Chapter 20 Shisui's Shock
"Shh!"
Shisui appeared at the agreed meeting spot, his eyes instantly scanning the surroundings with sharp suspicion. Something had clearly happened.
Several trees nearby were damaged — their leaves should have been full and green in the height of summer, yet now they were stripped bare, their trunks scarred with deep sword marks.
Shisui frowned, puzzled, and his gaze fell on the culprit — Uchiha Makoto.
At that moment, Makoto was idly testing the Totsuka Cloud Sword (Tiancongyun Sword), but when he saw Shisui arrive, he exhaled in relief. With Shisui here, there was finally a sense of safety.
Who knew if Danzo, angered by failure, would send more Root operatives after him?
Makoto immediately recalled the urgent matter at hand, and his expression grew serious. He had to tell Shisui everything about Danzo and his suspicions.
"Really, why are you staring at me like that? Did something happen?" Shisui asked, wearing his usual gentle smile, though his tone carried concern.
"Brother Shisui, this has to do with the clan… and with you."
At those words, Shisui's face hardened.
"What happened?"
Makoto quickly recounted everything he had experienced. "Danzo… who exactly is he?"
As he spoke, Shisui's expression shifted — first confusion, then shock, then rising anger. His hand had already moved toward the wakizashi strapped to his back.
For someone who carried both love for the clan and devotion to the village, enduring this much was already a sign of his restraint. Still, he forced himself to hear Makoto out until the end.
"Danzo-sama… Shimura Danzo was once the Third Hokage's comrade from his youth, one of Konoha's highest-ranking elders. He always opposed the clan, but I never thought…"
"His right eye… could it truly be a Sharingan? The clan has lost none recently except in battle — that eye must have been stolen!"
"No… Hokage-sama would never permit such a thing. I'll go to Lord Hiruzen right now and confront him directly!"
Shisui's tone burned with anger, his body trembling as if ready to storm the Hokage Residence at once.
Makoto had expected this reaction. He quickly grabbed Shisui's sleeve. Blood surged in Shisui's veins; his voice practically cried, "I must see Hokage-sama, I must see the elders — I've shed blood for the village, I've protected Konoha with my life!"
"Brother Shisui, wait!" Makoto snapped.
"Do you think Hokage-sama will trust you more… or will he trust Shimura Danzo, his lifelong comrade? Between an Uchiha and a teammate who grew up with him, who will he believe?"
Shisui froze, conflicted.
"What about the Root ninja? With his body, and your words as proof, the Hokage will have to listen!"
"I disposed of it." Makoto's reply was merciless. "Brother Shisui, face reality. Under normal circumstances, would anyone believe a mere Academy student could kill a trained Chūnin?"
"If the truth is exposed, can you guarantee my safety?"
"And weigh this carefully: an entire clan branded as traitors… or the word of Konoha's high council? Which will the Hokage protect for the 'good of the village'?"
His questions hit Shisui like kunai.
"Why do you protect the clan from Danzo's schemes, yet still urge them to abandon the coup?"
"If the clan tries to start a coup… then I'll use Kotoamatsukami to stop them."
"Kotoamatsukami?" Makoto repeated, stunned. A power he had never heard of surfaced in Shisui's words.
Shisui's gaze sharpened. His three-tomoe Sharingan began to spin, morphing into a new pattern — curved blades forming a pinwheel.
"The Sharingan has another stage beyond the three tomoe… the Mangekyō Sharingan. And my Mangekyō's ability is Kotoamatsukami. With it, I can slip into a person's mind and completely rewrite their will — without them ever realizing it. Their thoughts will change permanently."
"With this, I can stop the clan without bloodshed."
Makoto stared in awe. Shisui's eyes were dazzling, like a kaleidoscope — beautiful yet terrifying. To overwrite a person's will so completely… if he had been Shisui's enemy, Makoto wasn't sure how he could even face him.
He hadn't expected such terrifying evolution of the Sharingan. But another thought immediately came to him.
"The clan's coup might be averted, but what about Danzo? He's always lurking in the shadows, watching the clan. And beyond him, there are surely others in the village who resent the Uchiha."
