Chapter 2: Rescue Shisui
Fugaku's eyes snapped open, and everyone instinctively followed his gaze.
To their surprise, it was Uchiha Kaien who entered the ancestral hall.
No one knew how he managed to be appointed as the acting elder, but now that he was back, he still approached Fugaku, perhaps for the sake of his survival.
Fugaku spoke,
"Kaien, now that you're an acting elder, you have the right to speak. I'd like to hear your opinion."
"Speak!?" Kaien was momentarily stunned.
"Speak, my ass! Shisui is being hunted down and you're still having a damn meeting?!" Kaien shouted angrily.
Damn it, they're still wasting time while someone has a knife to his throat!
Fugaku's pupils trembled.
"Kaien, is what you're saying true?"
Kaien waved his hand violently. "I don't have time to explain! Kai, Hikarao, Yuta—you three, take your teams and come with me!"
"Izumi, you come too! We might need your medical skills."
Shisui, being gentle by nature, had many friends in the clan—Kaien among them.
The group instantly rose and dashed out, following Kaien at full speed.
Fugaku remained seated in the chief's seat, his face dark and unreadable.
The Third and Fourth Elders did not object.
Though the four elders were part of the dovish faction, they weren't the kind to sit idle when a knife was pressed to their necks.
After a long silence, Fugaku let out a slow breath.
"Uchiha Takuya!" he shouted.
"Yes!" The Third Elder responded quickly. That was his name.
His status usually even exceeded Fugaku's, hence he was known as the Third Elder.
But being called by name now meant that Fugaku was assuming the role of clan head in full authority.
"You're in charge of mobilizing all Uchiha combat units. Prepare for battle!"
The Third Elder's face turned grave. It was as if he could already smell the blood to be spilled.
At the Naka River
Splash!
The icy waters of the Naka River briefly jolted Shisui back to consciousness.
But his injuries were too severe. Even now, his thoughts lingered on the clan.
Will my death change anything? Itachi, can you truly carry out my wish?
His world slowly darkened as his body began to sink beneath the swirling river.
"Found him! Elder! Shisui's here!"
Shouts rang out as two Uchiha dove into the river and pulled the unconscious Shisui to the surface.
"Elder! Shisui's eyes have been gouged out!"
Kaien had expected this. "Izumi, treat him immediately! Make sure he survives!"
Izumi Uchiha rushed forward to treat Shisui.
Due to her friendship with Itachi, she was close to Shisui as well.
But seeing him now—his body bloodied and his eyes hollowed out—shocked her deeply.
Shisui... one of the most powerful in our clan, and yet in this state… and this happened inside Konoha?
There was no time to summon more medics.
Kaien remembered that Izumi had training in medical ninjutsu.
Under emergency care, Shisui's condition finally stabilised.
[Ding! Rescue of Shisui complete.]
Reward: Mangekyō Sharingan unlocked. Pupil power increased. Susano'o unlocked early.
Kaien finally sighed in relief.
He had sprinted back from outside the village without rest for even half a day.
But now, Shisui's life had been saved. And his strength had evolved.
So, this is the Mangekyō? Could this cold aura be Yin chakra?
Unlocking Susano'o early… interesting.
Just as he was processing his newfound power, the Uchiha who had come to help saw Shisui's empty eye sockets and an uproar exploded.
"Bastards! Who dares steal the eyes of an Uchiha!?"
"Hurting Shisui like this—unforgivable!"
"Elder! Who was it!? Who attacked him!?"
At the same time, Kaien felt his perception heighten with his rising pupil power.
He turned sharply toward the woods behind the clan grounds.
Rustle—
The sound of movement through the forest echoed, and four masked figures in white ANBU uniforms burst from the trees.
One of them halted, seeing a crowd of Uchiha gathered by the river, with Shisui being treated on the ground.
Why are there so many of them!?
The white-masked man gave a hand signal—his team immediately halted.
"Root!"
The Uchiha knew that unit all too well.
Almost instantly, they realised—
It was Root! Root chased down Shisui!
With rage boiling, they all drew weapons and charged at the Root agents.
The Root team leader, watching more than ten enraged Uchiha charging, knew three of them had fully awakened Sharingan.
They were in deep trouble.
But…
Lord Danzo's will must be executed!
With grim faces, all four Root agents advanced instead of retreating.
They formed rotating formations to confuse their enemies.
As they closed in, two Uchiha quickly formed hand seals:
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
The flames surged forward—an opening tactic.
Taking advantage of the blaze, Uchiha warriors closed in with speed.
Shurikens rained through the air.
Root agents quickly used "Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
The wall blocked the fireballs and shuriken, shielding them.
Then—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Ten explosive tags were thrown from behind the wall, detonating at close range.
The battlefield turned chaotic.
The explosion injured everyone, including Root agents. It was almost a suicide charge.
As the smoke cleared, one of the Root agents lunged—covered in detonation tags.
"Let's die together!!"
He aimed straight at the unconscious Shisui.
Only Kaien and Izumi were near him—no one else could intervene in time.
BOOM!!!
The explosion was deafening.
"Elder!"
"Elder!"
As the smoke faded…
A golden skeletal figure stood firm, shielding Izumi and Shisui behind it.
Susano'o.
Its chakra radiated outward like a whirlwind.
Kaien stood within it, arms folded, his Mangekyō spinning slowly in his eyes.
"What… what is that!?"
"Is that... Susano'o!?"
"The divine power of the Uchiha legend!?"
"Does the Elder have the Mangekyō Sharingan!?"
The golden giant stood tall—Kaien couldn't help but feel satisfied.
If only it was the Eternal Mangekyō. That'd avoid blindness.
He cherished his eyes too much. Now that the danger had passed, he deactivated his Mangekyō.
He hadn't even discovered his specific abilities yet, but unlocking Susano'o early was already a blessing.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha combat units within the clan were assembling rapidly.
The hawkish members moved with enthusiasm, gearing up in armor and weapons.
The Fourth Elder, Uchiha Yohei, licked his dry lips anxiously.
How many Uchiha will fall tonight? Can we succeed?
The dovish Uchiha were visibly nervous, disturbed by the idea of fighting the village itself.
But the Third Elder, Uchiha Takuya, couldn't hide the excitement on his face:
"Patriarch! The combat units are ready! Awaiting your command!"
Fugaku crossed his arms.
"Wait until Elder Kaien returns."
By now… Konoha must've made their move too, right?
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Translated By – Ancient Lores