Chương 220: Shisui Awakens Mangekyo

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the leaves in specks of light and shadow.

An ANBU member with an animal mask silently entered the Uchiha Clan residence. He moved through the streets like a ghost, finally stopping in front of a secluded hut.

After gently knocking on the door, a soft voice came from inside: "What is it?"

The door opened, and Shisui stepped out.

The ANBU member said, "Shisui, the Hokage has summoned you. Please proceed to the Hokage building immediately."

Hearing the news, Shisui was slightly surprised but quickly regained his composure.

He nodded in agreement, though he couldn't help but think, 'Is this because of last night's events? If that's the case, Itachi shouldn't be involved. It seems I must go alone.'

With this in mind, his figure flashed and vanished like a gust of wind, leaving the ANBU member staring at the empty door, shocked and silently admiring Shisui's incredible speed.

Shortly after, Shisui arrived in front of the Hokage's office. He took a deep breath, raised his hand, knocked twice, and said loudly, "Hokage-sama, I am Uchiha Shisui."

"Enter." Hiruzen's calm voice echoed from inside the room.

Opening the door, Shisui walked into the room with a steady stride.

Hiruzen was seated at his desk, flipping through a pile of documents. He glanced up at Shisui, a hint of concern barely visible in his eyes.

"Hokage-sama, what are your orders?" Shisui asked respectfully.

"I've heard about what happened last night. You and Itachi saved the ANBU from Root's hands and preserved the intelligence on the rogue ninja. You did well." Hiruzen smiled approvingly.

He first praised him, but then his expression turned serious, and he got down to business: "Although Root's actions were somewhat excessive, the matter of the rogue ninja is indeed very serious and must be handled properly."

Hearing this, Shisui's face grew serious. He understood the importance and danger of the task. However, as a loyal ninja of Konoha, he accepted Hiruzen's assignment without hesitation.

"Shisui, since you're strong and trustworthy, I've decided to entrust this matter to you." Hiruzen said sincerely, his eyes revealing his hope and trust in Shisui.

Shisui's heart swelled with warmth. He knew this was Hiruzen's recognition of his abilities. He immediately knelt on one knee, placed his right hand over his chest, and answered firmly, "Don't worry, Hokage-sama. I will do my utmost to complete the mission and meet your expectations."

"I will have three ANBU accompany you, and you will lead them to eliminate the rogue ninja."

As Hiruzen spoke, he handed over a scroll containing detailed information about the rogue ninja to Shisui. Before he had finished speaking, three black-clad figures appeared like phantoms, standing silently beside Shisui.

Upon closer inspection, it was clear that these three were elite ANBU members, one of whom was the ANBU ninja pursued by the Root organization last night.

At this moment, although Shisui's heart was filled with many unanswered questions, his dissatisfaction with Root's arrogance and the internal discord among Konoha's higher-ups remained unresolved.

Yet, in the face of the orders given by the respected Hokage before him, he had no choice but to firmly accept the mission.

Shisui then led the three ANBU and turned to leave.

Watching their retreating figures, a slight look of relief appeared on Hiruzen's face as he murmured softly to himself, "Shisui is still a good and honest child after all. The Will of Fire burning in his heart has never been extinguished, and he is truly worthy of being Kagami's descendant."

❀❀❀

Shisui and the three ANBU members sped along like the wind, with their target being the rogue ninja.

According to reliable information, the traitor had fled to the northwest, carrying important intelligence on Konoha, and was seeking refuge in Iwagakure.

Fortunately, the intel accurately indicated the traitor's escape route. Thus, Shisui led the three ANBU without hesitation, pressing on tirelessly, day and night, in their frantic pursuit.

Finally, near the border, they picked up signs of the rogue ninja.

Both Shisui and the three ANBU members were experts in tracking and finding clues.

With sharp insight and professional skills, they easily detected various traces left behind by the rogue ninja. These subtle hints served as powerful guides, leading them ever closer to their target.

The four of them paused for a moment, gazing at the flickering campfire that had appeared in the forest ahead, and the several scattered scrolls of intelligence, seemingly discarded carelessly, brought doubt to their faces.

Shisui exchanged glances with the three ANBU beside him, and one of them suspiciously asked, "What's really going on?"

