Chapter 98: With Your Own Eyes

"How could I make a move unless I was absolutely sure?" Danzō rewrapped the bandages over his right eye as dozens of Root shinobi suddenly emerged from the shadows around him. "Give me your other eye as well. I will use it to fulfill your wish... and protect Konoha."

A blazing fireball was his answer.

Danzō remained still. Four Root operatives had already stepped forward, forming hand seals.

"Water Release: Water Wave!"

The area was instantly engulfed in thick fog. The fireball was completely extinguished, but the sound of rushing water remained.

Uchiha Shisui was secretly alarmed. He had used all his strength in that Fire Release, yet it had been blocked by just a small team and they hadn't even gone all out.

Since when did Root shinobi become this strong?

But there was no time to dwell on it. As the fog covered the field, Shisui used Body Flicker to escape into the distance.

In truth, it wasn't that Root shinobi had grown stronger, but rather their equipment had improved.

Knowing he would be targeting Shisui, Danzō had prepared thoroughly. These dozen-plus Root shinobi were fully equipped with chakra armor, greatly enhancing their jutsu power.

By the time the fog cleared, Shisui was already gone.

"Chase him."

Danzō frowned slightly. At his command, over a dozen Root members gave chase.

He gently touched his newly implanted eye but made no further moves. The power of the Mangekyō Sharingan was immense. He needed time to adjust.

In the dense forest, a deadly pursuit unfolded.

At full strength, Shisui could have easily shaken off the Root pursuers—or even killed them all.

But now was not his peak.

He had lost an eye, taken multiple direct hits from Danzō, and was down to a third of his usual strength.

The most shameless part was that Root had used poison.

After expending the last of his strength to escape the toxic mist, Shisui still inhaled some of it. He collapsed against a tree, gasping for air.

"Aim for his legs, avoid the face!"

Root operatives launched kunai with explosive tags attached.

Boom!

Chakra surged wildly from Shisui's body. A green, half-armored avatar formed around him, shielding him from the explosions.

Susanoo.

The Uchiha clan's strongest genius once again demonstrated his overwhelming talent. Even heavily wounded and down an eye, he managed to activate Mangekyō's ultimate power.

The armored warrior raised its arm and fired hundreds of chakra arrows.

Each arrow was as powerful as a high-level ninjutsu. The barrage shattered the Root's frontline. If not for their chakra armor, there would have been casualties.

Cough! Cough!

Shisui coughed up blood and swung Susanoo's chakra blade, clearing out the remaining enemies. Then he and the green warrior vanished.

Under the moonlight, having escaped the pursuit, Shisui contacted Itachi with a secret signal and returned to the cliff where he used to train.

"Shisui!"

When Itachi arrived and saw his friend with only one eye, his Sharingan flared in shock.

"I failed."

Shisui smiled bitterly. "Danzō didn't believe me. He took my right eye and wants to resolve the conflict his own way…"

"Damn it…"

Itachi clenched his fists in rage, wanting nothing more than to charge into Root and kill Danzō.

"It's not his fault." Shisui shook his head and slowly walked to the cliff's edge.

"I was too naive. I made a hasty decision without truly thinking things through."

He recalled his conversation with Yami. "Yeah, how can changing just one side be enough? Who would allow someone like me, with eyes that can rewrite a person's will, to exist?"

"Yami-kun, I really regret not understanding your words earlier…"

"Shisui, let's not talk about that. You need medical attention."

Itachi urged him to retreat and get treated. "No need."

Shisui gently shook his head. "My survival would only make things worse."

"The clan would see me as a military asset. If a war breaks out, Konoha will weaken, and other nations will invade."

"I can't let a war start because of me."

"Shisui…"

A terrible thought crossed Itachi's mind.

"Itachi, I'll leave this eye to you."

Shisui calmly removed his left eye as if pulling out a plug, handing it over. "I hope it'll help you protect Konoha… and the pride of the Uchiha."

Itachi didn't take it. Under Shisui's insistence, he summoned a flock of crows and stored the eye in one of them.

"Don't save me. Only my death can calm the clan's ambition and buy you time to grow stronger."

"Goodbye, Itachi. I've left a suicide note at home for the elders. They'll believe I took my own life."

After finishing his final words and wishes, Shisui smiled and fell backward, plummeting into the endless abyss.

"Shisui!"

Itachi reached out, but what he touched was only an illusion.

He had once again fallen into Shisui's genjutsu without realizing it.

"Forgive me… this is the last time."

Watching his best friend vanish into darkness, Itachi—for the first time—hated how clearly the Sharingan could see.

He could make out Shisui's relieved smile as he fell.

Watching his friend die, Itachi's emotions exploded. A strange chakra suddenly surged in his brain.

His eyes burned with pain as blood-tears flowed down his cheeks. The three tomoe rotated and fused into windmill-shaped Mangekyō.

At just eleven years old, he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and stepped into Kage-level strength.

But in his heart, there was only sorrow… and hatred for these eyes, for the filth behind the way they were awakened.

Below the cliff, the river didn't stop for Shisui's fall. The waters kept flowing, carrying him into the distance.

