Time turned back slightly.
After seeing that Kushina Uzumaki's condition had stabilized and that she had been sent away by Minato Namikaze using the Flying Thunder God Technique, Shisui Uchiha, who had barely made it in time by practically squeezing dry all of his chakra, finally let out a breath of relief.
Then, while the Konoha Anbu guarding this place were regrouping, he once again exchanged identities with the Anbu he had controlled using genjutsu.
Watching the Anbu under his control blend into the group without showing any abnormality and quickly race toward Konoha Village, Shisui Uchiha sat down beneath the large tree where he was hiding and began panting in exhaustion.
The series of shocking changes that had happened today had truly exceeded his understanding and expectations of Root.
Whether it was the sudden appearance of four Jinchuriki or Obito Uchiha's declaration before leaving—that he would split the world in two—both surpassed Shisui's understanding and predictions regarding the current era in various ways.
During the days when he followed Rei Kaguya in pushing forward Kirigakure's reforms, he had once asked Rei Kaguya a question.
If, in the future, a nation realized Kirigakure was carrying out a silent invasion, would Kirigakure's related strategies be affected?
And would the situation in the shinobi world undergo some enormous change as a result?
Rei Kaguya's answer at the time had sounded very optimistic.
"Cultural invasion is not something you can definitely guard against just because you realize it exists. To defend against this kind of ideological invasion, not only must everyone from top to bottom possess firm conviction, but the nation itself must also possess a foundation capable of resisting it, as well as the system and execution ability needed to turn that foundation into reality."
"And even if the higher-ups of the major hidden villages realize the harm caused by this silent infiltration and make corresponding countermeasures and defenses, it will still be very difficult for them to control the daimyo of each nation and the ordinary citizens of their own countries. As long as they cannot cut off those two channels, our ideas and ideology, as well as the advantages shown by our system after reform compared to the major hidden villages, will always have opportunities to be displayed before the shinobi of every nation."
"And once someone sees these advantages, there will inevitably be people who hope to absorb and learn from them, pushing their own hidden villages toward a better direction. These people will naturally become flaws that shake the internal defenses of other villages. The struggle between them and their village's higher-ups and vested interests will also help us spread our thoughts in a disguised form."
"So I am not worried about anyone realizing what I and Kirigakure intend to do. Rather, I am quite looking forward to their internal clashes forcing some thoughtful and driven young people over to our side."
"As for whether the situation in the shinobi world will affect the implementation of Kirigakure's policies… Heh. Unless the four great nations of Wind, Fire, Earth, and Lightning can cast aside their past grudges, advance hand in hand, and directly form an unbreakable anti-Mist alliance to confront Kirigakure head-on, I do not see any possibility of Kirigakure completely changing its route."
Remembering Rei Kaguya's confident expression at that time, Shisui Uchiha sighed and murmured with some melancholy.
"Fourth… At that time, you probably did not expect the situation in the shinobi world to suddenly become this intense and sharp either, did you?"
Just as Shisui Uchiha sighed like this, he vaguely sensed a faint message from Ryuchi Cave.
As he stood up in confusion, preparing to force out a little more chakra to use the Summoning Technique, a huge cloud of white smoke exploded without warning before his eyes.
At the same time, a huge crimson figure appeared beneath the moonlight from within the smoke.
"Garaga?"
Looking at the enormous summoning snake before him, Shisui Uchiha could not help showing a stunned expression.
Although he had signed a summoning contract with this giant snake, which could be considered one of the top combat forces in Ryuchi Cave, through Rei Kaguya's relationship, the relationship between the two sides was far from the level where it could be summoned whenever called.
Usually, only when Garaga was in a good mood did Shisui Uchiha have any chance of successfully summoning it.
As for a situation like this, where the other party came through reverse summoning without being called by him, it had never happened even once before.
However, Garaga's contractor was not only himself…
"Fourth, is that you?"
In response to Shisui Uchiha's question, Rei Kaguya, wearing his blue-and-white haori, lightly descended from Garaga's raised head and landed in front of him.
Then, somewhat helplessly, he patted Shisui on the shoulder and shook his head with a sigh.
