Chapter 53: Danzo attacks Shisui

They didn't share anything with anyone about Naruto. Whatever they had learned, whatever they had seen—they kept it to themselves, a silent promise binding them together. 

Weeks passed. 

Shisui, who had been recovering from his involvement in the skirmishes between Kiri and Konoha, finally felt ready to return to duty.

His body had healed, but his mind was restless. There was still too much at stake—too much that needed to be done. 

Straightening his posture, he approached the Hokage's office. Standing before the large wooden doors, he took a deep breath. 

"Hokage-sama," he called out, his voice steady. 

A familiar, aged voice—one carrying both wisdom and authority—responded from within. 

"Enter." 

Shisui stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at his desk, his sharp eyes studying him carefully. 

"Shisui," Hiruzen began, setting aside some documents. "How was your rest? Are you ready to return to work?" 

Shisui met his gaze, his expression unwavering. 

"Yes, Hokage-sama," he said firmly. "I'm ready."

Hiruzen nodded, studying Shisui carefully.

The young Uchiha looked well-rested, but there was always something sharp in his eyes—an alertness that never truly faded.

"Good," Hiruzen said, exhaling slowly.

"Because we have a situation that requires your immediate attention."

Shisui remained standing, his hands clasped behind his back. "Is it about the clan?"

Hiruzen's expression darkened slightly. He leaned forward, folding his hands over the desk. "Yes. The whispers have grown louder. The Uchiha are moving forward with their plans for a coup. We need to act before it becomes irreversible."

Shisui's fists clenched at his sides. He had known this was coming, but hearing it confirmed still hit hard. "Hokage-sama… is there truly no other way? If given time, I could talk to them, help them see reason."

Hiruzen sighed, rubbing his temples. "We have tried, Shisui. But your clan has made its stance clear. They do not trust the village anymore."

Shisui swallowed the bitterness rising in his throat. "I refuse to believe that all of them want war. There has to be another way—something beyond bloodshed."

Hiruzen regarded him carefully before finally nodding. "That is why I called you here. I want you to try one last time. Use your Mangekyō. Use Kotoamatsukami if you must. If there is anyone who can stop this peacefully, it is you."

Shisui's breath caught. His most powerful ability—his ultimate genjutsu. If he used it, he could alter the mind of the Uchiha leader, and make him abandon the coup entirely. But that power came at a price.

Still, if it meant saving his clan, he would not hesitate.

"I understand, Hokage-sama," Shisui said, bowing deeply. "I will do everything I can to prevent this war."

Hiruzen nodded. "Then go, Shisui. And may your path be clear."

With that, Shisui turned on his heel and left the office, his heart weighed down by the burden of what was to come.

But the young Shisui didn't know—two vipers had already set their eyes on him. His death was no longer a possibility; it was a certainty.

Still, unaware of the fate creeping toward him, he had made his decision. He would use Kotoamatsukami at the upcoming clan meeting. If there was a way to stop the coup without bloodshed, this was it. He refused to believe that peace was impossible.

The Uchiha Clan resided on the outskirts of Konoha, away from the heart of the village, a symbol of both their strength and their isolation. To reach the clan grounds, Shisui would need to pass through the dense forests that separated the Uchiha from the rest of Konoha.

But before heading there, he did something unusual—he took a slow stroll through the village.

His eyes drifted over the streets, the familiar faces of merchants calling out their prices, children running freely, and shinobi patrolling the rooftops, unaware of the storm brewing beneath their feet.

To the villagers, it was just another day.

To Shisui, it felt like a farewell.

Even though he didn't know what awaited him, something deep inside urged him to take this last look at the home he had always loved.

He even stopped by the Academy, standing in the shadows as he watched Naruto and his group. They were laughing, training, arguing—just being kids. It brought a small, fleeting smile to his face. Among them, Naruto stood at the center, bright as ever, yet Shisui could see it—the weight in his eyes, the kind that didn't belong to someone so young.

"You carry too much, Naruto."

But he had no time to dwell on it. The sun was dipping lower, casting long shadows over the village. His time was running out.

Before returning to the clan grounds, there was one last thing he needed to do. If anything happened to him—when something happened to him—someone had to know.

Someone had to carry the truth.

Summoning his trusted cat, he sent a message to Itachi, telling him to meet at the edge of the forest.

Then, without hesitation, Shisui turned and sprinted toward their meeting place, his heart steady, his resolve unwavering—unaware that the noose around his fate was already tightening.

Shisui had always trusted his instincts. They were sharp, honed by years of battle, of survival. But even instincts had limits.

As he paced toward the edge of the forest, the meeting point with Itachi, he felt it—a shift in the air, a presence that didn't belong.

Attack!

His body reacted before his mind could process it. He twisted, trying to dodge—but it was already too late.

Tiny, near-invisible insects swarmed around him, clinging to his skin, and his clothes—devouring his chakra, draining his very vitality.

Aburame.

His mind sharpened, recognizing the signature of the jutsu. But why? Why would the Aburame, a loyal clan of Konoha, attack him?

His Sharingan spun violently, but the insects were relentless, a silent, creeping death that even his eyes couldn't predict.

Shisui clenched his fists. This wasn't just an attack.

This was an execution.

"Who goes there?" Shisui shouted, his sharp gaze scanning the shadows.

One by one, figures emerged from the darkness—a dozen Root ninjas, their emotionless eyes locked onto him.

Then, from the midst of them, Danzo stepped forward.

Shisui, already experiencing fatigue from his earlier exertions, barely had time to react before Danzo struck. With ruthless precision, he seized the moment, lunging at Shisui and plucking his right eye before he could even fight back.

Pain seared through Shisui's skull, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to collapse.

Summoning what strength he had left, he activated his Body Flicker Technique, vanishing from Danzo's reach in an instant.

From a safe distance, blood trickling down his face, he clutched his now-empty eye socket. "Danzo, why are you doing this? Does the Hokage know?"

Danzo sneered, his lone visible eye gleaming with cold calculation. "Hiruzen is naive. He knows nothing."

His voice was low, but the weight of his words was suffocating. "Your Kotoamatsukami is too dangerous for the village. You must be dealt with."

He took a step forward, his presence drowning the moonlight with its ominous shadow.

"So, Shisui... are you ready to give up your life for Konoha?"

Danzo's expression twisted—no longer a leader in the darkness, but a man fully consumed by it.

Danzo's gaze darkened, his grip tightening around the stolen Sharingan. Then, with unwavering conviction, he uttered the words that sealed Shisui's fate—

"Everything for Konoha."

With a mere flick of his fingers, he gave the silent command.

In an instant, the Root operatives lunged forward, their cold, lifeless eyes locked onto their target.

Shisui exhaled sharply, his lone Sharingan spinning as he braced himself. He was wounded, outnumbered, and betrayed—but if this was how it ended, he would make sure he would live on.