The death he dreamed of was right before his eyes

Out of the corner of his eye, Shisui saw Yūto surrounded by three Kumogakure spies, and his heart sank.

He tried to break away to help, but Oroi's Lightning Release forced him back, blasting charred cracks into the ground.

"Don't get distracted, Konoha brat!" Oroi formed hand seals with a savage grin, lightning forming a barrier around him. "I'm your opponent!"

His Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly, and Shisui clearly saw the danger on the distant battlefield:

Yūto's chakra was nearly depleted, yet he was still fighting three Chunin with reckless abandon; Tsukimi's left arm was drenched in blood as she desperately tried to break through the Lightning Release blockade.

At that moment, Shisui was filled with regret.

He should not have brought only Yūto and Tsukimi to capture the Kumogakure spies.

He had been too confident in his own strength and had never expected an elite Jonin like Oroi to be among the spies.

If Oroi had only been an ordinary Jonin, he definitely would not have had such a hard time dealing with him.

Judging by his portrayal in the original story, Shisui should have been able to think of these things, but he was still young, nowhere near as mature as he would be when teaching Itachi.

Moreover, most members of the Konoha Military Police Force were on village patrol duty. Even if Shisui had anticipated the mission's difficulty from the start, it would have been hard to gather more personnel.

"Body Flicker Technique!"

Shisui's figure abruptly blurred, only to be intercepted by lightning the instant he flickered away.

Oroi's Lightning Release chakra burst into tiny sprays of blood on his skin.

"I told you, you're not going anywhere."

Boom!

Flames suddenly erupted in Yūto's direction, the blast tearing away half a tree's crown.

Shisui's pupils contracted sharply, the towering flames reflected in his Sharingan.

Oroi seized the opening and slammed him into a rock face with an elbow strike. "Worried about your comrades? Better worry about yourself."

Yūto staggered to his feet amid the smoke and dust of the explosion, half his body burned, blood dripping down his blackened skin.

He bared his bloodstained teeth and roared at the three spies, "Is that all you've got? Can't you Kumogakure trash even kill a Genin?!"

Kakui flew into a rage, Lightning Release chakra coiling around his blade again. "You're asking for death!"

All three lunged at once, and flashes of steel and lightning intertwined on the battlefield once more.

Tsukimi grew frantic at the sight. Shisui was pinned down by that Kumogakure Jonin and could not help. If this continued, Yūto's life would definitely be in danger!

Ignoring the injury to her left arm, she forced herself to form hand seals. "Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Several fireballs drove back the spy holding her off, and she immediately leaped toward Yūto, never expecting the spy to evade the Phoenix Flower Jutsu with the Substitution Technique.

Shunk! A kunai buried itself deep in her right leg, and Tsukimi dropped to her knees with a muffled groan.

What a perfect opportunity! Yūto thought to himself.

Tsukimi's life is hanging in the balance right now. If I risk my life to help her, it won't count as suicide. I'll definitely be able to collect the compensation.

Besides, if I die saving Tsukimi, I'll definitely get her tears. The compensation will rise to at least two hundred million.

Today, no one can stop me, Uchiha Yūto, from getting myself killed!

The ninja blade was already thrusting toward Tsukimi's back. In a flash, Yūto used the Body Flicker Technique to knock her aside, and the lightning-wreathed blade pierced his chest with a wet thud.

Blood splashed onto Tsukimi's pale face. Trembling, she caught Yūto's collapsing body, the tomoe in her Sharingan spinning wildly.

"Why...?"

Tsukimi's voice broke apart.

Yūto chuckled as he coughed up bloody froth. "Because protecting my comrades is my ninja way!"

After delivering that final blow to Tsukimi's heart, Yūto's lips twisted into a savage smile.

Both hands clamped tightly around the ninja blade piercing his chest, and under the horrified gaze of the spy behind him, he forcibly pulled the blade out of his own body!

