Chapter 54: Saving Shisui

A Few Hours Earlier…

Naruto lounged at the Academy, arms behind his head, soaking in a rare moment of peace. The usual chatter of students filled the air, but then—he felt it.

A familiar chakra signature. One that shouldn't be here.

'Shisui?'

His brows furrowed. Shisui never visited the Academy at this time. He either trained them in the mornings or stayed away entirely. But if he was here now…

Something was wrong.

A cold realization crept over him. Shisui must have already met with Hiruzen.

Which meant only one thing—

Danzo would make his move today.

To confirm his suspicion, Naruto turned to Aurora, the AI-like entity that kept track of all significant events in Konoha.

"Aurora, did Shisui already meet with Hiruzen? And does that mean Danzo is attacking him today?" he fired off his questions in rapid succession.

A small pause. Then—

[Hey, Leo, slow down. Yes, Shisui met with Hiruzen. The Third ordered him to use Kotoamatsukami on the Uchiha to put them under an ultimate genjutsu. There's a 90% probability Danzo will strike today.]

Naruto exhaled sharply. "I see…"

Without hesitation, he made a decision. "Then buy a cloak that grants invisibility—one that lasts at least a few hours."

But just as he was about to confirm the purchase, a traumatic memory flashed in his mind.

The last time he trusted Aurora's buying system… he got scammed.

Naruto's eye twitched. "Wait, don't buy it yet—show me the cost first."

[Hah! You're learning, Leo. Alright, here you go—]

Item: Phantom Veil Cloak

Effect: Grants complete invisibility to the naked eye and most sensory abilities.

Duration: 6 hours.

Cost: 500,000 SP

Naruto nearly choked on his own breath. "FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND?! Aurora, are you running a luxury store or a black-market scam?!"

[Quality comes at a price, kid.] Aurora's voice practically smirked.

Naruto groaned, rubbing his temples. This wasn't the time to argue. Shisui was in danger. He clenched his jaw and made his decision.

"Buy it."

[Purchase confirmed. 500,000 SP deducted.]

[Leo, hold up a sec!] Aurora's voice rang in his mind, urgency lacing her tone.

Naruto, who was about to move, frowned.

"What now, Aurora?"

[You just triggered something big—a chain of events that are all connected.]

Naruto's brow furrowed. "A chain? What do you mean? Show me"

Ding!

[Chain Quest Activated

1. Save Shisui Uchiha

Description: Shisui Uchiha, renowned as "Shunshin no Shisui," is on the brink of death. If no action is taken, he will perish today. Prevent his death at all costs.

Reward: Sharingan

2. ??? (Locked)Complete the first quest to unlock the next.]

A sharp breath left his lips. His resolve solidified.

"Tch. Then I don't need to know the next step." His voice was low, steady. Dangerous.

"Because I already know my answer."

Naruto waited until lunch before slipping away, leaving a shadow clone in his place at the Academy.

He moved silently through the village, gradually pacing into the dense forest.

With a flick of his hand, he summoned his system panel and tapped on the cloak.

A black, mist-like fabric materialized in his grip. The material seemed almost unreal, bending the very light around it. Perfect.

Without hesitation, he threw it over himself—and vanished.

Time to hunt the hunter.

With his keen sensing ability, he easily found Shisui, casually walking through the village—unknowingly heading toward his doom.

Naruto followed, unseen and unheard, the perfect shadow.

Back to the Present

Perched high in a tree, Naruto watched the inevitable unfold.

Shisui was already at his limit. Surrounded. Outnumbered. Wounded.

And Danzo?

He had brought an entire squadron of Root operatives—at least a dozen of them. Cold, unfeeling assassins, waiting for the final command.

Naruto's grip tightened. He had seen enough.

It was time to act.

Naruto moved like a phantom of death. Invisible, undetectable, unstoppable.

The first Root ninja didn't even realize he was attacked—a clean strike, and he crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

One by one, Naruto cut them down, moving with terrifying precision. Silent. Efficient. Deadly.

By the time the others realized something was wrong, half their squad was already on the ground, dead.

Danzo's sharp gaze flickered with suspicion. Shisui was exhausted—he couldn't have done this.

Yet, someone was hunting the hunters.

