Eye Seizure!

Evening.

Outside the Hidden Leaf Village, at a remote training ground.

It was far from the main road, surrounded by dense forest and rock walls.

Few people came here normally.

Shisui Uchiha arrived alone at the center of the training ground.

His expression was as gentle as ever.

But his heart was far less calm than he appeared.

Soon, several figures emerged from the forest.

Danzo Shimura.

Along with four Root ninja.

Danzo leaned on a cane, his right eye wrapped in bandages, his face devoid of any unnecessary expression.

He looked at Shisui and spoke in a low voice:

"You came."

Shisui nodded slightly.

"Lord Danzo."

His gaze swept across the four Root ninja.

"If this is just a conversation, was there really a need to bring so many people?"

Danzo said blandly:

"The Uchiha Clan has been unstable lately."

"This old man has no choice but to be cautious."

Shisui fell silent for a moment.

In the past, upon hearing those words, he might have explained that the Uchiha Clan harbored no hostility.

But now, they only sounded grating.

What did he mean, the Uchiha Clan was unstable?

Was the Uchiha Clan unstable, or had they been constantly forcing the Uchiha Clan into a corner?

Shisui suppressed his emotions and said:

"Lord Danzo, did you summon me because of the clan's affairs?"

Danzo nodded.

"This old man already knows about the Uchiha Clan meeting."

Shisui's eyes shifted slightly.

As expected.

The clan meeting had only just ended, yet Danzo already knew.

Just how thoroughly were the Uchiha Clan Grounds being monitored?

Danzo continued:

"Uchiha You is pushing the Uchiha Clan into the abyss."

"He is too radical, inciting the clan members to oppose the village."

"If he is allowed to continue, the Uchiha Clan will inevitably launch a coup."

Shisui said nothing.

Danzo looked at him.

"Shisui, you are different from them."

"You have inherited the Will of Fire."

"You understand that the village's peace is more important than a clan's selfish desires."

If this had been before, Shisui might have been moved by those words.

But at that moment, Uchiha You's cold sneer surfaced in his mind.

"He'll praise you for inheriting the Will of Fire."

"Then make you sacrifice the Uchiha Clan."

A chill inexplicably ran through Shisui's heart.

Because what Danzo was saying now was almost exactly what Uchiha You had predicted.

Seeing Shisui's silence, Danzo assumed he was wavering and continued:

"You possess Kotoamatsukami."

"It is a power capable of stopping the Uchiha Clan's coup."

"Use it to alter Fugaku Uchiha's will."

"Make him abandon the coup."

"That way, the Uchiha Clan can survive, and Konoha can avoid internal conflict."

Shisui said quietly:

"I did consider doing that."

Danzo's lone eye brightened slightly.

Shisui continued:

"But I will personally report this matter to Lord Hokage."

"And carry it out under Lord Hokage's witness."

Danzo's gaze instantly turned cold.

Report it to Hiruzen?

Carry it out under Hiruzen's witness?

Wouldn't that mean control over Kotoamatsukami would still remain in Shisui's hands?

How could such a power remain in the hands of an Uchiha?

Especially now.

Uchiha You had already revealed his Mangekyo Sharingan.

The Uchiha Clan had begun to unite internally.

If Shisui were influenced by Uchiha You, Kotoamatsukami would become a sharp weapon threatening the village.

Danzo said coldly:

"There is no need."

Shisui frowned.

"Why?"

Danzo said slowly:

"Because you are too naive."

"Shisui, your hesitation will get Konoha killed."

Shisui's heart sank.

Danzo continued:

"A power like Kotoamatsukami should not be held by someone ruled by emotions."

"It should be handed to someone who can truly protect Konoha."

The wind in the training ground suddenly turned cold.

Shisui raised his head, and his gaze finally changed.

"Lord Danzo, what do you mean by that?"

The greed and chill in Danzo's lone eye were no longer concealed.

"Hand your eyes over to this old man."

"This old man will stop the Uchiha Clan."

At that moment, Shisui felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.

Although Uchiha You had warned him countless times.

