Shisui Uchiha's sole remaining eye suddenly radiated a crimson light. The moment the Root ninja met his Sharingan, countless phantasms flickered before them.
In an instant, over a dozen copies of Shisui Uchiha appeared in front of them.
This was Shisui's signature technique, a special ninjutsu that merged genjutsu, the Body Flicker Jutsu, and the Clone Jutsu—the Afterimage Body Flicker.
By using a mass of illusions to confuse the opponent and then approaching with superhuman speed, he could kill the enemy in a flash.
"Retreat, now!"
The lead Root ninja roared. Engaging Shisui of the Body Flicker in close-quarters combat was a death sentence.
Unfortunately, no one expected Shisui, who had been at death's door, to suddenly turn and counterattack.
Trying to pull back and open the distance now was far too late.
Shisui's afterimages had almost completely surrounded them.
Before he struck, no one knew which phantasm was real or fake. At this very moment, the probability of death was equal for every one of them.
Suddenly, a bright blade light flashed like a bolt of lightning. As the spark faded, the Root ninja closest to Shisui was killed instantly.
Yet Shisui's target was more than just one man.
If he was going to act, he had to weaken the enemy's effective strength as much as possible.
One afterimage was dispelled, and just as that ninja breathed a sigh of relief, he heard a partner's loud warning.
"Look out!"
In the next second, the Shisui who had just faded away as a phantasm suddenly became reality.
Shisui appeared where the illusion had vanished with unbelievable speed. Another flash of lightning followed, and a head tumbled to the ground.
In less than a second, Shisui had taken down two Root elites!
Such terrifying power instantly turned the remaining Root ninja into startled birds.
They could no longer tell which afterimage was real, so they could only retreat rapidly.
Having slain two men, Shisui did not linger. He used the Body Flicker Jutsu again to hastily widen the gap.
As he landed, a sharp kunai suddenly appeared like a venomous snake that had been lying in wait.
Since he had just touched down, Shisui chose not to dodge. Instead, he swung his tactical blade to deflect it.
The sharp kunai and the blade collided, creating bright sparks.
Amidst the sparks, Shisui's expression changed drastically because he saw a purple pill tied to the incoming kunai.
It was a special gas grenade from Root!
He took a step back, wanting to use the Body Flicker Jutsu again to avoid the explosion.
However, the moment his foot touched the ground, a stabbing pain shot through his ribs, causing his movements to hitch.
In that single moment of delay, the purple poison pill attached to the end of the kunai exploded violently.
Demonic purple gas surged out instantly, covering the entire area around Shisui.
"Did we get him?"
A Root ninja stared intently at the mist, hoping this sudden gas grenade had defeated their troublesome foe.
But the sensory ninja in the squad immediately crushed his dream without mercy.
"He escaped."
"After him!"
Inside the purple gas, Shisui endured the physical discomfort and used the Body Flicker Jutsu to break through the blockade.
He continued to flee into the depths of the forest, but his body couldn't stop twitching slightly. His vision began to blur, and a faint purple tint stained his lips—a clear sign of poisoning.
Dammit, did I still inhale some of the gas?
A trace of despair appeared on Shisui's face. In his current state, it would be difficult to break through the encirclement.
The Root ninja continued their pursuit. After several more exchanges, Shisui's condition began to decline severely.
Seizing this moment, all the pursuing Root elites surrounded him instantly.
"You have nowhere left to run, Shisui Uchiha!"
The leader, wearing a bird-beak mask, spoke in a cold voice.
Then, seven or eight Root elites simultaneously pulled out kunai attached to paper bombs, aiming at Shisui from different directions.
"Aim for his feet. Don't let the explosion hit his face."
Danzo's order was to stop Shisui from escaping and retrieve his eye.
Therefore, they absolutely had to ensure the explosion did not damage his remaining eye.
"Yes!"
Instantly, countless kunai carrying paper bombs streaked toward Shisui from all sides.
Shisui remained in a half-squatting position. Poisoned and exhausted, his chest heaved violently; every movement cost him a massive amount of stamina.
The screech of kunai tearing through the air came from every direction, but Shisui's gaze grew increasingly determined.
I...
I can't die yet!
I still have things I must finish!
In this moment of ultimate crisis, a powerful conviction hammered against Shisui's mind. Blood vessels began to connect the eye sockets to the pupils, and the high-speed spinning Three-Tomoe fused together once more.
Mangekyo Sharingan, activate!
A surging, majestic aura erupted from Shisui's body.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions produced a mass of flames and thick smoke, swallowing the area where Shisui stood.
Given his current physical state, he couldn't possibly dodge. The only outcome should have been his feet being blown off followed by his capture.
The intense explosions turned the ground into a crater and snapped the surrounding trees.
The Root ninja spread out, each warily watching the smoke as it began to dissipate.
They knew he was at his wit's end, but the sacrifice of their previous comrades was fresh in their minds. They could not relax until the very end.
However, a scene appeared that filled them with unease.
Before the smoke could clear naturally, a powerful current of air swept the black smoke away from the center of the explosion.
The surging air flipped the cloaks of the pursuers. Amidst the rapidly thinning mist, a brilliant green glow emerged.
"Careful—"
Before the warning could be finished, a dense rain of green arrows covered them.
The Root ninja never expected Shisui to have such a move. Only two reacted in time, leaping to the sides; the others only had time to raise their kunai to block.
But the power of these light arrows was clearly beyond their expectations. It was not something that could be blocked by a mere kunai.
Upon contact, they felt a terrifying force transmitted through their weapons.
After blocking two or three arrows, their kunai cracked and shattered. Ultimately, they were helplessly shot down in the hail of arrows.
"What is that thing..."
The voices of the two remaining Root ninja turned dry.
A green giant constructed of chakra was slowly manifesting before their eyes.
This was the new ability of the Mangekyo Sharingan that Shisui Uchiha had awakened in his final extremity, named—Susanoo!