Izumi and Shisui's Duel

(Note: Uchiha Izumi's strength is a personal headcanon, making her stronger than in the original work.)

Shisui turned and walked away, his figure gradually vanishing into the morning mist outside the door.

Inside the house, Uchiha Izumi furrowed her brows; she felt that the matter of Shisui's severed arm was not as simple as it seemed.

After a moment of contemplation, she quickly formed hand seals and created a Shadow Clone.

The original body slipped out silently to pursue Shisui, while the Shadow Clone remained indoors to continue cuddling with her younger brother.

"Little brother, come on, let's go to bed."

On the other side, because Shisui was not moving particularly fast, Izumi caught up to him quickly.

Just as Shisui's footsteps rounded the corner of the alley, a figure suddenly darted out.

Uchiha Izumi stood with her arms crossed, blocking his path, her hair whipping in the morning breeze in a sharp arc: "Shisui, shall we talk about your arm?"

Shisui's amber eyes narrowed slightly before returning to a calm state.

He looked at the brightening morning sky behind Uchiha Izumi and let out a soft chuckle: "Miss Izumi's strength is truly growing more impressive by the day."

"Cut the crap. How exactly did you lose your arm?"

Uchiha Izumi clearly had no desire to waste time on anyone other than her brother, so she urged him directly.

Shisui sighed softly and explained: "When I was trying to consolidate the factions within the clan, I realized it was difficult to achieve on my own."

"Later, I thought of Itachi, so I went to find him. But I didn't expect his ideology to be so extreme."

"In Itachi's mind, the village comes before the clan."

Shisui paused before continuing: "I argued with him, hoping he would understand that the rise and fall of the Uchiha are inextricably linked to the stability of Konoha and should not be sacrificed so easily. But he had already been brainwashed by Danzo and the others, convinced that for the sake of the village's peace, the Uchiha must be suppressed or even eliminated."

"During our dispute, we clashed. I had intended to knock Itachi unconscious and bring him back to the clan head, but I never expected that he would awaken the Mangekyo because of this!"

Hearing this, a flash of shock crossed Izumi's eyes.

Mangekyo?

Itachi also had a Mangekyo?

Watching Uchiha Izumi's body tense up abruptly, Shisui gave a bitter smile and continued: "His Mangekyo ability is very bizarre. He can summon black flames, and the activation condition is simple: as long as his gaze locks onto a target, those black flames will ignite on the opponent. Unless the target is burned to nothing, they will never extinguish."

Uchiha Izumi's fingertips trembled uncontrollably. Her mind began to simulate the terrifying scene of Amaterasu—those flames that could never be put out; if they were to land on her brother...

No! Itachi was too dangerous!

"So, your arm..."

Before Uchiha Izumi could finish her sentence, Shisui spoke up: "It was burned by Itachi's flames. Fortunately, I reacted in time, otherwise, I fear I would be gone by now."

Uchiha Izumi fell silent for a moment upon hearing this.

"Shisui, I will deal with Itachi. You protect my brother." She still held Shisui's strength in high regard.

Even though he had lost an arm and his combat power had declined, he was not someone just any Tom, Dick, or Harry could mess with.

Protecting her brother would be more than enough for him.

"No, I'll be the one to handle Itachi!" Shisui immediately rejected Izumi's proposal.

Although Izumi could beat him up, that was only under the premise that he didn't use genjutsu.

In his perception, Uchiha Izumi's ocular power had not yet reached the level of the Mangekyo.

If he let her face Itachi, one genjutsu from him would have her kneeling instantly.

"With that crippled body of yours?" Uchiha Izumi looked at Shisui with disdain.

Shisui prided himself on having a good temper, but being looked at like that by a junior made him angry, alright?

Who are you looking down on?

Even if I've lost an arm, do you think I can't make you kneel with a single genjutsu?

Shisui's amber pupils contracted sharply, his Mangekyo Sharingan glowing with a dark crimson light in the morning mist, and his chakra surged like a physical force: "Miss Izumi, since you believe you can take care of Itachi, then let's have a spar. If you win, do as you please, and I won't say a word. But if you lose, leave Itachi to me, and you focus on protecting Ao-kun."

"I would protect my brother regardless of what you say," Uchiha Izumi corrected the error in Shisui's statement.

"Then let's begin." As soon as Shisui finished speaking, he performed a one-handed seal to unleash the "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique," the scorching flames sweeping toward Izumi's Shadow Clone like a surging tide.

Izumi snorted coldly, her hands moving like butterflies: "Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Technique!" A burning dragon of chakra erupted from her mouth, colliding head-on with the Great Fireball, the violent shockwave scattering the gravel piled up at the alley entrance.

Shisui knew that he could not be Izumi's match in ninjutsu; the fire technique just now was merely to distract her. His true killing blow was his genjutsu.

The moment the thick smoke from the collision rose, Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan erupted with crimson light.

The moment Uchiha Izumi sensed the anomaly in the chakra fluctuations, her consciousness felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar—the surrounding scene suddenly twisted into a blood-red void, and countless chains erupted from the ground, piercing through her body.

"Genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique!" Shisui's cold voice echoed in the illusory space.

Izumi gritted her teeth, the sharp pain from her tongue keeping her barely conscious, her Sharingan spinning frantically as she attempted to break the genjutsu.

But Shisui's ocular power was too overwhelming; the chains tightened, as if they were about to crush her soul.

In reality, Izumi stood frozen in place, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.

She bit down hard on her tongue, using the pain to stimulate her nerves, and forcibly concentrated chakra into her eyes: "Release!" The genjutsu space shattered upon command, but Shisui had already closed the distance, a kunai glowing with the eerie light of a curse seal aimed directly at her throat.

At the critical moment, Izumi lunged to the side and rolled, a kunai grazing her shoulder as it struck the ground, sending a spray of sparks flying.

She had barely propped herself up when Shisui closed the distance; the moment he formed a seal with one hand, Izumi's pupils constricted—another genjutsu!

Izumi felt her vision blur, and her consciousness instantly plummeted into darkness.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself trapped in a cage made of golden chains, surrounded by an endless void.

Shisui stood outside the cage, his expression calm. "This is a genjutsu space. Unless I choose to release it, you cannot escape."

Izumi gritted her teeth and grabbed the chains with both hands, pulling with all her might, but it only earned her a violent headache.

She could feel Shisui's genjutsu steadily eroding her chakra; every struggle only caused her strength to drain away faster.

"Why... why are you stopping me?" Izumi gasped for air, her voice laced with resentment.

"Because you will die." Shisui's voice was low and firm. "Itachi's Mangekyo ocular power is on par with mine. If you can't even break my genjutsu, what will you use to fight him?"

He paused, a complex look flashing in his eyes. "Protect Ao. That is the most important thing for you right now."

With that, Shisui released the genjutsu.

Uchiha Izumi emerged from the genjutsu space, looking at Shisui with a complicated expression. "Why didn't you use genjutsu before?"

Shisui lowered his gaze to his empty sleeve, a shadow falling over his amber eyes. "Because it wasn't necessary."