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Haori's meeting with Orochimaru was only a brief moment, a stealthy encounter that went unnoticed by anyone.
Haori didn't pay attention to Orochimaru's movements after that, or rather, he couldn't.
Haori only knew that Orochimaru was still in the village, but where he was hiding, only Orochimaru himself knew. Haori had no way of knowing.
From his exchange with Orochimaru, Haori had a vague sense of something extremely important—there was a very high probability that Danzo was really going to strike first against the Uchiha.
Haori's thoughts were not wrong. Danzo had never considered sparing the Uchiha. But before he could act, he had some things to do… He had to eliminate the strongest branches first before he could strike at the Uchiha clan itself.
So, the first person Danzo would deal with was his "own man," and also the current strongest Uchiha, Shisui.
Although Shisui had graduated from the "Will of Fire" in a proper way, Danzo didn't trust him—simply because of the surname "Uchiha."
Perhaps Danzo had enough trust in Shisui, but the attitude he displayed was one of "forced" distrust. Because he needed to seek legitimacy for his actions.
His pursuit couldn't really be called twisted. Looking at the history and future of this world, you could simply summarize it as everyone looking for a cheat. Whether you wanted to become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki or wanted to take the Sharingan, it was all the same. Essentially, there was no difference.
It was strange that the stronger ninjas were, the less they thought about training to Super Saiyan 4 with their own power. Finding a cheat was actually the norm.
Therefore, it was perfectly normal for Danzo to want to take Kotoamatsukami for himself.
Shisui was in serious danger without knowing it.
On the surface, Fugaku Uchiha had given Shisui the mission to use Kotoamatsukami on Haori when the time came. But he had another secret mission:
Monitor Itachi Uchiha.
By this time, even if the Uchiha clan reacted slowly, they should have realized that there was a serious leak problem within the clan. For every move they made, Konoha had a corresponding response. If they hadn't realized the problem, then they weren't cursed with eyes, they were cursed with intelligence.
And the object of this suspicion was centered on Itachi Uchiha… Itachi was an Anbu ninja.
But no matter what, the rebellion was imminent.
"The Uchiha's rebellion is imminent. It's hard to imagine that ordinary measures can prevent the worst-case scenario from happening."
The Hokage's office. The Third Hokage and Danzo were both there.
And the person who said this was the third person present, Shisui Uchiha.
"This situation is not unexpected. We need to start preparing for strong measures." Danzo said.
"Wait, Danzo!" The Third Hokage stopped Danzo from continuing.
"In this situation, Shisui, according to the previous plan, next…"
"Yes, Hokage-sama. I will use Kotoamatsukami on Fugaku next. I will make him consider coexisting with the village. The action… will take place at the Uchiha clan meeting tonight." Shisui said.
This was a decision he had made a long time ago.
"That's too naive. Can changing just Fugaku's will appease the entire Uchiha clan's dissatisfaction? Can the rebellion be stopped like this?"
Danzo was very realistic in his thinking. At this time, Fugaku's opinion mattered, but it didn't matter. In Danzo's view, changing the clan head's mind was useless. It would only delay the rebellion for a while. And that wasn't what Danzo wanted to see. He wanted to eliminate all the hidden dangers at once. From his perspective, it was better for the Uchiha clan to perish. That would truly be a permanent solution.
"Change is mutual. As long as one side takes the first step, we're willing to take a positive approach… Shisui, act according to your plan. I will have an Anbu ninja support you."
The Hokage wouldn't give in to Danzo at this time. The two of them had fundamental contradictions in their overall strategy. The Third Hokage insisted on his own idea. No matter what, he didn't want to see bloodshed.
He was the Hokage. Even if Danzo was dissatisfied now, he couldn't openly rebel.
And the Anbu ninja who the Hokage said would provide support and assistance to Shisui, if there were no mistakes, would definitely be Itachi Uchiha.