"As you said, I really did not expect the situation to become what it is now… As enemies, Iwagakure and Kumogakure are indeed decisive and troublesome. If I had not assigned you this mission, they might truly have found an opportunity to take Konoha in one pot, then coerce more than half the shinobi world's strength into contending against Kirigakure."
"…The ones who played the most critical role in making today's situation possible should be Obito Uchiha and the Root organization he leads, right?"
Perhaps because seeing Rei Kaguya's main body arrive made him feel that, no matter how out of control the situation became, someone would still be able to hold the bottom line, Shisui Uchiha's mood suddenly became less anxious.
He even developed a slight desire to use this opportunity to properly ask Rei Kaguya for more knowledge regarding international politics.
Facing his disciple's studious questioning, Rei Kaguya, who had switched to his Byakugan, could not help rolling his eyes and saying irritably, "No matter how much Root stirs things up, in essence, it is still only an underground organization hidden in the dark and carrying out terrorist activities. With their style of operation, under normal circumstances, they would have no channels to directly contact the higher-ups of Iwagakure and Kumogakure, much less their Kage.
"If not for the establishment of the joint investigation team and Akatsuki's declaration of transformation, which created an opportunity where Iwagakure and Kumogakure could not sit back and watch Kirigakure's influence expand, Root would absolutely not have been able to create such a massive situation. Before today's operation, Root was merely a blade temporarily chosen by Iwagakure and Kumogakure. It just so happened that this blade possessed intelligence that was very valuable to them."
"But?" Shisui Uchiha humbly pressed.
"Where do we have time for you to ask so many buts? Did going back to Konoha once make you fussy again, Shisui?"
Another spirited young voice came from above.
Shisui Uchiha raised his head and saw Mangetsu Hozuki carrying the twin blades Hiramekarei on his back. Together with two other figures wearing Kirigakure attire, he jumped down from Garaga's head.
Then he pointed at Shisui and said bluntly, "Right now, we need to turn your unauthorized action of supporting Konoha into a super S-rank commission that can be used to demand enough benefits from Konoha. If you delay the battle here by dragging the Fourth around and asking questions left and right, causing all the Konoha higher-ups capable of making decisions to be killed by Root, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure, will we not have come here for nothing?"
"We are also going to enter the battle openly?"
Shisui Uchiha froze for a moment.
He had never expected Kirigakure's side—and especially Rei Kaguya, who had formulated a reform plan based on developing steadily for more than ten years—to make such a decision.
"Will this not affect Kirigakure's later strategy?"
"It probably will not… And if we do not openly enter the battle, we will have no way to openly bleed Konoha dry while also receiving their entire village's gratitude and favors."
Kisame Hoshigaki, standing beside Mangetsu Hozuki, shrugged and grinned widely.
"This is a crucial step in turning Konoha from an opponent worthy of equal dialogue into a vassal one level beneath us."
"All right, enough. Go to the battlefields where your support is needed according to the previously assigned tasks. Time waits for no one. If Konoha is weakened too severely, they will not be able to shoulder the duty of confronting Iwagakure and Kumogakure head-on afterward."
The third figure first glared at Rei Kaguya's back with some resentment, then took down the huge scroll on her back and tossed it toward Shisui Uchiha.
"This is?"
Shisui Uchiha caught the scroll and looked in surprise at Mei Terumi, who was usually more responsible for administrative work, yet had now appeared here wearing a ninja uniform convenient for battle.
"A custom-made ninja blade for you. It uses ore nurtured by the volcanoes in the Land of Swamps. It was made into a tachi capable of amplifying Fire Release power, and its shape also fits your habits fairly well… The mission Aoba Minazuki carried out in the Land of Swamps back then was to escort this batch of ore back to the country. As the one who avenged him, accept it with a clear conscience."
Rei Kaguya casually said, "There are also a few backup secret medicine Biscuits inside the scroll. Shisui, recover your condition and decide for yourself how you want to enter the battlefield… Oh, right. The blade has not been named yet after it was forged. Since you are its first owner, you can take responsibility for naming it while you are at it. Mei and I will go find Konoha's Fourth Hokage first and legitimize and officialize today's action."
