared as his chakra erupted. Raikiri shattered the Water Mirror in an instant. Without a hint of suspense, Kakashi pierced straight through Ao's chest.
But just then, Ao's body suddenly turned into a Water Prison, trapping Kakashi inside.
Ao emerged from behind a nearby tree, taking his time.
"Kakashi, I've long heard of your ruthless reputation. In any mission you undertake, you never let a single opponent escape. What a shame..."
"Your own sharpness blinded you to your Sharingan. When you're consumed by hatred, it clouds even your most basic judgment. That's your weakness."
Ao sneered, pulled a Kunai from his belt, and walked toward Kakashi.
"Is that eye really something you should be proud of?"
Ao suddenly broke into a cold sweat. A pair of Mangekyō Sharingan were staring at him from behind!
"Damn it... I can't move! When did I fall under a genjutsu? How did I not notice?"
Kakashi vanished from the Water Prison.
Standing on the treetop before him were Itachi and Kakashi.
"Use your Byakugan to try to break through the limits of this genjutsu."
Itachi held up two fingers, and a flock of crows descended upon Ao.
"No! No! Ah!!!"
Ao screamed in agony as the crows frantically pecked at his flesh—and at the Byakugan in his right eye.
Ao fell to his knees in despair, drool spilling from the corner of his mouth.
Cough, cough...
Itachi suddenly began coughing violently, then covered his mouth with his right hand.
When he opened his palm, it was stained with blood.
"Are you all right, Itachi?"
Kakashi asked with concern.
"I'm fine. I've been overworked lately, and using the Sharingan too much has taken its toll."
"Once the genjutsu on Ao wears off, he'll leave. Now we'll leave it to Chuan Yu. Let's go."
Kakashi nodded, and the two turned and left.
After an unknown amount of time, Ao opened his bleary eyes. The moment he got up, he hurriedly felt his right eye.
"Thank goodness, it's still there..."
The scene from earlier had been horrifying. Trapped in the illusion, he hadn't even been able to struggle. Was this the power of the Sharingan?
Ao, who had never thought much of the Sharingan, had finally changed his mind because of Itachi. It turned out Konoha had someone like him besides Shisui.
He was safe for now, but his first thought was to get out of there.
How terrifying...
Ao couldn't understand why his opponent hadn't killed him.
"Everyone! Fall back!"
Ao gave a whistle, and all the Mist Village Anbu Ninja understood at once, quickly regrouping around him.
"Damn Danzo! The intelligence didn't mention that Uchiha at all! I was too quick to trust him! We're going back the way we came!"
Soon, the Mist Village forces began to retreat. But on their way back, they would run into Chuan Yu, who had been waiting for them.
Ao had no idea.
After wiping his long blade clean, Chuan Yu waited calmly for Ao to arrive.
Crossing the edge of the forest, Ao and his men finally reached the outer edge of the security line. Suddenly, an ominous feeling welled up inside him.
This place seemed strangely familiar...
Ao was a sensory ninja, so he naturally sensed a chakra signature ahead of them.
He touched the wound on his shoulder, still in shock, and finally remembered why this place seemed familiar!
"The last time I sensed Uchiha Shisui... it was here, too!"
But this chakra felt somewhat like Shisui's, with something unfamiliar mixed in.
His hands began trembling. If it really was Shisui up ahead...
He wouldn't let Ao get away this time...
With trembling fingers, Ao raised his hand. Veins bulged around his right eye.
"Byakugan..."
Even his voice sounded weak.
Within the Byakugan's field of vision, Ao spotted Uchiha Chuan Yu waiting ahead.
But Chuan Yu looked so much like Shisui that Ao was instantly terrified.
"I-it's Konoha's Body Flicker, Uchiha Shisui!"
The men around him were all startled when they heard Ao call out their opponent's name.
"Damn Danzo!"
"Go around him! Retreat!"
Ao followed the others as they fled into the forest to their left, unaware that Chuan Yu had already locked onto them.
The Byakugan's power could be concealed. It was one of his techniques, and he couldn't expose it unless necessary.
His mastery of all five chakra natures, his skill with the White Fang Sword Technique, and his nearly awakened Two-Tomoe Sharingan would be enough.
Ao raced through the forest without looking back. Suddenly, a flash of steel streaked through the air.
