The news of Shisui Uchiha's disappearance spread through the village like wildfire.
Both the Uchiha clan and the Anbu were thrown into a state of total upheaval. Fugaku Uchiha mobilized the clan's most elite tracking specialists, retracing Shisui's recent movements and repeatedly scouring every area he was known to frequent.
Lord Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, also dispatched Anbu squads to weave through the forests outside the village, abandoned training grounds, and even the crumbling ruins of Kikyo Castle. Shisui was one of the few moderates currently within the Uchiha clan and a descendant of Kagami Uchiha; for reasons both political and personal, Hiruzen had to take this seriously.
However, after days of searching, Shisui—along with his legendary Mangekyō Sharingan—seemed to have been thoroughly erased by an invisible giant hand. The man himself, and those legendary eyes, left no trace as if they had never existed.
In the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was thick enough to suffocate.
The pipe between Hiruzen's fingers had long since gone out, the smoke dispersed, leaving only cold ash. His wrinkled face appeared exceptionally weary in the dim light as his gaze fell heavily on the shadowed corner. There, Danzō Shimura leaned on his cane like a coiled viper, his single eye devoid of emotion, holding only a bottomless gloom.
"Danzō..." Hiruzen's voice was raspy, carrying the weight of an interrogation. "Does Shisui's disappearance truly have nothing to do with you, or Root?"
His sharp gaze seemed to try and pierce through the layers of bandages to look directly into Danzō's soul.
The corner of Danzō's mouth twitched imperceptibly downward, his dry voice sounding like sandpaper. "Hiruzen, are you questioning my loyalty to Konoha? Or would you rather believe the baseless accusations of those Uchiha madmen?"
"I admit, I was wary of Shisui Uchiha's abilities, but wariness does not equal action. Every move Root makes is for the stability of Konoha. My conscience is clear." He tilted his chin up slightly, meeting Hiruzen's gaze with a calmness that bordered on provocation.
That flawless composure was exactly what made one's blood run cold.
Danzō's subordinates had already completely scrubbed the combat site at the Buddhist hall and the tracks Shisui left during his flight. Naturally, the Anbu and Uchiha search parties found nothing. While Danzō himself was puzzled as to where Shisui had vanished, he could never admit to the confrontation.
Hiruzen took a deep breath. No smoke came, only cold air stinging his lungs, which eventually transformed into a heavy sigh that dissipated in the stagnant air.
Uchiha Compound
In the courtyard of the Clan Head's estate, maple leaves fluttered down, carpeting the ground in gold. Itachi Uchiha stood silently under the corridor, watching the leaves spin as they fell. He was tall, looking every bit the young man now, dressed in his deep blue casual clan attire. His face was calm, bordering on indifferent.
Only he knew that the string inside him was pulled so tight it was about to snap.
The news of his best friend's disappearance was a devastating blow. Days of searching had yielded nothing. A master like Shisui had simply vanished into thin air. Shock, bewilderment, and a sudden sense of being hollowed out swept through Itachi.
Shisui—the one who always wore a gentle smile, whose eyes were bright, who guided him like an older brother and shared his thoughts on peace and the village's future... the only person in the clan who understood him... gone?
How was it possible? Just the night before, they had agreed to meet at the secret training ground. He had so many doubts about the family and the future to pour out to Shisui...
And what kind of powerhouse could strike Shisui within Konoha so silently that not a sound was heard?
"Itachi!"
A low voice, carrying suppressed fury, broke the silence of the courtyard.
Yashiro Uchiha, Tekka Uchiha, and Inabi Uchiha stepped into the yard like three blocks of frigid ice. They wore dark clan robes, their faces grim, and their crimson Sharingan were activated without hesitation. Their cold gazes pinned Itachi in place like physical blades.
The air was thick with undisguised hostility and suspicion.
"Shisui is missing!" Yashiro spoke first, his voice like muffled thunder. Usually, this elite Uchiha jōnin was seen with narrowed, calm eyes, but now his Sharingan burned with rage.
"It happened a few days ago! Right around the village! The search teams organized by the clan have scoured every inch of the area with no result! The Anbu are being tight-lipped! You—" He raised a hand, pointing at Itachi aggressively. "As an Anbu member and Shisui's most trusted friend... don't tell us you know absolutely nothing about this!"
The cold interrogation from his kinsmen was like a poisoned needle stabbing Itachi's heart. He snapped his head up, his black pupils constricting. He was in more pain over Shisui's disappearance than anyone! But the naked suspicion behind this questioning felt like a red-hot iron seared into a fresh wound.
"Yashiro-senpai..." Itachi's voice struggled to maintain its calm, but there was an imperceptible tremor at the end. "I am just as shocked and pained by Shisui's disappearance. I want to know the truth more than anyone. But I... truly do not know." He met Yashiro's distrustful gaze with firm honesty.
"You don't know?" Tekka Uchiha, next to him, let out a piercing sneer. His face was thin, his eyes sharp as a hawk's. "Joining the Anbu, hanging around those people all day... who knows what you're doing? Now Shisui is gone, and you think a light 'I don't know' clears your name?"
"Itachi, did you know about this all along?"
"Was it the Anbu... or the people higher up who wanted to move against Shisui?! And you chose silence? Or perhaps... you even participated?!" Tekka's words cut like knives.
A searing heat of anger surged from Itachi's heart. His body tensed, his hands clenching into fists at his sides, nails digging deep into his palms.
Participated?
Their bond with Shisui, his own loyalty—all of it was being so easily twisted into betrayal?
"Itachi!" Inabi's voice was even colder, but his eyes were the most vicious. "Drop the act of being an outsider! Don't forget that Uchiha blood flows in your veins! You better truly know nothing about Shisui's fate. Otherwise..." He took a step forward, the three tomoe in his Sharingan spinning wildly. "The Uchiha clan will never forgive a traitor! No matter whose son he is!"
Traitor!
Those words echoed like a curse in Itachi's mind, amplifying his days of pain, confusion, and heartache into a rational-burning fury.
How dared they use such vile suspicion to defile his friendship with Shisui? How dared they so contemptuously question his complex feelings for the family? And who was it, truly, that was pushing the Uchiha clan into the abyss?
"I told you—I! DON'T! KNOW!"
A low growl, like that of a wounded beast, erupted from deep within Itachi's throat. The fury and pain contained in that sound caused even the three veterans to instinctively take half a step back.
In that moment of emotional collapse, Itachi's figure vanished instantly!
"So fast!" Yashiro's pupils shrank as his Sharingan caught only a blurring afterimage. It was faster than his visual limit—not the flashy movement of a Body Flicker, but a phantom-like lunge driven by pure physical explosion and murderous intent.