The Hokage's office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen drew a long breath from his pipe and slowly exhaled the smoke.
Outside the window, Konoha lay quiet and peaceful beneath the fading light of dusk.
That peace had been bought with countless sacrifices and filth.
In the future, perhaps the name Uchiha Shisui would be added to that price.
Just moments ago, Uchiha Shisui, the one hailed as "Shisui of the Body Flicker," a once-in-a-century genius of the Uchiha Clan, had paid him a secret visit.
And he had confessed to the Hokage a secret powerful enough to overturn the entire shinobi world's understanding.
The Mangekyō Sharingan, Kotoamatsukami!
The most powerful genjutsu, one capable of permanently altering another person's will without their slightest awareness!
"Lord Third, I am willing to use my Kotoamatsukami to change the thinking of our clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, to make him abandon any thought of a coup and lead the Uchiha back into reconciliation with the village."
"For the survival of the Uchiha Clan, and for the peace of Konoha!"
Kotoamatsukami!
Such a terrifying dōjutsu!
Capable of silently and invisibly altering a person's will!
When used against enemies, it would naturally be an unstoppable weapon of destruction.
But if it were used on one's own allies?
If it were used on the Hokage himself?
Sarutobi Hiruzen did not dare imagine it.
This power was far too dangerous, far too uncontrollable!
It should not be held in the hands of any single person!
Especially not an Uchiha!
The moment Shisui left the Hokage's office with a trace of relief and hope on his face, every trace of the smile on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face vanished without a trace.
In its place was a wariness unlike anything he had felt before.
"Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu!" he summoned the two advisors immediately.
Soon, the two elders of Konoha appeared in the Hokage's office.
"Hiruzen, what is so urgent?" Homura asked.
Sarutobi Hiruzen recounted, word for word, everything Shisui had told him about Kotoamatsukami.
"What?! Kotoamatsukami?!"
Both Homura and Koharu turned pale with shock.
As members of Konoha's upper leadership, they naturally knew some of the secrets surrounding the Mangekyō Sharingan.
But a dōjutsu this powerful, they were hearing of for the very first time.
"Hiruzen, this matter is no small thing!" Koharu's expression grew extremely grave, "This kind of power must never be left in an Uchiha's hands, it is far too dangerous!"
Homura said in a heavy voice, "Exactly, the Uchiha Clan is already difficult to rein in, and if they were to obtain a power capable of freely manipulating the hearts of others, the consequences would be unthinkable!"
Homura and Koharu exchanged a glance.
"Hiruzen, your meaning is..."
"Shisui must disappear." Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice carried not the slightest trace of emotion.
"Those eyes must never remain in the Uchiha's hands."
"But Shisui is deeply loyal to the village and possesses tremendous strength, and he commands very high standing within the Uchiha, so if we move against him, I fear it may..." Koharu hesitated slightly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a cold snort, "Womanly sentimentality! Compared to Konoha's safety, what does the life of one Uchiha genius amount to?"
"As for a pretext, a sacrifice on a mission, or simply letting him 'defect,' either will do."
Sarutobi Hiruzen deliberated for a moment, "This matter is not suitable for us to handle directly, and Danzō may be the right person for it."
"Danzō?"
Both of them were also rather wary of Danzō's methods.
"You are both well aware of Danzō's obsession with the Sharingan." Sarutobi Hiruzen said evenly, "And his Root is most capable when it comes to handling this kind of dirty work."
"All we need to do is let the information that Shisui possesses Kotoamatsukami 'accidentally' reach Danzō."
"After that, let Danzō handle the rest."
Homura cleared his throat quietly.
"Hiruzen, there is no time to waste."
"Now that the decision has been made, arrangements must be made as quickly as possible."
Koharu added, "As for Danzō's side..."
"I will handle it."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was calm, revealing not the slightest ripple.
As though the life-or-death decision he had just made about a genius shinobi was nothing more than a trivial matter.
"Regarding the specific intelligence on Kotoamatsukami, I will have the ANBU 'compile' a report and ensure it lands on Danzō's desk at the 'right moment.'"
A flash of understanding passed through Homura's eyes.
"That way, even if there is an investigation afterward, it will have nothing to do with us." Koharu added.