Before he even understood what had happened, two Anbu Ninja in the group had their throats slit and dropped dead on the spot.
Chuan Yu landed steadily in front of them.
Ao stared at Chuan Yu's back, too afraid to even breathe. Cold sweat kept pouring down his forehead.
"Are you afraid?"
Chuan Yu turned around, his left eye's Sharingan fixed coldly on Ao, contempt flickering across his face.
"Wait..."
Only then did Ao get a clear look. The person standing before him wasn't Uchiha Shisui at all!
He only looked like him. Ao had been so nervous that he'd lost focus.
But seeing that Chuan Yu had only one Sharingan, Ao no longer felt the same trepidation.
"Are you like Kakashi? If you were an Uchiha, I might have been a little wary. But now that I think about it, you really do look like an opponent I once faced."
Ao smiled arrogantly at Chuan Yu, as though he no longer feared any threat.
"Uchiha Shisui..."
"My older brother..."
Chuan Yu's eyes brimmed with sorrow.
At the mention of Shisui, the wound in his heart began to ache.
The pain spread all the way to his left eye.
The power of his Sharingan was rising, on the verge of a breakthrough.
"Uchiha Shisui was your older brother?!"
"You... You're an Uchiha, too! But why do you only have one Sharingan?"
Ao's expression tightened again. Anyone connected to Shisui filled him with dread.
But...
"Since you're here..."
"Does that mean Uchiha Shisui really is dead?"
Ao watched Chuan Yu's expression closely.
But Chuan Yu slowly closed his left eye.
After he'd gained consciousness in this world, Shisui had been the first person to show him warmth.
He'd finally made a promise to him...
But this was a situation he couldn't prevent.
Shisui...
I'm the one who should say I'm sorry...
Images of Shisui visiting him at the Hyuga Main Family quickly flashed through Chuan Yu's mind.
His grief pounded at his mind again and again, like the tolling of a bell.
Finally, he laughed bitterly in pain. The birds in the forest scattered in alarm.
Blood streamed from Chuan Yu's left eye.
His power had reached a new level...
When Chuan Yu opened his left eye, Three Tomoe appeared!
Ao was stunned!
Before he could get a proper look, Chuan Yu gripped his long blade and charged.
"Shisui's name..."
"You don't deserve to say it!"
The Anbu Ninja behind Ao drew their long blades and charged at Chuan Yu.
Elsewhere, Kakashi and Itachi heard the fighting and hurried over.
"So many Anbu Ninja ganging up on a kid!"
Kakashi immediately gripped the hilt of the blade on his back, but Itachi suddenly stopped him.
"If Chuan Yu can't handle them, I'll step in."
Itachi looked toward Chuan Yu, who was fighting. He fully believed there was even greater power hidden within him.
The Uchiha Clan were like gods of war. They only grew stronger as they fought, and the experience they gained made them more formidable. Only through constant battle could they grasp the truth of it.
Steel flashed through the forest as Chuan Yu pushed his speed to the limit.
He used the Body Flicker Technique.
One slash tore through the heavens.
Before anyone realized what had happened, blade wounds appeared on the chests of three Anbu Ninja.
Ao watched from beneath a tree, trembling with fear. "Why is even the Byakugan unable to see how fast he swings his blade...?"
Even more astonishing was the Body Flicker Technique.
He hadn't expected Chuan Yu to have learned Shisui's technique.
With his sword flashing, Chuan Yu, his face twisted, darted between the two remaining Anbu Ninja.
Unable to track Chuan Yu with their eyes, the three Anbu Ninja could only raise their long blades and brace for his attacks.
But after countless clashes, the cracks in their blades grew more and more pronounced.
When their blades broke, they would die.
Watching the battle, Kakashi was stunned.
"Why does... Chuan Yu's swordsmanship look so familiar?"
Every time Chuan Yu's long blade clashed with another, the sound struck Kakashi's mind.
Kakashi rubbed his eyes and looked closely. Through the blur, Chuan Yu's back seemed to take on the shape of his father!
Tears streamed down Kakashi's face. "Father!"
Itachi was startled by Kakashi's sudden outburst. "Kakashi-senpai, your father is still alive?"
"Uh..."
Kakashi suddenly came to his senses. He clutched his head and shook it...
I really might have been too tired lately...
Before you continue