Almost at the instant their gazes met, the powerful ocular power, linked by the Mangekyo Sharingan, immediately connected their souls.
At that very moment, several indelible imprints, like steel brands, settled deep within Danzo Shimura's heart.
"Everything for Konoha."
"Acknowledge the Uchiha Clan."
"Obey the Third Hokage's orders."
The moment these three ideological steel brands settled, Danzo's figure suddenly froze, his movements fixed in place.
Uchiha Shisui gasped with difficulty, the pain emanating from deep within his eye sockets causing his brain to throb intensely.
But, seeing Danzo's reaction, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
As a user of the Mangekyo Sharingan, no one in this world knew better than him just how powerful Kotoamatsukami's effect was.
However, out of caution, he still spoke to test him:
"Danzo-sama?"
"..."
Danzo Shimura remained in the posture of having his hand outstretched, his will seemingly fluctuating violently in his mind, his eyes changing rapidly.
It was only after a moment that he slowly lowered his hand.
"What is it?"
Seeing his demeanor, Uchiha Shisui's heart immediately filled with joy.
Although using Kotoamatsukami on Konoha Leadership violated his initial agreement with Third Hokage, as long as Danzo Shimura, the biggest anti-Uchiha faction within Konoha Leadership, could take a step back, then many matters concerning the Uchiha Clan would have room for discussion.
Naturally, Uchiha Shisui's attitude softened considerably:
"My apologies, Danzo-sama."
"This time I had no choice but to act. I will explain everything that happened tonight to Third Hokage. Please forgive me."
"It's fine."
Danzo Shimura's voice seemed much calmer at that moment as he stepped closer:
"Afterward, I will also explain today's events to Hiruzen. There's no need for you to say more."
Hearing this, Uchiha Shisui couldn't help but be startled.
In that brief pause, the distance between them had already closed to mere inches.
"Danzo...sama?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Danzo Shimura's figure, in that short distance, suddenly erupted with speed far beyond Shisui's expectation, sweeping towards him.
Kotoamatsukami, didn't work?
How is that possible?!
This thought flashed through Uchiha Shisui's mind subconsciously, and he instinctively made an evasive move.
In that brief moment of crossing paths, Shisui's Ninja blade swung, easily severing Danzo's outstretched right arm.
However, immediately afterward, an intense stinging pain came from his eye socket.
"Swish!"
His figure darted like a rabbit and hawk, leaping dozens of meters backward.
But the eyeball in his eye socket had already disappeared.
Danzo Shimura clenched his palm, and seeing Uchiha Shisui's bewildered expression, he couldn't help but reveal a look of disdainful amusement:
"Uchiha Shisui."
"Who do you think I am?"
"Everything I have done in my life has been for Konoha!"
"I have always seen the Uchiha's merits and faults clearly."
"Only by completely eradicating extremists like you can Konoha truly unite!"
"Do you think I acted against you out of personal motives?"
"Utterly ridiculous!"
Listening to Danzo Shimura's words, Uchiha Shisui's expression couldn't help but be shaken.
He had never seen such a person in his life.
That kind of prejudice and extreme self-hypnosis had already penetrated to the deepest layers of his thoughts, so much so that he himself believed it?
Damn it!
At this moment, he no longer cared about anything else. He unleashed Susanoo with one eye, tearing apart the entire jungle, sweeping away all the Root Ninja who were quickly surrounding him, and roared towards the center of the Village.
'I must report to Third Hokage immediately!'
'If Kotoamatsukami were to be controlled by someone like Danzo Shimura, Konoha... would be in danger.'
Danzo Shimura, meanwhile, stood quietly in place.
His severed right arm seemed to cause him no pain at all, with a faint white substance wriggling at the wound.
His left palm, however, tightly clutched that precious eye.
Looking at the slightly dim eyeball, Danzo Shimura's expression was calm.
An opportunity like the one just now would only come once.
Even now, he still felt a lingering fear.
If Uchiha Shisui's command just now hadn't been to protect the Village, but to make himself obey Shisui, then he would have been in danger.
Fortunately, Shisui was just as he had known him to be, one of the few Konoha Ninja among the Uchiha.
