What?!
From the feedback along his blade, Shisui felt as though he had struck solid steel.
Their eyes met.
Yuan's gaze was deep—dark as an abyss. Calm. Steady. Completely unshaken.
Within those pitch-black pupils lay absolute confidence.
Yuan… so this is your true strength? How terrifying…
The thought flashed through Shisui's mind.
Then—
A thunderous roar erupted from Yuan's body.
Like a sudden clap of lightning.
Like a feral beast unleashing a howl.
In that instant, Shisui's keen instincts screamed in warning.
Yuan's body drew tight like a fully pulled bow—
Every ounce of strength condensed into a single line—
Then the bowstring snapped.
Boom!
A terrifying shockwave exploded outward from Yuan.
Under the premonition of danger, Shisui instantly retreated with the Body Flicker Technique. At the same time, his Sharingan pushed its perception to the limit—
Time seemed to slow.
He saw every blade and weapon pressed against Yuan shatter simultaneously.
A visible ripple expanded outward.
The Root shinobi surrounding Yuan were struck—
And flung away like torn rags in a hurricane.
Shisui's heart shook violently.
He could tell at a glance—
They were dead.
Instantly killed.
Shock. Anger.
His expression hardened.
Though Root answered to Danzō, they were still, outwardly, ANBU.
Yuan had killed ANBU personnel.
In Shisui's eyes, that was already dangerously close to open rebellion.
He could already foresee the consequences—
The village pressing the Uchiha clan.
Tensions erupting.
Conflict escalating beyond control.
Shisui had just arrived.
He had not witnessed the earlier massacre.
Had he seen Yuan cutting down Root like vegetables—
He might have resolved, on the spot, to kill Yuan himself to prevent greater catastrophe.
No matter how much he admired him—
For the sake of peace between village and clan—
He would choose what he believed to be correct.
But there was no more time to think.
Yuan was already upon him.
Like thunder.
Shisui's vision blurred—
Yuan appeared before him, suffocating pressure descending like a monstrous beast.
A hand—sharp as a blade—slashed toward him.
Bang!
Fast as lightning.
Yet still within Sharingan's perception.
Shisui blocked.
Using the recoil, he flipped backward lightly and formed hand seals mid-air.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
A roaring dragon of flame surged forward.
Yuan raised his hand.
One clean horizontal slash—
The flaming dragon split in two.
And detonated.
Through the dissipating blaze, their gazes met again.
Shisui's three tomoe rotated—
Illusion activated.
In an instant, Yuan's consciousness was pulled into Shisui's mental world.
Inside the Mental Space
They stood facing each other.
"Yuan. Stop. You cannot continue down this path."
Shisui's voice was firm.
Yuan did not answer.
Instead, he casually looked around, studying the spiritual domain.
Seeing this, Shisui's tone grew heavier.
"Don't force me. I know your strength is formidable. But I still have a trump card."
Yuan turned back to him.
A proud smile curved his lips.
"No need for warnings."
"I only trust my fists."
"If you have a trump card—use it."
Meanwhile, inwardly, Yuan considered:
Has he already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?
Shisui's brows tightened.
"Yuan. Do you understand the trouble you're bringing upon the clan today?"
"The village will use this against us."
"Conflict will be inevitable."
Yuan's smile faded.
His gaze sharpened.
"So what?"
"If the village dares pressure the clan—"
"Then the clan will remind them how powerful the Uchiha truly are."
Silence.
The entire mental space grew oppressive.
Hostile intent pressed in from all directions.
Yuan remained unmoved.
"Shisui," he continued calmly, "you keep blaming me for escalating this."
"Did you know Danzō tried to forcibly read my memories?"
"He even attempted to kill me."
"Was I supposed to accept that quietly?"
Shisui's expression shifted.
The oppressive atmosphere gradually faded.
After a long pause, he said,
"You could report this to the Third."
"If he knew, he would stop Danzō."
Yuan let out a short laugh.
"Shisui… you're too naive."
"Right now—where is the Third?"
He stepped closer.
"When conflicts arise, compromise is a solution."
"But why must it always be us who compromise?"
The words fell—
And Shisui's expression changed dramatically.
A powerful spiritual surge erupted from Yuan.
In an instant—
He shattered the illusion.
Yuan's figure vanished from the mental space.
Back to Reality
In the real world, only a single heartbeat had passed.
Their eyes had merely met—
And Yuan reappeared before Shisui.
"Finger Gun."
Both hands extended.
In an instant—
A dense rain of thrusting finger strikes enveloped Shisui.
Under Sharingan's guidance, Shisui twisted and maneuvered between the strikes, counterattacking with precise taijutsu.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Rapid collisions echoed.
But though Shisui could see the movements—
He could not continuously withstand the raw force behind them.
After more than a dozen exchanges—
A fractional opening appeared.
Yuan's finger struck a vital acupoint between Shisui's chest and abdomen.
Instantly—
Shisui's body locked up.
It felt as though a surge of violent current erupted from the impact point—
Spreading through his entire body.
His limbs went numb.
Strength drained.
For the first time—
The prodigy known as Shunshin no Shisui—
Was frozen in place.
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