The moment Shisui appeared, everyone except Orochimaru and Kabuto was stunned.
A flicker of shock crossed Kakashi's eyes—Shisui, the greatest Uchiha genius of his time.
Of course, Itachi was a genius as well. But to the elders of Konohagakure, the bond between Itachi and Shisui was that of mentor and friend, with Shisui acting like an older brother to Itachi.
So, naturally, they placed Shisui above Itachi.
But...
"You... you're supposed to be dead!"
In that moment, even Danzo, no matter how composed he usually was, couldn't keep his mind at ease.
Shisui was dead. There was no way he could still be alive.
Most people didn't understand how dangerous Shisui was, but the higher-ups in Konohagakure did.
As the successor of Uchiha Kagami, Shisui wielded power that was among the strongest in the entire Uchiha clan.
Judging from Shisui's past performance, he was indeed the strongest among the Uchiha. Just how strong? Danzo wasn't sure.
But he knew one thing—Shisui was definitely stronger than Kagami. That was exactly why, back then, Danzo didn't dare confront Shisui directly and had to resort to an ambush instead.
And now, seeing Shisui here again, how could he not be shocked?
Hiding in the shadows like the others, Sasuke also felt a complex mix of emotions the moment he saw Shisui.
"Shisui… he… he's still alive."
Sasuke's voice trembled slightly. Shisui was older than Itachi and, of course, older than him. When he was little, Shisui had always been like an older brother to both him and Itachi.
He had looked after them all the time. Later, as Shisui took on more missions, he had less and less time to spend with them.
But that never changed how Sasuke felt about him.
As a child, he had once been upset that Itachi spent so much time with Shisui. But now, as he had grown, he finally understood how much Shisui had cared for both of them—and just how much he himself had depended on Shisui.
It was a complicated feeling.
Shisui had been like a brother to him. But at this moment, Sasuke's heart was still filled with an unshakable hatred toward Itachi.
Seeing Shisui again made him happy, but at the same time, it left him feeling conflicted.
"Sasuke, who is that?"
Naruto, clearly unfamiliar with Shisui, asked out of curiosity.
"He was… a cousin who took great care of me. And he was the strongest genius of the Uchiha clan."
"Uchiha Shisui."
"Then why don't we go say hi later? You don't hate him, do you?"
Naruto suggested. From the way it sounded, Shisui seemed to be the only family Sasuke had left.
"No."
Sasuke shook his head, then walked to the other side of the room and sat down in the corner.
Naruto glanced at the two figures in the room—one was Gato, who looked like he had completely lost hope in life, and the other was Sasuke, who seemed lost in his own thoughts.
Seeing this scene, Naruto could only stand awkwardly by the door. But when he looked at what was happening on the other side, a faint smile appeared on his face.
At least Sasuke still had an older brother who cared about him. That was much better than what he had.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Danzo finally snapped back to reality.
His gaze turned to the vast ocean behind Shisui.
The waves crashed violently, lightning flickered in the sky, and a storm loomed on the horizon. But Shanks' Haki didn't seem to affect the island at all.
Orochimaru's words echoed in Danzo's ears.
"Do you think you have the right?"
In the distance, the man standing at the bow of the ship had never once looked at him.
Not only had he failed to catch Kakashi's attention—he wasn't even worth a glance from Shanks.
"Orochimaru… you…"
Danzo's eyes shifted back to Orochimaru. By now, Orochimaru was already standing beside Kakashi.
Unlike Danzo, he was not an enemy of Konoha, nor was he an enemy of Kakashi.
If anything, Kakashi even owed Orochimaru a favor.
Seeing the look on Danzo's face, Orochimaru smirked mockingly.
"Danzo-sama, don't tell me you actually think we're here for Gato?"
— ¶ —————————————————————
"Then you guys..."
"We're here for you, Danzo!"
Orochimaru looked at Danzo as if he were just a corpse. In that moment, Danzo was already dead.
However, hearing Orochimaru's words, Danzo's anger flared up.
"Orochimaru!!"