For a moment, Shisui was silent, shaken. It was clear he had never dared to confront that possibility directly.
"If that day comes… I'll decide what must be done." Shisui's expression calmed again, though his tone carried steel. He then glanced at the weapon in Makoto's hand.
"What's the story with that sword, the Tiancongyun?"
Makoto of course couldn't reveal the truth about his ability, but he described the weapon's powers instead.
"When I pierced that Root ninja with the crow feather, this sword suddenly manifested."
He demonstrated the abilities of the Ame-no-Murakumo Sword in detail, from its chakra absorption to its strange summoning, finally showing Shisui how the surrounding trees had been cut down so violently.
"It's really strange, but this Totsuka no Tsurugi (Totsuka Blade, or Tiancongyun Sword) does indeed have a great effect on improving your overall strength."
Shisui took the ethereal weapon from Uchiha Makoto, and even with his mastery of the Sharingan, he could feel the dangerous aura radiating from this blade, one that reminded him faintly of the Kusanagi Sword wielded by Orochimaru.
"I will pay more attention to you during this time, and you should be extra careful," Shisui advised with his usual calm tone, though his eyes revealed concern.
Originally, he had only arranged to meet Makoto for training and sparring, but after hearing such heavy information in such a short time—Danzo's schemes, the appearance of a mysterious divine weapon—Shisui felt more exhausted than he had expected.
Uchiha Makoto, however, continued his training routine as usual, practicing the fire-style techniques and kenjutsu forms he had been drilling. His movements showed an eagerness to grow stronger, as if preparing for an inevitable confrontation.
It was expected that with such a turn of events, Shisui's fate itself might change. In the original path of history, Shisui had been forced into a corner by Danzo, his Mangekyō Sharingan stolen, and he entrusted his other eye to Itachi before ending his life. But now, Makoto's presence seemed like a ripple in the story.
Itachi and Shisui had always been close—bonded as comrades who both wanted to prevent the Uchiha's coup and protect the village. As long as Shisui remained alive and free from Danzo's clutches, Uchiha Itachi would not be cornered into becoming the tool that annihilated his own clan.
Even if Uchiha Itachi's ideals twisted into what they had in the original history, Shisui's willpower and the pupil technique of Kotoamatsukami would never allow the massacre of their clan. Uchiha Makoto thought about this with a sense of satisfaction, as though he had secured a buffer for the family's survival.
Still, the matter was far from simple. It was necessary to ensure that the Uchiha clan was truly safe, not just for the moment but for the future. And to Makoto, one obstacle remained clear: Danzo Shimura.
Makoto had already passed a silent death sentence on Danzo in his heart. With a man like him entrenched in Konoha's leadership, the Uchiha could never coexist peacefully with the village. What made it worse was that Danzo had already set his sights on the Sharingan—coveting it not only as a weapon but as a tool for his Root foundation.
Focusing his anger, Uchiha Makoto visualized the training stake before him as Shimura Danzo himself. Each powerful kick and strike landed with crushing force, carrying his resentment into the wooden post until it cracked and splintered.
…
As night fell, Makoto finally ended his day's training, sweat dripping from his body. Contrary to what he expected, no Root ninja appeared to ambush him again. This absence was far more unnerving than open hostility.
It was always easier to defend against a visible enemy, like an arrow in the open. But the unseen schemes of someone as manipulative as Danzo were like a poisoned dagger—hard to anticipate and harder to counter.
If Danzo sent more men after him, Makoto could at least predict his intentions. But when Danzo stayed motionless, Makoto had no way of knowing what his next move would be, and that uncertainty gnawed at him like a hidden curse.
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen had just finished reviewing mission reports and council matters. The Third Hokage rubbed his temples, weary from the balance between clan tensions and external threats.
At that moment, the door opened sharply.
"Hiruzen! Suspicious individuals have appeared within the village," Shimura Danzo announced, stepping in with his usual air of authority and suspicion.
Hiruzen looked up, narrowing his eyes slightly. He had long known that Danzo's paranoia often stretched the truth. But this time, as Danzo spoke, the shadows of conspiracy seemed heavier than ever.