Danzo's withered fingers were tightly clutching a freshly plucked eyeball, still warm with blood and attached nerves… a Mangekyo Sharingan that had just been torn from its socket!
The eyeball trembled slightly under the moonlight, its scarlet pupil still faintly glowing with a pinwheel pattern not yet fully faded!
His face was expressionless, but his single eye visible beneath the bandages gleamed with a beast-like greed, as if he had seized a priceless treasure!
"Now!" Danzo's hoarse voice rang out like a death knell.
Swish!!! Swish!
The shadows around the temple instantly erupted!
Twelve Root Ninjas wearing animal masks lunged forth from all directions like bloodthirsty hounds!
Kunai, shuriken, and poisoned senbon tore through the air, letting out dense, shrill whistles of death!
Tatsuma's sleeves billowed as a black swarm of kikaichu surged out like a bursting dam, emitting a terrifying hum as they blotted out the sky, rushing toward the staggering Shisui!
Fu's mental assault struck like an invisible hammer, slamming ruthlessly into Shisui's agonized and chaotic mind!
The net of death closed in instantly!
Excruciating pain surged through his nerves like a tidal wave, the hollow right socket bringing both impaired vision and intense vertigo.
Yet, his battle-honed instincts and his title of [Body Flicker] saved his life at this critical moment!
Facing the lethal attacks from all directions and the suffocating insect swarm, Shisui ignited with desperate resolve!
Gritting through the heart-rending agony, he twisted his body at an impossible angle, his hands forming seals at blinding speed!
"Boar - Ram - Monkey - Boar - Horse - Tiger!"
Chakra burned, compressed, and roared amid the pain!
"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"
He drew a deep breath, his chest swelling like bellows, and aimed at the densest swarm of insects and attacks before spewing forth-
"Boom-!!!"
A massive, ferocious orange-red fire dragon materialized instantly, radiating scorching high heat and an ear-splitting roar!
The blazing dragon head snarled, distorting the very air with its heat!
The fire dragon charged with overwhelming force, crashing headlong into the black insect swarm and the ninja tools!
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Several Root Ninjas with extremely quick reactions formed hand seals instantly!
Ice-cold water gushed from their mouths or hands, swiftly weaving into multiple thick water walls in front of the fire dragon, while two roaring water dragons collided with it head-on!
Hiss—!!!
A deafening explosion accompanied by billowing white steam erupted instantly!
Scorching flames and cold water violently clashed and annihilated each other!
The intense scalding steam spread outward like an explosive shockwave in a ring!
Gravel and debris were sent flying, dry grass instantly charred!
Thick, rolling white mist engulfed the area within dozens of meters, obscuring all vision!
The temple ruins trembled violently under the violent elemental collision, as if on the verge of complete collapse.
"Cough-" Danzo waved his sleeve to disperse the scorching steam and dust blowing toward him, his single eye fixed intently on the churning white mist, his face gloomy.
Tatsuma and Fu quickly moved to his side, their eyes beneath the masks equally grave.
The white mist gradually dissipated in the night wind.
On the ground, aside from a charred, molten pit, several patches of burnt insect carcasses, and scattered ninja tools and cold water stains, there was no trace of Shisui.
"After him!" Danzo squeezed out a cold word through gritted teeth, his withered fingers trembling slightly with extreme rage and frustration.
"He's severely injured and lost his last eye! He won't get far! Seal off all paths to Konoha and the Uchiha Clan's compound! Turn over every stone, but dig him out for me! Dead or alive!"
"Yes!" Cold responses echoed through the ruins.
Twelve black figures shot out like arrows, instantly splitting into several groups and melting into the vast, dark forests outside Konoha Village, beginning a silent and deadly hunt.
Meanwhile, at a deeply concealed cave penetrating deep into the mountains downstream of the Naka River, far from the temple battlefield.
The air was damp and chilly, the light dim, filled with the scent of disinfectant and various precision laboratory instruments.
A figure in a white lab coat stood quietly before the experimental table, operating various precise instruments, researching Hashirama's cells.
It was a shadow clone of Menma.
This base was once one of Orochimaru's hideouts outside Konoha Village. After Orochimaru's defection, it became Menma's base.
However, researching Hashirama's cells and Wood Release was secondary… the primary purpose of this base was surveillance.
"We have a situation." Another shadow clone walked in from the passage.
The shadow clone conducting the experiment also looked up, frowning slightly!
A sharp, hawk-like gleam flashed deep within his black pupils!