For the first time in a long while, Danzo felt a sliver of unease.

Naruto remained hidden, watching the chaos unfold. They still had no idea who was coming for them.

Time for the real fun to begin.

Danzo's unease grew. Something was very wrong. His forces were elite, trained to detect even the subtlest chakra fluctuations—yet they were falling one by one without even sensing an attack.

Shisui's Sharingan spun wildly, scanning the battlefield for any movement, any flicker of chakra. But there was nothing.

No chakra signature. No distortion in the air. No flickering shadow.

It was as if an unseen phantom was cutting through the battlefield.

A Root operative standing just five feet away from Danzo suddenly stiffened, his eyes widening in horror. Blood trickled from his lips before he collapsed, lifeless.

Danzo's one visible eye twitched. Impossible.

His forces were vanishing into the void, their bodies dropping without so much as a whisper. Not even the Sharingan could see what was happening.

Shisui felt a shiver crawl up his spine. He was an Uchiha, a master of illusions, yet this… this was beyond Genjutsu. This was real.

Danzo clenched his jaw. He had planned for every possible scenario. Every countermeasure. Every contingency.

But he had never planned for an enemy he couldn't even see.

Under the chaos, the remaining Root ninjas scattered, their composure cracking as they searched for the invisible predator among them.

Danzo stood firm, his single eye scanning the battlefield. Something was wrong.

And then—it was over before he even knew it.

A blade silently slit Danzo's throat.

At the same moment, a hand reached forward and—plucked Shisui's eye from Danzo.

Before anyone could react, Naruto was already beside Shisui, pressing the eye back into its rightful place. A soft glow of chakra pulsed as it reattached perfectly.

Danzo collapsed.

But Naruto wasn't fooled.

Danzo came back.

His body reformed—Izanagi.

The war-hardened shinobi gasped, his throat untouched once more. He spun around, paranoia in his eyes.

"Who are you?! Where the hell are you?!" he bellowed, his voice breaking the tension.

Naruto smirked. Time for the next phase.

With a flick of his mind, he changed his appearance—morphing into someone Danzo knew well.

Then, he put his cloak back into inventory.

And stepped forward.

Danzo's lone eye widened in shock.

"You… Who are you?" he growled, his voice laced with suspicion.

The man before him smirked. "Danzo, how can you forget your own friend? I thought you'd recognize me."

Danzo's one remaining eye widened in horror.

That face. That voice.

It couldn't be.

And yet… it was.

"K-Kagami Uchiha…?!" Danzo stammered, his breath catching in his throat. "How the hell are you alive?!"

The entire battlefield went dead silent.

Even Shisui, still recovering from the chaos, felt his mind freeze. Hiruzen had spoken of Kagami Uchiha many times—one of the few Uchiha who even had earned the trust of the Tobirama Senju, the second Hokage. He even idolized to be like Kagami Uchiha. A man long dead.

This was impossible.

Naruto—disguised as Kagami—gave a chuckle, smooth yet haunting.

"At least you still remember me, my dear friend Danzo." His smirk deepened. "How was my gift just now?"

Danzo gritted his teeth. He had felt fear before. But this… this was something else.

Naruto turned to Shisui, who was still trying to process what was happening.

"I think you have a job to complete, right?" Naruto asked.

Shisui nodded hesitantly, though his brain was still scrambling for answers.

Naruto gestured. "Then go finish your mission. After all, I have something to give my 'friend' here."

Shisui hesitated. There were still Root ninja around. He could feel their eyes—calculating, waiting to strike.

But then, Naruto's voice hardened.

"Go."

There was weight behind the command.

Something that left no room for argument.

Shisui clenched his fists… then nodded.

Without another word, he turned and vanished.

Danzo's fingers twitched. He couldn't let Shisui escape.

"Catch him!" he barked. "Don't let him get away!"

The Root ninjas instantly moved.

But before they could take a single step—

BAM!

Naruto kicked the leading operative straight in the chest, sending him flying.

He turned to the rest, his expression now sharp, cold, deadly.

"I never said you guys could leave."

His voice was calm. Absolute. Final.

The remaining Root operatives froze in place.

For the first time… they hesitated.

And Danzo felt something he hadn't felt in years.

Dread.