In the underground chamber of the Naka Shrine, elite ninjas of the Uchiha Clan gather.
Is there anything noteworthy happening lately?
"Captain, Shisui is back from the front lines."
Fugaku looked at Shisui with great satisfaction and said, "Oh? Shisui is back. You've made a name for yourself these past few years; even in the village, we often hear about you."
"Truly worthy of being a genius of my Uchiha Clan!"
" Shisui, well done..."
Everyone's attention turned to Shisui, who was sitting in the last row, and praises poured in.
The Uchiha Clan reveres the strong, and especially at times like this, they desperately need a genius to inspire their people.
"I only did what I could, and I can't tarnish the reputation of the Sharingan no matter what," Shisui replied humbly.
Seeing this, Fugaku quickly shifted everyone's attention back to himself, saying, " Shisui is right, you are all people who carry the Uchiha bloodline."
At this critical juncture, it is even more important to be cautious in speech and action.
"But the surveillance by the Anbu has become increasingly excessive. We initially thought it was just temporary, but so much time has passed and there's no sign of it being lifted."
The Uchiha Yashiro stated.
These words immediately resonated with everyone:
"Yes, Captain, the village is treating us like enemies right now."
"We are the village's security personnel; now the entire village is on guard against us."
"And those foolish villagers, they've transferred all their hatred for the Nine-Tails onto us Uchiha... How despicable..."
Uchiha Yashiro then spoke up, "Captain, we can no longer deceive ourselves and entrust the safety of our clan to others."
The higher-ups already have a prejudice against us; we should prepare for the worst.
"Yes, we must resist! We can't just sit here and wait to die!"
"Resist! Resist!"
The crowd was outraged. The Uchiha were never afraid of fighting, and the proud Uchiha would never accept being treated like prisoners.
Shisui watched his people walk step by step into the abyss, powerless to stop them. He understood their anger; resistance was human instinct.
The Nine-Tails' Disturbance was a disaster for the village, and even more so for the Uchiha.
Once everyone had vented their emotions, Fugaku said, "I understand how you all feel. Please bear with it for a while. Shisui is now highly regarded by the Third."
With him serving as a bridge between our clan and the village, I believe the village will eventually understand us.
"Really? Will the village really put aside its prejudices?"
"Perhaps. The Third is still quite fair. That matter will be investigated and cleared up sooner or later, restoring our innocence."
"Trust in Shisui, Shisui... I'm counting on you."
Everyone's attention was once again focused on Shisui, who was under immense pressure, fearing that he would disappoint his clansmen.
The clan meeting thus came to an end, and Shisui had an additional task on his shoulders, making his burden even heavier.
When he got home, he found a boy waiting for him at the door.
"Itachi, what are you doing here?"
"Hmm, I heard you came back today. Did you go to the clan gathering?"
"Yes, the clansmen are in low spirits. If this continues, I really don't know what might happen," Shisui said worriedly.
Itachi reached up and touched his eyes, replying in a deep voice, " The Uchiha are a clan enslaved by their emotions. These eyes have given us power, but also brought us tragedy."
"When?"
"Six months ago, I went on a mission with my squad, and they all died."
Shisui reached out and patted Itachi on the shoulder, encouraging him, " The Sharingan is our clan's Kekkei Genkai. It is precisely because of this power that we are able to better protect the village and our clansmen."
"To protect the village and the clan?!"
"Yes, both the village and the family are important. As the link between the village and the family, we must always maintain a good balance between the two."
I have to go out on a mission tomorrow. I'll have a proper talk with you when I get back.
"You're going out again so soon after you get back?" Itachi asked in surprise.
"Sigh, it's a very tricky task, I can't refuse."
"What kind of mission is this that even you...?"
The next morning, Shisui Uchiha set off towards the Land of Rain carrying a letter from the Third Hokage.
Three days later, in Amegakure.
"We received a message from the border troops that the person who came was ' Body Flicker Shisui)."
"It was him!" Nagato's eyes widened in surprise.
This genius ninja from the Uchiha Clan was once commissioned by Akatsuki to assassinate someone, but the mission failed.
"What should we do?" Konan asked.
"Let's follow Yue's method for now. I'll keep a close eye on him."
Soon, Aoki Tsuki received the message and immediately replicated the guard formation from the Hanzō era, including the positions where each member stood.
Everyone was required to wear gas masks, and all villagers were instructed to stay home for the next two days and not go out.
The next morning, Shisui Uchiha arrived at the village entrance. After undergoing a thorough search, he was taken to the North District to meet Hanzō.
This is a tower, where Hanzo once Hanzō, and each key location was guarded.
The room where Hanzō was located was especially Jonin.
"It matches the intelligence perfectly, but why haven't we seen a single villager along the way?"
Shisui Uchiha felt somewhat uneasy. The atmosphere in Amegakure was too oppressive, a fact he noticed as soon as he entered.