'Mind's Eye of the Kagura! Activate!'
Without any hesitation, his hands quickly formed a hand seal and a faint golden light flickering briefly between his eyebrows.
The unique, ultra-powerful Sensory Jutsu of the Uzumaki Clan was released.
An intangible mental perception, like the most precise radar wave, spread and scanned instantly from the cave as the center, ignoring the obstruction of rocks and trees, rapidly expanding toward the temple direction and the broader surrounding areas!
Countless complex chakra points, like stars in the night sky, instantly reflected within his mental vision.
Konoha's massive Chakra Aggregation shone like a warm sun, while sparse, faint points representing wild animals or patrolling Ninjas dotted the forests outside the village.
And toward the temple ruins, the focus of his perception quickly locked on!
There, violent energy turbulence lingered… the scorching heat of fire, the cold of water, and the sharpness of wind release cutting through the air intertwined and dissipated, outlining the traces of a recently concluded fierce battle.
Clearer still were over a dozen chakra signatures emitting cold, deathly stillness, and full of killing intent, like vultures in the night, dividing into several groups and moving swiftly in different directions, searching.
And on the flank of this murderous 'vulture group', several miles away in the depths of a dense forest, a chakra point flickered weakly and unsteadily.
The light flickered like a candle in the wind, bright one moment and dim the next, filled with pain, chaos, and a sense of emptiness…as if it had been violently torn apart!
What made Menma's shadow clone narrow his eyes even more was that at the 'head' position of that Chakra Light Point representing life force, the energy node representing powerful Ocular Power, which should have been as dazzling as a dark red star, was now completely dim!
The shadow clone slightly squinted, a cold light swirling within its eyes.
"Uchiha Shisui… was he ambushed by Danzo?" Menma's voice rang low in the silent cave, carrying a tone of icy insight.
"Shimura Danzo… he just couldn't resist, could he? He made a move on 'Kotoamatsukami'."
Another shadow clone began forming hand seals.
"I'll go inform the main body. You all be careful. Root's search party will probably be here soon."
With that, the shadow clone vanished into a puff of smoke.
Deep in the forest.
Shisui stumbled as he fled, long having lost the elegance and speed befitting the [Body Flicker Shisui].
The pain was like a festering curse, each heartbeat feeling as though it were tearing open the ripped eye socket anew.
Thick, warm liquid had long since soaked half his face, congealing into cold, glaring blood.
His vision was plunged into absolute, suffocating darkness, thicker than the deepest night.
The hollow void of his right eye brought sharp dizziness and a sense of imbalance, and every breath tugged at the burning pain deep within his chest.
His Chakra rampaged wildly inside his body like runaway horses, each attempt to gather it causing needle-like stabs of pain along his channels.
Fortunately, having lost his left eye to Hikari over a year ago, Shisui had quickly adapted to the darkness of losing his right eye. Relying solely on blurred memories and his perception of subtle changes in airflow, he struggled to discern his direction.
The rough tree trunks became his only support, each touch leaving behind dark red handprints.
The heavy scent of blood spread like an invisible trail behind him, attracting the Root Ninjas hunting him.
'I couldn't return to the clan's compound.'
'If the clansmen saw me in such a miserable state, with my Mangekyo Sharingan stolen, it would be like tossing a bomb into a volcano on the verge of eruption… instantly detonating it!'
'The fragile balance Fugaku-sama had painstakingly maintained would shatter in an instant. Overwhelming hatred would drown out all reason, the Uchiha's rebellion would be beyond redemption, and the entire Konoha Village would inevitably be plunged into a sea of blood!'
Danzo's vicious scheme had already largely succeeded.
-However!
Shisui thought of the secret training ground where he and Itachi often met, the place that held countless exchanges of their sparring and shared confusion. It became the only straw he could grasp in this abyss of despair.
He knew he had to hold on until he got there!
He had to tell Itachi everything that happened tonight… Danzo's despicable actions and the Uchiha's desperate situation!
Relying on his deeply ingrained memory of the forest's terrain, Shisui endured inhuman agony and dizziness, staggering and stumbling toward the training ground.
The scent of blood grew thicker, his stamina rapidly draining, his steps becoming as unsteady as walking on clouds.
Behind him, that cold, deathly aura of Chakra Oppression was closing in rapidly!
Like countless venomous snakes locking onto dying prey in the darkness.
He could almost hear the faint buzzing of Tatsuma's insect swarm, almost feel Fu's mental perception spreading over him like an intangible spiderweb-
Growing clearer and clearer!
