Danzō's withered fingers clutched an eyeball freshly gouged from its socket, still trailing nerves and warm, bloody fibers—the Mangekyō Sharingan! Under the moonlight, the eyeball twitched slightly, the pinwheel pattern within the crimson pupil not yet fully faded. His face remained expressionless, but the single eye beneath his bandages flashed with a greedy light, like a beast that had finally cornered a long-coveted treasure.
"Do it!" Danzō's raspy voice tolled like a funeral bell.
Shua! Shua! Shua!
The shadows around the Buddhist hall instantly boiled over! Twelve Root shinobi, wearing animal masks, lunged from all directions like bloodthirsty hounds. Kunai, shuriken, and poisoned senbon tore through the air, emitting a dense, lethal shriek.
Aburame Tatsuma's sleeves billowed as a black cloud of kikaichū erupted like a collapsing dam, their maddening hum filling the air as they swarmed the reeling Shisui. Simultaneously, Yamanaka Fu launched a spiritual strike, a heavy mental hammer aimed straight at Shisui's agonizing, chaotic consciousness.
The web of death tightened instantly!
Agony surged through Shisui's nerves like a tsunami. The void in his right eye brought fragmented vision and violent vertigo. But combat instincts etched into his marrow and the name "Flicker" saved his life. Facing the lethal crossfire and the suffocating swarm, Shisui ignited with a desperate resolve.
Suppressing the soul-tearing pain, he twisted his body at an impossible angle, his hands forming seals with such speed they left afterimages.
"Snake – Ram – Monkey – Boar – Horse – Tiger!"
Chakra burned, compressed, and roared within his pain-wracked body.
"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
He took a massive breath, his chest swelling like a bellows, and exhaled toward the densest cluster of enemies.
Boom—!!
A terrifying, massive dragon of orange flames took shape, carrying a heat that scorched the surroundings and a roar that deafened the ears. The dragon's head lunged forward, warping the air itself as it crashed into the insect swarm and the flying weapons.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
"Water Style: Wild Water Wave!"
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Several Root shinobi reacted instantly, weaving signs to counter. Jets of cold water clashed with the fire dragon, creating thick walls and counter-attacking dragons.
Sssss—!!!
A deafening explosion of steam erupted as fire met water. Scalding vapor expanded in a circular shockwave, tossing rubble aside and turning weeds to charcoal. A thick, burning white mist swallowed the area, blinding everyone.
"Cough..." Danzō waved away the scalding steam, his single eye fixed on the mist, his face dark.
As the wind cleared the vapor, they found a charred crater and dead insects—but Uchiha Shisui was gone.
"Pursue him!" Danzō hissed, his fingers trembling with rage. "He is heavily injured and has lost his last eye! He won't get far! Block every path to the village and the Uchiha compound! Dig him out, dead or alive!"
The Hidden Base
Deep in a mountain cavern downstream of the Naka River, the air was damp and cold. This was once one of Orochimaru's hidden bases, now occupied by a Shadow Clone of Uzumaki Menma.
"Something's happening," another clone said, walking in from the tunnel.
The clone conducting experiments looked up, his brow furrowing as he activated Kagura Shinden (Mind's Eye of the Kagura). His mental perception expanded like a radar wave, ignoring rock and wood.
He sensed the chaotic energy at the ruins—the residual heat and cold—but more importantly, he sensed a dozen cold, murderous chakra signatures searching the woods. On their flank, several miles away, a life force flickered like a candle in the storm. It was weak, unstable, and filled with a "torn" emptiness.
Crucially, the "head" of that chakra signature—where a brilliant dark-red star of ocular power should have been—was now completely dark.
"Shisui Uchiha... was he ambushed by Danzō?" Menma's voice echoed coldly. "Danzō finally couldn't resist making a move for Kotoamatsukami."
Another clone began forming seals. "I'll notify the original. Be careful; Root will be searching nearby soon." Then, he vanished into a cloud of smoke.
The Pursuit
Deep in the forest, Shisui stumbled. He had lost the grace of the "Flicker." Warm liquid soaked half his face, and his world was an absolute, suffocating darkness.
He couldn't return to the Uchiha compound. If the clansmen saw him in this state, it would be the spark that ignited the coup, leading to a bloodbath. Danzō's poison plot had already largely succeeded.
Itachi... only Itachi!
Shisui aimed for the secret training ground where they always met. He had to tell Itachi about Danzō's treachery and the Uchiha's dire situation.
Behind him, the cold chakra of Root was closing in. He could almost feel the vibration of Tatsuma's insects and the mental reach of Yamanaka Fu. Death's shadow was pressing against his spine.
Just as he prepared to burn his final chakra for a suicidal stand—
Shoooo—!
A piercing sound tore through the silence! It wasn't a kunai or shuriken; it carried a terrifying weight. Shisui tried to dodge, but his battered body was a fatal second too slow.
Cold, resilient, and incredibly heavy chains—like golden pythons—wrapped around his torso and arms. They weren't rough rope; they were chains imbued with immense chakra and ancient sealing runes. A suffocating sealing power invaded his meridians, pinning his chaotic chakra.
"Ugh!" Shisui groaned, bound tight and unable to lift a finger.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
A deep, mocking voice sounded ahead of him, muffled slightly by a mask.
"Look at this. Konoha's 'Shisui of the Flicker,' the legendary Mangekyō user, reduced to this? Like a bird with its beautiful feathers plucked bare?"
Shisui's heart sank. Though blind, he recognized that aura—the condensed, abyss-like pressure.
Shura!
"Danzō the old dog's handiwork is as crude as ever," the voice continued with blatant derision. "Hikari left you a beautiful right eye, and he just gouges it out. What a waste of talent."
Shisui raised his empty sockets toward the voice. "What do you want?"
"What do I want?" Shura laughed. "I'm here to offer a little help. Like... 'abducting' you from these annoying flies? Taking you out of Konoha, out of the Land of Fire, to a place where Danzō's claws can't reach? How does that sound?"
Abduct me? Leave Konoha?
Shisui's mind raced. If he fell to Danzō, he was dead. If he returned to the clan, war would break out. But if he went with this mysterious "Shura"...
He thought of the girl he had fought, Uchiha Hikari. Perhaps this was related to her. Shura's presence offered a sliver of a chance—a chance to stay alive and eventually get word to Itachi without triggering a civil war immediately.
"Fine!" Shisui squeezed the word out through gritted teeth. "I'll go with you! As long as... I don't fall into Danzō's hands!"
"A wise choice," Shura replied, satisfied.