Deep within the Forest of Death.
The Masked Man emerged from the ground again, but this time, the moment he appeared, he felt a strange sense of daze.
The next second, he immediately broke the Genjutsu, and Shisui's figure appeared before him once more.
Only... dozens of Shisuis surrounded him, the swords in their hands flickering with firelight.
Boom!
The flaming blade flashed through his body.
"Is this your answer?"
The Masked Man's body phased out, yet he remained incredibly calm, showing no signs of anger.
Shisui's blade slashed through, but he wasn't surprised. His gaze fixed on the faint scorch marks on the Masked Man's clothes as he said calmly:
"A technique that instantly transports oneself into another dimension—this is no ordinary Space-Time Ninjutsu."
He stared at the Masked Man.
"This is a Dojutsu, isn't it?"
"You are clever, even cleverer than I imagined."
The Masked Man chuckled.
Then, he looked at Shisui's face; the other eye had already been restored.
No wonder.
"You were actually able to solve the problem of a Sharingan transplant yourself?"
"I have trained my own subordinates outside the clan. Such a thing is not difficult for me. I also know..."
Shisui gazed at the Masked Man. "You possess a Mangekyo Sharingan that isn't in the clan's records. You were the one who released the Nine-Tailed back then, weren't you?"
"That is indeed not hard to guess, and you are indeed much smarter than Itachi."
The Masked Man raised his head, looking down at Shisui. "So, is your answer revenge?"
"I want to know the reason and your goal. This will determine whether or not I cooperate with you."
Shisui replied calmly, "Otherwise, even if you are willing to accept me, how can I be sure you aren't just like Danzo?"
Kotoamatsukami, the strongest Genjutsu.
After experiencing betrayal once, he already understood that no one would let their guard down against such a technique.
Including the person before him.
He had pondered for many days and finally chose this approach.
The Masked Man laughed softly. "Naturally, it's because... I am the architect of the current Uchiha. Your technique is useless against me."
"You are... Uchiha Madara?"
Shisui's habitually calm expression finally underwent a drastic change.
After his shock and surprise, he became calm again.
"I've seen the records; Madara never used a similar Dojutsu."
"As long as one lives long enough, they will have all sorts of collections. Including your eye... I do indeed need Kotoamatsukami."
The Masked Man's tone was indifferent. "If you are unwilling to submit, I can take it myself."
"I hope the Uchiha can survive, even if it's only a small part."
Shisui answered.
The other party said faintly, "Your wish is too small."
The Masked Man looked at the moon.
"True, even for a child like you, your vision is still too narrow."
"Of course I will let a small portion survive, but as long as war and conflict exist, the downfall of the Uchiha is only a matter of time."
"Create a nation controlled by the Uchiha—only then can the Uchiha Clan truly be saved!"
He looked down at Shisui.
"You can go to the Naka Shrine and look at the stone tablet there. Although you won't be able to see everything with your current Ocular Power, you can at least learn some secrets."
"By the way, Hiruzen Sarutobi's men are already searching the various Training Grounds... Whether to go or not is your choice."
After saying that, the other's figure gradually faded.
"We shall meet again there."
Shisui maintained a stunned and shocked expression throughout.
Only after "Madara" left did he slowly regain his composure.
Naka Shrine... Shisui knew very well that it must be a place of intense focus for Konoha's Anbu, but he had a reason he had to go.
This risk was worth taking!
...Night, the starlight was dim.
After Masahiko finished practicing the Great Fireball Technique and unsuccessfully attempted to train in Body Softening Technique, he exited the training space.
Having read through Body Softening Technique, Masahiko believed this technique would be useful to him, as it could help relieve muscle pressure while in his "Overlimit State."
After exiting the training space, he had originally planned to organize his Medical Ninjutsu to solve the problem of softening the human muscular structure.
However...
Outside, a series of almost imperceptible "whooshing" sounds could be heard.
"What's happening?"