The shadow of death was already pressing against his spine!
Just as he was nearing despair, ready to burn his last bit of Chakra for a final, desperate struggle-
Whoosh-!
A sound of something cutting through the air tore through the forest's dead silence!
Sharp as a ghost's wail!
Shisui's remaining combat instincts screamed warnings!
Though he couldn't see it, the origin, speed, and terrifying sense of power contained within that sound far exceeded ordinary ninja tools!
It was definitely not a kunai or shuriken!
He wanted to dodge, but his wounded body and severe dizziness made his movements fatally slow for a crucial instant!
A cold, resilient force, carrying an indescribable heavy quality, like a living golden giant python, instantly wrapped around his waist, abdomen, and arms!
The sensation wasn't the roughness of a rope, but rather some kind of chain imbued with vast Chakra!
The chain was covered in intricate, ancient sealing formulas, shimmering with a layer of golden light. A powerful, suffocating sealing force instantly invaded his Chakra Pathway, ruthlessly suppressing the already chaotic Chakra within his body!
Furthermore, an invisible gravity field enveloped his entire body, making him feel as if he had been instantly cast into lead blocks. Even lifting a finger became incredibly difficult!
"Guh!" Shisui let out a muffled groan. His body was violently constricted and bound by this sudden, terrifying force, leaving him unable to move!
Unprecedented shock instantly overwhelmed the intense pain!
'What kind of Jutsu was this?!'
'I had never seen it before!'
'Such a bizarre power, such a fearsome sealing effect!'
"Tsk tsk tsk-"
A low, distinctly mocking voice suddenly rang out not far in front of Shisui.
The voice, somewhat muffled as if coming through a mask, nonetheless clearly carried a tone of condescending amusement.
"Look who it is? Konoha's [Body Flicker Shisui], the legendary possessor of the Mangekyo Sharingan. How did you end up in such a wretched state? Like a bird stripped of its beautiful feathers?"
Shisui's heart sank to the depths.
Although blinded and unable to see the speaker's figure, that unique voice and the terrifying, abyssal pressure enveloping him all pointed to one identity.
'Shura!'
'Why was he here?!'
'In the forest surrounding Konoha Village?!'
"That old bastard Danzo's handiwork is as crude as ever… rough." The voice continued, dripping with unconcealed scorn, as if appreciating a broken piece of artwork. It's like admiring a broken work of art.
"I left you with one pretty right eye, only to have it ripped out so brutally. Such a waste of a natural treasure."
The cold chains tightened slightly, bringing a suffocating pressure.
Enduring the humiliation and agony, Shisui raised his hollow eye sockets, futilely 'looking' toward the source of the voice in the darkness.
"What do you want?" Shisui's voice was hoarse and dry, weakened from his severe injuries, yet he struggled to maintain a final shred of calmness.
"Want?" Shura's voice held an exaggerated hint of laughter, as if he had heard an amusing question. "Of course, to offer a little help. For example-" He paused, his tone turning like a devil's temptation.
"'Kidnapping' you away from these annoying flies? Taking you out of Konoha, out of the Land of Fire, to a place where Danzo's filthy paws can't reach? How does that sound?"
'Kidnap me?'
'Leaving Konoha?'
Shisui's mind raced.
'Falling into Danzo's hands meant certain death.'
'But returning to the clan's compound in this state would inevitably ignite the clansmen's fury, triggering the Uchiha Clan's rebellion!'
'However, falling into the hands of this mysterious Shura...'
'Although it was also an unknown abyss,'
'At least the other party showed no immediate intention to kill him.'
Shisui's mind flashed to the girl he had fought before, Uchiha Hikari.
'Perhaps this was related to her.'
Shura's appearance, while plunging him into danger, also tore open a faint sliver of hope in this desperate situation.
A sliver of possibility to preserve his life and avoid the complete eruption of conflict between the village and the Uchiha Clan!
'As long as I lived, there was still hope to pass the information to Itachi!'
For Itachi, for the Uchiha, for Konoha's faint possibility of peace!
Countless thoughts collided in that lightning-fast moment.
Behind him, the Root Ninjas' cold killing intent seemed already within reach!
"Fine!" Shisui almost gritted his teeth, forcing the word out from his throat, carrying a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve.
"I'll go with you! As long as… I don't fall into Danzo's hands!"
"A wise choice." Shura's voice held a trace of satisfied triumph.