Naka River.
Danzo Shimura leaned heavily on his cane, gazing down at Konohagakure as the sun slowly sank toward the horizon.
Golden light bathed the Village.
"How beautiful…" Danzo murmured unconsciously.
From this height, it felt as though Konoha lay directly beneath his feet—within arm's reach. As long as he extended his hand, he could seize it.
But he knew very well—
The time was not yet ripe.
"Lord Danzo," a Root shinobi knelt on one knee behind him, head lowered. "Uchiha Shisui has reached the foot of the mountain and is heading up."
It was Fu Yamanaka, a Root operative with an orange ponytail and a lean build. Though unassuming, his talent ranked among the top five of the Yamanaka Clan.
"I see," Danzo said calmly, eyes still closed. "Order everyone below to hide and not act without my signal."
"We must ensure Uchiha Shisui remains here… at the Naka River."
"Yes!" Fu Yamanaka vanished instantly, using the Yamanaka Clan's mental communication techniques to relay the order.
---
High on the cliffside—
Uchiha Ran and Hyuga Hiashi had transformed into jagged rocks using the Transformation Technique, silently observing the scene below.
With his Byakugan active, Hiashi clearly saw it—
A green chakra burning intensely in Danzo Shimura's right eye.
It was completely different from Danzo's own pale chakra.
Hiashi's heart trembled.
He immediately deactivated his Byakugan. Speaking now would risk exposure.
At that moment, Danzo suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of being watched and turned his head—
But before he could look up, a voice interrupted.
"Lord Danzo," Uchiha Shisui called out calmly. "I, Uchiha Shisui, have come as agreed."
Danzo turned his gaze toward Shisui, suppressing the excitement surging within him.
"You said you could stop the Uchiha Clan's coup," Danzo said flatly.
"Can I trust you?"
"Yes," Shisui replied without hesitation. "If the Uchiha attempt a rebellion, I will use these eyes to alter their will—implanting the idea of peaceful coexistence with Konoha deep into their hearts."
As he spoke, Shisui's eyes shifted.
The familiar three tomoe transformed—
Into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Danzo's heart skipped a beat.
"Implant?" Danzo narrowed his eyes. "So… changing another person's will?"
Shisui nodded, remaining on guard.
"Is this Mangekyō ability of yours truly effective?" Danzo pressed.
"Of course," Shisui said with confidence. "The only drawback is the cooldown—it takes more than ten years between uses."
Danzo nodded slowly. "Very well."
"Remember your words, Shisui. Use this power properly… and protect Konoha."
As he spoke, Danzo reached out, as if to pat Shisui on the shoulder—
But Shisui's attention was fixed on Danzo's arm.
In the next instant—
Danzo twisted his wrist, fingers snapping toward Shisui's eye socket like talons!
"How do I know you won't use this power to manipulate Konoha's leadership for your own coup?!" Danzo snarled.
"This power should belong to me—"
Before he could finish—
Genjutsu activated!
Binding Genjutsu: Shackling Stakes Technique!
In an instant, Danzo's consciousness was dragged into a genjutsu space.
This technique was brutal.
The victim remained fully aware—knowing they were trapped in genjutsu, aware of reality—yet completely unable to move, as if locked in an endless nightmare.
Shisui stared at Danzo with a complicated expression.
So Ran had been right.
Danzo truly intended to kill him.
Not wanting to escalate matters beyond repair with Konoha, Shisui immediately turned to retreat—
But a chilling chakra surged behind him.
His mind reacted instantly.
Izanagi.
Danzo had a Sharingan implanted in his body.
Damn it!
"I'll be taking your eyes," Danzo said coldly, lunging forward as his left hand clawed toward Shisui's eye.
At that moment—
A voice echoed from above.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Ran formed the Tiger hand seal, inhaled deeply, and leaned back.
The chakra in his mouth violently transformed—
Boom—!
A vast sea of flames erupted, surging down the mountainside toward Danzo.
Danzo's pupils shrank violently.
He had only two choices.
One—
Forcefully take Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan here and now… and be burned to ashes by this overwhelming Fire Release.
Two—
Retreat immediately. Survive—but lose this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Danzo didn't hesitate for more than half a second.
[I cannot die yet.]
[Not here. Not now.]
[I have not become Hokage yet!]
[I must prove to my teacher that the coward Hiruzen is unworthy—]
[Only I, Danzo Shimura, am the rightful successor!]
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Spheres!"
Danzo spat out compressed blades of air toward the oncoming flames.
Using the recoil of the technique, his body shot backward at full speed.
Though a Wind Release jutsu, under Danzo's control it delayed Great Fire Annihilation for a single second.
That single second—
Was enough.
Danzo escaped.
---
Shisui regained his balance and leapt off the cliff, plunging into the river below with a loud splash.
Uchiha Itachi was already waiting downstream.
The moment Shisui surfaced, Itachi pulled him to the bank.
"I didn't expect Ran to guess correctly," Itachi said quietly, staring at the raging inferno that had engulfed the Naka River mountain range.
Shisui nodded bitterly.
"If Ran hadn't acted in time… I'd have lost both my eye and my life."
Screams echoed endlessly through the mountains.
Charred bodies fell from the cliffs one after another like rain.
Hiashi swallowed hard, staring at Ran in disbelief.
This was the Fire Release of a ten-year-old child?
The range… the destruction…
These were Root elites—
Over 70% were jōnin, the rest top-tier chūnin.
That single technique had incinerated nearly sixty percent of them.
The remaining forty percent were all severely burned.
Upon receiving the report, Danzo immediately ordered a full retreat back to Root.
Damn it… one jutsu did this much damage?
He had brought nearly a hundred shinobi.
Staying any longer would only mean more casualties—and risk his own life.
As long as the green mountains remain, there will always be firewood to burn.
(Author's Note)
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