The Uchiha Clan District was situated in a remote corner of the village, while the Hokage Residence stood at its heart.
Once Diarmuid learned that Shisui had headed to the Hokage Residence, he chose to wait at a point along the straight line between those two locations. He wasn't certain if Shisui's talk with Hiruzen and the others would end in a stalemate.
However, it didn't truly matter. If Shisui reached an agreement, he would undoubtedly rush back to the Uchiha district immediately to activate Kotoamatsukami and change everything. Between two points, a straight line is the shortest path; thus, that was his most likely route. If the talks collapsed and Shisui, who had snuck out, needed to return undetected, he would likely choose the same path.
As for architectural obstacles along the way? For Shisui of the body Flicker, such things were non-existent.
Near the Uchiha district lay a small forest within the village. Through its center ran a river that flowed out of Konoha. Not far beyond the village boundaries, this river cascaded over a cliffside waterfall and converged into an underground river leading to the sea.
This river was known as the Naka River.
In the original story, Shisui died here, committing suicide by throwing himself into the waters. His body was swept away by the rapid current, over the cliff, and into the subterranean depths, never to be found.
Currently, in the small woods near the Naka River.
Diarmuid sat upon a rock, bathed in moonlight. He appeared to be resting with his eyes closed.
Not far away, Shisui was racing toward this location. Diarmuid's deduction had been correct; Shisui had indeed chosen this route.
As for Danzō, who should have been in pursuit, he had been forced to return to the Root base to gather reinforcements under the watchful eyes of Shinnosuke. Alone, he was no match for Shisui. To handle Shisui, he needed subordinates. He hadn't expected Shisui's Mangekyō to be so miraculous during the meeting, so he hadn't prepared. Now, he was pressed for time.
Though if he hurried, he might still make it. Then again, Shisui might not necessarily accomplish his task tonight.
The chirping of insects occasionally echoed in the air. Diarmuid, who had kept his eyes shut, suddenly opened them. He stood up from the rock and looked into the distance.
A figure was rapidly approaching. It was unmistakably Shisui.
Shisui also spotted Diarmuid. His brow furrowed, and he skidded to a halt. "Who goes there?"
"Uchiha Shisui?" Diarmuid asked.
As he spoke, he stepped down from the rock, allowing the moonlight to illuminate his form. In that instant, Shisui's eyes widened in shock.
"Rodriguez Diarmuid!?" Shisui's heart sank. Simultaneously, his hand gripped the hilt of the blade at his shoulder.
"First time meeting you," Diarmuid said softly.
"What are you doing here? When did you enter Konoha!?" Shisui demanded. He was not part of the high command and was thus unaware that Diarmuid had been in the village for some time.
"I've been here for a while," Diarmuid replied before adding, "As for my intent..."
The moment the words left his mouth, a bolt of lightning crackled around Diarmuid. In the next heartbeat, a hand appeared out of thin air, reaching for Shisui's throat.
Shisui's eyes flashed with alarm. Just as the hand was about to seize him, his figure vanished with a shush.
Body Flicker Technique!
"As expected of the famous Shisui of the Body Flicker. That speed isn't just for show." Diarmuid's hand grabbed nothing but air, but he wasn't disappointed; instead, he sounded appreciative.
Hardly had he finished speaking when a figure appeared behind him. A short blade reflected the moonlight with a cold glint as its edge was pressed against Diarmuid's neck.
"Don't move, or you're dead," Shisui threatened, his blade held firm.
"I beg to differ..." Diarmuid didn't even look back as he threw a reverse palm strike toward his rear.
Shisui's brow tightened. At this stage, he cast aside all hesitation. He braced himself to take the palm strike, using the leverage to press his blade down with force.
Under normal circumstances, this strike would have severed Diarmuid's carotid artery, a definitively fatal wound. Taking a palm strike in exchange for such a kill was a fair trade.
But to his horror, as the blade pressed down, he saw Diarmuid's skin take on a black, metallic sheen under the moonlight, as if an invisible substance were shielding him. The sensation was not that of cutting flesh, but of striking solid steel!
Armament Haki. Shisui had never even heard of such a power, let alone seen it.
The strike that should have been a certain kill failed to leave even a scratch. Fortunately, Shisui's reactions were elite. Realizing the blade was ineffective, he immediately relaxed his stance. Rather than tanking the full force of Diarmuid's palm, he used the impact to propel himself backward several meters. He remained largely uninjured, though the blow to his abdomen left him winded.
The moment his feet touched the ground, Shisui's hand blurred through a string of seals. "Uchiha Style: Halo Dance..."