After discussing in detail, Shisui left first. For him, the Uchiha clan meeting tonight was the most important thing.
Then, Danzo also said goodbye. Or, it would be more accurate to say he left in a huff.
Now, there should have only been the Hokage alone. But Haori walked out from the shadows… He had been there all along, but he didn't know where he had been hiding before.
"Then, Third Hokage, I'll start acting now."
"Haori, your mission is to ensure that Shisui doesn't receive any interference while carrying out his mission. Understand? Don't do anything else unnecessary." The Third Hokage instructed.
"I understand."
Did Haori understand? He hoped he really understood.
...
Night approached. Shadows were about to cover the last rays of twilight. In front of a secluded shrine, Danzo had a final, crucial conversation with Shisui, who was about to carry out a key mission.
"Is there anything, Danzo-sama? The meeting is about to begin. I need to use my genjutsu on the clan head before he can express his attitude at the beginning of the meeting." Shisui said.
He couldn't make Fugaku's attitude completely reverse in one go. It wasn't that Kotoamatsukami couldn't do that, but if he did, it would definitely arouse the clan's suspicion.
Everything needed to be gradual. This was very difficult.
"If your plan with the Third Hokage succeeds, Fugaku changes, the Uchiha clan changes, but the village's attitude doesn't change afterwards, what are you going to do?" Danzo asked.
His question hit the nail on the head.
Shisui hoped that after Fugaku and the Uchiha clan changed, Konoha would also gradually improve its attitude and treatment towards the Uchiha clan. Essentially, he was still for the Uchiha clan… Shisui had never considered something like exterminating the clan. That was too extreme.
"The Third Hokage promised me that he would do that."
"The villagers' attitude and their hearts can't be changed just because the Third Hokage says so. It's more likely that nothing will change. So… what are you going to do then?"
"I…"
Before Shisui could answer, Danzo spoke first. "You're going to use your genjutsu on all the Konoha high-ranking officials, including the Third Hokage, right?"
Danzo's attitude was now very clear. He was wary of Kotoamatsukami.
He also coveted Kotoamatsukami.
"Your genjutsu is too dangerous. This kind of jutsu can't remain in the hands of the Uchiha clan… I'm taking these eyes."
Before his words were finished, Danzo attacked Shisui in front of him!
In terms of strength, Danzo couldn't possibly be Shisui's opponent, even if the latter didn't use his ultimate eye power.
But this confrontation… the problem was that Shisui's attack was too soft, and he underestimated Danzo's response.
Shisui only used a regular genjutsu on Danzo. At that moment, he was indeed subdued instantly.
But Shisui didn't know that Danzo also had a Sharingan.
And, after being modified with Wood Release, under the combined effects of Senju power and the Sharingan, Danzo could now use one of the ultimate Sharingan eye techniques.
Izanagi…
This was the eye technique that could instantly erase any unfavorable situation for the user!
So, Danzo broke free from Shisui's genjutsu and launched a surprise attack on the unprepared Shisui!
One Mangekyō Sharingan was instantly taken by Danzo, just like a USB 3.0.
The pain of being attacked and losing his eye put Shisui in a very disadvantageous position. But what was even worse was that the Root ninjas who were ambushing him quickly rushed out and surrounded him.
Was losing his right eye painful? But at this moment, the most painful thing for Shisui was that everything he had planned had become impossible.
But he couldn't die here. He still had a last hope. So, after releasing a Great Fireball Technique, Shisui used his renowned Body Flicker Technique to escape.
"Chase!"
Danzo gave his subordinates this simple order.
After receiving the order, all the Root ninjas immediately pursued Shisui.
Only Danzo was left. But before he could admire his new eyes, another voice rang out.
"Speaking of which, this is the shrine of the Uzumaki clan…"
"And speaking of which, my girl's sixth birthday is coming up soon. It's painful to find a suitable gift. Who knows what a girl that age likes?"
"So… could you hand over what you have, Danzo-sama?"
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