"Take my eyes off quickly, or the Fire Style within my body will spread and destroy them..."
Uchiha Itachi's voice grew weaker and weaker.
With trembling hands, Shisui removed Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan, put away his Ninja Tool Pouch and Rogue Ninja Forehead Protector, stood up, and quietly watched Uchiha Itachi's body turn to ashes along with the Jonin Shisui that Jonin Vest had placed on him.
On the ground was a ninja Forehead Protector, its surface blackened by Fire Style.
Two lines of bloody tears flowed from Shisui's Sharingan, and the original Three Tomoe transformed into the shape of Fūma Shuriken.
"I will bring you back to Konoha, Itachi, and I will also tell Sasuke and the rest of the village that you are not a traitor to Konoha, but a hero of the village."
Uchiha Shisui collected Itachi's belongings, then took out a box to collect Itachi's ashes. He stood there quietly, watching the red-robed figure that Itachi had thrown into the river disappear into the rushing current.
A dozen minutes later.
Kakashi charged out from the woods behind them, followed closely by Asuma and Shiranui Genma.
"Shisui, where's Uchiha Itachi?"
Genma Shiranui, with Senbon in his Shiranui Genma, keenly scanned his surroundings with his eyes.
"Dead."
Uchiha Shisui looked at the river and said.
Kakashi surveyed the traces of the battle around him, remaining silent.
He could tell that Shisui was in a bad mood, so he didn't plan to ask too many questions here.
Anyway, Shisui will write the task report himself in the end.
"So you killed Uchiha Itachi? Shisui, you're actually two years younger than us, you're really amazing."
Asuma lit a cigarette and exclaimed in admiration.
In order to make his son eligible to compete for the Sixth Hokage in the future, the Third Hokage had repeatedly asked Asuma to fight for merit on the battlefield over the years.
Asuma is quite promising. At around twenty years old, his strength has already surpassed the threshold of Kage Level. In the next few years, his strength will increase to a certain extent. In the end, even if he can't compare to his father, he will still have the strength of a mid -Kage Level or above.
With sufficient ability and qualifications, he still has a certain chance. Even if he doesn't become Hokage in the future, he will definitely get a high-level position during the Sixth Generation's era.
So when he heard about Uchiha Itachi, he was one of the first to come with Kakashi and the others.
"No, Itachi... was killed by Madara."
Shisui sighed and spoke with his back to the crowd.
"It seems that Itachi is indeed an undercover agent sent by us. I only had a slight suspicion before, and I wasn't really sure."
Kakashi was the first to realize what had happened and finally spoke.
"Yes, Itachi... He traded his life for an opportunity that could greatly enhance our fighting strength, an opportunity that could hopefully end Madara's defeat, and he also traded his life for my pair of eyes."
Shisui turned around, and the Fūma Shuriken pattern in his Mangekyō Sharingan was slowly rotating, captivating the eye.
Konoha, the clan chief's residence.
In the courtyard.
Sasuke continued training even after returning home from school.
He practiced Sharingan, Fire Style, Uchiha Style Swordsmanship —everything that someone his age could possibly learn—with all his might.
"Sasuke is only eight years old now. In two years, when his body's meridians and lungs are fully developed, he can start to consider learning Breathing Technique. In this way, his Natural Energy and Chakra will develop in parallel, and he should be able to qualify to learn the New Sage Mode before he turns eighteen. With Elder Hane's occasional guidance, Sasuke's future potential should not be bad."
Uchiha Fugaku sat at the table, deep in thought, occasionally taking a sip of tea or scolding Sasuke, pointing out areas where Sasuke could improve.
"Not enough, not enough! Father, I've already mastered all of these techniques! When will you teach me more powerful Ninjutsu!"
During the break, Uchiha Sasuke approached Fugaku with a hint of dissatisfaction on his face.
"There's no need to rush with Ninjutsu. You just need to build up these basics step by step. We can easily learn most Ninjutsu with the Sharingan. As for the remaining difficult ones, what do you think you're doing now? You're preparing for that time."
Uchiha Fugaku put down his teacup, a sudden, inexplicable pain shooting through his heart.
"But my progress is too slow! I can't even be far ahead in the Ninja Academy. Naruto Uzumaki was only one point behind me in the last comprehensive assessment. If I can't even widen the gap with my peers, there's no way I can bring that guy back to apologize!"
