Hagoromo's meeting with Orochimaru lasted only a fleeting moment.
Such furtive behavior was conducted with extreme caution—and as a result, it was not discovered by anyone.
After that, Hagoromo no longer paid attention to Orochimaru's movements.
Or rather, he couldn't.
All he knew was that Orochimaru was still somewhere in Konoha—but where he was hiding was something only Orochimaru himself knew.
From their brief exchange, Hagoromo vaguely realized something critically important—
There was a very high probability that Danzō was truly going to strike the Uchiha first.
Hagoromo's judgment was completely correct.
Danzō had never intended to let the Uchiha remain.
But before acting, there were still things he had to do.
Before cutting down the trunk, one must first sever the strongest branch.
And so, Danzō's first target was not the Uchiha clan itself—
But one of his own people.
The Uchiha's strongest combatant at present:
Shisui of the Body Flicker.
Although Shisui had grown up under the orthodox "Will of Fire," Danzō did not trust him—
Solely because of the name Uchiha.
Perhaps Danzō trusted Shisui personally.
But the stance he presented had to be distrust.
Because he needed legitimacy for what he planned to do next.
His ambition could not even be called particularly twisted.
Looking across history—past and future alike—everything boiled down to one simple pattern:
Everyone searched for a "plug-in."
Whether it was becoming the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki or stealing the Sharingan, the essence was the same.
Ironically, the stronger the shinobi, the less they believed in reaching Super Saiyan 4 through their own training.
Finding a cheat was the norm.
Thus, Danzō's desire to seize Kotoamatsukami was entirely natural.
Meanwhile—
Shisui was already standing in mortal danger, without realizing it.
On the surface, Fugaku had assigned Shisui a clear task:
When the time came, use Kotoamatsukami on Hagoromo.
But in truth, he had been given another secret mission as well—
To monitor Uchiha Itachi.
By now, even the slowest among the Uchiha should have realized that their clan was suffering from catastrophic intelligence leaks.
Every move they made was met with a corresponding response from Konoha.
If they still hadn't noticed the problem, then their curse wasn't in their eyes—
It was in their intelligence.
And suspicion had inevitably focused on Itachi.
After all, he was an ANBU operative.
No matter what, the rebellion was already an arrow drawn on the bowstring.
"The Uchiha rebellion is already inevitable," Shisui said quietly.
"It's hard to imagine that ordinary measures can prevent the worst outcome."
Inside the Hokage's office, both the Third Hokage and Danzō were present.
Shisui was the third person in the room.
"This is no surprise," Danzō said flatly.
"In that case, it's time we prepared harsher methods."
"Enough, Danzō!" the Third Hokage interrupted.
"Given the current situation… Shisui, according to our prior plan, the next step is—"
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Shisui replied.
"I will use Kotoamatsukami on Fugaku, guiding him to consider coexistence with the village."
"The action will take place during tonight's Uchiha gathering."
This was a decision he had made long ago.
"How naïve," Danzō said coldly.
"You think changing Fugaku alone will quell the resentment of the entire clan?"
"You think rebellion can be stopped like that?"
Danzō's thinking was brutally realistic.
At this stage, Fugaku's opinion both mattered—and didn't.
Even if the clan head changed, at best it would only delay the rebellion.
That wasn't good enough for Danzō.
From his perspective, the only true solution was total eradication.
Only then could all hidden dangers be eliminated once and for all.
"Change must be mutual," the Third Hokage replied firmly.
"As long as one side takes the first step, the village is willing to respond positively."
"Shisui, act according to your judgment. I will assign an ANBU operative to support you."
At this moment, the Hokage would not yield to Danzō.
Their conflict was fundamental—one of strategy and philosophy.
Above all, the Third Hokage refused to accept bloodshed.
He was the Hokage.
No matter how dissatisfied Danzō was, he could not oppose him openly.
As for the ANBU assigned to support Shisui—
If nothing went wrong, it would undoubtedly be Uchiha Itachi.
After further discussion, Shisui departed first.
For him, tonight's clan gathering was the most critical moment of all.
Afterward, Danzō also left—
Storming out was the more accurate description.
The office should have been empty now.
But from the shadows, Hagoromo stepped forward.
He had been there all along.
Just hidden.
"Then, Third Hokage," Hagoromo said calmly,
"I'll begin my own actions as well."
"Hagoromo," the Hokage instructed,
"your task is to ensure that Shisui is not interfered with during his operation."
"Do not do anything extra. Do you understand?"
"I understand."
Did he really?
Hagoromo hoped that he did.
Night descended.
As darkness swallowed the final traces of twilight, Danzō and Shisui met for one last crucial conversation before a secluded shrine.
"Is there something you need, Danzō-sama?" Shisui asked.
"The gathering is about to begin. I must act before the clan head declares his stance."
He couldn't force a complete reversal in Fugaku's attitude.
Not because Kotoamatsukami couldn't do it—
But because such a drastic change would immediately arouse suspicion.
Everything had to happen gradually.
Subtly.
"It's simple," Danzō said.
"If your plan succeeds—if Fugaku changes, and the Uchiha change—"
"But the village doesn't change afterward…"
"What will you do then?"
The question struck at the heart of the matter.
What Shisui wanted was mutual reconciliation.
If the Uchiha changed, then Konoha must change as well.
At his core, he was still acting for the Uchiha.
The destruction of his own clan had never crossed his mind.
It was too extreme.
"The Third Hokage promised me," Shisui said.
"He said he would make it happen."
"Village sentiment and human hearts aren't things the Hokage can change at will," Danzō replied coldly.
"The most likely outcome is that nothing changes at all."
"So—what will you do then?"
"I…"
Before Shisui could answer, Danzō continued:
"You would use your genjutsu on all of Konoha's leadership."
"Even the Third Hokage."
At this point, Danzō's stance was unmistakable.
He feared Kotoamatsukami.
And at the same time—
He desired it.
"Your genjutsu is far too dangerous," Danzō declared.
"Such power cannot remain in Uchiha hands."
"I'll be taking those eyes."
Before the words even finished leaving his mouth—
Danzō struck.
In terms of raw strength, Danzō was no match for Shisui.
Even without invoking Mangekyō power.
But the problem lay elsewhere.
Shisui held back.
And he underestimated Danzō's preparation.
He used only a standard genjutsu.
In that instant, Danzō was indeed restrained.
But Shisui didn't know—
Danzō possessed a Sharingan of his own.
And after undergoing Wood Release modification, the combined power of Senju cells and the Sharingan allowed him to activate one of the ultimate ocular techniques—
Izanagi.
A technique that erased unfavorable reality itself.
Danzō broke free from the illusion.
And in the next moment, he launched a surprise attack.
A Mangekyō Sharingan—
Was ripped out as effortlessly as unplugging a USB cable.
The pain of the ambush and the loss of his eye left Shisui in a dire state.
Worse still—
Root operatives burst from hiding, swiftly surrounding him.
Was losing his right eye painful?
Yes.
But what hurt more—
Was realizing that everything he had planned was already impossible.
Still, he couldn't die here.
He had one last hope.
After unleashing a Great Fireball Technique, Shisui activated the Body Flicker and escaped at full speed.
"Pursue him," Danzō ordered calmly.
At once, every Root operative began the chase.
Only Danzō remained behind.
But before he could admire the newly acquired eye—
Another voice spoke.
"Speaking of which… this is a shrine of the Uzumaki clan."
"And speaking of which again—my daughter's sixth birthday is coming up soon."
"Finding a gift that makes people suffer…"
"Honestly, who knows what girls that age like?"
"So…"
"Would you be willing to hand over what's in your hand, Danzō-sama?"
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