He felt as if invisible eyes were watching and spying on him from all directions.
As he approached the core of the mission, Shisui secretly activated his Sharingan while bowing towards the room.
"Lord Hanzō, I am Shisui Uchiha from Konoha..."
Shisui began by explaining Konoha's consistent stance according to diplomatic procedures, and finally handed over a letter from the Third Hokage.
Just then, a person walked over and took his scroll. He looked up and saw...
"It's you...!"
During the mission with the Hannya Corps of the Land of Forests, the two sides clashed, Shisui had a deep impression of Aoki Tsuki.
"It's been a long time. I am Hanzō Aoki Tsuki, Lord Hanzo's personal bodyguard. I once traveled to Konoha to attend the Fourth Hokage's inauguration ceremony and also had the honor of meeting the Third Lord Hokage."
"I see."
Shisui nodded, then hurriedly emphasized, " The Third hopes I can deliver the letter to Lord Hanzō in person."
"That's only right."
Aoki Tsuki smiled slightly and opened the door in front of Shisui. Inside, an elderly man with blond hair wearing a breathing tube sat facing the door with his eyes closed.
The Sharingan, like a scanner, took the opportunity to give Hanzō a thorough full-body checkup.
"It's not Transformation Technique..."
Shisui instantly made a judgment: the Chakra within the opponent's body was flowing smoothly through his meridians, indicating that this was the true form.
In the photo Gen gave him, Hanzō did indeed look like this.
"Could it be that Danzo has made a mistake?"
I told him with absolute certainty that this was Xiao's lair.
Just then, Hanzō slowly opened his eyes and said, " Uchiha brat, go back and tell the Third Hokage that Amegakure will abide by the alliance agreement signed with Konoha."
If Iwagakure starts another war, we will provide Konoha with the necessary military assistance.
"Those eyes are...!!"
Shisui Uchiha was instantly overwhelmed with shock; the situation before him was even more astonishing than the fact that Hanzō had been impersonated.
Purple, wavy eyes, a Shinigami gaze.
"What on earth is going on...? Hanzo of the Salamander actually possesses the legendary eyes...? Why have I never heard of them before..."
The Shisui was a tangled mess of emotions.
By this time, Hanzō had finished reading the Third Hokage's letter and wrote a reply in person, which he then handed to Aoki Tsuki.
"You entertain the envoy from Konoha on my behalf."
"Hi, Hanzō."
Aoki Tsuki bowed, then left the room, closing the door behind him.
He handed the scroll to Shisui, who was still in shock, and said, "It's getting late, let's find a place to eat."
"Um... alright... Hanzō, I'll take my leave."
Shisui followed Aoki Tsuki in silence, completely oblivious to his surroundings.
The two followed Iron Rain Avenue to a grilled fish restaurant.
"Due to the continuous wars, our Amegakure's economy has stagnated, and people's lives are quite difficult. This is the only decent restaurant in the village."
"It's already very good. I don't have high demands for food; simple meals are fine."
Shisui glanced around the restaurant's interior. It was lunchtime, and there wasn't a single other customer in the restaurant, nor was there anyone on the street.
It's truly quite desolate.
The restaurant was clearly prepared, and soon brought out the pre-made grilled fish and various dishes.
"Lord Yue, the dishes are all ready. Please enjoy your meal."
"Okay, go down." Aoki Tsuki waved his hand.
Shisui noticed the older waitress with red hair, and before he could ask her anything, Aoki Tsuki took the initiative to introduce her.
"After the destruction of Uzushiogakure, the Uzumaki Clan wandered everywhere. Our Land of Rain, as a paradise for wandering ninjas, took in quite a few people like her."
"In such chaotic times, having a stable place to live and a job is already a blessing."
Shisui could easily see that the other party was mocking Konoha for its inaction as an ally of the Uzumaki Clan.
He naturally couldn't continue the conversation in the same direction, so he changed the subject and said:
"I had always heard that this country was divided and in turmoil, but what I saw along the way did not seem to be the case. I never imagined it had been unified. It's truly astonishing."
'You're surprised by Hanzō's eyes, aren't you?'
Aoki Tsuki knew perfectly well that the other party was trying to indirectly find out information about Hanzō.
"Haha... all of this was brought about by Lord Hanzō. He is the god of our Land of Rain. It is because of him that we have been able to find a space to survive in the cracks between the great powers."
There were indeed some rebellious forces that colluded with the enemy in an attempt to split the country, but they were all wiped out and driven out by Lord Hanzō.
"I see. I've also heard of Lord Hanzō's legends and deeply admire him," Shisui echoed.
Who in the ninja world hasn't heard of Hanzo of the Salamander? Even the title of the Sannin was bestowed upon him by Hanzō.
His strength is beyond doubt.