What happened? What on earth had happened?
Had the clan really… started a coup?
Uchiha Shisui lay sprawled on the cold ground, listening to the chaos of battle fading around him.
Screams, the clang of metal, the thud of collapsing bodies; it all swirled together, forming a nightmarish haze he couldn't make sense of.
He tried to lift his head, but pain shot through his body like lightning. His limbs were useless, broken and his eyes… gone.
He couldn't see. He couldn't move. He could only lie there, breathing raggedly like some helpless insect crushed beneath fate's heel.
Could it be… that the clan had truly betrayed him?
And Danzō-sama, why?
Why couldn't you trust me?
How could you think I'd ever use Kotoamatsukami on you?
The sounds of battle began to thin out. After Uchiha Kazuto entered the fray, everything shifted violently to one side.
His Mangekyō Sharingan was monstrous, its illusions inescapable, its power suffocating.
Over the past weeks, Kazuto had pushed his eyes to their limits, using them to refine his ninjutsu and sharpen his combat instincts at an inhuman pace.
Now, his strength rivaled that of veteran war heroes. No, he was even stronger.
His only limitation was the strain of using two ocular techniques at once, but every ounce of that effort had gone into making tonight's "plan" flawless.
A scream ripped through the air.
A kunai, laced with chakra, buried itself into the skull of a Root agent. The man fell without a sound. One by one, the others dropped until the forest went eerily quiet again.
It was over.
As the illusion of Izanami faded from Danzō's body, Kazuto's shadow clone struck without hesitation.
In a single motion, he severed Danzō's arm, then plunged a wind-charged kunai straight through his skull, destroying the brain before the man could activate any forbidden countermeasure.
When it was done, the clone dissolved into smoke. Kazuto stood over Danzō's corpse, staring down with an expression caught between disdain and cold satisfaction.
In truth, Shimura Danzō was not so formidable. He was old, predictable, and Kazuto had studied him well.
Killing him through preparation and deception was nothing remarkable. In the world of shinobi, information was power and Danzō had finally been outplayed.
"Damn you, Shimura Danzō," Kazuto spat, voice low but venomous. "You dared to form a private army and scheme to overthrow the Hokage. And this arm…"
He bent down and picked up the severed limb. It was grotesque; grayish-white, like living wood, sprouting faintly pulsing roots.
Embedded within it were multiple Sharingan, blinking faintly even in death.
A tremor of rage passed over Kazuto's face.
"These are the eyes of our clan!"
The surrounding Uchiha gasped. Their fury ignited instantly, Danzō's crime was undeniable now.
Then Kazuto turned, his expression softening slightly as he approached a broken, trembling figure on the ground. Shisui.
"Shisui, are you alright?" he said, kneeling beside him. "That damned Danzō, he actually tried to rebel. He built his own private army and planned to stage a coup. He's vile!"
Shisui froze.
What?
He must have misheard.
Wasn't it the Uchiha who were planning a coup? What did any of this have to do with Danzō-Sama?
"How… how can that be?" he rasped, voice trembling with disbelief.
His confusion turned to suspicion, his broken body trembling as he gritted his teeth. "Who are you? What do you want?"
The man before him was too strong, stronger than any Uchiha Shisui had ever known. To defeat Danzō so easily… Who was he?
"Shisui, don't you recognize me?" Kazuto's tone was calm, almost gentle. "It's me, Kazuto. Your cousin."
"Cousin…?"
Shisui blinked in shock. The name tugged at an old, distant memory. Yes… he had a relative by that name once.
A boy who'd barely made Genin before fading into obscurity. But this, this man, standing above him, radiating power like a storm was nothing like that timid cousin.
Still, the voice… it was familiar.
"Shisui," Kazuto said softly, "thank goodness you're still alive. You almost let Danzō's scheme succeed. I know how you've worried about the tension between our clan and the village. You've always tried to protect both sides. But do you know why things became so strained lately?"
Shisui hesitated. "Because… the clan resents the village, doesn't it?"
Kazuto shook his head slowly. His tone hardened, every word deliberate.
"No, Shisui. You've been deceived. It wasn't the clan, it was Shimura Danzō and Uchiha Fugaku. They conspired together to trigger this entire crisis."
"What?" Shisui's face twisted in disbelief. "That's impossible! Danzō -Sama would never—"
"Would never?" Kazuto interrupted coldly. "Then explain why he attacked you. Explain why he tried to steal your eyes! Think, Shisui. He silenced you because you knew too much, because you could expose him."
Kazuto's voice dropped, low and persuasive, like a blade sliding into a wound.
"The truth is ugly, but it's simple: Danzō and Fugaku plotted to spark a rebellion. Danzō wanted to use the chaos to seize power, to become Hokage. And Fugaku… he was the perfect scapegoat. Everything you've seen, every whisper of 'coup' in the clan, it all traces back to them."
He turned to the other Uchiha, who nodded solemnly, their lies practiced and unified.
"That's right, Shisui," one said. "This entire tragedy is Danzō's doing. The clan never truly wanted war."
"Yes," another added. "It was all Danzō and Fugaku's conspiracy!"
Shisui fell silent.
The words twisted around in his head like serpents.
It sounded absurd, preposterous but… what if it wasn't? Danzō had attacked him. The man was capable of anything for the sake of his so-called "peace." Could it really be… true?
If Danzō and Fugaku had joined forces to launch a coup, and Danzō, trusted by the Hokage, betrayed him at the crucial moment, the result would devastate the village.
A shiver crawled down Shisui's spine. Danzō was ruthless enough to do it. Perhaps this really was his plan.
His breath came shallow. His thoughts blurred.
"Then… why did you attack me?" he whispered.
Kazuto's expression softened with feigned sympathy.
"To stop you, Shisui," he said firmly. "To stop you from helping Danzō. I know it's hard to believe but it's the truth. During the battle, Danzō destroyed your eyes himself. I'm sorry."
He lowered his gaze, his voice heavy with manufactured regret.
Around them, the Uchiha murmured in agreement, weaving the lie tighter around the fallen Shisui.
And as darkness closed in, Shisui could no longer tell which part of it was the truth and which was illusion.
….
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