Chapter 231

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Sensing danger, Shisui immediately shifted direction, intending to leave the ominous shadows of the dark forest.

The sharp, unmistakable sound of projectiles slicing through the air soon followed.

It was the sound of shuriken.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Even in the dim light, Shisui's Sharingan provided unparalleled dynamic vision.

He deftly dodged the majority of the incoming shuriken. With a swift swing of his blade, he deflected the remaining hidden weapons aimed at him. His gaze then shifted deeper into the forest.

"Who's there?"

In the crimson-filtered view of his Sharingan, clusters of glowing blue chakra were unmistakably visible, scattered among the trees around him.

There were many ambushers surrounding him, and their numbers were steadily growing.

The only response he received was the howling of the night wind and the sound of footsteps closing in through the dense forest.

"We can't stay here any longer!"

As the enemy forces swelled to seventy or eighty and showed no signs of stopping, Shisui realized he couldn't afford to wait. The longer he lingered, the more overwhelming their numbers would become.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

With a swift series of hand signs, he unleashed a massive fireball in the direction where the enemy concentration was greatest, using it as a diversion. Without hesitation, he turned and darted away into the shadows.

The events of the night had drained much of his energy, and with the sheer number of enemies, he simply couldn't afford to waste time engaging them further.

"It's you!"

Just as he turned to flee, taking only a few steps, the Anbu he had encountered earlier appeared, blocking his path.

To his dismay, the number of opponents had now swelled to nearly twenty.

"You... you're not the Anbu directly under the Hokage!"

His heart sank, a cold weight settling in his chest, as Shisui carefully enunciated his accusation at the masked figures standing before him.

If they truly were Hokage's Anbu, why would they attack him?

"…"

"If that is the case, there's nothing more to discuss!"

Seeing the lack of response from the other side, Shisui decided not to linger on the unanswered questions that weighed on him.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

With swift precision, he retrieved several kunai from his pouch, each equipped with explosive tags, and launched them toward the 'enemies.'

Simultaneously, his hands moved in a blur as he formed seals, activating his signature Body Flicker Jutsu.

"Be cautious—the target might use the explosion as a distraction to escape!"

Finally, one of the ambushers broke the silence, issuing a warning to the others.

"His teleportation technique is highly unusual! Each team should focus on one shadow clone—don't let him slip away!"

"You… you're all Konoha ninjas?"

The voice was familiar—Shisui had seen this person before. Though he couldn't ascertain their true identity, one fact was clear: this individual was undoubtedly a Konoha ninja and likely part of the Anbu.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions shattered the stillness of the forest, the fiery bursts lighting up the darkness.

Amidst the chaos, Shisui attempted to break through the encirclement, but his efforts were in vain. The enemy's numbers were overwhelming, and their movements betrayed an intimate knowledge of his techniques, making escape nearly impossible in such a short time.

Unless… he used Susanoo again.

"As I suspected—they're all Konoha ninjas!"

He berated himself for not realizing sooner. The only force capable of assembling so many skilled shinobi within the Land of Fire could only be Konoha itself.

"Why...? Aren't we all comrades?"

"Just because I aspire to become Hokage, you're willing to kill me?"

Shisui was bewildered. He had always upheld the Will of Fire, protecting both the village and his comrades. How could the Anbu of his own village organize such an ambush against him?

Had this order come directly from the Hokage, or was someone else pulling the strings?

"Because your last name is Uchiha."

As silence fell among the Anbu surrounding him, a shadowy old man stepped into view just beyond the encirclement. Leaning on a cane, his voice carried the weight of cold resolve, answering the question Shisui hadn't wanted to believe.

"Because you're an Uchiha!"

Danzo, standing just outside the encirclement, gazed at Shisui, whose face reflected a mix of confusion and despair. His voice was cold and unyielding as he gave the order:

"Do it! Make sure not to damage his eyes!"

Danzo had no interest in engaging in conversation with Shisui. With Uchiha Madara possibly nearby and Mist Ninja forces still lingering, efficiency was paramount.

"Yes, sir!"

The response was unanimous and precise. A barrage of kunai, shuriken, and ninjutsu surged toward Shisui. Strikingly, the attacks were calculated, avoiding his head entirely.

—

"Captain Mei, there's some commotion over in that direction!"

The Mist Ninja following Bitao and Ao, led astray by Shisui's shadow clone through the dense forest, looked up instinctively when they heard the sharp crack of an exploding tag.

It was as if they were trying to pierce through the thick canopy and the shrouded darkness to discern what was happening in the distance.

"Ao, can you see anything?"

"Apologies, it's beyond the range of my Byakugan."

Ao had already activated his Byakugan the moment the explosion rang out, scanning for any signs of movement. Unfortunately, all he saw was the endless expanse of trees stretching into the night.

"Let's head over and investigate!" Mei decided, her voice sharp with determination. She added a firm reminder: "Stay vigilant. We're in the Land of Fire now. Whoever is over there is undoubtedly our enemy!"

Rather than continue aimlessly following Bitao and Ao through the forest like lost hunters, Mei realized it was better to confront whoever was behind the detonation and uncover the truth.

However, Mei didn't recklessly rush forward to investigate. Instead, she methodically rearranged her formation to prepare for any unexpected situations.

—

"I can't hold on much longer!"

Shisui spun around, his sword slicing through the air to deflect an incoming volley of hidden weapons. His chakra reserves had dwindled to less than two levels, and the throbbing soreness in his eyes pierced straight into his brain like a relentless dagger.

He was nearing his limit.

After a grueling battle with the Mist Ninjas, Shisui had been forced to fend off the relentless ambush of numerous Konoha Anbu, draining his stamina to dangerous levels.

Desperate to delay his pursuers, Shisui propelled himself from his position, skimming low across the forest floor. His Sharingan flared to life, revealing the faint flickers of chakra from enemies attempting to flank him.

With a wry smile, Shisui reached into his ninja tool bag, retrieving a fist-sized object. He hurled it to the ground, creating a billowing cloud of smoke that enveloped his figure, concealing him from view.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

A dense rain of shurikens immediately followed, cutting through the smoke.

"Split up and chase!"

Emerging from the smoke were over a dozen identical Shisui figures, scattering in all directions. The pursuers quickly divided into groups of three, each group targeting one of the clones as they gave chase.

"This is truly… a thorn in my side!"

Even with Shisui's typically composed demeanor, he couldn't suppress a rare curse under his breath as he watched his supposed "allies" relentlessly pursue him.

But he didn't have the luxury to dwell on his frustrations for long. His senses sharpened as he realized more than twenty pursuers were still hot on his trail.

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