CHAPTER 44
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"What?"
Uchiha Shisui's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Shimura Danzo.
At some point, the bandage covering Danzo's right eye had slipped off, revealing a Sharingan that was fading to a dull gray—the telltale sign of Izanagi being activated.
What shocked Shisui even more was the fact that Danzo not only possessed a Sharingan but also knew how to use Izanagi—a forbidden Uchiha technique that rewrites reality for a brief moment, allowing the user to negate fatal injuries. It was a technique so secret and dangerous that only a handful of Uchiha knew it even existed.
"Who are you really?"
Danzo didn't respond. His one visible eye narrowed sharply as he shouted past Shisui toward a third figure.
He didn't recognize the man. He wasn't from the village—or at least, not someone Danzo had ever seen among the Leaf shinobi ranks. And yet, the stranger moved and acted like he knew everything about the situation.
Danzo's analytical mind kicked into overdrive. He needed to stall, learn more about the unknown party, identify potential weaknesses. Know yourself and your enemy—that was the foundation of all successful strategy.
But Ye Dou's shadow clone gave him no such opportunity. Just like the real body, it was tight-lipped and highly cautious. Without a word, one of the clones nodded and instantly dispelled itself in a puff of smoke, transmitting everything it had seen back to the original body.
Danzo clenched his teeth. "I don't care who you are. No one leaves Konoha alive today!"
With that, several Root operatives lunged toward Ye Dou, aiming to eliminate the intruder immediately.
Meanwhile—
Shisui didn't hesitate. He quickly formed six rapid hand seals, drawing deep chakra into his lungs. In one breath—
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
(Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!)
A massive sphere of flame roared out of his mouth and swept toward the advancing Root shinobi. Though only a C-rank jutsu, the Great Fireball Technique was a rite of passage in the Uchiha clan, and in Shisui's hands, it was deadly.
"Suiton: Suijinchū no Jutsu!"
"Suiton: Suijinchū no Jutsu!"
"Suiton: Suijinchū no Jutsu!"
Multiple Root operatives countered in unison, forming hand signs and spitting out towering walls of water—Water Style: Water Wall Technique. The elemental clash erupted into a cloud of searing steam that blanketed the battlefield in thick mist.
Shisui didn't waste the opportunity. He vanished into the fog with a flicker of movement.
The Body Flicker Technique.
His specialty.
He wasn't here to fight to the death—not yet. The threat of a coup from the Uchiha clan loomed too close. He had to act fast to prevent disaster. Root agents were one problem, but this mysterious newcomer was another.
Neither of them could be trusted.
"He's using Shunshin no Jutsu—after him!"
Danzo roared and gave the order to pursue.
He couldn't let Shisui escape. Not with the knowledge he held. Not with that eye.
Ye Dou's shadow clone didn't lift a finger to help Shisui. He had no intention of protecting the Uchiha. His target was Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan—the eye of legend.
As he watched the Uchiha disappear, Ye Dou's clone dispersed. Danzo frowned deeply. He couldn't figure out the intruder's objective, and that made him more cautious than ever.
Elsewhere—
Ye Dou, having just left Might Guy's house, raced toward the site of the ambush.
As his shadow clone's memories surged back into his mind, he increased his speed.
"West? That's off from where I predicted, but still within the margin. This changes things."
Without hesitation, he pulled out a special item card—[Explosion of Potential]—and activated it.
A euphoric surge of energy filled him. Power coursed through every limb. His senses sharpened. He felt unstoppable.
In a blur, his feet hammered the earth with rapid-fire bursts. Each step cracked the ground beneath him, using explosive force to launch himself forward at blinding speeds.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
He carved through the forest like a meteor, startling wildlife into fleeing as he shot past.
Yes, it burned through chakra at an unsustainable rate. But he had no choice. Shisui—"Shunshin no Shisui"—was the fastest shinobi of his generation. If Ye Dou let him escape or regroup with allies, his whole plan would be in jeopardy.
His remaining two shadow clones had yet to report. Time was running out.
Back at the battlefield—
With Ye Dou gone, Root shinobi quickly caught up to the exhausted Shisui.
Even with his prodigious talent, he was still human. His chakra was nearly depleted. He wasn't like Might Guy—his stamina had limits.
As Root closed in, Shisui cursed under his breath.
That damn mystery man didn't even stall one of them.
Shuriken rained down like a hailstorm. Shisui twisted midair, deflecting them with swift, practiced movements, but the encirclement was closing.
He had to break out—or die.
Suddenly, one of the Root ninja completed a hand seal sequence. Shisui's eyes narrowed.
"Yamanaka Clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu—!"
His heart skipped a beat.
He recognized the man—one of Danzo's trusted elites. If hit by that jutsu, even for a second, in the middle of this many enemies…
He was done.
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