Orochimaru's intelligence-gathering abilities were second to none in the entire ninja world, but that also depended on the time and place. Right now, he was absolutely one of Konoha's most unwelcome figures, so to operate in this village, he had to be extremely careful—at the very least, he needed a disguise.
Hagoromo, however, was different. Although he couldn't exactly say Konoha was his territory, compared to Orochimaru, he still possessed a considerable home-field advantage.
Crucially, Hagoromo had a helper: a high-frequency radar with a detection range covering all of Konoha.
Therefore, unsurprisingly, he found Shisui's location one step ahead... but in reality, Shisui was no longer there. There was only another Anbu ninja.
What kind of face lay beneath the Anbu ninja's mask, and what kind of expression he wore at this moment, Hagoromo didn't know. But he could guess what kind of eyes hid behind the two holes of that mask.
It was Itachi Uchiha.
The young ninja who managed to earn the title "Genius of the Uchiha" even under the blinding radiance of "Shisui of the Body Flicker."
"That was a close call."
Hagoromo sounded like he was speaking to the Itachi in front of him, but also like he was muttering to himself...
The current situation truly warranted the phrase "close call."
Hagoromo extended his right arm, making a fist and holding his forearm horizontally in front of his face. Then, a crow as black as ink seemed to detach itself from the pitch-black night, flapping its wings and landing on his arm.
This wasn't an ordinary crow; in the socket of the bird's left eye was a three-tomoe Sharingan.
Itachi had hidden Shisui's left eye inside a summoned crow. Originally, this was a very secure disposal method, but looking at it now, that was clearly not the case.
Control of this crow was seized by Hagoromo in an instant.
The "close call" Hagoromo mentioned referred to how he had almost missed this eye.
But in the end, all of the Kotoamatsukami had been successfully retrieved by him. At this moment, in the grand scheme of the Uchiha incident, Hagoromo's fundamental objective had been achieved.
"How are you able to control my crow?"
Itachi Uchiha naturally knew who the man in front of him was, so his nerves were completely taut.
In reality, it wasn't an issue of control changing hands; at this moment, Itachi felt that his connection with his summoned beast had been completely severed.
"That question falls into the category of things I can answer, and the answer is very simple... because I used a sealing jutsu on it."
While saying this, Hagoromo's movements didn't stop. He brought his left index and middle fingers together, pressing them against the crow's eye socket along with his thumb. With a slight push, the eye was extracted.
Although saying it out loud sounds a bit perverted, truthfully describing Hagoromo's current sensation... the texture was actually quite squishy.
No wonder some people always liked plucking out eyes; the tactile sensation was quite addictive.
His answer was too simple. To be more precise, the jutsu used to dispel this kind of summoning contract was actually called the Contract Seal.
Hagoromo then placed Shisui's left and right eyes together.
With both eyes now gone from his body, Shisui's fate at this point was easily imaginable.
Shisui Uchiha was a ninja who truly made people feel a profound sense of pity. He possessed talent, brilliance, and strength, yet he ultimately couldn't escape such an end.
But feeling pity was one thing. Given Hagoromo's stance, even if he didn't intervene, he could at most act as a spectator. Saving him was an impossible action; it defied all logic.
He wasn't quite sure what Shisui's original fate was supposed to be, but the current Shisui choosing to end his own life was somewhat incomprehensible to Hagoromo.
Is death really the way to solve problems, just to protect a left eye?
Perhaps in the suicide note Shisui left behind—which Hagoromo didn't know about—the lines, "I am tired of the missions. At this rate, the Uchiha clan has no future, so I do not want to walk down this path anymore," held genuine truth.
Despite doing his utmost for the village, receiving only betrayal and distrust in return—anyone would grow weary of such a thing. Wasn't Tsunade leaving Konoha for similar reasons?
"Shisui's eye... protecting his eye was the final mission Shisui entrusted to me."
Itachi saw the two Sharingan in Hagoromo's possession and naturally guessed they both belonged to Shisui.
Although according to Shisui's dying words, his right eye should have been taken by Danzo, Itachi showed absolutely no intention of asking why it had appeared in Hagoromo's hands.
His only thought was to retrieve these two eyes, as they were the final mementos entrusted to him by Shisui, or perhaps...
Itachi removed his mask, revealing his face, allowing Hagoromo to see his eyes as well.
Every Uchiha's history of awakening their eyes is a history of blood and tears. With his death, Shisui didn't just entrust his ninja way and his eye to Itachi; he also gifted him the strongest eyes.
Now, Itachi Uchiha also possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Leaving Shisui's eyes with me is already the best possible arrangement, for all parties involved. If you want to take them back... although it looks like you've gained new eyes, until you can freely command the power residing within them, you have no way of fighting me," Hagoromo said. However, the "best" he mentioned was a sentiment only he felt.
"I do not think so. Although retrieving these eyes is my first choice, unfortunately, what you say makes a lot of sense. The current me has no way of taking the eyes back from your hands."
By this time, Hagoromo had already securely stored Shisui's eyes away.
Accurately measuring the disparity in strength between the two sides was something Itachi could do. He didn't naively believe that just by relying on his newly acquired eyes, he could defeat the White Yaksha.
However, being unable to defeat someone doesn't mean being unable to kill them. For a ninja, the strength one possesses is one thing; the combat power one can exert is another.
"Shisui's power is too dangerous. Since I cannot retrieve them, then these eyes... are better off destroyed."
Itachi's decision-making was truly decisive, and simultaneously correct—so correct that he could instantly make the most rational choice. This was highly unconventional, something ordinary people simply couldn't do.
Even if the thing being discarded was the final memento of his most cherished friend, the very thing he was supposed to protect right now.
He closed his left eye tightly, while blood gathered in the socket of his right eye, trailing silently down his cheek as a crimson line.
"Amaterasu!"
The ruler residing in Takamagahara, the deification of the sun, the fire representing "incinerating all things"—the visual prowess residing in Itachi Uchiha's right eye, called Amaterasu.
The activation time for this kind of ultimate move is its ironclad flaw. With peak reaction speed, it wasn't impossible to dodge. Yet, Hagoromo didn't dodge.
So, the black flames instantly engulfed his entire body.
Logically speaking, following the objective laws of this world, Hagoromo should be screaming and wailing right now.
But he wasn't.
Because before that, an even stronger universal law constrained Amaterasu from taking effect:
Universal Law No. 1: The strongest black flames that burn all things never actually burn anyone to death.Amendment to Universal Law No. 1: It can't even burn a snake to death.
Amidst the burning black flames, Hagoromo instantly transformed into an unrolled scroll hovering and spiraling in the air. Immediately after, the black flames were sucked into the scroll like a giant whale inhaling water.
At this moment, the real Hagoromo walked out from the shadows behind. His hands were forming a special sign not found among the standard twelve: hands crossed, index fingers straight with tips touching.
"...This is also a sealing jutsu."
This time, Hagoromo proactively provided an explanation, although it was as good as not explaining at all.
After absorbing the Amaterasu flames, the scroll rolled itself up automatically and fell back into Hagoromo's hand.
The correct explanation should be that this was called the Fire Sealing Method (Fuka Hoin).
The young Itachi was just taught a universal truth by older brother Hagoromo: Master sealing jutsu, and you can travel the ninja world without fear.
"Your power is ineffective against me. I advise you not to make any more pointless attempts."
Itachi was indeed highly talented; he could already command the power of his new eyes immediately after obtaining them. But wanting to deal with Hagoromo like this wasn't enough—far from enough.
Stepping out from the back, Hagoromo's eyes, radiating that magnificent color, lent his words an extraordinary persuasiveness.