When Danzo truly spoke those words, the last trace of hope in his heart was completely crushed.

So Danzo truly wanted his eyes.

Shisui took half a step back, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly appearing in his eyes.

"Lord Danzo."

"Do you know what you are saying?"

Danzo replied coldly:

"This old man knows very well."

"For Konoha, some powers must be held in the hands of the right people."

Shisui's voice grew heavy:

"And the so-called right person is you?"

Danzo said blandly:

"Everything this old man does is for Konoha."

In the shadows.

Uchiha You leaned behind a tree trunk. Hearing that, he nearly laughed aloud.

Classic.

Absolutely classic.

That old dog Danzo kept repeating the same line over and over.

Murder was for Konoha.

Stealing eyes was for Konoha.

Exterminating a clan was also for Konoha.

Anyone who did not know better would think Konoha was a trash bin that could hold any filth thrown into it.

A system notification sounded in his mind.

[Detected that Danzo Shimura has formally revealed his intention to seize Shisui's eyes.]

[Shisui Uchiha's trust collapse progress: increased to seventy percent.]

[Side Quest One: Critical stage initiated.]

[Hint: Preventing Shisui from having his eyes taken will grant the base reward.]

[If Danzo is severely wounded on the spot and both of Shisui's eyes are preserved, additional Behind-the-Scenes Points may be obtained.]

The corner of Uchiha You's mouth curled upward.

Did that even need to be said?

If he did not make Danzo leave something behind tonight, he would be letting this little performance down.

Inside the training ground.

Shisui's eyes had already changed from the Three-Tomoe Sharingan into the Mangekyo Sharingan.

He looked at Danzo, his voice carrying barely concealed disappointment:

"Lord Danzo, I will not hand my eyes over to you."

Danzo seemed to have expected it.

"Then this old man can only take them himself."

As soon as the words fell.

The four Root ninja instantly scattered.

They sealed off the four corners.

A barrier technique spread out.

A translucent barrier swiftly enveloped the training ground.

Shisui's expression completely darkened.

"You prepared this long ago."

Danzo said coldly:

"This old man gave you a choice."

Shisui laughed bitterly.

"A choice?"

"Hand over my eyes, or have them taken by you?"

"Is this the choice Konoha's higher-ups offer the Uchiha Clan?"

Danzo remained expressionless:

"The Uchiha Clan's power is too dangerous."

"Especially yours and Uchiha You's."

Shisui's eyes widened.

Danzo continued:

"Uchiha You has already been blinded by hatred."

"If you continue to hesitate, he will only lead the Uchiha Clan to destruction."

"Shisui, this old man is saving you."

From the shadows, Uchiha You laughed.

"Saving?"

"Digging out someone's eyes is called saving them?"

"Then tonight, I'll save you too."

Inside the barrier.

The Root ninja moved first.

Two attacked head-on, one flung poisoned senbon from the flank, while the other formed hand seals and cast a sealing technique.

Shisui truly lived up to the name Shisui of the Body Flicker.

His figure vanished in an instant.

The next moment, several afterimages appeared across the training ground at once.

Every attack from the Root ninja missed.

Shisui did not strike to kill.

Even at this point, he instinctively held back to some extent.

Danzo watched coldly.

"Still so weak."

"This is why you are unfit to wield Kotoamatsukami."

Shisui appeared beside a tree and said gravely,

"Lord Danzo, it's not too late to stop now."

Danzo sneered.

"The one who's too late is you."

The next instant.

Danzo suddenly raised his hand.

A kunai hidden in his sleeve shot out.

At the same time, a Root ninja burst from the earth beneath Shisui's feet, pressing a sealing talisman directly against his calf.

Shisui was just about to use the Body Flicker when he felt his leg stiffen.

The sealing technique briefly restricted the flow of his chakra.

Though it lasted only an instant.

For Danzo, it was enough.

Danzo's figure abruptly closed in.

His speed was nothing like that of an old man leaning on a cane.

His right arm, hidden beneath the bandages, flexed slightly as his palm shot straight for Shisui's eye socket.