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a slight nod, picked up the Hokage's hat from the desk, and gently brushed away the dust that was not there.
"Shisui is a clever child."
"Unfortunately, he is far too idealistic."
"And he understands far too little about the nature of power."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice carried a faint trace of regret.
"Konoha does not need an uncontrollable genius, nor does it need a pair of eyes capable of freely rewriting the will of others to remain in Uchiha hands."
"This is for the sake of the village."
Homura and Koharu exchanged another glance.
Indeed, all of it for Konoha.
That reason was enough to override everything.
Including conscience.
Including the lives of the innocent.
"Then we shall await news." Homura rose to his feet.
Koharu rose as well and said nothing more.
Some things need not be spelled out.
Sarutobi Hiruzen relit his pipe and drew a long breath.
His gaze fell on the great stone face of the First Hokage carved into the Hokage Rock.
"Hashirama Senju!"
That man who had once dreamed of the day all the shinobi villages could truly understand one another and coexist in peace.
"Lord First, the dream you held back then was always too distant after all."
Sarutobi Hiruzen murmured to himself.
"Sometimes, to protect this hard-won 'peace,' one has no choice but to resort to certain... extraordinary measures."
At that moment, an ANBU operative appeared soundlessly behind the Third, dropping to one knee.
"Lord Hokage."
"Speak." Sarutobi Hiruzen did not turn around.
"Regarding Uchiha Shisui, the ANBU has observed that after leaving the Hokage Building today, he did not return directly to the Uchiha district."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow lifted almost imperceptibly.
"Oh? Where did he go?"
"He went to... the Memorial Stone."
The Memorial Stone?
Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes slightly.
What was Shisui doing there?
Could it be that he was troubled about the Uchiha's future and had gone to seek guidance from the fallen predecessors?
Or could it be that he had sensed something?
Though Shisui was clever, he was still young and had little experience with the world.
His trust in Konoha and in the Hokage remained pure and absolute.
"Continue surveillance."
"Yes!"
The ANBU vanished once more, as though they had never been there at all.
'Danzō, oh Danzō, I hope you will appreciate this generous gift.'
Night gradually draped itself over all of Konoha.
And in a corner of the village that no one was meant to know of, deep within the Root base.
Danzō Shimura, the Konoha elder who walked in darkness, was examining with his single unbandaged eye a classified report that had just been delivered.
The report's contents were simple.
Only a handful of words.
"Uchiha Shisui, Mangekyō Sharingan, dōjutsu Kotoamatsukami, capable of permanently altering another's will."
"Kotoamatsukami..."
Danzō whispered the name aloud.
A genjutsu capable of permanently altering another person's will!
This was almost... power tailor-made for him!
If he were to possess those eyes...
Danzō's breathing grew involuntarily heavier.
"Someone come!"
From the shadows, several Root shinobi materialized without a sound, each radiating a cold and deathly aura.
"Pass the order, keep close watch on Uchiha Shisui's every move."
"I want a full account of all his detailed movements and routes."
"Yes!"
The Root shinobi received their orders and departed with exceptional efficiency.
Danzō slowly rose and walked to the window, gazing out at the pitch-black night sky.
"Shisui... your eyes will soon become mine."
"The destruction of the Uchiha, perhaps, will begin with you."
At the same time.
Konoha, before the Memorial Stone.
Uchiha Shisui stood quietly, the evening breeze brushing the loose strands of hair across his forehead.
His gaze moved slowly across the names carved into the stone, familiar and yet distant.
The souls of those who had given their lives for the village and for the clan.
He reached out and gently ran his hand across the cold surface of the stone.
"Predecessors..."
"I, Uchiha Shisui, will soon be able to bring true peace to our clan and to the village."
His voice was soft, yet filled with absolute conviction.
"Lord Third has already agreed to support me."
"With my Kotoamatsukami, I will certainly be able to change the clan head's thinking and stop that foolish coup."
A smile of relief spread across Shisui's face.
And yet, Shisui was completely unaware that he had already been placed on a death list.
He did not know that the Hokage he trusted had already handed him over entirely to Danzō.
The night in Konoha remained deep and still.
A great storm was quietly gathering within that deep darkness.
It was a storm with the power to change the fate of countless people.