Meanwhile—
Uchiha Shūjin stood atop an abandoned office building in Los Angeles.
Below, in a dim alley, the black-market dealer he had just interrogated slumped beside a trash can, eyes unfocused, still mumbling—clearly not fully recovered from the genjutsu.
Just as Shūjin prepared to move on to his next target—
His phone vibrated.
He pulled it out.
A message from Inabi.
"Sam Witwicky. Key figure in the New York battle. Current location: Los Angeles, Tisdale Street 183. Find him—he likely knows where the AllSpark fragments are."
"Sam Witwicky…"
Shūjin murmured the name.
Unfamiliar—
Yet faintly recognizable.
From the fragments of intel he had gathered, this name had appeared only occasionally, mostly tied to scattered records from two years ago.
He had assumed—
Just a minor figure.
Uchiha Shūjin: Got it. I'm on my way.
Uchiha Inabi: Where's Mo? He hasn't replied.
Uchiha Shūjin: Who knows. Probably preparing something big.
Uchiha Inabi: I just boarded a plane. About 6 hours to arrival. Act as needed.
Uchiha Shūjin: Understood.
Uchiha Mo: You'll see me soon… in the news.
…News?
Media exposure?
That wasn't Mo's style.
He had always operated in the shadows.
Unless—
This was part of the mission.
Or…
Had something gone wrong?
Shūjin didn't dwell on it.
He turned—
And leapt off the rooftop.
His figure slipped through the city like a phantom, using building shadows to move at high speed.
The Body Flicker Technique adapted perfectly to a modern urban environment.
Neon signs.
Air-conditioning units.
Camera blind spots.
He moved through them all with precision.
Security cameras captured nothing but faint distortions.
Mid-movement—
He calculated.
Ten blocks covered.
Fifteen minutes elapsed.
Five blocks remaining.
At current speed—
Seven minutes.
Arrival confirmed.
His chakra flow stabilized further.
The night breeze carried a faint trace of coffee and caramel from a nearby café.
Tisdale Street—
Next right.
As the fourteenth block passed—
He pivoted smoothly using the shadow of an apartment wall.
His movement rhythm adjusted.
Fast—
But controlled.
No airflow disturbance.
Every step—
Within blind zones.
When the fifteenth block finally appeared—
He slowed.
The Sharingan activated silently.
Scanning.
Tisdale Street 183.
A two-story white house.
Wooden porch.
A hanging plant.
A silver-gray old Ford parked outside.
At the far end—
A large warehouse.
Doors closed.
Interior unseen.
On the second floor—
A curtain slightly drawn.
Inside—
A young man in a gray hoodie stood by the window, smiling as he spoke on the phone.
Relaxed.
Unaware.
That had to be him.
Sam Witwicky.
According to Inabi's intel—
Simple background.
Parents plus himself.
A girlfriend.
Starting university tomorrow.
Perfect timing.
Interrogation window—
Ideal.
Shūjin prepared to infiltrate—
When suddenly—
A system notification appeared.
[Side Mission Triggered: Target detected (Sam Witwicky) contains massive unknown energy]
[Objective: Collect the unknown energy
(Method: sustained contact OR eliminate the carrier)]
[Reward: 1500 points]
Shūjin's step halted mid-motion.
Side mission.
Unknown energy.
Two methods—
Contact…
Or kill.
Killing was easier.
One Fire Style jutsu—
Done.
But first—
Coordination.
Uchiha Shūjin: Side mission triggered. Target contains unknown energy. Two methods—contact or kill.
Uchiha Inabi: Really? Why didn't I get it?
Uchiha Mo: Personal mission. Don't act yet. He's key to obtaining the Energy Matrix. Kill him after we get it.
Uchiha Shūjin: Understood. I'll extract AllSpark intel first. Inabi—your lead, so we split reward 50/50.
Uchiha Inabi: Deal.
Shūjin put away his phone.
He stepped forward—
Lightly pushing off the ground—
His body shot upward like an arrow.
Four meters—
Instant.
"Who's there?!"
Sam noticed movement outside the window and looked up.
And in that instant—
Their eyes met.
Crimson.
Three tomoe.
Spinning slowly.
Time froze.
Sam's consciousness felt like it was being pulled—
Wrapped—
Bound by invisible threads.
His alertness dissolved.
His grip loosened.
Clatter.
The phone slipped from his hand onto the desk.
From the receiver, a faint voice echoed—
"Sam? Why did you stop talking? I heard something—are you okay?"
No response.
Shūjin stepped into the room—fluid, silent.
He picked up the phone—
And ended the call.
Then looked at Sam.
"Who are you?"
"Sam… Witwicky…"
The reply came mechanically.
"Do you know the mechanical lifeforms called Autobots?"
Sam's body trembled slightly.
Even under genjutsu—
Instinct resisted.
But—
He answered.
"…Yes… Bumblebee… Optimus Prime…"
"Good."
Shūjin stepped closer.
"Where are the AllSpark fragments?"
"Cube…"
Sam's face twisted.
"Fragments… I don't know… the Cube is gone…"
Shūjin narrowed his eyes.
He was about to press further—
When suddenly—
"Ugh—!"
Sam clutched his head violently.
His body convulsed.
His pupils flickered—
And within them—
Golden symbols surged.
Endless.
Alien.
Flowing like a data stream.
Ancient.
Massive.
They crashed against the genjutsu—
Breaking its structure from within.
Shūjin's expression changed instantly.
Something—
Was fighting back.
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