Uchiha Sasuke teeth and said.
Fugaku lowered his eyes slightly.
I don't know how my eldest son is doing now.
Despite his worries, he believed that Itachi's talent would allow him to give everyone a satisfactory answer.
While pondering this, Uchiha Fugaku shook his head and said:
"It's not that simple. Naruto Uzumaki's father is Minato Namikaze, who was once a high-ranking member of the village alongside me. He was a top-tier fighter in the village, whose strength was no less than mine, and perhaps even greater. Naruto Uzumaki inherited his talent and received his guidance, so his performance is quite normal."
"But Father, you told me that guy was way ahead of the pack when he was learning ninja, if he can't..."
Before Sasuke could finish speaking, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.
"Don't be affected, keep practicing as I said."
Fugaku gave Sasuke a stern warning and got up to open the door.
"Shisui, and... Kakashi and Asuma, is something wrong?"
Seeing Shisui's sorrowful eyes and Kakashi Asuma's solemn expressions, Fugaku's heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling.
"Fugaku clan chief, I'm sorry... Itachi... his undercover plan has ended. These are his belongings, ashes, and Sharingan that I've collected."
Shisui took out a Sealing Scroll from behind him, held it with both hands, and was about to hand it to Uchiha Fugaku.
"Clang!"
In the courtyard behind Fugaku, Sasuke, modeled after the Ama-no-Ohabari, fell to the ground, and his single -One-Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly.
Uchiha Fugaku stood there dumbfounded, not taking the scroll, as if Uchiha Itachi was still alive even though he hadn't taken it.
"Itachi... he, he..."
"Itachi's last words were that he hoped Sasuke would stop resenting him, that Lady Mikoto would forgive his filial impiety, and that Chief Fugaku would take his eyes and his share of the burden to defeat Madara and help him see a wider world."
Shisui Fugaku did not move, Shisui squatted down, Hand Seals, and opened the Sealing Scroll.
An urn containing ashes, a neatly folded but damp red-and-black robe, and two test tubes containing the Mangekyō Sharingan of Kagami Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi, respectively.
"This is Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan. According to the information Itachi obtained from Madara before his death, when a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan merges with the Mangekyō Sharingan of a close relative, the power of the eye will be sublimated, becoming the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan that can unlock the Perfect Susanoo. Itachi hopes that you can merge with his eyes to enhance our fighting power."
Uchiha Shisui then pointed to another test tube Mangekyō Sharingan.
"This is the Mangekyō Sharingan that my grandfather lost before his death. After my grandfather was Danzo, one of them was obtained by Danzo, and the other was obtained by Madara through White Zetsu. However, the power of the eye in it is almost exhausted, and it is probably no longer able to use Dojutsu."
"I hope the clan leader will allow me to take it back and give it to Senior Orochimaru to nurture, restore its power, and combine it with the Mangekyo I obtained from Danzo, and fuse it into my Mangekyō Sharingan."
Uchiha Fugaku was the head of the Uchiha Clan and nominally had the authority to dispose of the Sharingan of deceased clan members.
"Is... this really true?"
Uchiha Fugaku slowly picked up the test tube containing Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyou Mangekyō Sharingan and asked, trembling.
He desperately hoped that Shisui was joking with him.
"Of course it's not true! Isn't that guy a genius? Doesn't he seem to have a plan that can solve everything? How could someone like him possibly die! I'm still waiting to break his legs and bring him back to atone for my mother's sins!"
Uchiha Sasuke, whose Sharingan had evolved from Single Tomoe Futatsudomoe, knelt on the ground in a frenzy, shouting. The Double Comma Sharingan in his eyes continued to spin rapidly, and there was even a faint tendency for him to activate the Three Tomoe.
Shisui decisively Body Flicker Technique behind Sasuke and knocked him unconscious with a chop to the neck.
"Clan Chief Fugaku, I have already activated the Transparent World that Brother Meikyō mentioned, and I can see Sasuke's physical condition. His body is too weak right now and cannot withstand the power of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Activating it rashly may cause his body to be overwhelmed, or even trigger Kekkei Genkai disease."
