Konoha Village, deep underground beneath the Hokage Rock.
There was no sunlight here, only cold stone walls and a perpetual, damp chill. The flickering light of an oil lamp barely illuminated Danzo's face, lined with wrinkles and brimming with malice.
He sat alone behind a large desk, his single remaining eye fixed gloomily on the scrolls and documents piled high on his desk.
These were intelligence reports gathered through various channels about the newly risen great nation to the west, the Land of Stars.
His finger slowly traced a scroll marked [Top Secret], which detailed how the Land of Stars had crushed the main force of the Yukigakure's Ninjas with thunderous speed, captured Kazahana Doto, and subsequently annexed the Land of Snow, the Land of Swamps, and the Land of Darkness.
It even included descriptions of some battlefield details, such as the youth who used bizarre bone spikes and Ice Release, and the shark-faced man who wielded a large sword.
"Shura..." Danzo muttered the name in a low voice, his single eye flashing with wariness and deep suspicion.
Currently, the identity of the Land of Stars's leader was among the highest secrets in the entire Ninja World. Only the highest echelons of Konoha, as well as a very few individuals like Akatsuki's Nagato and Obito, were aware of his existence.
The other Four Great Nations' understanding of the Land of Stars mostly remained at the vague level of 'a new power formed by powerful Missing-Nin'.
Footsteps sounded, and an important Root's member, Aburame Tatsuma, appeared silently within the office, bowing respectfully.
"Danzo-sama."
"Tatsuma, any new information?" Danzo asked without looking up.
"Regarding the intelligence from Iwagakure," Tatsuma's voice was steady and unemotional, "Our spy planted in Iwa has confirmed that the undercover agent, Yakushi Nono, is indeed dead. Iwagakure's official statement is that she encountered an attack by mysterious Ninja while on a border patrol and fell in battle. The body was reportedly difficult to recover due to the battle's aftermath."
Danzo's tapping finger paused, his single eye narrowing slightly, "Hmph, a clumsy excuse. Yakushi Nono, while skilled in Medical Ninjutsu and infiltration, was herself an experienced Special Jonin. How could she die so easily?"
"Continue investigating! I want to see her alive, or at the very least, see her confirmed corpse! I don't believe in coincidences."
"Yes." Tatsuma bowed and accepted the order.
Danzo paused, as if remembering something more important, his tone growing even darker, "And what about Uchiha Shisui? Have our informants spread throughout the Ninja World still found no trace of him?"
Tatsuma shook his head, his voice also carrying a hint of confusion, "No reliable leads, Danzo-sama. It's as if he completely vanished from this world. We even secretly searched all known hidden bases potentially connected to the Uchiha, including some long-abandoned Uchiha Clan's lands, and found nothing."
Danzo's brow furrowed tightly. This was a huge mystery and a source of unease in his heart.
During that ambush, he had clearly succeeded, taking Shisui's last Mangekyo Sharingan.
Moreover, Shisui was severely injured and absolutely could not have escaped far. But no matter how he searched afterwards, Shisui had vanished into thin air… no trace of him alive or dead.
'Where could a blinded Uchiha have gone?'
"Keep looking!" Danzo's voice held a trace of barely perceptible irritation, "Even if we have to turn the Ninja World upside down, find his trail! I want to see him alive, or at least see his corpse!"
"Understood!" Tatsuma bowed again, his figure slowly retreating into the shadows and disappearing.
In the empty and chilly office, only Danzo remained.
He leaned back in his chair, his single eye watching the flickering lamp flame, sinking into prolonged contemplation.
The rise of the Land of Stars, Shisui's disappearance, Nono's 'accident'... These events, one after another, seemed shrouded in mist, making him, a man accustomed to controlling everything, feel a sliver of unease from losing control.
Meanwhile, in the distant Land of Stars, Star City.
The sunlight was bright, the spring breeze gentle and warm.
In sharp contrast to the chilly Konoha's Root Base was the tranquility and comfort on the engawa porch of Menma's home.
At this moment, Menma and Shisui sat facing each other, a delicate Go board placed between them.
Black and white stones were arranged in an orderly yet intense manner, engaged in a silent battle.
Menma held black, placing his stones calmly and unhurriedly. Each move seemed plain but often contained profound setups and killing intent.
Shisui held white, his brow slightly furrowed, his expression focused.
His playing style was agile and sharp, trying to find breakthroughs within Black's grand strategy.
Both were individuals of meticulous thought and extraordinary intelligence. The clash on the Go board was, in a way, also a collision of their ideals and ways of thinking.
Tap.
Menma placed a stone, cutting off the escape route of one of White's large groups.
Shisui took a light breath, his fingers holding a white stone, pondering for a long time before slowly placing it, barely managing to secure a small area for life.
"Rare for you to seek me out proactively," Menma picked up the teacup beside him, took a small sip, his gaze not on Shisui but still on the board, "It's not just to pass the time with a game of Go, is it? Although Star City is still under construction, it has no shortage of entertainment facilities."
Shisui was silent for a moment, placing the stone in his hand back.
He knew that being circuitous held no meaning in front of this unfathomable Shura.
