Danzo's Scheme: The Eye-Seizing Plan

Konoha, in a dark, damp underground chamber—the headquarters of Root.

"Heh heh... hehehehe..."

Danzo let out a series of chilling laughs.

The Dark Side of the Ninja World, hidden in the shadows, was in an exceptionally pleasant mood.

Uchiha Shisui, the Mangekyō Sharingan, and an ocular technique capable of controlling and altering wills—all of it would soon belong to him.

"That old fool Hiruzen finally did something smart."

Danzo had long coveted the power of the Sharingan. That immensely powerful Kekkei Genkai, deeply rooted in the bloodline, fascinated him.

The legendary Mangekyō Sharingan in particular was what Danzo had dreamed of obtaining.

Danzo had implanted a large number of ordinary Sharingan into his arm. Although they had greatly increased his strength, granted him multiple "lives," and allowed him to use Izanagi at critical moments—

They still paled in comparison to a true Mangekyō. Danzo would even trade every Sharingan in that arm for a pair of Mangekyō.

The vision, insight, and subtle perception of Chakra provided by ordinary Sharingan were already heights beyond the reach of most ninja.

Yet the unique ocular techniques contained within the Mangekyō were the true power capable of deciding a battle—or even changing the world.

And now, the opportunity had arrived.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had suddenly been laid before Danzo.

Uchiha Shisui—the genius hailed as "the strongest Uchiha," the man known as Body Flicker Shisui.

He had actually taken the initiative to tell Hiruzen Sarutobi about the secret of Kotoamatsukami, his heaven-defying ocular technique.

In Danzo's eyes, that was simply courting death.

An act of utter stupidity.

"Foolish! Naive!"

Danzo snorted coldly.

To so easily reveal such an important trump card, especially at a time when the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and the village was so tense.

How was that any different from placing his own neck beneath the executioner's blade?

But all the better. Shisui's naivety had fulfilled Danzo's wishes.

"How could such tremendous power be entrusted to an Uchiha whose emotions are unstable and who could be swayed by his clan's feelings at any time?"

The Uchiha Clan was born with the genes of obsession and madness.

The deeper their love, the stronger their hatred. Once they fell into extreme emotions, the power of their Sharingan would also run wild.

History had long proven this fact.

Letting an Uchiha possess an ocular technique like Kotoamatsukami, capable of manipulating others' wills, was no different from placing an unsheathed blade in a child's hands.

"These eyes should belong to me, Shimura Danzō!"

Danzo firmly believed that only someone like him, who had cast aside all personal emotions and devoted everything to Konoha's "foundation," could truly bring out Kotoamatsukami's value.

Only he, Danzo, was qualified to possess this power.

At that moment, a vision of the future had already appeared in Danzo's mind.

He would use Kotoamatsukami to easily alter the daimyo's will, making the Land of Fire's resources flow endlessly toward Konoha.

He could even use those eyes to discreetly control the Kage of the other four great ninja villages, making them reach decisions most beneficial to Konoha at the Kage Summit.

Then, under his hand, Konoha would reach an unprecedented pinnacle.

Perhaps even Unifying the Ninja World would no longer be an unattainable dream.

Danzo immediately summoned Root's most elite core members.

A faint disturbance rippled through the air, almost imperceptible.

"Yamanaka Fu. Aburame Torune."

"Yes!"

Two figures appeared silently before Danzo and dropped to one knee.

Yamanaka Fu was an elite of the Yamanaka Clan. His sensory abilities and mental secret techniques were unmatched throughout Root.

Aburame Torune was an anomaly within the Aburame Clan. The nanoscale venomous insects inside his body were the deadliest weapons in the darkness, making him an absolute expert in assassination and defense.

They were Danzo's sharpest fangs, as well as his most trusted right-hand men.

"Transmit my orders!"

Danzo's voice was cold and devoid of emotion.

"From this moment on, place Uchiha Shisui under the highest level of surveillance!"

"Yamanaka Fu, you will personally lead the operation!"

"Yes!"

"I want to know Shisui's every move—who he meets each day, where he goes, and what he eats!"

"His daily routes, whom he speaks with, the contents of those conversations, even every subtle change in expression on his face—I need to know it all precisely."

"Do not overlook even the slightest clue."

"The moment the time is right, notify me immediately."

"Shisui's eyes will inevitably become mine."

Danzo paused. A more sinister gleam flashed through his lone eye as he added, "Remember, the operation must remain absolutely secret!"

"Once the eyes have been seized, immediately spread rumors throughout the village in secret!"

"Say that... Uchiha Shisui, dissatisfied with his clan's treatment in the village and resentful toward the Konoha High Command, has secretly defected from Konoha and joined hostile forces!"

"Make everyone believe that Shisui is a traitor to Konoha."

"Completely erase all of Shisui's achievements and positive influence in Konoha!"