It was just that even though his thoughts were normal, Danzo Shimura always felt as if something was missing from his heart, as if there was a slight void.
"Oh, right."
"After I get this Kotoamatsukami, what was I supposed to help Hiruzen with?"
Danzo Shimura murmured in confusion.
Just as he was thinking this, a violent struggle suddenly came from the palm of his clenched left hand.
Danzo Shimura, who had just been wondering, suddenly snapped back to attention and subconsciously tightened his grip.
But the wriggling sensation from the eyeball in his palm was even more intense than he had imagined, as if he were holding not an eyeball, but molten iron.
Almost instinctively, he let go of his hand.
"Whoosh—"
Fluttering bird feathers scattered from his palm, and the detached eyeball was now attached to the surface of a completely black raven, soaring into the sky with incredible speed.
"What is that?!"
Danzo Shimura watched this scene in disbelief, instinctively throwing two shuriken.
However, the raven was like a phantom, swaying and quickly disappearing into the clouds.
At this moment, only one thought was in Danzo Shimura's mind.
All that effort for nothing... Meanwhile, Aizen Sōsuke, who had been sitting in the multi-purpose screening room watching the screen, had moved to an archive room and was calmly perusing the documents in his hand.
As if sensing something, his movement of turning the page paused.
"Has a result been decided?"
"This really is..."
Aizen slightly raised his head, looking further beyond the ground, his gaze seemingly piercing through the vast distance to directly see the scene before Danzo Shimura.
He couldn't help but sigh and shake his head.
Both Uchiha Shisui and Danzo Shimura's reactions and actions were somewhat beyond his expectations.
Originally, according to his deduction, if Uchiha Shisui won, he should be able to remove Danzo as an obstacle and lay some groundwork for his subsequent control of Root;
If Danzo won, he would be able to easily obtain a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan.
But neither Danzo nor Shisui acted cleanly enough.
Danzo lacked in ability.
Shisui, on the other hand, lacked in resolve.
As Aizen thought, he raised his hand towards the air.
In a short while, a completely black raven landed on his wrist.
Embedded in the raven's eye socket was a crimson Mangekyo Sharingan.
Aizen reached out and gently gouged out the eyeball from the raven's head.
Soon, the raven struggled and died in his hand, shedding dark feathers all over the ground.
"At least it's some gain."
Just as he was thinking this, a tall figure beside him quickly came to his side, kneeling on the ground and holding up a scroll.
"Aizen-sama, I found it."
"You've worked hard."
Aizen Sōsuke smiled gently, reaching out to take the scroll from the other's hand.
On the scroll's cover, the four large characters 'Izanagi' were written.
He unrolled the scroll and read it for a moment, slightly raising an eyebrow.
"The ultimate genjutsu that distorts one's own reality."
"That truly is unexpected."
The tall figure beside him whispered, "It should have been stolen by Uchiha Itachi... According to the Hyuga Clan's rules, throughout the entire Uchiha, only he would be qualified to access a secret technique of this level."
"You did very well, Hizashi."
Aizen said, turning his head to look at the tall man with long black hair beside him, his tone gentle:
"Also, you haven't been home to visit for a while, have you?"
"I recently heard that Neji's condition isn't very good. If you have time, please go and visit him."
Hearing that this lord even remembered his child's name, Hyuga Hizashi immediately bowed his head, his eyes slightly red, somewhat moved:
"Without the Lord's life-saving grace, Hizashi would have died that night many years ago. Even serving him for a lifetime is not enough to repay his kindness."
"As for my son..."
"When the Lord's plan succeeds, he will recover as before."
At the end of his words, Hyuga Hizashi raised his head, his eyes filled with fanaticism.
His forehead, which should have been branded with the swastika symbol, was smooth and clear.
Aizen still smiled gently, calmly looking down at him:
"That day will come."
"It just requires a little patience."
"Yes."
Hyuga Hizashi bowed his head again... In a short while, the three of them, carrying scrolls filled to the brim, openly walked out of the base, which should have been personally guarded by Danzo Shimura, under the gaze of a few Root Ninja.