Chapter 181: Disappointed Shisui

In the world where history was not altered.

"Itachi?"

The first to step out was a delicate-looking teenager.

He had neat short hair and a pair of red Sharingan.

"What's going on right now?", The reincarnated Uchiha Shisui was still a bit confused, but when he opened his eyes and saw his friend Uchiha Itachi standing right in front of him, he couldn't help but smile.

"Shisui…", Looking at the approaching Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi subconsciously took a step back.

There were too many people in this world he didn't want to see, but the one he least wanted to face was, indeed, Shisui...

"You've grown taller, Itachi. The village, the Uchiha, how are they now?", Uchiha Shisui looked at his reincarnated body, then glanced around. He seemed to realize he had been revived by some ninjutsu.

But that didn't matter. What mattered was, after his death, had Itachi protected the village and the clan well?

"Shisui, I…", Uchiha Itachi took another step back. His lips trembled slightly, as if he was organizing his words, but also as if he feared speaking some truth.

"What a touching reunion. I'm almost moved to tears."

Orochimaru watched with great interest as Uchiha Itachi reacted upon seeing Uchiha Shisui.

And on the other side…

———

"Long time no see, Saru."

The black-haired ninja who emerged from the coffin moved his stiff arms and slowly turned his rigid neck before seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen not far ahead.

"Although I expected I'd be summoned by this forbidden jutsu eventually, it's still a bit unpleasant."

The white-haired ninja who emerged from the adjacent coffin, in contrast, seemed much more agile. His face so lifelike that unless one looked closely, it was hard to notice he was dead.

"Still, to restore most of my strength from when I was alive, you're quite capable, young man."

After glancing at the aged Sarutobi Hiruzen, the white-haired ninja turned to look at Orochimaru, the one who summoned them.

Then he sensed the surroundings.

'Good, Konoha has developed fairly well.'

"Thank you for the compliment. I really respect you, Second Hokage-sama."

Orochimaru said sincerely.

"Hmph, judging from the situation, are you planning to kill Saru?"

This white-haired ninja was none other than Konoha's Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.

"Wait, Sarutobi, why are you still the Hokage?"

And the black-haired ninja from earlier was, of course, the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.

At this moment, Senju Hashirama was looking around, seemingly searching for someone.

"Uh…"

Sarutobi Hiruzen started to sweat a little under questioning.

"I didn't want to continue as Hokage either. It's just that there was no one else in the village to take over…"

"Did Kage die prematurely, Tobirama?"

After finding no results from his search, Senju Hashirama turned and asked his younger brother Tobirama.

"Mm… he died in an accidental explosion."

Senju Tobirama nodded with a blank expression.

"That's really unfortunate. I thought he'd definitely become Hokage."

"Are you talking about Uchiha Kage?"

Hearing this, Orochimaru curiously interjected.

"Uchiha Kage?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was also puzzled upon hearing the name.

"Not the current kid who doesn't even have Sharingan. I mean the one from long ago who was with Tsunade, the Uchiha who also died from an explosive tag? No wonder Tsunade was so heartbroken."

Orochimaru helpfully explained to his 'mentor' about the Uchiha Kage from over fifty years ago.

"The child the First Hokage brought back? Now that you mention it, I do have a bit of an impression."

'So it is just someone with the same name…'

Sarutobi Hiruzen recalled information he once found while managing the archives.

But why was this matter classified by Senju Tobirama, and why were the key details deliberately redacted?

Right, there was also the matter of the Future Notebook, this was a good opportunity to ask…

No, to avoid Orochimaru and Itachi detecting anything about the Future Notebook, it's best to probe indirectly.

"Tobirama-sensei, you must have anticipated something like this, right?"

"I certainly did."

Ever since he created the Edo Tensei ninjutsu, Senju Tobirama had already foreseen a day when someone would summon him.

"Then…"

'Since he expected this, he must also have a method to undo the jutsu, right?'

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked expectantly at his teacher Senju Tobirama, waiting for his performance.

"You're not wrong. I do have a way to break this forbidden technique. And given how refined this young man's Edo Tensei is, once I cancel the jutsu, it'll be easy to turn the tables on him."