Blood gushed like a fountain, yet he seemed unable to feel the pain.

Shunk!

The blade's tip pierced the spy's throat with precision, disbelief still frozen in his wide eyes.

Yūto spun and kicked the corpse away. The bloodstained ninja blade turned in his palm before he gripped it again.

The remaining three spies were so intimidated by his suicidal fighting style that, for a moment, none dared approach.

"Is this guy... a monster?!" one of them asked in a trembling voice.

Yūto had long since exhausted his body, holding his swaying frame upright through willpower alone.

He stepped forward, spitting bloody froth, leaving a bloody footprint on the ground with every step.

"Next."

At the sight, Shisui's Three-Tomoe Sharingan abruptly contracted, and his ocular power poured out like a tide.

His figure split into dozens of afterimages in the air, each lunging at Oroi with fierce killing intent.

This was his signature technique, the Phantom Body Flicker Technique. Afterimages indistinguishable from his real body surrounded Oroi.

"Genjutsu: Sharingan!"

Oroi's vision instantly warped, and a powerful wave of dizziness swept over him. But he was, after all, an experienced elite Jonin. He bit the tip of his tongue to force himself to remain conscious, Lightning Release chakra erupting around him in a dazzling blaze of electricity.

His method was exactly the same as Shikamaru's against Tayuya and Kurenai Yuhi's against Uchiha Itachi: using physical pain to break a genjutsu.

"You won't get away with it!" he roared, forming hand seals. "Lightning Release: Lariat!"

Violent lightning exploded outward from his elbow, and several of Shisui's afterimages dispersed in the glare.

The real Shisui, however, had already used the opening to break through the blockade and race toward Yūto.

"Not a chance!" Oroi's eyes widened with fury.

He knew full well that once Shisui joined the battle, his subordinates would have no chance of survival.

Even if it cost him his own life, he had to win his subordinates a chance to live!

As a Kumogakure spy, he had long since grown exhausted by day after day of keeping up his disguise. Even if only his subordinates could escape this place, it would be worth giving his life!

Violent Lightning Release chakra flooded his legs, and his speed abruptly increased.

This was a secret technique Oroi had created by imitating Lightning Release Chakra Mode, allowing him to greatly increase his speed.

But his physique was far inferior to those of the Third and Fourth Raikage. After a few seconds of using the secret technique, the pain in his legs would become unbearable, leaving him unable to move any farther.

Oroi launched himself forward and locked his powerful arms tightly around Shisui.

Shisui tensed his arms, trying to break free with all his strength, but he could not match the strength of Oroi, who hailed from Kumogakure.

To reach Yūto in time, he drew a kunai from his ninja tool pouch and drove it hard into Oroi's back, sending blood gushing out.

Yet Oroi seemed unable to feel the pain, his arms remaining as immovable as iron clamps.

Blood spilled from the corner of Oroi's mouth as he roared at Kakui and the other two:

"Kakui! Do it! Kill those two brats!!"

At his words, a vicious glint flashed through Kakui's eyes. Lightning Release chakra coiled around his blade again as he charged at the gravely wounded Yūto and Tsukimi.

Tsukimi gritted her teeth and pushed herself up, trying to form hand seals, but chakra exhaustion blurred her vision, and her trembling fingers could not complete them.

Yūto staggered in front of her, holding his bloodstained ninja blade across his chest. Though blood still streamed from the wound in his chest, his eyes remained crazed. "Come on! You Kumogakure scum!"

Come on, kill me!

Yūto laughed wildly inside. This is great! I can finally die!

Blue Star, wait for me. I'm coming back right away!

Just then, a kunai wrapped in a special seal flew onto the battlefield from afar.

A golden light flashed, and a handsome blond young man appeared beside the kunai.

Yūto knew nothing of this. He had already collapsed from blood loss, a smile on his lips, believing he was about to return to Blue Star with two hundred million in cash.