As his voice fell, Rei Kaguya wrapped his arm around Mei Terumi's waist. After briefly distinguishing the distant chakra fluctuations, he vanished with a Body Flicker.
Kisame Hoshigaki and Mangetsu Hozuki also split up, heading respectively toward the violently shaking ghostly blue barrier and the Konoha main village, where two enormous bursts of fireworks had just risen.
As for Shisui Uchiha, who remained in place, he slowly opened the scroll Mei Terumi had brought him with some surprise and unexpected emotion.
Then he drew out a tachi whose blade carried faint warmth, with dark red flame-like patterns visible along the edge.
With just a few casual swings, the blade of the tachi, forged from volcanic ore fused with a special alloy exported by Sunagakure, naturally carried several faint wisps of flame, revealing a completely different kind of sharpness and danger.
And when Shisui Uchiha took a bite of a Biscuit and injected the chakra he had just recovered into it, the dark red blade of the tachi burned with scarlet flames whose temperature was comparable to most Fire Release techniques he had mastered.
Furthermore, according to the will of the person injecting chakra, those flames could freely transform into all kinds of shapes around the blade.
"What an impressive ninja blade. As expected of Kirigakure, a village famous for emphasizing ninja blade inheritance… If I could have used this during my fight against Obito Uchiha, he would not have been able to avoid my counterattack so easily."
Shisui Uchiha briefly tested several kenjutsu forms he was used to with this dark red tachi.
The more he used it, the more he could feel the astonishing compatibility between the blade and himself, as well as the countless efforts poured into it by the craftsmen who had forged it without the user himself there as reference.
He took out the matching scabbard from the scroll, sheathed the tachi, and carried it on his back in the position most convenient for drawing.
Then Shisui Uchiha took a deep breath, pulled Kirigakure's forehead protector from his pocket, and put it on.
His gaze turned sharp.
He pushed off the ground and rushed straight toward Konoha with an unprecedentedly light mood.
"As for the blade's name, following the style of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Blades, it should be called Tachi: something-or-other… What should the specific name be? Hellfire? Flame Crow? Or… Remnant Flame?"
"Mm. Remnant Flame sounds pretty good. The blade itself retains the unique high temperature of volcanic ore, and as long as chakra is injected, the flame essence left inside the ore can be drawn out to create intense heat that prevents people from approaching… Good. Then it will be called Tachi: Remnant Flame."
"After that… Uh, Kisame went toward the barrier to help deal with Iwagakure and Kumogakure's Jinchuriki. With his and Samehada's ability to devour chakra, opponents like Jinchuriki, who rely on almost limitless chakra to fight, are actually comparatively easy for him to handle. The direction Mangetsu left in is Konoha Village. Looks like Fourth intends to let him make full use of the Water Transformation Healing Technique he is good at."
"What about me? What should I do? Continue protecting Kakashi Hatake and strictly guard against another attack from Obito Uchiha?"
"No. That is not right… As a Kirigakure shinobi, I should help the Konoha shinobi who are currently fighting and let them know that Kirigakure is not an ill-intentioned party coming to take advantage of the flames, but reinforcements who took the initiative to extend a hand to victims caught in the calamity of war!"
"But in that case, I need to speed up even more and reach the village before Mangetsu Hozuki… If I can make everyone in the village believe that Kirigakure suddenly became Konoha's reinforcements at this time partly because I helped mediate things, then the negative public opinion the Uchiha clan accumulated earlier should be slightly eased… Fourth should not mind me making a little compensation for the losses the Uchiha clan suffered because of me, right?"
After making that decision, Shisui Uchiha's Body Flicker grew even faster.
The "Shisui of the Body Flicker," once regarded by others as the future star of the Uchiha, rushed toward the crumbling Konoha Village at a speed like chasing stars and pursuing the moon.
Join my Patreon to read public release chapters and get 1 chapter ahead for free.
And Unlock 60 chapters ahead + daily advanced chapter updates with just $20 Premium Access membership.
Continue reading here
patreon.com/Inkveil_