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"I…"
Shisui didn't know how to respond. If it became necessary, using Kotoamatsukami on Danzō wasn't out of the question.
"Your Sharingan is mine!"
Danzō, however, had no intention of waiting for Shisui's answer. He lunged forward, reaching with his right hand to gouge out Shisui's eyes.
"Sorry!"
A red flash, and Danzō instantly fell under Shisui's genjutsu. At the same time, Shisui grabbed Danzō's outstretched hand.
Kagaya's warning hadn't gone unheeded. Shisui had always been wary of Danzō. He released Danzō's hand, leaving him dazed in place.
"Just a basic genjutsu. He'll wake soon enough."
With that, Shisui turned and left. As the Uchiha's greatest genjutsu master, he had no concerns about the effectiveness of his technique.
But there was a forbidden jutsu called Izanagi, activated at the cost of a Sharingan. What Shisui didn't know—and what Kagaya, due to the passage of time, had forgotten to warn him about—was that Danzō possessed a Sharingan.
Izanagi could turn unfavorable situations into illusions, creating outcomes favorable to the user.
Danzō appeared before Shisui in an instant, landing a heavy punch. Caught off guard, Shisui couldn't react. In that moment, Danzō struck repeatedly at Shisui's face, then mercilessly gouged out one of his eyes.
The dying light of the sunset cast its glow, a thread of blood visible between the two shadows.
Shisui clutched the empty socket where his eye had been, retreating quickly and collapsing to his knees in agony.
Danzō removed the bandage covering his right eye, revealing a Sharingan that rapidly turned white.
Gasping heavily, Shisui stood and saw the now-white eye in Danzō's socket. He cried out in realization, "A Sharingan…"
Danzō held Shisui's eye in one hand, speaking greedily.
"This will replace my eye. Now, give me the other one."
As he spoke, over a dozen Root members appeared around Danzō.
Shisui didn't hesitate, quickly forming hand signs.
Snake–Ram–Monkey–Boar–Horse–Tiger.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
With one eye gone, Shisui's strength was greatly diminished. He could still easily take down the Root members, even Danzō, but it wasn't worth it. Shisui wasn't one to dwell on personal grudges. If he fought Danzō to the death here, Danzō, with his own Kotoamatsukami, might drag Shisui down with him.
Shisui couldn't die—not yet. Or rather, he could, but he had something more important to do first.
Killing Danzō here would only satisfy a momentary urge for revenge. Instead, Shisui had to entrust his future to someone else, to plan for the two people he cared about most. He couldn't let a fleeting desire for vengeance jeopardize them.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave."
Several Root ninja countered, neutralizing Shisui's Great Fireball with their water jutsu.
Water met fire, creating a cloud of steam. By the time it cleared, Shisui was gone.
"Pursue him!" Danzō ordered coldly.
Losing an eye didn't defeat Shisui, but it made him realize a devastating truth: the village's leadership wasn't united. At a time when tensions between the Uchiha and the village were at their peak, one of their own was sabotaging their plans.
Could such a leadership reconcile with the Uchiha? It was laughable—they couldn't even handle their own internal conflicts.
Shisui felt as though he'd been plunged into an icy abyss. The loss of his eye wasn't the worst of it—the true pain was the despair in his heart.
He refused to die with Danzō because it would be futile. Though he'd lost one eye and could no longer use Kotoamatsukami to change the clan's mindset, he would still make one final effort for the Uchiha's peace.
If the village wouldn't work, he'd focus on the Uchiha. Shisui was one of the clan's greatest assets. If they lost him, perhaps they'd be forced to abandon their coup plans out of necessity.
Shisui didn't know if it would work, but it was the last thing he could do for the Uchiha. He had no other choice. Or rather, he did: give up on peace between the Uchiha and Konoha, or keep trying.
Shisui chose the latter. Both the Uchiha and Konoha were his home. He couldn't abandon them. Even if it meant death, he would make one final effort for their peace.
But before that…
"Kagaya, I'm breaking my promise again. This time, I'll have to help you evolve those devilish eyes myself. I'm sorry… I'm such a failure as a big brother. And Itachi, too…"
Shisui had never wanted Kagaya's Sharingan to evolve further. But now, he had no choice. He knew that after his death, there might be no one left to protect Kagaya. Kagaya needed the power to protect himself.
It was like Itachi with Sasuke in the future. Knowing his own failing health and impending death, Itachi feared no one would protect Sasuke. So, even if it caused Sasuke immense pain, Itachi did everything to awaken Sasuke's Mangekyō.
This was the final love of two older brothers for their younger ones.
---
The sun set completely, and the sky darkened.
Behind a large rock, Itachi, masked, waited. He had considered going to find Shisui but ultimately decided to stay and wait.
Rustle, rustle.
Leaves fell from the trees in front of him.
"Shisui?"
Itachi called out, surprised.
No one answered, but Itachi sensed something and followed.
---
By the bank of a waterfall, Shisui stood with his back to Itachi.
"The Uchiha's coup can no longer be stopped. If Konoha descends into civil war, other nations will seize the opportunity to invade. War is inevitable. I had planned to use Kotoamatsukami to stop the coup, but Danzō took my right eye. He doesn't trust me. He's determined to protect the village his own way. I doubt he'll let my left eye go either. Before that, I want to wait for someone. He should be awake by now, and I believe he'll find this place. I plan to entrust my left eye to him."
Itachi watched Shisui silently, knowing who he was waiting for.
---
Kagaya's House.
A pair of crimson three-tomoe eyes snapped open, scanning the surroundings but not finding the person he wanted to see.
"Brother!"
Seeing the pitch-black sky outside, Kagaya's face paled. If he remembered the original story correctly, at this moment…
"No, no…"
Kagaya stood, heedless of everything, opened the door, and rushed out.
'Don't be at that waterfall, please, Brother!'
Tragedy seemed to always follow the Uchiha's geniuses, and even Kagaya, a transmigrator, was no exception.
When he reached the waterfall from his memories, he saw Itachi—and the sight he dreaded most: Shisui, with a streak of blood on his face.
"Hey, you're here, Kagaya. We've been waiting for you."
Shisui smiled as he spoke.
"Brother… your right eye… your right eye…"