"Itachi?" Shinnosuke called out softly.
Itachi held Shisui's body, weeping uncontrollably, offering no response to the call. The room fell into a heavy silence.
Danzō held no love for the Uchiha; Shisui's death brought him no sorrow, only a sense of frustration and regret. Damn it, the Kotoamatsukami is gone. However, he wasn't a fool; there was no need to antagonize the others at a time like this, so he remained silent.
After about five minutes, Kakashi finally spoke up. "Itachi..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Itachi's head snapped up. In that instant, his presence flared with an overwhelming intensity, like a cornered, feral beast.
When he raised his head, every person present gasped in shock.
As Itachi cradled Shisui's corpse, his body stained with his friend's blood and two trails of tears marking his face, his eyes were no longer the standard crimson. They were the Mangekyō!
Itachi's nerves had been stretched to the breaking point over the last few days. He had sensed that something was wrong with the village. That was why he had broken away from the main group to rush back alone, though delays on the road had cost him precious time.
He had returned to the village only to find his dearest friend, the man who was like an older brother, a mentor, and a life guide, Uchiha Shisui... dead.
His body was in his arms. His eyes had been destroyed.
"Who was it!?" Itachi's voice was ice-cold as he looked at Kakashi. Before Kakashi could even answer, Itachi demanded again: "Kakashi-senpai, who is the murderer who killed Shisui!?"
"We are still investigating..." Kakashi said, his voice heavy.
Itachi stared at Kakashi for a long time before his scarlet gaze suddenly locked onto Danzō. "It was you, wasn't it!?"
When Danzō met Itachi's gaze, a chill ran down his spine, as if he were being stared down by a lethal predator. In this moment, he felt that the Itachi before him was even more threatening than Shisui had ever been.
And it was true. Shisui's personality ultimately lacked a certain ruthlessness; he was perhaps too kind. But Itachi was different. He was the kind of man who, once he made a decision, even a decision to wipe out his own clan, would see it through to the end. A truly dangerous individual capable of raising a blade against his own parents and elders.
However, Danzō felt genuinely aggrieved. What is wrong with this village?
"It wasn't me!" Danzō insisted, his voice a mix of indignation and stubbornness.
"Commander!" Itachi turned his gaze toward Shinnosuke, his tone laced with suspicion.
Shinnosuke shook his head. "It likely wasn't him. Shisui was at a meeting with us and Lord Third only ten minutes ago. Since then, I've had my eyes on Danzō the entire time. Furthermore, I don't believe Danzō or the Root organization possess the capability to kill Shisui in under ten minutes, let alone prevent him from even firing a signal flare."
Itachi finally calmed down slightly, the Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes receding back into a three-tomoe state. He asked in a low voice, "Ten minutes? What exactly happened?"
Shinnosuke fell silent, looking at Itachi. In his mind, he recalled a conversation he once had with Shisui.
"Itachi... his love for the village is no less than my own."
"Just like me, he has inherited the Will of Kagami-jisan. He isn't a narrow-minded person confined by clan tribalism."
He also remembered words spoken by his father, the Third Hokage, a long time ago.
"Uchiha Itachi... despite his young age, he already thinks with the perspective of a Hokage. It's truly remarkable."
After careful consideration, Shinnosuke spoke. "Come with us. We are going to see the Lord Third." He paused for a moment before adding, "We must perform an autopsy on Shisui's body."
Itachi was not one to be unreasonable. His emotions had cooled significantly. Perhaps it was only now that he realized he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Indeed, Itachi had not awakened it until the moment Shisui died. The extreme psychological trauma of those few moments had triggered the evolution, and now, he felt a wave of exhaustion washing over him.
He released Shisui's body. Under Shinnosuke's orders, several Anbu ninjas quickly carried the remains away. Shinnosuke and the others then returned to the Hokage Residence with grim expressions.
…
Inside the office, Hiruzen and Koharu were still waiting for news. No matter what Shisui had planned, they had to be prepared. Their hearts were filled with trepidation.
Just as Shikajin reached for a cup of cold tea, there was a knock at the door. Before Hiruzen could even grant permission, Shinnosuke, in a rare display of urgency, pushed the door open. Behind him followed Kakashi, Danzō, and Itachi.
Seeing their dark expressions, Hiruzen's heart sank. "What happened? Where is Shisui? Itachi? When did you return? Are you hurt? Why is there blood on you?"
