Half an hour later.
The forest.
"Shisui! Surrender now!"
The Root team leader felt the dozen Root elites around him and was filled with the confidence of someone in total control.
Shisui could no longer escape!
Opposite them, Shisui was panting heavily. He originally thought he could shake them off with the Body Flicker Technique, but he hadn't expected to be pushed to such an extent. He couldn't help but let out a long breath.
This appearance, looking as if he were sighing in resignation, made the Root members even more confident.
"It seems you understand the situation. Now, come back with us quietly."
The Root members broke into smiles.
But as Shisui's three-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly, ocular power surged forth. The Root members couldn't sense it, but when they saw those eyes transform into a shape resembling a Fuma Shuriken, Shisui was suddenly enveloped in an aura of extreme danger.
Every cell in their bodies seemed to scream frantically: "Run! Run!"
But to the brainwashed members of Root, death meant nothing.
"Attack!"
The hair on the back of the Root leader's neck stood on end, yet he still issued the fierce command.
The Root members charged forward to kill.
From the body of the besieged Shisui, a flash of green emerged, as if a giant were awakening.
—
Uchiha Clan Compound, back mountain forest.
Two young boys stood a hundred meters apart.
One was constantly practicing with shuriken, thinking of his brother's surprise and praise when he saw his progress. A flash of secret pride inadvertently crossed his face.
The other was doing crunches, wondering when his brother's eye would be gouged out. It wasn't that Hiromi wanted to increase the mission rewards, but rather that if Shisui didn't have his eye stolen, he would never truly wake up.
Suddenly, he had a vague ominous feeling, and his eyes couldn't help but spin and transform.
One Tomoe.
Two Tomoe.
Three Tomoe.
Mangekyo!
The enormous ocular power left the young boy practicing shuriken nearby stunned. He saw Hiromi lift his head and look quietly toward the direction of the village.
That Mangekyo, so different from a three-tomoe sharingan, was filled with a tranquil bloodiness, like a crimson abyss, as if its existence represented a storm of blood and gore.
It allowed the young Sasuke to experience what true power was for the first time. The shock in his heart left his mind blank, his heart pounding incessantly, thumping so loudly it was deafening. In his eyes at this moment, there was only Hiromi.
Hiromi paid no attention to Sasuke. Inside his mind, missions were refreshing at a rate comparable to the frenzy of the Nine-Tails Incident.
[Mission Name: You Really Gouged My Brother's Eye?]
[Mission Content: Kill Shimura Danzo!]
[Mission Reward: Lava Release Chakra Mode]
[Mission Name: I'll Give You 'Root'!
[Mission Content: Destroy the Root Base!]
[Mission Reward: Fire Release Chakra Mode: Flame Emperor Form]
[Mission Name: Someone Like You is Hokage?]
[Mission Content: Kill Sarutobi Hiruzen!]
[Mission Reward: Rinnegan]
[Mission Name: Someone Like You is Clan Head?]
[...]
[Mission Name: Someone Like You is a Traitor?]
...
'Has Shisui's eye been taken?' Hiromi felt the throbbing in his eyes and closed them.
The incompetence of the Clan Head, the dissatisfaction of the Clan members, Danzo's deception, Hiruzen's tacit consent, the casualties of war, the covetousness of other villages, the hatred of the villagers...
It had been two years.
Now that this moment had arrived, he wasn't as calm as he had imagined he would be. A raging fire caused his blood to surge violently within his chest.
In his mind, he constantly recalled Shisui's smiling expression, tinged with guilt. In their daily life, no matter how busy Shisui was, he always put him first. Now, it was as if all of that had been stained with filth.
He felt a bit of regret. Even if Shisui's eye hadn't been taken, he would still go and kill Danzo right now.
Hiromi opened his eyes. The Mangekyo was no longer there, only the three-tomoe Sharingan shining brightly, filled with a daunting bloodiness.
He walked through the forest, heading toward the village step by step.
Soon, Hiromi appeared on the streets.
The villagers saw a young boy wearing clothes with the Uchiha clan crest. Their gazes were full of loathing, but they said nothing.
But when they looked closely, they saw the blood-red in the boy's eyes.
That was... the Sharingan!
The Three-Tomoe Sharingan!
Those eyes were filled with an incredibly powerful killing intent.
Resolute and fierce!
The villagers seemed frightened, standing there as if turned to stone.
Only after Hiromi had passed did they snap out of it.
At that moment, they realized they were drenched in sweat.
"What... what was that?"
"The Sharingan... and it was actually three-tomoe..."
"To awaken the Sharingan at such a young age..."
"He actually dared to leave the Uchiha Clan Compound."
"He's heading toward the center of the village. What is he planning to do?"
Countless people felt their skin crawl, sensing that something major was about to happen.
...
The forest in front of the Naka Shrine.
Itachi wore a cat mask and leaned against a large rock, arms crossed, waiting for Shisui's arrival.
At the same time, he couldn't help but recall Fugaku's words from last night, demanding that he must attend the meeting.
His expression was filled with a calm gloom.
Suddenly, there was a rustle in the leaves above.
Itachi called out, "Shisui?"
Shisui's calm voice drifted down. "Come here."
Itachi sensed something was wrong and quickly followed.
...
The Naka River.
Itachi once again saw Shisui with his back turned to him. But this time, it was clearly different from the last.
Shisui's words reached him, calm but carrying a hint of unwilling frustration. "The Uchiha coup d'état can no longer be stopped. Once Konoha starts a civil war, other villages will surely take advantage of the opening, and war will become inevitable. I wanted to use Kotoamatsukami to stop the coup, but Danzo stole my right eye..."
As he spoke, Shisui turned around, revealing his exhausted appearance with only his left eye remaining.
Itachi's pupils constricted slightly.
Shisui kept his left eye open and looked at Itachi, continuing, "He doesn't trust me. He's determined to protect the village in his own way. I'm afraid he won't let my left eye go either. Before that happens, I'm entrusting this eye to you."
Shisui calmly gouged out his own left eye.
Seeing this, Itachi remained expressionless, yet anyone could see the sorrow in his heart.
Shisui...
"I can only rely on you, my best friend." Shisui smiled and held out his left hand, revealing the left eye in his palm.
Just as Itachi closed his eyes, intending to use a crow to accept it, the ground began to shake violently.
That unique Chakra...
Shisui's expression changed drastically. "Itachi!"
Itachi quickly leapt up into the tree canopy and looked toward the center of the village. There, he saw a massive, red figure, like a burning fire, filled with terrifying violence.
"Danzo! Give my brother's eye back!!!"