Inside the Hokage's office, the air was heavy with suffocation.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at his old friend with a coldness that was unprecedented, his eyes brimming with killing intent. He was furious. This time, the murderous impulse rolling off him was even more intense than when Danzō had once attempted to assassinate him; it practically spilled out of his gaze, filling the room with a deadly silence.
"Who gave you permission to act on your own? Tell me, exactly who is the Hokage here?" Hiruzen's voice was low, dangerous. "The Uchiha clan harbors treasonous intent. Even if they are pacified once, they will inevitably repeat their mistakes. I intended to solve this problem once and for all, and yet..."
Danzō's expression remained stern, his conviction unshaken. "A technique like Kotoamatsukami belongs in our hands, not theirs."
"And did you succeed?" Hiruzen asked, his gaze ferocious. "I told you before to let Shisui attempt his plan. Regardless of success or failure, Shisui would have been of use to me. But you... short-sighted, foolish, and arrogant! You sacrificed a genius who could have aided the village for the sake of a single eye. Are you satisfied with this result?"
He glared at his old friend, his eyes filled with a mixture of rage and profound disappointment.
Danzō remained silent for a moment before finally speaking. "Uchiha Shisui is one of them. He would never truly help us."
"Do not use the word 'us'!"
Hiruzen slammed his fist onto the desk, the wood groaning under the impact with a loud thud.
"Shisui understood the chain of command; he sought my approval before acting. You, however, acted without my consent, putting your own desires above mine and the village's interests!"
"So? Are you going to kill me?"
In the next moment, Danzō's tone softened slightly, carrying a hint of submission. "Hiruzen, what's done is done. The priority now isn't assigning blame. It is identifying the person who rescued Shisui, and deciding how to handle the aftermath."
"What arrangements have you made?" Hiruzen took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Regret was useless now. If he were to be honest, he shared the blame—he never should have expected Danzō to be helpful in the first place.
Hiruzen's gaze turned icy again. "What kind of technique did this intruder use?"
"I couldn't tell. It looked like the Hydrification Technique, but I cannot rule out Water Style or a Transformation Jutsu disguise," Danzō replied, brow furrowed. "I simply do not believe the Hōzuki clan could infiltrate this deep into the village."
"Whoever it was, to save someone right under your nose implies their strength is not to be underestimated." Hiruzen relit his pipe, the smoke obscuring the expression in his eyes. "Strengthen the border patrols. Send your Root agents out as well; investigate the movements of Kirigakure."
He paused, his voice dropping an octave. "I will handle the mess with the Uchiha. Do not interfere this time."
Neither man mentioned what should be done with Shisui. Some things did not need to be said aloud.
At the usual meeting place by the Naka River, Itachi was still waiting.
Throughout the day, a sense of unease had gnawed at him. A patrol around the village had confirmed his suspicions: the Anbu were unusually active, while Danzō's subordinates had all but vanished.
Eventually, the realization struck him—something had happened to Shisui.
But surely, he isn't dead.
Itachi sat by the riverbank, waiting in silence. The sun dipped below the horizon, plunging the world into darkness, yet Uchiha Shisui did not appear.
He will be fine. He has to be.
Itachi tried to convince himself, forcing down the rising panic. But not long after, the silence was broken not by a friend, but by the cawing of a murder of crows.
Sensing something wrong, Itachi immediately used the Body Flicker Technique, rushing toward the disturbance. Moments later, in the center of the circling crows, he found a corpse lodged against a submerged rock in the river.
The body was scorched, burnt beyond recognition. It was a broken, gruesome sight. The eye sockets were hollow gouges—the eyes were gone. The charred remains of the flak jacket were barely identifiable.
But then, he saw it.
A familiar object, strung on a necklace and hanging from the corpse's neck. It was a miniature shuriken.
Itachi's mind flashed back to the past.
"Thanks for the gift. When your next birthday comes around, I'll get you something good, too."
Now, the metal was blackened by fire, covered in soot and ash. But beneath the grime, the engraving was faintly visible.
Shisui.
Shisui had come to keep his appointment.
Only, he had not arrived with his usual confident smile or high spirits. Instead, he had come in this tragic, silent state to tell Itachi what he had endured.
The sight of those hollow eye sockets caused Itachi's heart to hammer violently against his ribs. He clutched his chest, a sharp, piercing pain stabbing through his own eyes. A torrent of chaotic emotions—grief, rage, despair—flooded his mind like a bursting dam.
One hand gripping the pendant, the other covering his face, tears streamed through Itachi's fingers.
"Ahhhhhhh!!!"
A guttural roar tore from his throat. The crows, startled by the outburst, took flight but did not leave; they circled the corpse, mourning the death of their master alongside him.
Itachi lowered his hands. In his eyes, the three tomoe spun wildly, faster and faster, until they merged into a distinct, pinwheel-like pattern.
The Mangekyō Sharingan had bloomed in the depths of despair.
In the outskirts of the village, having returned to his scheduled training route, Yagyu Masahiko received the feedback from his Shadow Clone and let out a soft sigh.
He had gone to great lengths to procure that relatively fresh corpse. He had even offered an extra tribute to the deceased, hoping the poor soul would forgive him for borrowing the body without permission.
Whether Itachi would awaken his eyes or not, Masahiko couldn't be certain. But... this was the optimal way to handle the situation.
Masahiko sighed again. "I really am a villain, aren't I?"
Just then, a notification chime rang in his ears.
[Naruto: The Prequel — Episode 8 Filming Complete!]
[Editing in progress...]
[Production Successful!]
[Total Screen Time: 7 minutes 53 seconds.]
[Scene Presence: 35.8%]
[Notification: ...]
Masahiko wasn't surprised.
regarding the "Death of Shisui" scene, although he had orchestrated much of it from behind the scenes, it was unlikely his actions would be fully edited into the final cut broadcast to the Real World. At most, he would appear as a shadowy silhouette—the hallmark of a true mastermind.
The majority of his screen time likely came from his dialogue with Shisui, while the rest would be scattered shots.
However, he could say with certainty that this episode's popularity would skyrocket.
'I just wonder if the conversation with Shisui will be kept in its entirety...'
If his lines about Naruto's lineage were included, the Kishimoto of the parallel world might have a headache.
'But...' Masahiko smirked. 'What does that have to do with me?'
He dusted off his sleeves and resumed his run.
Thinking it over, he dismissed the concern. Collaborating with Shisui was undoubtedly the most beneficial move for his current interests. A crippled, betrayed Shisui who had been pushed to the brink of despair... once Masahiko leveraged his information advantage, recruiting him wouldn't be difficult.
And facts had proven him right.
Shisui had agreed to cooperate. Furthermore, he had vaguely hinted at the existence of Obito. Even if Obito approached Shisui later, with Shisui's intellect, he would eventually connect the masked man to the Nine-Tails Incident after enough contact.
So...
As long as Masahiko's true identity wasn't compromised, Shisui's only path to defeating Danzō and protecting the Uchiha lay with him.
Of course, the current Masahiko had no actual plan to save the Uchiha clan. He was purely playing it by ear.
'How can I participate in the Uchiha turmoil without exposing myself?'
Masahiko pondered for a moment, and an idea formed.
He needed to establish a completely different combat style—one distinct from "Yagyu Masahiko"—so that no one could link his future actions to his current persona.
Additionally, his current Water Style abilities must not be exposed directly. They had to be "improved" and revealed slowly over time.
Especially the chakra compression techniques and the Water Surfing Strike.
These two skills... could not be used publicly for the time being.