A flash of pain crossed Itachi's eyes. Shinnosuke spoke up: "Lord Third... Shisui... Shisui has been killed."
Hiruzen bolted upright from his chair, his expression one of utter shock. How long has it even been?
Not long ago, they had been sitting here drinking tea together. He had been genuinely interested in Shisui's plan; if it worked, it would be far better than the alternative of wiping out the entire Uchiha clan.
And now, just as hope had appeared, it was snuffed out?
Thinking of this, his gaze snapped to Danzō, filled with questioning doubt. Danzō noticed the look and finally snapped.
"I will say it one more time!!! IT WAS NOT ME!!!" Danzō roared before Hiruzen could even say a word.
This time, Danzō was so righteously indignant and spoke with such a clear conscience that Hiruzen felt a bit embarrassed. He shot a subtle glance at Shinnosuke; seeing his son give a barely perceptible shake of the head, he confirmed that it likely wasn't Danzō's doing.
Besides, if it had been him, the efficiency would be terrifying. To kill a master like Shisui in such a short window while under Shinnosuke's surveillance? If he had that kind of ability, his previous assassination attempt wouldn't have been so pathetic.
Shikajin stepped in to play peacemaker. "What exactly happened? Shisui only just left. Shinnosuke, you tell us."
"It went like this: Shisui headed toward the Uchiha district as planned. I followed Danzō to the Root base to gather men to support Shisui, just in case something went wrong," Shinnosuke explained.
Everyone else nodded. That made sense.
Shinnosuke continued, "During this time, there was a gap of about ten minutes where we lost sight of Shisui. By the time we caught up to him, he had already fallen. His Sharingan were destroyed. Based on the scene..."
Shinnosuke quickly recounted his deductions from the battlefield. Danzō and Kakashi added their own observations.
After listening, the people in the room found it nearly impossible to believe.
"Diarmuid?" Hiruzen asked directly.
"The probability is low. Kakashi and the others have been monitoring the Hyuga Residence, and the Kumogakure incident was happening at the exact same time... In terms of strength, Diarmuid was my first suspicion as well, but in terms of motive, I can't find a single reason. Unless he accepted a secret mission to assassinate Shisui... but that's highly unlikely. Only the people in this room knew about tonight's meeting. Shisui's movements were confidential; there is no way Diarmuid could have obtained that information," Shinnosuke analyzed.
Hiruzen and the others nodded, finding his reasoning sound.
Just then, there was another knock. Shinnosuke opened the door, and an Anbu ninja whispered to him, "Commander, the forensic identification is complete. Those destroyed Sharingan were indeed Shisui's."
Shinnosuke sighed and nodded. "Understood. Secure Shisui's body. No one is allowed access without my direct command."
"Yes, Commander," the ninja replied before departing.
Shinnosuke closed the door and said gravely, "It's confirmed. Shisui's eyes were not stolen. Those destroyed eyes were his."
As soon as he said this, Itachi clenched his fists involuntarily. He asked in a low voice, "What is going on? Were Shisui's eyes that important? What were you all discussing earlier?"
Kakashi was also confused, as he hadn't been privy to the internal details.
Hiruzen fell silent for a moment, then sighed. "Things have come to this; there is no point in hiding it from you anymore. Itachi, you likely felt it yourself: while Shisui was an Uchiha, his heart belonged to the village. According to his intelligence, the Uchiha clan has spiraled out of control. The young radicals have swayed the clan's opinion and convinced the Elders. They are about to launch an armed coup against the village. Your father, Fugaku, has maintained a stance of silence on the matter. To prevent the situation from worsening, Shisui proposed a solution. I don't know if you were aware, but his Mangekyō Sharingan possessed a very special power called..."
Hearing the news of the Uchiha rebellion, Itachi was stunned. Having been on the front lines, he knew exactly what Kumogakure was up to. If the Uchiha rebelled now, war would break out immediately.
And then, hearing about Shisui's Kotoamatsukami and the plan left Itachi dazed.
"That is essentially the situation. Shisui recommended you many times; he trusted you, and we trust you as well, otherwise, I wouldn't be telling you this. But you were at the front... and now this tragedy has occurred. Since you are back, the mission Shisui had regarding the Uchiha... I will temporarily entrust it to you. Do you understand?" Hiruzen said.
Itachi: "???"
Wait, weren't we discussing who murdered him? How did it loop back to this?
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