The Third Hokage now understood: Uchiha Ryosuke's physical strength had grown frighteningly powerful.
Just as Ryosuke had always claimed — if he trained, he would become stronger.
At this point, even without opening the Eight Gates, Ryosuke's taijutsu had completely surpassed his own.
Feeling the pain surging through his arms, Hiruzen realized he was no match.
Their plan had failed — and the consequences were dire.
Fear began to fill his heart.
Meanwhile, Ryosuke stood holding Shisui's two eyes in his hand, glaring at the Hokage.
"So… you actually dared to attack me? Tell me — what have you done to Shisui?"
At the mention of Shisui, Hiruzen flinched. Panic struck him, and without another word, he turned to flee.
If Ryosuke discovered that Shisui had been killed at his hands, then Ryosuke would have every reason to openly overthrow him.
In truth, Hiruzen had long suspected the reason Ryosuke hadn't already forced him to step down with violence — Ryosuke wanted to use principle and righteousness as justification.
If the truth about Shisui came out, that would become Hiruzen's fatal weakness.
He needed to return quickly, destroy Shisui's corpse, and erase any evidence — it was the only way to survive.
But Ryosuke had no intention of letting him escape.
He opened the Eight Gates, his body releasing a torrent of bluish-green chakra steam.
Explosive power radiated from him as he charged.
In an instant, he closed the distance and drove a vicious kick into the Hokage's back.
Boom!
The Third Hokage was sent crashing into the ground like a cannonball, gouging out a massive crater.
Lying at the bottom, coughing blood, his face twisted in pain — and then he lost consciousness.
Ryosuke's chest heaved with excitement.
They dared to move against him… and even tried to use Shisui's eyes?
Whether Shisui was dead or alive, this was now the Uchiha clan's greatest opportunity.
The Third Hokage's reign was over.
Dragging Hiruzen's limp body with one hand, Ryosuke turned toward his other enemy — Uchiha Itachi.
Not far away, Itachi had already retrieved his original eyes from the nutrient jar and reimplanted them.
Since they were his own, the optic nerves reconnected quickly, and his vision returned almost instantly.
But then he heard the thunderous crash from earlier.
His expression darkened.
Did Ryosuke… attack the Hokage?
The thought enraged him.
He rushed toward the source — only to see Ryosuke appear before him, carrying the unconscious Hokage.
"Uchiha Ryosuke!" Itachi demanded. "What have you done to Lord Hokage?"
That earlier explosion had clearly been Ryosuke's doing.
He couldn't tell how badly the Hokage was hurt.
Ryosuke tossed the Hokage aside as if he were nothing more than a broken doll.
"Relax. I didn't kill him — just badly injured and unconscious."
His eyes narrowed coldly.
"What I want to know is this: Shisui's eyes were in your possession. Don't tell me you people killed him."
At Shisui's name, Ryosuke's gaze hardened with ice.
If Shisui was truly dead, what role had Itachi played in it?
No — Ryosuke didn't believe Itachi himself had killed his friend. Even if Itachi had lost his mind, he wouldn't go that far.
It had to be the Hokage.
But Itachi didn't answer.
Instead, he activated his Sharingan — three tomoe spinning rapidly before blooming into his Mangekyō Sharingan, the pinwheel pattern burning scarlet.
He only had one thought: Kill Ryosuke.
Shisui's Kotoamatsukami may have failed, but his own Tsukuyomi would not.
Ryosuke's stomach tightened.
This was bad.
In the original timeline, it was Shisui's death that awakened Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan.
Could it be that the same tragedy had unfolded here?
If so… then Shisui really was gone.
Though Ryosuke had no great love for the village, he still pitied Shisui.
His parents had died for Konoha. He had dedicated his whole life to the Uchiha and the village… only to die by the Hokage's hand.
A pitiful end.
And Ryosuke felt a pang of guilt.
He had already eliminated Danzō — the man most responsible for Shisui's fate in the original history.
Yet somehow, Shisui still ended up dying.
Turning back to Itachi, he spoke bitterly:
"So, you've awakened the Mangekyō. That can only mean one thing — Shisui is dead. And it was the Hokage's doing."
"Why aren't you seeking revenge? Wasn't Shisui your dearest friend?"
Ryosuke knew their bond well.
To Itachi, Shisui was more than a comrade — he was a mentor, a brother, the only clan member he truly trusted.
But upon hearing Ryosuke's words, Itachi's face twisted with rage.
"How dare you speak Shisui's name! This is all your fault! If it weren't for your arrogance, none of this would have happened!"
Ryosuke froze for a moment — then fury boiled over his face.
"What are you babbling about? How is this my fault?"
"Did I kill Shisui?"
To him, Itachi's reasoning was insane.
This so-called "thinking like a Hokage" was nothing but self-delusion.
He spat venomously:
"Are you brain-dead?"
Even in the original history, Itachi had known it was Danzō who killed Shisui and stole his eye.
Yet he still followed Danzō's orders and slaughtered his own clan.
That wasn't noble—it was madness.
But Itachi didn't flinch at the insult.
In his eyes, Ryosuke was unrepentant, the true cause of everything.
From the village's perspective, Shisui had only been targeted because of Ryosuke's reckless defiance.
If Ryosuke hadn't destabilized Konoha, the Hokage would never have acted against Shisui.
The true culprit was Uchiha Ryosuke.
Such a threat to the village could not be allowed to live.
Itachi poured his Mangekyō's power into his left eye.
Scarlet light flared.
"Tsukuyomi."
His intent was clear — to drag Ryosuke into an illusionary world and annihilate his spirit.
Unlike Shisui's Kotoamatsukami, which altered the mind gently, Itachi's Tsukuyomi was a weapon — a nightmare of pure torment and destruction.
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