The flames burned so fiercely, it felt as though they could scorch even the soul...
Uchiha Shisui knelt upon a stretch of scorched earth. Before him lay the once-prosperous Konoha, now reduced to broken walls, crumbling ruins, and towering flames.
The air was thick with smoke and blood, while dying wails and the thunderous collapse of buildings rang in his ears.
This was the future he had tried to stop with the last of his strength by unleashing Kotoamatsukami, yet reality was like a poisoned blade, grinding all his efforts and hopes into dust.
His prized Mangekyō Sharingan had lost its former brilliance, leaving behind only lifeless scarlet.
Those eyes that had once seen through human hearts and bent wills could now only helplessly reflect this hellish sight.
Kotoamatsukami had failed. He had been unable to stop this conspiracy, unable to protect the village and clansmen he loved.
An overwhelming sense of powerlessness swallowed him like a tide. Even the strength to lift a finger had vanished, let alone the ability to activate Susanoo.
"Is this... the end?" he muttered, his voice so hoarse it barely sounded human. "Shisui, you truly are a complete failure."
Just as his consciousness was about to sink into darkness and accept this eternal despair, a cool voice utterly out of place with his surroundings sounded from behind him:
"A failure? I think giving up so easily is the real failure."
Shisui abruptly turned around and saw an Uchiha clansman in a dark fitted outfit standing atop the ruins some distance away.
The man's expression was cold and stern, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's. It was Uchiha Yato.
A little dust clung to his clothes, showing that he had clearly been through a battle as well, yet his bearing remained steady.
Yato did