Shisui stood rooted to the spot, the skin around his empty right eye socket itching slightly—his emotions were incredibly complex as he gazed at the Mangekyo Sharingan in Menma's sleeve, sensing a familiar ocular power emanating from it.
So that's it... this ability doesn't just heal; it completely 'restores' things to their original state...
Which means, Menma... he ultimately obtained 'Kotoamatsukami'?
Shisui subconsciously touched his empty right eye socket. Even with the Mangekyo so close, he had no intention of reaching for it.
"I apologize," Menma's voice suddenly came, with a rare hint of comfort, "I can't return this to you just yet."
"But I promise, I won't abuse this power."
Shisui could only offer a bitter smile and nod. Even if he was extremely unwilling in his heart, he was powerless to stop Menma at this moment—this man had just saved the entire Uchiha Clan, and he didn't even have the standing to resist.
I hope this time... my judgment isn't wrong.
On the other side, Danzo's eyes gleamed with a sinister light. His voice was hoarse. "[Ash]... Why? You should have no reason to attack this old man."
Inside the purple barrier, Menma's voice pierced the dead silence like an icicle. "Itachi was merely a tool in your hands..."
He slowly raised his hand, pointing at Danzo's empty, bleeding eye socket.
"The one who truly stained the Uchiha red—"
The moonlight was suddenly obscured by dark clouds, and Menma's fox mask glowed coldly in the shadows. "It was your hand, Danzo. Did you think I would allow the sin of 'clan extermination'...
"To be buried in darkness like that?"
Danzo's hunched body suddenly straightened. "Absurd! It's a fact that the Uchiha plotted a coup! Everything this old man did was for the peace of Konoha!"
"This was necessary—"
"Don't make me laugh."
Menma interrupted abruptly, his cold laughter like a bucket of ice water poured over him. He took a step forward. "A large-scale massacre in the name of 'protection'... is itself the greatest betrayal of peace."
The barrier suddenly contracted, and the oppressive feeling intensified. Menma's figure cast a long shadow under the moonlight. "You say 'helpless,' but why did you take Shisui's Kotoamatsukami beforehand?"
"And why did you rummage through the Sharingan like a hyena after the Uchiha Clan's extermination?"
"Don't be delusional. In front of me, you don't even have the right to repent."
Danzo stared intently at Menma, who was poised to strike. He never imagined that such an internal struggle within Konoha would draw out this bringer of disaster.
This madman...
Memories flashed back to that day a few years ago: the Kumogakure envoy group was wiped out, the Fourth Raikage was severely wounded to the brink of death, yet Menma, who caused it all, didn't even get a speck of dust on his clothes. That kind of power, capable of causing natural disasters with a mere gesture, tormented Danzo for countless nights in his jealousy.
Why...
Why could an unknown bastard possess such power? Why could he, as the Second Hokage's disciple, dedicate his life to Konoha, yet be forever unable to reach the peak due to the shackles of his bloodline?
Sharingan...
It was this jealousy that made him pin his ambition on the Uchiha's ocular jutsu. Spreading rumors of 'Sharingan controlling the Nine-Tails,' inciting the ambitions of the Uchiha hawks—if the plan succeeded, he could both eliminate the Uchiha and bring the Nine-Tails under his control under the guise of 'risk management'...
"Clatter."
The crisp sound of metal hitting the ground broke the silence. Danzo slowly removed the weights from his body, his aged muscles tensing in the moonlight. Since negotiations had broken down, there was only one option left—fortunately, he still had the trump card left from the Third Ninja World War...
At this moment, Menma ordered Shisui without turning his head. "You don't need to act. Just observe until the battle is over."
The masked Shisui was visibly startled. After a moment of silence, he silently formed hand signs, and the air current from his Body Flicker Technique stirred a few fallen leaves as his figure retreated to the treetops at the edge of the battlefield.
"Rip—"
The sound of tearing bandages was particularly jarring within the silent barrier. Danzo slowly unwrapped the sealed bandage from his arm, revealing a pale, almost inhuman arm. Even more chilling was that—several crimson Sharingan were embedded in the arm!
Each eyeball was as fresh as new, its tomoe slowly rotating in the moonlight.
"Sharingan, huh? It seems the Uchiha Clan members rescued by the Root organization on the battlefield all 'unfortunately sacrificed' themselves?"
Shisui's breathing instantly hitched.
Those were... His Sharingan unconsciously spun, clearly seeing the familiar Chakra fluctuations in those eyeballs—all from Uchiha Clan members' eyes! Menma's words from earlier suddenly exploded in his mind.
"All 'unfortunately sacrificed' themselves?"
Danzo's face was ashen. Menma's reaction sent a chill down his spine—no shock, no questioning, only cold mockery, as if he had already foreseen everything. This feeling of being completely seen through made Danzo very uneasy.
"Hmph..."
The old man glanced at his deformed arm, each Sharingan reflecting his twisted face.
Shisui's fists clenched, making a cracking sound. He vaguely understood the origin of these eyes—those Uchiha compatriots who had 'disappeared' during the Third Ninja World War, those clan members registered as 'killed in action but with no body found'...
They had all been...
"First, let's see how fast he really is..."
Danzo's fingers began to form hand signs. Wind Release Chakra compressed into a sharp current in his mouth—
"Wind Release: Vacuum—"
"Roar—!!"
A deafening beast's roar suddenly erupted from behind him. Danzo didn't even have time to turn around before he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. His Ninjutsu was forcibly interrupted as a giant white tiger had appeared behind him at some point, its basin-sized claws, carrying a foul wind, slammed down hard!
"Bang!!"
A dull thud sounded. Danzo turned at the last second, his arm bracing against the attack. The ground cracked under the impact, and Danzo's body erupted with incredible strength, delivering a backhand elbow strike to the white tiger's jaw.
"Crack!"
The strength of a Kage-level expert was fully displayed; the several-ton white tiger staggered backward from the blow.
But the moment of respite was fleeting.
"Hiss—"
A golden snake shot out like lightning, its thick body instantly coiling around Danzo. A teeth-grinding friction sound emanated as it tightened its grip, pinning his arms tightly to his sides.
"Lord Danzo!"
Just as two Root ninja attempted to advance, the Heavenly Maiden's long bandages swept across. With two crisp "thwacks," the ninja with shattered ribcages flew backward like rag dolls, crashing heavily into trees and sliding down.
"Ugh..."
Danzo's veins bulged on his forehead. With a "creak," he actually used brute force to create a slight gap! But just as he was about to break free—
"Boom!!!"
The Azure Dragon's massive body descended from the sky. The ground collapsed in the shockwave, Danzo's body twisted into a grotesque angle beneath the dragon's belly, blood spewed from his seven orifices, and in an instant, he lost his breath.
However, in the next second, the corpse dissipated like an illusion.
"Izanagi, huh..."
Menma watched coldly as the perfectly unharmed Danzo emerged from the void, his gaze falling on that arm—one Sharingan had permanently lost its luster.
"Using a Sharingan as a substitute... You truly are wasteful, you bastard."