After Shisui and the others finished cleaning up the battlefield, they were about to bring the enemy corpses back to the frontline camp to report.
But then, movement came from their three o'clock direction.
Shisui and Ruri exchanged quick hand signals. Shisui's wrist flicked, a kunai appearing in a reverse grip.
But almost immediately, his expression relaxed.
The newcomers wore Konoha forehead protectors. Shisui had seen them in the camp before — part of the thousand-nin force that had arrived months ago alongside Mitsuki.
Still, just to be safe, Shisui called out loudly,
"Stop right there. Don't come any closer."
The three Konoha shinobi halted at his command.
Shisui gave them a polite nod, then recited a series of coded phrases.
The others responded fluently — the exchange was correct.
Only then did Shisui lower his guard slightly and ask kindly,
"What brings you here? Do you require our squad's assistance?"
The leading Konoha shinobi, clearly their captain, spoke up,
"We are members of Root. We've come to deliver Lord Danzō's orders to you and Ruri."
With that, he tossed a scroll toward Shisui. Shisui caught it and examined it carefully. Indeed, it bore the distinct encryption patterns used exclusively by Danzō's Root.
Forming a one-handed seal, Shisui released the seal of restriction and opened the scroll.
The contents were brief but shocking:
"Shimizu Mitsuki's operation has been compromised. He has sustained heavy injuries and is currently being pursued by the Third Mizukage.
Effective immediately, Konoha Jōnin Shisui Uchiha and Uchiha Ruri Uchiha are to lead a squad to the Land of Water to provide aid to Mitsuki."
Attached was a map showing Mitsuki's supposed escape route.
As Shisui finished reading, his pupils constricted sharply. His heart sank — this didn't make sense. With the Flying Thunder God Technique, Mitsuki could teleport away instantly at the first sign of danger.
Yet, this was an official order, issued under Danzō's authority, and the messengers were genuine Konoha shinobi — Shisui had already verified it with his Sharingan.
Ruri, seeing Shisui's uncertain expression, asked, "What's the mission?"
Shisui handed her the scroll. Since it was addressed to both of them, she had every right to read it.
Ruri's eyes scanned the content — and then, a surge of chakra exploded from her body. The surrounding air temperature dropped sharply.
Her scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan glowed dangerously as she glared at the three Root operatives.Her voice was icy and cutting:
"Where did this information come from? Why was his plan leaked?"
The lead Root ninja stiffened under her killing intent.
"This information source is classified within Root. We cannot disclose it. But Lord Mitsuki's plan was exposed because an undercover agent in Kirigakure — who was acting as his contact — was discovered."
Another Root ninja, who clearly admired Mitsuki, clenched his fists.
"Lord Mitsuki must've been ambushed by those damned Mist shinobi! Otherwise, there's no way he'd be injured so badly!"
Shisui's instincts screamed that something was off. Everything appeared legitimate —the messengers were real, the scroll's encryption was real, the details in the message were reasonable…and yet, something didn't add up.
"Enough. I'm going alone."
Ruri's voice broke the silence. She wasn't wasting another second debating. Real or fake, she was going to the Land of Water herself.
If the intel was false and Mitsuki was fine, then she'd finish the mission with him — and when they got back, she'd make Root pay for this nonsense. But if it was true… then she'd save him, no matter what.
After all, she hadn't defeated him yet — there was no way she'd let him die before she did.
Ruri brushed her fingers across her eyes. As long as she had these eyes, even if Mitsuki truly died… she could still—
Suddenly, everything around her seemed to still.
"Fake…"
Ruri's brow furrowed. That voice again.
"What? Who are you? What do you want?" she demanded inwardly.
"Root… fake… I'm… your eyes…"
Then silence.
But the confusion in Ruri's heart only deepened."Root is fake" — that was easy enough to understand. But 'I'm your eyes'? What did that mean?
Her eyes — her real eyes — were still with her father, En. Could this be a message from him somehow? But the voice was distinctly female.
Ruri decided to test it. She'd verify for herself whether these Root agents, who appeared flawless on the surface, were actually impostors.
If it had been Shisui hearing the voice instead, he wouldn't have attacked outright — he'd have probed carefully, gathered evidence first. But Ruri wasn't Shisui.
Shisui, noticing her growing hostility, tried to intervene. Honestly, he didn't believe Mitsuki could be injured so easily. Aside from the Flying Thunder God, Mitsuki's sensory skills were top-tier — who could possibly ambush someone like that?
Yet despite analyzing them thoroughly, Shisui couldn't find any flaw. They weren't under genjutsu, their chakra signatures were normal, everything checked out.
And if they were enemies in disguise — what would be their goal? To lure him and Ruri away from the camp?To weaken Konoha's front line?
Just as he decided to summon a messenger hawk to report to Fugaku, a sharp crackle of lightning erupted.
The roar of Chidori echoed through the forest.
"Aa—!"
Ruri was already in motion, a blinding sphere of lightning in her hand, sprinting straight toward the lead Root ninja.
"Wait! Ruri, don't—!" Shisui shouted.
If she attacked Root agents — Danzō's men — this could spark political chaos. Danzō had always been one of the strongest advocates for the "Uchiha threat" theory.If a confrontation broke out here, he'd use it as ammunition to tighten the noose around their clan's neck.
The Root operatives were just as shocked. They hadn't expected Ruri to attack without a word — not even the Mist-nin were this aggressive!