He looked up, his transplanted eyes gazing at Menma, his tone turning serious. "Yes, Shura-sama. I truly have doubts in my heart that are difficult to resolve."
Shisui paused, organizing his words, "The Land of Stars has recently annexed the Land of Darkness, the Land of Swamps, and the Land of Snow in quick succession. Although the process seemed smooth, it must have been accompanied by military conquest, suppression, and killing. This is far removed from the 'peace' as I understand it."
"Forgive my bluntness, but your and the Star Ninja's acts of war will only bring more pain, create more orphans and tragedies, allowing the chain of hatred to cycle infinitely. Is this truly the correct way to end the chaos?"
Shisui's tone carried sincere confusion and a hint of questioning.
Although forced to stay in the Land of Stars and having received Menma's treatment, his deeply held ideals of peace clashed violently with the Land of Stars's method of aggressive expansion.
Menma put down his teacup, his gaze finally shifting from the board to Shisui's earnest face.
He didn't become angry at Shisui's questioning. Instead, he gently shook his head, a faint, almost pitying smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Shisui, your thinking is still trapped in the cage of the old-era Ninja," his voice was calm and profound, "What you see is the superficial appearance of 'war' and 'conquest'. What you fail to see is the rotting foundation beneath the surface and the inevitable, more thorough destruction that is coming."
Menma reached out a finger and tapped the Go board. "The old order is like the rigid pattern on this board. The Daimyo, the nobles... these parasites that have clung to the Ninja Continent for millennia, they maintain their rule through bloodlines and oppression, treating commoners like grass, easily instigating wars between nations and villages for personal gain."
"The so-called [One Country, One Village] System is just another form of fragmentation and a breeding ground for chaos. Maintaining such an order is the greatest mockery of 'peace'."
"A revolution to end chaos has never been about hosting dinners, nor about being gentle, respectful, modest, and yielding. It is destined to be accompanied by growing pains, accompanied by bloodshed."
"But long pain is not as good as short pain. Only by uprooting these rotten foundations can we truly build a new, stable order. What the Land of Stars is doing is not meaningless conquest, but surgical elimination and reconstruction."
Menma looked at Shisui's still-confused and not entirely convinced expression and smiled.
"Forget it. Empty words won't convince you. No matter how much I say, it's better for you to see with your own eyes. Tomorrow, a team will escort a batch of important relief supplies and administrative personnel to the Darkness County, formerly the Land of Darkness."
"Go with them. Use your own eyes to see for yourself the changes happening on that land. See if the commoners, freed from noble exploitation, have more pain or more hope on their faces. After you see, then come back and discuss with me what constitutes war and what constitutes peace."
Upon hearing this, Shisui's body trembled slightly.
He stared at Menma, as if judging the truth of these words.
Finally, he nodded heavily, his tone grave, "Okay! I will go and see. I hope I can truly see the 'hope' you speak of."
Just then, a gentle female voice came from inside the house, "Come, come, have some fruit."
They saw Kushina walking over, smiling, carrying a plate of cleanly washed and cut fruit.
She gently placed the fruit plate beside the Go board between the two.
Shisui instinctively looked up. When he 'saw' the visitor's face clearly, his entire body jolted as if struck by lightning.
He straightened up sharply from his seated position, his face filled with undisguised shock!
He even subconsciously made a defensive gesture, though he immediately suppressed it.
"You... you are Kushina-sama?!" Shisui's voice was distorted by extreme surprise.
How could he not recognize the wife of the Fourth Hokage, the former Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki!
'She should have died during the Nine-Tails Attack, sacrificing herself alongside the Fourth Hokage!'
'Why was she here?'
'In the Land of Stars?'
'In Shura's home?!'
'And her appearance...'
Although her complexion was somewhat ashen, with strange cracks, it was undoubtedly Kushina!
Kushina looked at Shisui's shocked expression and smiled gently, her gray eyes holding a trace of nostalgia, "You're Shisui of the Uchiha Clan, right? I often heard Minato mention you before. He said you were the most outstanding, most kind-hearted child of the Uchiha's younger generation, a junior he held in very high regard."
Her words were natural and affectionate, as if she had merely met the child of an old acquaintance she hadn't seen in a long time.
But they caused tidal waves of shock to surge in Shisui's heart!
'The Fourth Hokage... Kushina-sama... The Land of Stars... What in the world was going on?!'
Shisui stared at Shura's face… the black short hair, blue pupils, the face that looked about fifteen or sixteen years old.
But he mentally scanned all the Ninja he had seen in Konoha Village and couldn't find anyone who resembled him!
'Shura... Just who are you?'
Shisui felt his thoughts were in complete disarray. Countless questions filled his mind, leaving him momentarily unable to respond, frozen in place, the shock on his face taking a long time to fade.
'If Kushina-sama was alive, then what about the Fourth...?' A somewhat terrifying idea formed within Shisui, causing his entire body to tremble slightly.
The Go game was temporarily paused, but even greater mysteries and impacts were just beginning to flood into Shisui's heart.
Menma looked at the shock on Shisui's face, the faint smile at the corner of his mouth seeming to deepen a little. He picked up a piece of fruit and put it in his mouth as if nothing had happened.
'Heh, how interesting.'