A dark, high-collared clan outfit.The red-and-white Uchiha fan crest—
An Uchiha?!
Sasuke's Sharingan went wide as he stared at the figure's back.
Other than Itachi and himself… there were still Uchiha alive?!
For a moment, he completely forgot about the masked man. The silhouette in front of him felt strangely familiar.
"I don't care what you say, but—"
The man's voice was steady and gentle. In the very next second, the killing intent he unleashed as he charged toward the Sound kunoichi named Kin nearly made all three Sound ninja forget how to breathe.
"I will not allow you to slander Itachi!!"
Three tomoe burst to life in his Sharingan. Against three genin, there was no need to use the Mangekyo. Even so, the grief and fury carried in that power were unmistakable.
Naruto stared at the man's back. "H-Hey, who is that, dattebayo?" He turned to Sasuke, waiting for an explanation.
Sasuke kept his eyes locked on that figure, finally digging up a match from his childhood memories.
He forced the name out through clenched teeth.
"Uchiha… Shisui!"
"Why are you still alive?!"
Shisui said calmly, "It's been a long time, Sasuke. You've grown."
"Forget that! Answer me!!"
Shisui withdrew his killing intent and let out a sigh. Guilt overflowed in his eyes. Back then, he had chosen death without hesitation to protect the smiles of Itachi and Sasuke—yet his final words had instead become the chains that bound Itachi.
The Uchiha clan massacre had shaken the entire shinobi world. Even civilian villages had heard rumors of it.
When the villagers who had revived him told him those stories, a mind as sharp as Uchiha Shisui's grasped the truth in an instant.
He closed his eyes for several seconds. When he opened them again, a bewitching Mangekyo Sharingan had formed—blood streaming from the corners of his eyes, heavier than tears.
I'm sorry, Itachi.We promised we'd never betray each other. We promised to fight side by side.
And yet I left alone… leaving the clan's name and the village's so-called peace to you.
And Danzo.
Hatred filled the Mangekyo he used to hide his sorrow.
He knew the Third Hokage's character well. For things to end up like this, Danzo must have employed countless despicable schemes, both openly and in the shadows—forcing Itachi down that cruel path.
"Answer me, Uchiha Shisui!!" Sasuke's roar tore Shisui out of his memories. He didn't care why Shisui's Mangekyo had taken on such a strange pattern. He only wanted the truth behind his brother's betrayal.
Shisui said softly, "Instead of asking why I'm still alive… wouldn't it be more accurate to ask why I was revived, Sasuke?"
Revived?!
Two days ago, if someone had talked about resurrection, they would've been laughed off as a lunatic.
But after seeing Sasuke's mother, Mikoto Uchiha, and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, brought back to life with their own eyes… Shisui's revival didn't feel impossible at all.
The three Sound ninja, finally catching their breath after Shisui's killing intent faded, pieced things together from the conversation.
"Y-You… you wouldn't happen to be the legendary—Shisui of the Body Flicker?!"
"Oh?" Shisui smiled. "So people still remember my name after all these years. Then you should also know I'm not exactly easy to deal with, right?"
"Wait, Shisui!" Sasuke snapped. "They're our enemies!!"
Shisui was about to respond when one of the Sound ninja, Dosu, spoke up.
"No. We lost." He placed the scroll on the ground. "We'll leave it here. Please… let us go."
They won without even fighting?!
Shisui glanced at the scroll on the ground and Dosu's cautious retreat, then shook his head.
"I'm sorry for interrupting your match. I heard one of your teammates say something truly unacceptable, and I lost my temper for a moment. My apologies."
He turned back to Sasuke. "You're participating in the Chunin Exams, right? Good luck. I won't disturb you any further. I have something very important to discuss with the Third Hokage. Farewell."
As the final word fell, Shisui vanished.
Dosu muttered, "As expected of Shisui of the Body Flicker…"
"Don't underestimate me!!"
Sasuke was already burning with anger after one frustration piled on another.
Shisui's vague defense of Itachi only made his thoughts spiral into chaos—like everyone knew the truth except him.
"Serpent—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger!"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball roared forward, racing toward the three Sound ninja.
With Shisui gone, the Sound trio immediately took back their earlier words and met Sasuke's attack head-on.
"This is nothing!" Zaku shouted, clapping his hands together. When he spread them apart, black openings in his palms began compressing wind. Just as the fireball closed in, he released the air—
"Decapitating Airwaves!"
Got you…
A smirk tugged at Sasuke's lips.
Hidden inside the fireball were dozens of flaming shuriken! They collided midair, rebounding at vicious angles as they flew toward all three Sound ninja at once.
That hadn't been the Great Fireball at all—
It was Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu.
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Every 60 Powerstones = 1 bonus Chapter