"Surrender, Shisui Uchiha. You can't escape."
Several Root ninja slowly tightened their encirclement, seemingly intent on capturing Shisui alive. Danzo smiled at this moment too. Victory was in sight, and he would soon have both of Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Don't look into his eyes. Watch out for genjutsu. Slowly close in now and capture him alive."
Wearing all kinds of animal masks, the Root ninja slowly approached Shisui. Some even threw kunai to cut off his escape routes. No matter how one looked at it, this seemed like certain death.
Fortunately, there was always a way out. How could Shisui, someone hailed as a genius of the Uchiha Clan, be so ordinary? After all, the word "Uchiha" came before "genius."
"Got him."
Seeing their attacks about to strike Shisui, some were already moving forward, intending to capture him alive once he could no longer move.
Yet danger erupted at that moment. Every Root ninja who had just approached was sent flying, and a multitude of green chakra arrows shot out at those surrounding him.
"Susanoo: Six Six Six."
For a moment, all they could make out was an enormous green Susanoo appearing, opening its breastplate and unleashing a barrage of green chakra arrows.
"Damn it, what the hell is this thing?"
The Root ninja froze in fright at the sudden appearance of this colossal creature. The unknown was the most terrifying thing of all.
Danzo had already been staring in shock. The others might not know what this was, but he did.
"Susanoo, the mighty power dwelling within the Mangekyō Sharingan. Shisui, you really have surprised me."
"Attack! He's almost exhausted. He can't maintain this form for long."
Sure enough, no sooner had Danzo spoken than Shisui's Susanoo began flickering between solid and insubstantial.
"A perfect opening! Take this!"
A Root ninja wearing a kitten mask had silently circled behind Shisui. While Shisui was unaware of what was behind him, he viciously thrust the kunai in his hand toward Shisui's back.
With a clang, the kunai in that Root ninja's hand snapped.
Shisui also noticed the man behind him. He controlled Susanoo to sweep aside those in front, then took advantage of the man behind him freezing in shock to step on his shoulder and swiftly escape the encirclement.
Danzo's face cycled through colors like an overturned palette. He walked up to the idiot who had stabbed Susanoo with a kunai, grabbed him by the hair, and hauled him up. Without another word, he delivered a hard slap.
"Who taught you to stab Susanoo with a kunai? Which organ were you thinking with when you came up with that idea?"
Looking at Danzo's grim old face, the Root ninja who had been slapped did not dare utter a word.
"Hmph. Keep pursuing him."
Danzo threw the man to the ground, truly unwilling to deal with such a subordinate. What a disgrace. Who knew where he had learned that, actually thinking he could stab Susanoo with a kunai.
Yet the whole, vast Root organization failed to catch the already wounded Shisui, still allowing him to escape successfully.
When Shisui next appeared, he was already on a cliff above the Naka River near the Uchiha Clan Compound. He stood with his back turned, seemingly waiting for something. Perhaps he was waiting for death to come, or perhaps he was waiting for someone to arrive.
Soon, a sound came from behind him. The newcomer was Uchiha Itachi, the future "filial son" who would make everyone roar with laughter.
"Brother Shisui, what happened to you?"
Itachi smelled blood as soon as he arrived. It even seemed to be coming from Brother Shisui, making his worried heart leap into his throat again.
"You're here, Itachi."
Only when Shisui turned around did Itachi see his condition clearly. Shisui's face was covered in blood, and one eye socket was a dark, empty hole. One glance was enough to tell that someone had gouged out his Sharingan.
Anger, confusion, and other emotions filled Itachi's chest. He spoke coldly, his voice carrying a measure of killing intent.
"Brother Shisui, who did this?"
But Shisui did not answer Itachi's question directly. Instead, he first told him about the Uchiha Clan's true power: the Mangekyō Sharingan beyond the Sharingan.
"Itachi, you've awakened your Sharingan too, but I don't know how much you understand about the Sharingan or the Uchiha. Everyone outside fears us Uchiha. Do you know the precise reason why?"
"Shisui, you should stop the bleeding and bandage your wounds right now."
Itachi intended to step forward, but Shisui stopped him.
"It's the Mangekyō Sharingan. That's the fundamental reason the outside world fears our Uchiha Clan. They're afraid another Madara Uchiha will emerge from our clan. They're scared. They're afraid the Uchiha will produce another Asura of the Ninja World."
Only now did Shisui suddenly come to his senses. They had wanted to destroy the Uchiha all along. All those fine words were for their ears, while every moment, they wanted the Uchiha dead.
"Itachi, I intended to use my Mangekyō's ability-Kotoamatsukami-to stop the Uchiha Clan's coup. But I discovered I was wrong, terribly wrong. They never trusted me at all. Even my right eye was stolen by Danzo. He'll absolutely keep putting pressure on the Uchiha Clan, and may even do things that go further."
"Itachi, you must be careful. The Uchiha are already in imminent peril."
"Itachi, I can foresee my own end. Now, I'm only worried about you and the Uchiha Clan."
"But, Brother Shisui, didn't Lord Hokage promise us he would change the relationship between us Uchiha and the village?"
It would have been better if Itachi had said nothing, but he had brought up Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Heh, promise us? Easy enough to say. Then why didn't he show himself when Danzo was hunting me down? All of this had his tacit approval. Itachi, wake up. Don't let him fool you."
Itachi opened his mouth, but ultimately chose to close it.
Shisui glanced at him and sighed. He bore a share of responsibility for Itachi turning out this way, but only now had Shisui himself seen these people's true faces.
He walked up to Itachi and gouged out his only remaining eye, his left.
"Itachi, I don't have long to live. Danzo will never let me go. Take my eye and keep living. Protect yourself, protect the Uchiha, and protect the village. The village shouldn't be ruled by people like this."
"Itachi, promise me. This is my final request."
Having said that, Shisui immediately leaped into the Naka River behind him, giving Itachi no chance to save him.
"Itachi, live on..."
"Shisui, no!"
Itachi watched helplessly as Shisui jumped off the cliff, unable to do anything. He felt a sharp pain in his eyes, and crimson blood flowed from his eye sockets, sliding down his cheeks...
Mangekyō Sharingan, awaken!
With that, the curtain fell on the Uchiha genius, Body Flicker Shisui. Yet a new genius was born. At only thirteen years old, Uchiha Itachi successfully awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Another star of genius was rising among the Uchiha.
Shisui Uchiha, persecuted by Danzo, fell at the Naka River at the age of fifteen. But the news that reached the outside world was that Shisui Uchiha had taken his own life in the Naka River because of certain matters.