Chapter 164: Danzo: Izanagi! Ambush!
Outside the Konohagakure Village, in the abandoned Buddha hall, two huge painted Buddha Statues at the entrance resembled weathered skeletons under the twilight, whimpering and groaning in the night breeze.
The air was filled with the decaying aura of stale incense ash, rotten wood, and mud.
Withered yellow weeds stubbornly protruded from the broken stones and rubble, only to be bent over by the night dew.
Twelve figures, like ink seeping from underground, silently merged into every shadowy corner of the Buddha hall ruins.
They wore unified dark tight combat suits, donning expressionless animal masks—fox, boar, crow…
Behind the mask eyeholes were voids deeper than the night.
Their auras were restrained to the extreme, as if they themselves were part of the shadows, with even their heartbeats barely audible.
Only the occasional glint of kunai or ninja sword exposed from sleeves or waists revealed the cold killing intent.
Yuruma Aburame hid behind a half-tilted giant pillar, countless tiny parasitic insects wriggling silently within his wide sleeves, forming a black ripple that made one’s scalp tingle.
Fū Yamanaka concealed himself behind the only remaining half-wall of the Buddha hall, hands forming the seal for initiating the Mind Body Switch Technique, his spirit spreading like an invisible web, quietly covering this deathly silent battlefield.
Shimura Danzō stood alone in the relatively open gravel clearing in front of the Buddha hall.
Moonlight outlined his somewhat hunched figure, emanating a sinister oppressive aura, with the thick bandages wrapped around his right arm and right eye glaringly conspicuous under the clear glow.
He was like a venomous spider waiting patiently at the center of its web for the prey to step into the final trap.
A faint sound of air breaking approached from afar, and a figure like a gust merging into the night color landed steadily a few steps in front of Danzō after several leaps.
It was Shisui Uchiha.
He wore the signature dark blue high-collar clan robes of the Uchiha Clan, carrying a short sword on his back, his left eye covered with bandages, his face calm, with a faint trace of imperceptible worry between his brows.
That black eye inheriting the Uchiha bloodline was clear and bright under the moonlight, not yet ignited with crimson.
“Danzō Advisor.” Shisui nodded slightly, his voice steady, carrying courteous respect for the village’s high-level officials.
“I wonder what urgent matter brings the late-night summons?”
Danzō’s single eye slowly turned behind the bandage gap, like a cold probe scanning Shisui.
He did not answer Shisui’s question, instead throwing out a query like a poison-quenched dagger, his voice dry and hoarse, striking straight at the core: “Shisui, old man asks you once more. If you ultimately cannot change the Uchiha Clan’s rebellious will… what then will you do?”
Shisui’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
He took a deep breath of the cool autumn night air, meeting Danzō’s single eye with frank gaze, his voice firm and clear: “If it truly reaches an irredeemable point… for the village’s peace, I will use ‘Kotoamatsukami’.”
He paused, his tone carrying a heaviness akin to sacrifice.
“Changing the will of the most core, most radical ninjas in the clan, extinguishing the flames of rebellion from the root.”
“This is the final means. Third Hokage-sama has also promised that once the Uchiha threat is lifted, he will fully promote fusion, making the Uchiha truly an indispensable part of Konoha.”
“Fusion? Promise?” Danzō let out an extremely faint, mocking sneer.
“What a naive idea, Shisui. Even if your Kotoamatsukami changes the Uchiha’s will, making them docile as lambs… is the suspicion and fear in people’s hearts so easily erased?”
“For people like old man, like those villagers and ninjas who experienced the Nine-Tails Attack and witnessed the terrifying power of the Sharingan, can the shadows in their hearts be easily wiped away by your miraculous eyes?”
His voice suddenly rose, carrying a deliberate provocative edge and cold probing: “If old man… still cannot trust the Uchiha, still believes those eyes are the root of disaster! Will you also use your supreme illusion technique to ‘change’ old man’s will?”
“Turn old man into a puppet of your will?!”
This soul-piercing question exploded like thunder!
Shisui’s body jolted, a flash of shock and disbelief instantly crossing his clear eyes!
He had never imagined Danzō would question his bottom line so blatantly!
This was no longer a question, but the most vicious accusation!
At this critical moment when his mind was shaken and vigilance showed a sliver of gap!
Danzō moved!
That hunched figure erupted with terrifying speed utterly mismatched to his age!
His left hand shot out like a venomous snake from its den, with a screech tearing through the air, stabbing straight at Shisui’s remaining right eye!
This strike was ruthless, insidious, without warning!
It was taking advantage of illness to take life!
However, he faced “Shisui the Teleporter”!
The shock in Shisui’s eyes instantly turned into sharp cold gleam!
Facing this fatal sneak attack, his body seemed to predict the attack trajectory, sliding merely half a step to the left at speed beyond visual capture!
At the same time, Shisui’s right hand shot out like lightning, precisely gripping Danzō’s wrist!
“Danzō Advisor!” Shisui’s voice was cold as a blade, carrying betrayed anger and powerful oppression, “You’ve gone too far!”
Before the words finished, Shisui’s clear black eye ignited instantly!
Crimson light burst like hellfire!
Three pitch-black tomoe spun madly in the blood-colored pupil, instantly transforming into a complex and profound pattern.
A windmill-shaped Mangekyo Sharingan!
“Illusion Technique · Sharingan!”
His eyes glared!
An intangible yet spirit-distorting terrifying eye power, like a flood bursting a dam, surged along their locked gazes, slamming fiercely into Danzō’s mind!
Danzō’s body stiffened abruptly!
As if struck by an invisible giant hammer!
The sinister and scheming in his single eye instantly froze and scattered!
He felt his soul forcibly yanked out, thrown into a blood-colored hell, drowned by countless distorted illusions and soul-deep fear!
His body lost control, stiffening in place like a puppet.
Shisui looked at Danzō, instantly subdued by the illusion technique, a complex glint in his eyes.
Anger had not fully subsided, but killing intent was ultimately suppressed by reason.
He released Danzō’s gripped wrist, his voice carrying warning and a faint undetectable fatigue: “The illusion will wear off soon. I hope you reflect on this, Danzō Advisor.”
He no longer looked at the rigid Danzō, turning to leave.
His back appeared somewhat lonely and heavy under the twilight.
He only wanted to leave this place filled with conspiracy and betrayal as quickly as possible.
Just as he turned, in that instant when his mind loosened slightly due to anger and disappointment!
A sudden change occurred!
The Danzō who should have been nailed in place by the illusion technique, from the gap in the bandages around his right eye, suddenly erupted with a bizarre chakra fluctuation!
Izanagi!
Shisui only felt the scene before him blur strangely!
The Danzō originally behind him appeared like a ghost right in front of him!
A withered, blood-seeping bandaged hand, like a ghost claw from hell, with a screech tearing air, precisely and ruthlessly thrust straight into Shisui’s defenseless right eye!
Shisui’s pupil contracted sharply!
It was Danzō!
He actually broke free from the Mangekyo illusion technique? How was that possible?!
Splurt!
A teeth-gritting, wet sticky dull sound!
Intense, soul-tearing sharp pain exploded from the right eye, sweeping through his entire body!
Warm liquid mixed with an indescribable shattering sensation surged down his cheek!
His vision was instantly swallowed by sticky crimson and absolute darkness!
“Urgh—!”
Shisui let out an extremely suppressed groan of pain, his body staggering backward from the sharp pain and imbalance! He then quickly pulled away distance.