"Do you really think you have the ability to defeat us? Don't forget, this hand of mine holds the power of the Uchiha clan and the First Hokage."
"Hahaha, you really think you can take my life here?"
Danzo raised his right hand, the power it held catching everyone's attention. Despite that, the few people present still didn't seem to care about Danzo.
"Danzo-sama, have you forgotten who performed your surgery? I'm..."
"Orochimaru, one of the Sannin!"
Orochimaru smiled, licking his lips with his tongue.
Hearing Orochimaru's words, Danzo was taken aback. Did Orochimaru implant something else during the surgery?
Looking at Orochimaru's expression, Danzo was even more certain of his suspicion. It had to be the case. There was no way Orochimaru wouldn't have a backup plan.
If there hadn't been any conflict between him and Orochimaru, it would have been fine. But now, if there was a conflict, Danzo knew he was no match for Orochimaru.
Cold sweat began to trickle down Danzo's forehead.
"Your hand... How does it compare to the hands I've staked in the New World? It wouldn't even catch Shanks' attention."
Orochimaru said, stepping back a few paces and turning his focus to the surrounding Root ninjas.
Kakashi also moved back, standing next to Orochimaru.
"However, since the vice-captain of the Red-Haired Pirates is here, I'll show you some respect."
Orochimaru's words gave Shisui enough face, but it was no problem. Shisui was the only member of the Red-Haired Pirates, so he was naturally the vice-captain.
When Danzo heard this, he felt a sudden sense of relief. Orochimaru and Kakashi weren't planning to intervene?
This meant that the issue was now a personal grudge between Danzo and Uchiha Shisui.
Danzo looked at Shisui, who was ten meters away.
It was surprising that Shisui had survived, but seeing the scars that covered his eyes, Danzo was able to calm himself.
"Shisui, do you really think you can defeat me in your current state?"
Danzo asked, though he didn't dare to relax for even a moment.
Not far away, Shisui summoned a kunai, and in the next moment, he moved his wrist.
Blood splattered out, and a wound appeared on his right eye. Blood began to flow from it.
Shisui's expression was cold. If he hadn't shown mercy back then, Danzo wouldn't have had the chance to take his eyes.
But now, after all these years, he had completely changed.
"Once, Uchiha Shisui wasn't a match for you, Danzo. But... I'm sorry."
"I promised my captain that I would see this new world with him, so..."
"I'm going to take my eyes back, and together with my captain, I'll see this era."
Shisui stood proudly, his empty right eye showing nothing, but in the darkness of it, it was as if a flame was burning.
The towering flames looked down at Danzo.
"Then come and take it, you arrogant fools."
Seeing that Shisui had the same attitude, Danzo flew into a rage.
In an instant, his right hand shot toward Shisui.
"Wood Release: Explosive Piercing Thrust!"
Countless wooden spikes surged toward Shisui's position.
But the moment Danzo attacked, Shisui had already vanished.
Shisui of the Body Flicker wasn't just a title—
His speed was so fast that even Kakashi and Orochimaru couldn't react in time, let alone Danzo.
"Boom!!!"
Danzo's attack missed completely and shot into the sky.
Countless wooden spikes exploded midair, sending shockwaves through the atmosphere.
A white burst of energy spread out, and from above, another figure had appeared in front of Danzo.
Shisui stood there, gripping Danzo's right hand with his left, forcing his attack off course.
It was just like the moment Danzo had taken Shisui's eye years ago—
Only this time, Shisui was here to take back what was his.
"H-How… how is this possible?"
Danzo stared in disbelief.
Shisui had lost both his eyes, and yet…
He could still see.
Not only that, but he was even stronger than before.
"A few years ago, you already felt this power, didn't you?
You didn't just ambush me—you even brought a squad of ninjas just to be sure."
"But that was the Shisui of the past. Years have passed… and yet, you still don't understand, Danzo."
"No matter how many eyes you have, it won't change anything. You can have as many as you want, but in the end, you'll always be blind."
Shisui sighed.