Masahiko was secretly surprised. He pressed himself against the wall and used Chakra to amplify his perception and hearing as much as possible—
Obscure Chakra fluctuations emerged in the surroundings.
Faint sounds rose and fell.
A large number of Ninjas had been deployed.
At a time like this, it could only be the Anbu!
Masahiko was startled.
Under what circumstances would such a large number of Anbu be deployed?
He knew that something unexpected must have happened. Combining this with the "prequel" plot he had seen before, there was only one possibility—
Shisui has been exposed!
The reason for the exposure was very likely related to Konoha's Obito.
"Obito."
"The direction of the Anbu is..."
Masahiko frowned.
Based on the existing information, he locked onto the location:
Naka River.
Eighty percent chance something happened over there.
He closed his eyes and remained silent. After pondering for a long time, he decided to stay put and let Shisui fend for himself... Naka Shrine.
Shisui used Genjutsu to daze the enemies and quickly slipped into the shrine's secret room.
In front of the stone platform, he channeled his Ocular Power, the tomoe in his eyes spinning.
A single-eye Mangekyo emerged.
On the stone tablet, lines of obscure text suddenly appeared.
The text above was blurred.
Shisui frowned, then closed one eye and tried both back and forth, suddenly understanding:
The words on the stone tablet would display different amounts of content depending on the level of Ocular Power and the eye.
So such secrets were actually recorded on the stone tablet!
"How is it?"
A voice rang out in the secret room.
Shisui looked up.
The man claiming to be "Madara" appeared before him once more.
He took a deep breath.
"I remember there were rumors within the clan that you once took your younger brother's eyes..."
"At that time, I had overused my Mangekyo Sharingan. Meanwhile, my younger brother Izuna died at the hands of Senju Tobirama, so I transplanted his eyes."
"Madara" walked to the stone platform. "With your Ocular Power, you should only be able to decipher up to this part, right?"
Shisui nodded slightly.
"Madara" said, "The subsequent part speaks of a technique called the Eye of the Moon..."
Shisui listened from the side.
He wasn't good at acting, so his expression didn't change, though he was slightly moved.
After listening for a long time, he said, "Do you believe in such a technique?"
"It doesn't matter."
"Madara" shook his head. "This technique truly exists. We Uchiha can use it to deter the Ninja World—that is what's most important."
Shisui pondered and nodded slightly:
"As you say, the Uchiha Clan is both strong and weak. If we possessed a power that could deter the entire Ninja World, perhaps we could bring peace to it."
"Correct. You are indeed the one among this generation's juniors who understands me best."
"Madara" nodded in appreciation.
Shisui was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Unfortunately... my other eye was taken by Danzo."
"No matter."
"Madara" laughed softly. "Let him keep it for a while. A single eye can't do much."
Shisui remained silent and looked outside.
Although he hadn't sensed anything unusual, he was certain that the Anbu had arrived.
"If there's nothing else..."
"No need to fear."
"Madara" said with a smile, "As long as you are willing to join me, I will help you leave."
"I haven't joined yet?"
Shisui's expression wasn't great, but after a few seconds of silence, he looked outside.
"What else do you need me to do?"
"My organization only accepts Rogue Ninja. So... you must truly become a Rogue Ninja and demonstrate your resolve and strength."
"Madara" said indifferently, "I don't accept trash here."
Shisui hesitated slightly, then used a Kunai to carve a horizontal line across his headband.
"I will prove myself."
"See you outside the village."
After speaking, he gripped his blade and rushed out of the Naka Shrine.
Several Anbu attacked him head-on.
One Clone after another emerged around Shisui.
Then, the tomoe in both his eyes spun.
The Genjutsu took effect, and immediately—
The blade bloomed with firelight, flashing through their vital points.
In just an instant, the four-man squad all collapsed, with no survivors.
"I'm sorry!"
Shisui murmured softly.
He was unwilling to turn his blade against his former colleagues, but now they were enemies. Moreover... he had to join "Madara's" organization to figure out the other party's true intentions.