Chapter 477: Uchiha Shisui: Are Our Clan Members Okay, Itachi?
"A conspiracy?"
Orochimaru smiled. "Itachi-kun, you're still the same—arrogant, even to the point of being laughable."
"In the past, when I was still bound by the old shinobi world, yes—I did want to obtain the Sharingan."
Before the Samsara Game appeared, the Sharingan was the most coveted treasure in the shinobi world.
No matter how talented Orochimaru was, without Uchiha blood, he could only remain a forgettable side character.
All his scientific achievements, all the dreams he fought for, were nothing more than a joke.
"But now, the Sharingan no longer deserves my attention."
Orochimaru spread his arms wide.
Dark necrotic energy dripped from his palms, seeping into the cracks of the wooden floor.
The floorboards cracked. The ground rose.
Two coffins, wreathed in death energy, rose up—Orochimaru placed his hands gently upon them.
Clang.
The lids slid open, revealing the corpses within.
"Such vile sorcery… You even defile the dead. Your powers are as filthy as your soul, Orochimaru!"
Itachi frowned deeply as he gazed at the two undead beings. An ominous premonition stirred in his heart.
Rippling rings of black curse energy spread outward like dark ribbons.
Any life that touched them would be corroded by their power.
[Dark Ritual Ring Lv. Max]: Releases curse-formed rings that deal heavy dark-type damage to anything they touch.
A skill similar to armor—
It provides both defense and, in close-range combat, significant offensive output.
Huff...
Tension filled the room.
The summoned undead exhaled cold, murky breath—like ghosts crawling from hell.
Their black, lifeless eyes moved slowly without focus—like decorative glass beads.
Most undead beings had lost all their biological functions. No working organs or muscles. Their ability to interact with the living world came solely from soul resonance.
That cold soul energy now fell upon Itachi.
He frowned.
He had intended to summon his soul black flames to scatter the undead's perception.
But when he clearly saw the face of the corpse inside the coffin, he froze.
His control over the Dark Ritual Ring faltered from the emotional shock.
"So lucky... To see you again after death, little brother Itachi."
The undead twisted its neck, its voice distorted like it came through water.
Messy, short black hair.
An old-style green flak jacket from before the Samsara Game appeared. A standard long blade of the Uchiha clan hung on his back.
Even the sheath bore the mark of the Uchiha clan's original blacksmith.
"No... no… Is it really you, Shisui?"
Itachi stumbled back. The black curse ring shattered the wall behind him, and sunlight streamed in.
Yet he felt ice-cold to the bone.
"That's right. It's me."
Orochimaru had not placed any control over the corpse. Shisui Uchiha moved freely.
He raised his arms and looked at them.
The stiff, dry limbs had no elasticity. He gave a bitter smile. "Looks like Lord Tobirama's forbidden technique… Impure World Reincarnation?"
"No, this is a new jutsu I developed—Resurrection of the Dead."
Orochimaru leaned on the coffin, watching Itachi's horrified face with interest.
He whispered to Shisui.
"Orochimaru?"
Shisui turned his head and saw the ever-smiling Orochimaru.
They were all Konoha shinobi. Orochimaru had been a radiant star during the Great Shinobi War, nearly becoming the Fourth Hokage. He was no stranger to Shisui.
Everyone knew Orochimaru had turned traitor due to human experiments.
So the current situation was clear.
A traitor like Orochimaru had summoned Shisui to confront the village's protector, Uchiha Itachi.
Shisui sighed. "Itachi, I'm sorry to have caused you trouble."
Back then,
He wanted to stop the conflict between the village and the clan. Having awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan with the powerful genjutsu [Kotoamatsukami], he planned to change the clan leader's mind.
But in that crucial moment, he was ambushed by Hokage advisor Danzo—and everything spiraled out of control.
Thankfully,
There was still Itachi. Though he had lost both his eyes, he had entrusted his Mangekyō—with its Kotoamatsukami—to the brother he believed in.
He had faith that with Itachi's Hokage-like wisdom and dream of peace,
The rift between the Uchiha and Konoha could be mended.
Itachi said nothing.
Shisui didn't notice the turmoil in his emotions. Smiling, he asked, "How's the village? Looks like you've grown strong. Has much time passed? Lord Fugaku must be near retirement now, right?"
"And the grilled fish place I loved—run by that uncle in the Uchiha district—it should still be around. The taste was amazing. No way it went out of business."
"The owner's legs weren't great, and his son was a bit rowdy. He had no talent for being a ninja, but always shouted that he'd become one anyway. Must've been a handful."
"I never got the chance, but I always wanted to tell his son—he didn't need to become a ninja. If he could make grilled fish even better than his father's, that would be just as wonderful."
Shisui spoke freely.
Normally, he was quiet. But to be able to return to the living world—even if briefly—he wanted to say everything he hadn't.
And he hoped to ease Itachi's tension too.
As one of the Uchiha clan's rarest geniuses—once seen as a rival to even Namikaze Minato—Shisui quickly noticed Itachi's unease.
He understood.
Fighting someone like Orochimaru, who once contended with Hanzo the Salamander, and now had summoned him from the dead... It must've been stressful for kindhearted Itachi.
But—
Why did Itachi look even more disturbed as he spoke?
Strange. Didn't Itachi understand his coded message?
He had to stay focused. This was a battle!
Even Orochimaru started to look puzzled, then amused—as he turned a mocking gaze toward Itachi.
"Shisui, the truth since your death… is complicated."
Itachi's voice rasped.
He trembled visibly,
Like a murderer seeing the ghost of their victim—helpless and terrified.
His throat worked, but no words came.
He had always used the Will of Fire and the dream of peace to keep his mind steady.
But now, facing Shisui's innocent questions, his soul quaked.
"It's not that complicated."
Orochimaru grinned like a snake and said, "Shisui-kun, after your death, Itachi followed Danzo's orders and massacred the entire Uchiha clan. Jōnin, Chūnin, Genin… elders, women, and children—"
"Every drop of Uchiha blood—he spilled it all!"
Shisui turned his head as the words sank in.
His face darkened further with each sentence.
By the time he heard the last four words,
A violent burst of necrotic energy exploded from him—like a howling storm that blew off the house's roof.
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