The gap between their strength was simply too great.
Danzo relied solely on the power of the Sharingan.
As for Wood Release? His attacks weren't even fast enough to touch Shisui's cloak.
Hearing Shisui's words, Danzo felt a chill in his heart—
But even more than that, he felt humiliated.
A younger ninja…
Daring to speak to him this way.
"A useless fool without the Sharingan…"
Danzo roared, instantly activating his Sharingan, trying to cast Izanagi.
But—
Nothing happened.
Not even the slightest response.
It was only then that Danzo finally saw what was in Shisui's right eye.
Three tomoe, formed from blood, spun in Shisui's pitch-black eye sockets.
A terrifying force radiated from them, shaking Danzo to his core.
And in the next moment—
An eye emerged from the darkness of Shisui's hollow sockets.
"Don't forget… You still have one of my eyes, after all."
"I am Uchiha Shisui, the greatest genius of this generation's Uchiha clan. And that title means… I possess the strongest Sharingan."
At that moment, the world around Danzo completely changed.
He had already fallen into Shisui's genjutsu. The moment Shisui got close to Danzo, he had already triggered the power of his own eyes.
Danzo was too arrogant. Too foolish.
He could never understand the level that true geniuses reached. Even without his eyes, Shisui could still use genjutsu inside the Uchiha clan's shrine.
And Danzo? He had Shisui's eye implanted in his right socket, yet he dared to fight Shisui face to face.
Normally, when you take someone else's weapon, it becomes yours. But that only applies under normal circumstances.
Unfortunately for Danzo, Shisui was no ordinary person. He was a genius.
What belonged to him could never truly be taken away.
"How… how is this possible? How could you put me under genjutsu?"
Danzo stared at Shisui in disbelief. Impossible. This was absolutely impossible.
He had so many Sharingan implanted in his arm. How could Shisui cast genjutsu on him?
"You're right."
Shisui lowered his head, and when he looked up again, Danzo saw something terrifying—
The figures of the Second Hokage, Tobirama. The Third Hokage. The First Hokage… Countless familiar faces appeared behind Shisui, as if they were standing with him.
"How pitiful."
That single sentence felt like Danzo's final judgment.
The next moment, unbearable pain shot through his body.
*Boom!!*
A massive wooden spike fell from the air, slicing Danzo's entire arm clean off.
It dropped to the ground, lifeless.
All the Sharingan on that arm shut closed at that moment—except for one.
Shisui's right eye remained open.
It wasn't just Danzo who had fallen into Shisui's genjutsu. Every single Sharingan on his right arm had been affected as well.
"No… this isn't real… this can't be real…"
Danzo still refused to believe what was happening.
In front of Shisui, he couldn't put up even the slightest resistance.
He looked down at the kunai piercing his heart. His face twisted with rage, but his body grew weaker and weaker.
*Thud!*
His body collapsed onto the ground.
Even as he lay there, Danzo couldn't accept it.
Shisui—just a mere kid—how was this possible?
In the blink of an eye, he had lost.
Orochimaru wasn't surprised at all. If it had been him instead of Shisui, the fight would've been over just as fast.
Danzo's only mistake was underestimating everyone.
Not just Kakashi. Not just Shisui.
He even underestimated Shanks.
But to all of them, Danzo had never been worth their attention.
Danzo, lying on the ground, was still desperately trying to reach for his severed arm.
But no matter how hard he struggled, it remained just out of reach.
"The era of ninjas is over."
Shisui's cold voice cut through the air.
He had reclaimed his eye.
That eye, if left with Danzo, would never have seen the new world that was coming.
Danzo… was never worthy.
"Heh… hehe… hahahaha!!!"
Danzo lay on his back, staring at the sky. In this moment, he knew—he was going to die.
Him, dying here, at the hands of people like this?
But it was real. He was about to die.
"The era of shinobi… huh?"
Danzo roared toward the sky.
"Remember this, Shanks!!"
"It was just the times that chose you… I didn't lose!"
"I… haven't lost!!"
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