"Make Shisui the shame of the Uchiha Clan and a sinner of Konoha!"

That way, even if the Uchiha Clan wanted to defend Shisui, the charge of "traitor" would leave them unable to explain themselves.

The people of the village would also ignore Uchiha Shisui's past achievements because of their hatred for traitors.

Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torune both shuddered upon hearing this.

They had spent years walking in darkness, carrying out all manner of filthy missions—assassinations, interrogations, and creating chaos. They had long grown accustomed to death and betrayal.

Yet even they could not help but feel a chill rise from the soles of their feet.

Lord Danzo's scheme was truly vicious.

As expected of The Dark Side of the Ninja World.

He intended to nail Uchiha Shisui, once a genius and the pride of the Uchiha Clan, to the pillar of shame forever, never allowing him to rise again.

This was a hundred times more vicious than simply killing him.

"Lord Danzo is wise!"

The two spoke in unison, their voices filled with deep awe.

Danzo's methods were this ruthless.

"Shisui's Body Flicker Technique is incredibly fast. Ordinary ninja cannot even catch his afterimage."

This operation had to be flawless.

No mistakes could be tolerated.

"Torune, select the most elite assassination squad. Bring specially formulated toxins designed to counter the Sharingan, along with the sealing scrolls left behind by Orochimaru. The moment the barrier is activated, launch a fatal strike."

"The barrier squad must ensure the barrier is strong enough to trap him for at least ten seconds. Ten seconds will be enough."

Shisui had to be left with no means of escape.

"There is no need to deploy all personnel for this operation."

"Select only the elites with the deepest prejudice against the Uchiha, the highest loyalty, and the greatest strength."

"First, it will minimize the possibility of information leaking."

Although Root was an organization entirely under Danzo's control, he did not dare guarantee every member's loyalty. The human heart was always the most complicated thing in the world.

"Second, it will ensure that they feel not even the slightest hesitation or wavering when carrying out their orders!"

When dealing with the Uchiha, any sympathy or hesitation was fatal.

Ninja prejudiced against the Uchiha would act more decisively. They would not be restrained by that laughable bond of being from the same village.

This was the conclusion Danzo had reached after decades of cultivating "tools."

"As for that newly appointed Uchiha Elder, Uchiha Yao..."

A trace of wariness flashed through Danzo's lone eye.

Uchiha Yao's strength was unfathomable, and he acted with ruthless decisiveness. Even Danzo found him extremely troublesome.

Uchiha Yao had risen too quickly—so quickly that Danzo had been caught somewhat off guard.

Two consecutive failed assassination attempts had already pushed Danzo's wariness of Uchiha Yao to its peak. Without absolute certainty, Danzo would not make another move against Uchiha Yao lightly.

The unexpected variable that was Uchiha Yao had disrupted many of Danzo's arrangements concerning the Uchiha.

"Hmph, he's just a brat. So what if he has some strength?"

Danzo quickly suppressed that bit of wariness.

So what if he had some strength? Once Danzo obtained Shisui's eyes, Uchiha Yao would no longer be worth fearing.

Even if Uchiha Yao possessed Kage-level strength, he would have no choice but to obediently obey before Kotoamatsukami.

What Danzo did not know was that Uchiha Yao had already prepared for this. He had spent a full two hundred thousand Clan Honor Points to exchange for the Mental Barrier skill. Kotoamatsukami was completely useless against the current Uchiha Yao.

"Before my carefully planned eye-seizing operation, even if Uchiha Yao notices something, he will absolutely be too late to stop it!"

Danzo believed his plan was flawless.

No matter how strong Uchiha Yao was, he could not possibly remain by Shisui's side at every moment.

As long as he seized the opportunity, he could succeed in one blow.

"Once I obtain Kotoamatsukami, my strength will soar once more!"

Danzo could feel that power beckoning to him.

Kotoamatsukami's power was enough to make up for part of the gap between him and other Kage-level experts in raw strength.

More importantly, the power to manipulate wills was far more terrifying in political struggles than mere destructive force.

"Then, neither Uchiha Yao nor Hiruzen Sarutobi will be my opponent any longer!"

"The position of Hokage... should have a change of occupant!"

He had coveted that position for far too long.

The seed had been planted when Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage, chose Hiruzen Sarutobi instead of him.

Decades of endurance and accumulation had all been for this moment.

Yet Uchiha Shisui still knew nothing of this.

Shisui continued to naively trust the Konoha High Command and the peace he had always upheld.

Shisui's naivety was destined to make him pay the most painful price for it—with his life and his eyes.

"Shisui went to the Hokage Building today and remained there for approximately half an hour."

"After leaving the Hokage Building, the target went to Training Ground Three to train alone."

"He did not have any unusual contact with anyone."

Information continuously gathered in Danzo's hands.

"Continue surveillance. Wait for the best opportunity."

"Understood."