As the seals completed, his Chakra surged. The short blade in his hand instantly erupted in flames. Without a pause, he swung the blade through the air toward Diarmuid.
Three flaming slashes tore through the air from three different directions, sealing off Diarmuid's avenues of escape.
This Halo Dance was one of the Uchiha clan's ultimate moves. Don't let its appearance fool you; each flaming arc carried the power of at least a B-Rank Fire Release jutsu. Shisui believed this would be enough to cause Diarmuid some trouble.
Yes, just trouble. He didn't expect this alone to take down the legendary Rodriguez Diarmuid.
But causing trouble was enough. He reached into his vest for a flare, an Anbu signal. If he could fire it into the sky, being in the heart of Konoha, a massive force of Anbu reinforcements would arrive within two minutes. No matter what Diarmuid's goal was, he would fail!
However, as Shisui pulled out the flare, he noticed something wrong. On the clothing over his abdomen... what was that?
It looked like a ritual formula? A script used in Sealing Jutsu...
It looked familiar. For one split second, Shisui's face paled in sheer terror as he realized what it was.
It was the formula for the Flying Raijin Technique!
Having risen to fame during the Third Shinobi World War alongside Minato, how could Shisui not have interacted with the Yellow Flash? Though he couldn't use the technique himself, he certainly recognized its mark!
"Flying Raijin!?" Shisui cried out. He immediately tried to rip off his Anbu flak jacket and throw it away.
Diarmuid's seemingly casual reverse palm strike earlier hadn't just been a blow; it had anchored a Flying Raijin marker onto Shisui's body!
In the brief time it took for Shisui to launch his Halo Dance and reach for his flare, the trap was sprung.
Just as he tried to shed the marked clothing, Diarmuid appeared directly in front of him. One hand crushed Shisui's wrist, preventing the flare from being fired, while the other reached for his throat. This time, he locked onto Shisui's neck with an iron grip.
"Cough... ack..." Shisui was hoisted off the ground by his throat.
With a sharp crack, Diarmuid dislocated Shisui's wrist. Deprived of strength, Shisui let the flare tumble to the forest floor.
"...I'm sorry. We have no personal grudge, but the power you possess is far too concerning. Even I find it a bit unsettling. And so..." Diarmuid said softly.
Before he finished the sentence, the hand that had just dislocated Shisui's wrist blurred across the Uchiha's face.
Squelch.
Two streams of blood sprayed out. Shisui's world plunged into darkness as he let out a harrowing cry of agony.
"Aaaaggghhh!" Shisui screamed, two trails of blood-tears streaming from his empty sockets.
In Diarmuid's hand sat two fresh Sharingan.
"Kotoamatsukami... was it?" Diarmuid held the eyeballs, a cold smirk playing on his lips as he maintained his grip on Shisui's throat.
The next instant, Diarmuid's palm suddenly clenched. Splat. Shisui's pair of Mangekyō Sharingan were crushed into pulp without a moment's hesitation!
Even in his blinded state, Shisui felt a wave of bewilderment that almost suppressed his pain. "You destroyed Kotoamatsukami? I thought you came for its power!" Shisui questioned in shock, fighting through the agony.
"For its power?" Diarmuid chuckled. "What power? The power to control others like puppets? It is a remarkable tool, certainly, but I have no interest in it. Such a power should not exist in this world. It turns everyone else's hard work, pursuits, ideals, and will into a complete joke. It just so happens that I greatly admire those who strive, who bravely pursue their dreams, and who possess an unwavering will. Therefore, I will not use a power that desecrates the will of others, nor do I wish for it to exist. It's as simple as that."
As a powerhouse, Diarmuid might act shamelessly in his daily life, but he possessed the pride of the strong. Or perhaps, one could call it arrogance. There were simply some things worth standing his ground for.
Of course, he had felt a flicker of temptation toward such a power.
But upon reflection, he knew he would never choose to transplant a Sharingan and abandon his own eyes. Without doing so, he couldn't meet the requirements to use the technique. He could have given them to someone else, like Orochimaru, who surely wouldn't mind a new pair of eyes, but could he trust someone else with that power?
If Orochimaru had a change of heart and hit Diarmuid with Kotoamatsukami, would he be able to withstand it? There was no way to test it, and since Kotoamatsukami was dubbed the ultimate genjutsu, Diarmuid had no intention of finding out if it worked on him.
So before he arrived, his mind was made up: he was going to destroy it. For himself, and so that the ideals and wills of those brave souls who strive would never be desecrated.