Senju Tobirama clasped his hands, preparing to perform the Edo Tensei release.

As long as he followed the sealing hand signs in reverse, he could break free from Edo Tensei and no longer be under the summoner's control.

But just as he was about to perform the first step of the seal, he suddenly found his arms stopped moving.

"Second Hokage, since I could improve Edo Tensei, of course I have a method to bind you."

Orochimaru focused and formed hand signs, using the First Hokage cells within his body as a medium to suppress Tobirama's resistance.

"Hmph, just a little restraint, I only need to move a finger to..."

Boom!

Senju Tobirama unleashed his chakra without restraint.

In an instant, the entire rooftop floor trembled with slight cracks forming due to the chakra erupting from his body.

"You, what exactly did you do to my body?"

What shocked Tobirama was that even after using such immense chakra, he still couldn't break free from the restraint.

"Just a bit of the First Hokage's cells, and a talisman I personally made that can erase consciousness," Though he spoke calmly, cold sweat was already forming in Orochimaru's heart.

He hadn't expected Tobirama's chakra to be this terrifying.

"Big brother, don't just stand there, this young man wants to kill Saru and destroy Konoha."

Realizing he couldn't break free from Edo Tensei, Tobirama decisively sought help from his elder brother, Hashirama.

"Useless. The reincarnation quality of this body is too low. I can't exert much strength, let alone break free," Senju Hashirama shook his head helplessly.

"After all, the cells used to control people were taken from your body. I wouldn't dare show off and use the same method to control you, so I had to make do with using the most basic Edo Tensei body for you, the God of the Shinobi," Orochimaru also wiped a cold sweat. If he had summoned Hashirama using the same method he used for Tobirama and Shisui…

He'd probably be a puddle of mush by now.

"You're a cautious young man," Senju Tobirama lowered his hand and retracted his chakra.

"Saru, sorry, but it seems I have no choice but to fight you."

"It's fine. I'll figure something out."

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't expect even Tobirama, who could "foresee the future," to fall into Orochimaru's hands.

But he also had cards up his sleeve that Orochimaru didn't know about.

So he wasn't too flustered.

But as for Uchiha Itachi…

Seeing Itachi finally confessing the truth about the Uchiha massacre to Shisui, wearing a face of guilt, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed inwardly.

If he'd known summoning Itachi would lead to a reincarnated Shisui showing up, he wouldn't have acted clever and asked Itachi to deal with Orochimaru.

Now, not only was he not getting any help, Itachi might even become a burden later.

"What did you say? Killed them all? Not even the elderly and children were spared?"

Uchiha Shisui stared at Uchiha Itachi in disbelief.

'How can this be?'

'Where is that clever and kind Itachi?'

'You were supposed to protect the village, safeguard the clan, this is what you call protection?'

'So, aside from Sasuke, not a single Uchiha deserved to live?'

"Itachi, if you're still my friend, then tell me honestly, why did you do it?"

Thinking back to the plea he made to Itachi before jumping off the cliff, remembering the expression on Itachi's face when he promised…

Uchiha Shisui felt the world spinning.

This Konoha now, was it genjutsu or reality?

The Uchiha Clan, wiped out just like that, without a sound?

"Shisui," Facing Shisui's questioning, Uchiha Itachi closed his eyes with a heavy expression.

"I thought… that was your final wish. So, to protect the village, I paid any price."

When Shisui gave him his Sharingan, he also entrusted the village to him.

And that was one of the reasons he resolved to slaughter the entire clan.

"But looking back now… I misunderstood."

"Misunderstood?"

Shisui couldn't understand, 'Wiping out your own clan, and you're calling it a misunderstanding?'

'Is this still the Itachi I knew?'

"Shisui, back then the Uchiha rebellion was inevitable. Itachi carried all that darkness for the sake of the village's peace. That's my failure as Hokage, if you want to blame someone, blame me."

Sarutobi Hiruzen took responsibility from Itachi's shoulders.

After all, Shisui was just a dead man, whether to explain or to shift blame didn't really matter.

But if he could get Shisui to hold back a little in the upcoming battle, then that was the best outcome.

"Hokage-sama…", Hearing this, Uchiha Shisui's body slackened like he lost all strength.

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