Shisui didn't die instantly after falling. But he had no strength left to escape. He simply allowed himself to sink deeper.

Until… someone pulled him out.

The water rose and formed a spherical prison, dragging him to the shore.

Cough! Cough!

Shisui choked, coughing out water. When he heard footsteps approaching, he asked weakly,

"Root?"

"You're late… I destroyed the other eye. Kill me. I'm useless now."

"Tch."

Just a faint snort was enough for Shisui to recognize who it was.

"Yami…?"

Yami hadn't shown up when Danzō attacked. He hadn't appeared during Root's pursuit.

But now, just before Shisui's death… he arrived.

Shisui never expected this.

He felt Yami crouch beside him.

"Technically, I'm barely part of Root. But the rest of what you said was wrong."

A soft green glow emerged from Yami's hand as he began to treat Shisui's wounds. "First of all, you became known as Shunshin no Shisui not because of your Mangekyō."

"Second… you didn't destroy the other eye. Let me guess, did you give it to Itachi?"

Shisui's heart trembled. His mind went blank.

"No need to lie. The body never lies."

Yami continued healing him. "Shisui-senpai, I'm actually curious. Do you regret telling the higher-ups about the eye technique?"

After a few seconds of silence, Shisui shook his head.

"I don't regret it. But I was too rash. I didn't realize that people's hearts can't be connected. If I were the Hokage or Danzō, I wouldn't trust an Uchiha either."

"Even if they showed complete loyalty."

"You're right. To truly bring peace, I'd have to resolve suspicion on both sides. But I just don't have that power."

[Host and Uchiha Shisui's Regretful Bond has reached the third stage. Reward: Uchiha Bloodline (Ultimate)]

"Yami-kun, please… do me one last favor. Kill me… or throw me back into the river."

Yami stopped his Healing Jutsu. "Answer one more question and I'll consider it."

"Ask."

"Do both of your Mangekyō eyes possess Kotoamatsukami?"

"Think carefully before answering. This doesn't just concern your life. It affects how I treat Uchiha Itachi. If the threat is too great… I will act without hesitation."

"Even if he awakened the Mangekyō because of your 'death,' I'm fully prepared."

"Don't threaten me with Itachi, Yami."

Shisui sighed. "Giving him that eye was just insurance. It's fine that you know."

"Both of my Mangekyō eyes can use Kotoamatsukami but the left and right are different."

"The right eye, which Danzō took, has lower chakra consumption. It's stealthier, but weaker, and easier to detect."

"The left eye, which I gave to Itachi, I call Kotoamatsukami: Light, or True Kotoamatsukami."

"It's essentially a one-time technique. After using it, it can't be activated for ten years. But its effect is overwhelming. Even if the illusion is discovered, there's no way to undo it."

"I originally planned to use it on Fugaku and the elders, to make them abandon their plans against the village."

"…I see."

While Shisui explained, Yami kept a hand on his chest, monitoring his heartbeat to detect lies.

If Shisui had been in peak condition, he could've masked it. But after the treatment just now, Yami could read him like a book.

Shisui was telling the truth.

Though still dangerous, it was manageable. The power of the crow could never compare to Shisui himself. With proper caution, Itachi wouldn't get a chance to use it.

"Yami-kun… I told you everything. Now please, let me die."

"I said I'd consider it… but I never promised."

"After thinking it over, I've decided. You can't die yet."

Yami stood up and took out the very same human-sealing scroll once used on Pakura.

Now, he used it to seal Shisui.

Fate truly worked in strange ways.

"Shisui, someone like you who loves both the village and the clan shouldn't end like this. Rest for now."

"Maybe someday, you'll get to witness how it all ends."

Ignoring Shisui's pleas, Yami sealed him inside the scroll.

He genuinely wanted to know how Shisui would react when he saw the boy he trusted most—Itachi—slaughtering their own clan.

Carrying the scroll, Yami carefully erased all traces of Shisui's survival and left the scene.

Having obtained Shisui's Ultimate bloodline, Yami could clearly feel his ocular power increase.

A few more encounters like this, and perhaps he could awaken the Mangekyō naturally, without any trauma.

After all, even Indra awakened his Mangekyō from the death of a dog.

Uchiha Clan District.

Itachi returned home in a daze. It wasn't until late at night that Fugaku came back from Naka Shrine and summoned him.

The clan meeting hadn't been held—Shisui had vanished.

"Itachi, do you know where he is?"

"I don't." Itachi replied calmly. "I just returned from an Anbu mission."

"What kind of mission?" Fugaku asked.

"Assassination. A rogue intel officer." Itachi had already prepared his excuse.

Fugaku studied him carefully. "In that case… go rest. Maybe Shisui got tied up with something. What do you think, Itachi?"

"If I see Shisui-nii, I'll ask him."

Itachi bowed. "I'm very tired, Father. I'll rest now."

"Go."

Watching his son walk away, Fugaku rubbed his brow.

He hoped… it wasn't what he feared.

A few days later, Shisui still hadn't returned. Some clansmen broke into his house searching for clues and eventually found his suicide note.

Claiming he couldn't bear the pain of being caught between the clan and the village.

Shisui.

Suicide.

(To be continued.)

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