That very night, Kiyosuke went to speak with Hiruzen Sarutobi to discuss how to handle the situation. After agreeing on a plan, Kiyosuke left, and the operation was set into motion.
...
A month later, at dusk, Shisui was summoned by Danzō.
"Danzō-sama."
Shisui appeared before Danzō.
Danzō said,
"Shisui, your strength is impressive. Have you considered joining Root?"
"Thank you for your praise, Danzō-sama. But I've grown used to my freedom—I doubt I'd adapt well to Root."
Shisui shook his head with a smile.
"Are you sure? Your grandfather, Uchiha Kagami, was a close friend of mine. His death in battle remains one of my greatest regrets. Joining Root would benefit both you and the Uchiha, Shisui."
"Thank you again for your recognition, Danzō-sama. But Root simply isn't for me. I can't bear the weight of that darkness."
Danzō nodded.
"I see. Hiruzen already told me about his plan—it's a good one. Since you refuse to join Root, I won't force you."
"Now, hand over your Sharingan."
His expression suddenly turned cold as he reached out, aiming to snatch Shisui's eye.
"The Sharingan!"
As a genius who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, Shisui was never going to just sit there and let it happen. He immediately cast a genjutsu on Danzō, freezing him in place, then spun around and launched a powerful kick.
Bang!
Another Danzō suddenly appeared behind him and was forced to retreat, shocked.
"Impossible. How did you see through that?"
"With enough intel, anything is possible."
Shisui backed away.
"Looks like Danzō-sama doesn't intend to follow the plan."
Fortunately, Kiyosuke had warned him in advance—Danzō might covet his Sharingan, and could even resort to using Izanagi, that forbidden technique. With proper precautions in place, there was no chance of being ambushed and losing his eye.
The original plan was for Danzō and Shisui to stage a scene, with Shisui faking his death to disappear. But once Danzō realized he couldn't recruit him, he decided to make the fake death real and take Shisui's Sharingan for himself.
"Intel? Who gave it to you?"
Danzō's expression darkened.
Could there be a traitor in Root?
No—it shouldn't be possible. Every member of Root was branded with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal. They couldn't reveal any information about Root even if they wanted to.
Then who?
"That's a secret."
Shisui continued to retreat as a group of Root shinobi appeared behind Danzō.
Unable to figure it out, Danzō stopped trying. He ordered his men to take Shisui's eyes immediately.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball erupted from Shisui's mouth. The Root shinobi instantly responded with Water Style jutsu to block it. Fire and water collided, filling the area with thick steam—giving Shisui the perfect chance to escape.
...
Hidden in the shadows, Kiyosuke and Itachi crouched and watched everything unfold.
"I knew it—Danzō's always scheming," Kiyosuke muttered.
"Good thing I warned Shisui in advance. Now comes the part where he fakes his death."
Whether or not Danzō took action, the plan would proceed. Both he and Hiruzen had agreed—Danzō was the perfect scapegoat.
Konoha's Blame King, through and through.
"By the way, how does Danzō even know the Uchiha clan's forbidden technique?"
Izanagi was a forbidden Uchiha jutsu. By sacrificing one Sharingan, the user could turn any damage they received—including death—into an illusion, while turning their own attacks and any favorable outcomes into reality. It was an elite jutsu that let the user flip between reality and illusion. Because it required giving up an eye, it had been classified as forbidden.
Danzō wasn't even from the Uchiha clan, yet he'd somehow mastered this technique. That was definitely suspicious.
"Who knows? Maybe he captured a Uchiha and tortured the technique out of them."
Kiyosuke scowled.
"That bastard's cold-blooded enough. He'd go after his own comrades if it suited him."
Shisui's grandfather, Uchiha Kagami, had fought alongside Danzō and Hiruzen as comrades in the war. They had trusted each other with their lives. And now Danzō was willing to betray even that legacy to get what he wanted.
"Let's go."
"Yeah."
Itachi nodded and followed him.
...
Meanwhile, Shisui was being chased by Root shinobi into a remote, uninhabited forest near Konoha. He glanced around as he moved, discreetly scattering genjutsu in every direction while dodging their attacks.
Soon, injuries began to mount. Shisui grew more and more wounded.
Cursing under his breath, he growled,
"Damn you, Danzō. I'd rather die than let you take my eyes!"
He raised a kunai and slashed across both eyes, destroying his Sharingan.
"No! You bastard!"
One of the Root shinobi shouted furiously. He then stepped forward and finished Shisui off with his blade.
"What now?"
One of them asked.
"Danzō-sama wanted us to bring back Shisui's eyes. We've failed the mission."
"Burn the body. We're pulling out. The mission may have failed, but our cleanup needs to be flawless. Don't leave a single trace."
"Yes, sir!"
They incinerated Shisui's body and erased all signs of their presence before returning to Root to report.
"He destroyed his own eyes?"
Danzō muttered.
"Such fierce resolve... just like Kagami. What a waste."
Though it was unclear what exactly he regretted—Shisui's death, or the loss of his Sharingan.
"Well, the mission to fake Uchiha Shisui's death is complete. Go report to Hiruzen."
"Yes, sir!"
One Root member nodded and departed.
Danzō turned and headed back to the Root base as well.
...
Just earlier, Kiyosuke and Itachi had been watching as the Root ninja fought nothing but air—trapped in Shisui's genjutsu. From the sidelines, Shisui kept up the illusion, tricking them into thinking they were still battling him.
As they watched the group retreat, Kiyosuke nodded.
"Alright. From now on, you're a 'dead man.' The Hokage will probably assign you to the ANBU and have you take Itachi's place to maintain contact with the Uchiha."
Itachi had been placed in ANBU for a variety of reasons—including keeping the Uchiha in check. Now, Shisui taking over that role was the ideal outcome.
Everything had gone exactly according to plan.
"I understand."
Shisui nodded. He didn't mind working in the ANBU—but he did worry about Itachi's next steps.
"We'll stick to the plan. Itachi, in a few days, you'll attempt to assassinate Danzō."
"Yes."
The official charge would be attempted assassination. If he succeeded, all the better. If not, it didn't matter.
Of course, Hiruzen's idea was for it to be a fake attempt—but whether it actually succeeded or not... well, that would depend on Itachi's mood.
Given the situation with the Uchiha clan, Itachi probably wouldn't take things too far. Still, he'd definitely leave Danzō with a warning.
But that wasn't Kiyosuke's concern anymore.
Everything else would be up to Itachi.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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