Fearing that Fugaku might misunderstand, Shisui, supporting the unconscious Sasuke, offered a brief explanation.
Sasuke is only eight years old. He can handle One-Tomoe Sharingan, and Futatsudomoe is barely acceptable. But Three Tomoe, even with his strong Uchiha bloodline, would be too much for his body, mind, and Chakra to bear.
"However, Sasuke is actually close to unlocking the Three Tomoe. The difficulty of unlocking the Three Tomoe will be much lower afterward, so... Clan Chief Fugaku, please don't take offense."
Uchiha Fugaku held the test tube containing his eldest son's eyes in his hand and closed his eyes in anguish.
"I know... I just... don't know how to explain this to Mikoto when she comes back."
Uchiha Fugaku seemed to have all his strength drained away, and slumped into the chair.
Ever since the incident involving Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Mikoto has been depressed. Kushina, Nara Yoshino, and Yamanaka Riya would occasionally take her out to cheer her up, and now they mostly go to the market together as a group.
After a long while, Uchiha Fugaku finally came to his senses, Sasuke back to his room to rest, and then asked Shisui:
"Tell me about what happened when Itachi met you. Also, since you said you wanted this Kagami clan uncle's Mangekyō Sharingan, you must have awakened the Mangekyo yourself, right?"
"Well, it all started when I received a report about an anomaly at the Suna camp. It was actually Itachi..."
Just as Shisui was recounting everything that had happened to Uchiha Fugaku.
The other end of the clan's territory.
Meikyō's true form sat cross-legged on the bed and slowly opened her eyes.
It took some time to receive the memories of the Wood Clone.
"The situation in the Ninja World hasn't changed much recently, and it remains at a stalemate. Minato and Kushina can now maintain Sage Fox Mode for twenty minutes under high-intensity combat conditions, which is still a bit short. However, Minato has the Flying Thunder God, so his strength is probably still superior to Rinnegan the Rinnegan and Hashirama with Senjutsu Hashirama."
"Others are also trying to strengthen themselves and qualify for top-level battles, but at the moment, Orochimaru seems to be the most reliable one."
Meikyō flipped through the Shadow Clone's memories and casually opened a Teleportation Circle next to her, leading to the Root Base.
Previously in the One-Punch Man World, Mercury was too far away, and there were no well-recorded coordinates. Even though he had the ability Blast manipulate space through the Mirror God Eye, he couldn't open a portal that spanned half of the Solar System and needed Saitama's power.
However, here, not to mention that most places in Konoha, including the Root, have their own Flying Thunder God Formula that can be used as spatial coordinates, their own perception range covers most of Konoha, allowing them to teleport at will.
"Serpent Breathing, Second Form: Narrow-Headed Fang!"
"Ninja Technique: Shadow Snake Hands!"
As soon as Meikyō emerged from the portal, he was warmly received by Orochimaru and Yakushi Kabuto.
The former wielded the Kusanagi Sword, while the latter summoned over a dozen giant pythons from his sleeve, attacking him from both sides within his blind spot. Their coordination was exquisite; even a Kage Level expert would likely suffer significant injuries.
Their attacks were ineffective; as soon as they made a move, Meikyō used her Psychic Power to restrain them, rendering them unable to move.
"Hey, what are you two doing?"
Meikyō looked at Orochimaru and Yakushi Kabuto with a strange expression and said.
"It's a misunderstanding, Meikyō- kun. This is a top-secret base that only the village's high-ranking officials and Root members of Root can enter. Anyone who enters here will be subject to various forms of monitoring. When we first saw this strange circular portal, Kabuto and I thought it was an enemy with Space-Time Ninjutsu."
Orochimaru remained in mid-air, sticking out his long tongue and chuckling, showing no sign of embarrassment.
"Oh, I see. Then it's my fault. Next time I'll teleport outside the door and then use the main entrance."
Meikyō nodded silently and put down Orochimaru and Yakushi Kabuto.
"I bet you've already successfully awakened the Rinnegan Meikyō, right? This Space-Time Ninjutsu is your new Dojutsu? And that thing that made Kabuto and me stop just now, was it the same kind of psychic power as the Fourth Hokage? It felt several times stronger than Dan's, we had no chance to resist at all."
After Orochimaru landed, he looked at Meikyō with eyes full of curiosity.