After watching his sneak attack get dodged effortlessly—and seeing his abilities analyzed within seconds—
the expression beneath the spiral mask darkened.
Obito finally took Shisui seriously.
He had moved freely within the Uchiha clan for quite some time, yet he had never noticed someone this dangerous hiding among them.
Troublesome.
If this continued, Itachi's little "confession plan" was going to hell.
While Obito was briefly distracted, the Uchiha had already completed their encirclement.
Dozens of Sharingan flared open.
Genjutsu surged toward him like a crimson tide.
Obito activated Kamui, his body turning intangible as the illusion passed through him harmlessly.
He lunged forward, attempting to grab a jōnin and drag him into the Kamui dimension—
—but before he could succeed, a blade pierced straight through his head.
Shisui.
Forced into full intangibility again, Obito phased away.
He tried several more times.
Each attempt failed.
His mood worsened by the second.
With Kamui's speed, ordinary jōnin wouldn't even have time to blink.
Yet this Uchiha in front of him read his movements like a damn book.
And that Body Flicker Technique…
It reminded him of someone he absolutely hated remembering.
The Fourth Hokage.
Relying on intangibility made him nearly invincible, yes—
but "nearly" was the irritating part.
If he wanted to wipe out the guards cleanly under Shisui's nose, he'd have to reveal more strength.
And Obito didn't enjoy showing his hand unless necessary.
After a brief calculation, he raised his arm.
Wood Release erupted.
Sharp wooden spikes shot downward at terrifying speed.
One guard was struck in the shoulder.
Instantly, vines burst from the wound, twisting around his body as he screamed in agony.
The surrounding Uchiha froze.
Sharingan.
Wood Release.
What kind of monster was this?
Was the village secretly growing nightmare fuel just to deal with them?
Even Shisui felt his heart sink.
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
If Konoha had a Wood Release user, they would've announced it proudly instead of hiding him like some shady secret weapon.
No.
This masked man was most likely the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails attack.
Which made one thing clear—
Tonight wasn't a coincidence.
Shisui's eyes narrowed.
Wait…
Was this guy trying to—
Before he could finish the thought, Obito seized the brief opening.
He appeared beside Shisui instantly.
A vortex spiraled in his palm.
Kamui activated.
One second.
Two seconds.
Just before being swallowed by the dimensional whirlpool—
Shisui vanished.
Dozens of afterimages exploded across the rooftop.
Blades flashed from every direction.
His Sharingan glowed with an eerie red light.
The opening had been deliberate.
He had baited Obito.
"This Body Flicker…"
Obito's single visible eye narrowed.
"You're Uchiha Shisui."
Without hesitation, he retreated.
His body phased straight into the security building, disappearing without a trace.
No dramatic final words.
No second round.
He wasn't stupid.
Against multiple Three-Tomoe users, he could pick them off one by one.
Against a Mangekyō wielder?
That came with risk.
And Obito hated unnecessary risk.
Especially when staying mysterious benefited him more.
After Obito's chakra signature completely vanished, Shisui finally let out a quiet breath.
If Obito hadn't withdrawn, he might have been forced to use Izanagi.
And sacrificing an eye tonight?
That would've been a disaster.
The other Uchiha gathered around him, visibly relieved.
Thank heaven Shisui was on their side.
From the crowd, Uchiha Izumi stepped forward, frowning.
"Brother Shisui… who was that?"
Shisui didn't hide it.
"I don't know for certain. But he's very likely the one responsible for the Nine-Tails attack."
"The Nine-Tails Night?!"
The atmosphere instantly turned murderous.
The clan had been watched, restricted, and treated like suspects for years because of that incident.
Without it, resentment might never have escalated to the point of a coup.
Shisui exhaled lightly.
"We're changing the plan."
"No more diversion tactics."
"We break through directly."
The Uchiha looked grim, but they understood.
Time–space ninjutsu was a nightmare.
If they followed the original plan, they'd be hunted down one by one.
Even worse—the evacuated elders and children could be slaughtered.
The situation had just escalated from "bad" to "catastrophic."
But when they rushed back to the Uchiha district—
their expressions darkened even further.
Bodies.
Uchiha responsible for escorting civilians lay cut down in the streets, precise sword wounds marking their deaths.
The air reeked of blood.
There was no sign of the killer.
The massacre had already begun.
As more corpses were discovered, Shisui's face grew colder.
Rage condensed into silence.
"Form teams of four," he ordered.
"Evacuate any survivors."
"The rest follow me. We find the murderer."
"Yes, Shisui-sama!"
From one street to the next, Shisui stepped past the remains of his clansmen.
Nearly ten bodies already.
And that was just what he had seen.
If he hadn't quietly arranged evacuation routes for the children over the past few weeks—
tonight might have truly become the Night of Genocide.
The end of a thousand-year clan.
At the edge of the district, they entered a small courtyard.
A woman lay in a pool of blood.
She resembled Izumi.
Shisui's heart skipped.
Izumi saw her.
And collapsed to her knees.
Because the woman was her mother.
Just an ordinary civilian.
She had never even awakened the Sharingan.
Shisui stood silently for a moment before placing a hand on Izumi's shoulder.
"My condolences."
"We still have others to save."
Izumi nodded stiffly.
But her gaze fixed on something lying nearby.
A kunai.
Her voice trembled.
"Brother Shisui… that's Itachi's."
"Only Itachi uses this type."
Her breathing became uneven.
"Did he fight the murderer here?"
A pause.
Then her voice broke.
"…Why would Itachi kill Mom?"
"She did nothing wrong."
"She was just… ordinary."
Shisui's chest tightened.
The wounds were clean.
Efficient.
This wasn't Wood Release.
This was swordsmanship.
Familiar swordsmanship.
His last thread of hope snapped.
The one slaughtering the clan—
was Uchiha Itachi.
As for why…
Only Itachi himself could answer that.
Shisui took a slow breath.
His eyes hardened.
"Let's go."
"We know where to find him."
Izumi carefully removed her mother's forehead protector and placed it in her pocket.
Her tears stopped.
Something inside her had changed.
And without another word, she followed Shisui into the blood-soaked night.
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