Uchiha Kaede quietly lay in wait beneath the waterfall. The surrounding water vapor, diffused by the force of the cascade, dampened the vegetation around his hiding spot.
This waterfall was a place Shisui often visited. Aside from cultivation, Uchiha Kaede had spent these past few days keeping track of Shisui's movements.
In the original work, Shisui committed suicide by throwing himself into a river. If he remembered correctly, that river should be the Naka River, located near the Uchiha settlement.
At the same time, Uchiha Kaede sensed that the resentment within the clan was growing stronger. A few days ago, he had learned that Shisui's teammates had died during a mission.
Kaede keenly realized that Shisui had already awakened his Mangekyo, meaning the incident where Danzo stole his eye was about to occur, and Shisui's death might happen within the next few days. Therefore, for several days straight, he had used the Shadow Clone and Transformation Technique to conceal his tracks and hide beneath this waterfall.
His gaze was fixed intently on the edge of the cliff above. Amidst the roaring sound of the waterfall, he patiently waited for Uchiha Shisui to appear. For him, this was a critical opportunity to gain great power—one he absolutely could not miss.
The moonlight was dim, casting the figures of Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi onto the cliff face.
Shisui's face was as pale as paper, yet it held a look of determination, while Itachi was filled with shock and grief.
Shisui slowly began to speak. Uchiha Kaede couldn't clearly see his mouth movements, but he guessed Shisui was recounting the cruel truth to Itachi: that one of his eyes had been stolen by Danzo.
Upon hearing this, Itachi's body trembled violently. His eyes widened, filled with disbelief and rage.
His lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but the sudden terrible news rendered him speechless.
Shisui, however, seemed to have accepted his tragic fate. He slowly raised his hand, and under Itachi's heartbroken gaze, he resolutely gouged out his remaining Mangekyo Sharingan, which contained immense power.
Blood streamed down his cheek, yet Shisui seemed oblivious, merely handing the still-warm Mangekyo Sharingan to Itachi.
Itachi tremblingly accepted it. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall. He opened his mouth, ultimately letting out only a low moan filled with sorrow.
After completing this act, Shisui seemed to have exhausted all his strength, walking with heavy steps toward the edge of the cliff.
Every step seemed to carry endless reluctance and resolve, his figure appearing particularly desolate under the dim moonlight.
Uchiha Kaede watched all of this from the far shadows. Although his heart was stirred, he felt no guilt.
In this cruel Ninja World, power and survival were paramount; he was simply seizing every opportunity to make himself stronger.
Just as Shisui reached the edge of the cliff and his body swayed precariously, he finally lost his balance and plummeted straight down toward the bottom of the waterfall.
Uchiha Itachi watched helplessly as Shisui fell, letting out a gut-wrenching cry: "Shisui!"
The sorrow and despair contained in that voice echoed throughout the silent night sky.
Under this extreme grief, Itachi's eyes suddenly transformed. His ordinary Sharingan instantly evolved into the Mangekyo form.
The unique and mysterious pattern spun rapidly in his eyes, emitting an aura that was both powerful and sorrowful.
Uchiha Kaede, hidden in the shadows, took in the entire scene.
After Shisui's body heavily struck the ground below the waterfall, Uchiha Kaede waited for a moment, listening intently to the surrounding movements. Only after confirming there were no other sounds of people did he quickly emerge from his hiding spot.
He quickly walked over to Shisui's corpse, first glancing vigilantly around to ensure there were no potential threats.
Then, he crouched down, looking at Shisui's lifeless face. Although a hint of regret arose in his heart, it was overshadowed by the anticipation of gaining great power.
Kaede placed his hand on Shisui's bleeding eye socket and activated his Absorption Ability. All the blood in Shisui's body was drawn in, flowing into Kaede's body.
As the power within the blood was continuously absorbed, Uchiha Kaede felt a surge of turbulent energy welling up inside him.
Not just the blood, but also the remaining Chakra in the body was drawn in.
Shisui's power was extremely immense. It not only caused Kaede's Chakra reserves to skyrocket again but also gave him new insights into the understanding and application of the Sharingan.
His eyes stung slightly, as if something was about to break through its cocoon.
After a moment, his Sharingan activated. His original Single Tomoe instantly evolved into a Double Tomoe, and he could feel that the abilities of this Double Tomoe Sharingan were much stronger than those of an ordinary Double Tomoe Sharingan.
After absorbing Shisui's power, Uchiha Kaede stood up. After carefully looking around again and confirming that no suspicious traces that might expose him were left behind, he used an Earth Release technique to bury Shisui's withered corpse in the ground before hurriedly leaving the waterfall.
On the way back, Uchiha Kaede's mood was relatively calm. He knew that starting today, the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha Village would likely escalate further.
After returning to the clan compound, Kaede tried his best to avoid attracting attention.
He returned home, closed the door, and sat down at the table, beginning to carefully study the new power he had acquired.
He discovered that, in addition to significant improvements in Genjutsu and insight, this Double Tomoe Sharingan also possessed a new ability: it could briefly disrupt an enemy's Chakra flow. Moreover, when casting Genjutsu, it could penetrate deeper into the enemy's spiritual world, making the Genjutsu more lasting and difficult to break free from.
Late at night, Konoha Village was silent, broken only by the occasional chirping of insects.
Uchiha Kaede stood in his backyard. Then, he activated his Double Tomoe Sharingan, concentrated his mind, and prepared to test his new ability.
He picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it toward a dilapidated wooden stake nearby.
While the stone was in flight, he activated the Sharingan's new ability, attempting to disrupt the Chakra flow around the stake.
The Chakra, which had been flowing smoothly, instantly became chaotic under his influence, and strange fluctuations appeared around the wooden stake.
Uchiha Kaede was delighted, knowing that his new ability was indeed effective.
But just as he was about to test it further, he suddenly heard a slight movement coming from the other side of the yard.
His heart jumped. He immediately deactivated all his Ninjutsu and abilities, then quickly suppressed his power.
A figure slowly walked over. Under the faint moonlight, Uchiha Kaede clearly saw who it was: Uchiha Gō, his father.
"Kaede, what are you doing out here so late?" Uchiha Gō asked with a serious expression.
Uchiha Kaede shook his head and replied calmly, "Father, I've hit a bottleneck in my recent cultivation, and I feel troubled, so I wanted to be alone for a bit and think about my training issues."
Uchiha Gō glanced at him but didn't press further. He simply nodded, "Go to bed early. You can think about cultivation tomorrow."
Uchiha Kaede nodded and said, "I understand, Father."
Uchiha Gō looked at him once more, then turned and returned to the house. Uchiha Kaede watched his father's retreating figure and breathed a sigh of relief.
He quietly sensed his body again. A portion of the power had not been fully digested yet. As expected of Shisui, the energy was immense.
Not only that, but he also received a considerable portion of Shisui's memories and experience.
For example, the Body Flicker Technique. Shisui's Body Flicker Technique was famous throughout the Ninja World, earning him the title Shisui the Teleporter.
A few more days passed. Kaede was still digesting Shisui's power while relaxing at home.
However, people from the clan arrived. They first asked his parents about the situation at home, and then asked if he had gone anywhere recently.
Uchiha Kaede felt suspicious. Had Shisui's matter been discovered?
Impossible. He had already returned the remaining corpse to its original location. Even Kabuto, the expert corpse excavator in the original work, couldn't find it