It was late at night, yet one room in the Hokage Tower still burned brightly with lamplight.
Inside sat the three most powerful elders of Konoha: the Third Hokage, along with his advisors Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
The reason for their gathering was clear—Crow Squad had lost all contact.
Knock, knock, knock!
A sharp rap on the door broke the tense silence.
"Enter!"
The Third Hokage's gaze snapped to the doorway.
An ANBU operative entered, approached the Hokage, and handed him a sealed scroll.
"Lord Hokage, a classified message from one of the search teams! "
Hiruzen quickly took it, undid the seal with practiced hands, and decrypted the coded runes. As he read the contents, his eyes widened, and his body trembled slightly where he sat.
"Lord Third, what does it say? "Koharu and Homura pressed urgently.
After a moment to steady himself, the Hokage spoke, his voice heavy with disbelief:
"One search team has discovered the aftermath of a large-scale battle. From the signs, Crow Squad engaged in an intense fight… and were likely wiped out."
"Crow Squad… annihilated? Impossible! "
Both advisors were stunned.
A team composed of one Kage-level powerhouse and six jōnin-level shinobi, gone without a trace? Unthinkable.
"There's no way. Even Fugaku doesn't have the strength to eliminate them," Koharu protested.
She already knew Crow Squad's target had been Uchiha Fugaku. With no evidence of a major Uchiha mobilization, she couldn't believe Fugaku had such power. Shisui, after all, was said to surpass most Kage.
"Yet the available evidence points to their destruction," Hiruzen said grimly.
He had chosen Shisui's squad precisely for its overwhelming strength, confident that at worst, the mission might fail—but for the entire team to be obliterated had never crossed his mind.
"Has it been fully confirmed the Uchiha didn't deploy their elites? "Homura asked in a low voice.
"Confirmed multiple times. No large-scale movement from the clan," Hiruzen sighed.
"Then how could Fugaku possibly have such power? "Koharu muttered, baffled.
"It might not have been Fugaku," Homura suggested. "They could have run into another force—perhaps the mysterious shinobi with Wood Release."
"The Wood Release user…? "Koharu's expression changed sharply.
That would explain everything. The last time Shisui had led a twelve-man assault against that very opponent, eleven had perished. Only Shisui had returned, at the cost of his right eye.
A shinobi of that caliber could certainly have slain Shisui.
"There's another possibility—perhaps even more likely," Hiruzen said darkly, the lamplight casting an ominous pall over his face.
"Shisui was killed by Fugaku. And the reason Fugaku could kill him… is that Fugaku also awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan—perhaps even before Shisui did."
"Fugaku awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?! "
Koharu and Homura were shocked, even horrified.
But almost immediately, both shook their heads.
"Impossible. With Fugaku's meager talent—? "
"We may have underestimated him. His 'mediocrity'—like his meek persona—may have been nothing but a façade," Hiruzen said grimly.
"I've always had doubts about Danzō's death. Even with all of Root's elite operatives, he was annihilated without a single survivor. If Fugaku wields a Mangekyō Sharingan with power surpassing most Kage, then it all makes sense."
"Fugaku… hid his true strength all this time? "
Both advisors were left stunned, struggling to reconcile the image of the seemingly docile clan head with the terrifying truth.
"Even so, with Shisui's skill in the Body Flicker Technique, not even Fugaku's Mangekyō should guarantee his death," Hiruzen muttered. "It's more likely Shisui is gravely injured and unable to communicate. I'll send more operatives to comb the area of the battle."
"Yes… perhaps Shisui still lives," Koharu and Homura agreed quietly, clinging to a sliver of hope.
Meanwhile, in the Iwai clan's estate at the Daimyō's court, Uchiha Fugaku sat cross-legged in a lavish guest room prepared for honored visitors.
He had been warmly entertained at a banquet by Iwai Yōichi, the clan head. Though he had drunk some sake, his shinobi constitution rendered him immune to intoxication.
Ensuring no one was spying, he unsealed a storage scroll.
Poof!
Twin corpses appeared amid a puff of white smoke—one belonging to White Zetsu, the other to Uchiha Shisui.
Though drained from the ferocious battle, Fugaku still had the ocular power needed to refine both bodies.
The knowledge that Akatsuki had learned of his true abilities filled him with a deep sense of unease. Both Nagato, wielder of the Rinnegan, and Obito, master of Kamui, were frighteningly powerful.
He needed to evolve his Mangekyō Sharingan into the Eternal Mangekyō as quickly as possible, using Shisui's remains to cement his newfound might. If successful, the threat Akatsuki posed would diminish considerably.
"Body Refinement…"
He cast White Zetsu's corpse into the refining space. Moments later, the process finished, granting him a noticeable boost to his Wood Release.
Then his gaze fell on Shisui's body.