He thought for a moment, then analyzed after concentrating for a while: "Perhaps this is the traitor's plan to lure us away and confuse us. Stay here and sort out this information, while I continue the pursuit."

With that, he dashed forward like an arrow from a bowstring.

The three ANBU nodded, agreeing with Shisui's decision. So, they followed the instructions to stay put and began carefully collecting and organizing the scattered scrolls on the ground.

Meanwhile, Shisui, alone, followed the clues and chased after the traitor. In no time, he spotted the rogue ninja fleeing in a panic not far ahead.

The traitor, terrified upon realizing he had been exposed, desperately sped up and ran, but ultimately, he couldn't outrun the lightning-fast pursuit of Shisui.

Shisui leaped gracefully like a bird, holding a sharp kunai in his hand. He swooped down from the high branches like a fierce eagle.

In the blink of an eye, he landed and launched a lightning-fast attack, striking the rogue ninja squarely on the back. The immense force instantly caused the rogue ninja to lose his balance and fall to the ground in disgrace.

Immediately after, Shisui swiftly crouched down and pressed the short blade tightly against the traitor's throat. His eyes revealed an unprecedented coldness and determination.

"Speak! Why did you betray Konoha?" Shisui's deep voice resounded, with undisguised anger and questioning. The usually gentle and kind man now showed a rare glimpse of his fierceness, as if he had become a different person.

Faced with such a fierce onslaught, the rogue ninja was clearly panic-stricken, saying, "How... How could... I clearly left the campfire as a signal..."

"Hmph! Did you think you could deceive me with such crude and childish tactics?" Shisui coldly snorted, and the blade in his hand inched closer to the traitor's throat, making it clear that with the slightest movement, he would cut the other's neck without hesitation.

The rogue ninja gritted his teeth and said, "Damn it! Didn't Root say they'd help me deal with the pursuers?"

"What?!"

Shisui was stunned, a bad premonition surged in his heart, and he immediately grasped the gravity of the situation. This crisis was not about him personally, but about the three ANBU he had left behind!

Time was running out, and there was no room for even a moment's delay. Faced with the stubborn and uncooperative traitor before him, Shisui knew there was no point in continuing the interrogation.

So, he quickly made a decision and swung the hilt of his knife, striking the vital point of his opponent with precision, causing him to faint instantly. He then skillfully bound the traitor tightly with rope to ensure he couldn't escape or resist.

After finishing this, Shisui dared not hesitate for a second, and he dashed back toward the origin like a bolt of lightning.

His journey was so fast, and he was filled with extreme anxiety, thinking about the safety of the three ANBU.

At this moment, they were likely facing great danger, and he had to return to provide support as quickly as possible, or the consequences would be disastrous.

Initially, he had thought that the flickering campfire was just a ruse set up by the enemy, but the truth was far from that simple. It was more like a code or signal, intended to draw the Root members in for action.

However, confronted with everything that had transpired, Shisui was filled with doubt and confusion. With Root's status and power, how could they be linked to an ordinary rogue ninja? The situation was truly bizarre. The connection between Root and this traitor implied that their earlier pursuit of the ANBU members with vital intelligence was not about eliminating the traitor.

To protect the traitor, would they really go this far? Not only that, Root didn't hesitate to attack ninja from the same village!

This truly left Shisui feeling extraordinary and hard to comprehend.

He was so anxious that he hurried back as fast as he could, but in the end, he was still a step too late.

When he arrived at the scene in a hurry, the sight before him broke his heart. The three ANBU members were already lying on the ground, fallen into pools of blood.

What was even more shocking was that, at this moment, six Root ninja stood there firmly, holding sharp blades in their hands. The blades were stained with the blood of ninja from the same village, which was utterly shocking.

"Yo?" One of the ninjas from the Root Organization noticed Shisui's arrival, and slightly raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a teasing smile. "I thought you had disappeared without a trace, but I didn't expect you to actually come here on your own..."

"Why?" Shisui murmured in a low voice, as if this question had troubled him for a long time.

His eyes were somewhat dull, as though he was lost in his thoughts and couldn't break free.

"What? Your voice is too soft, no one can hear you! Hahahahahaha!"

The ninja from the Root Organization, unaware of the crisis ahead, laughed even louder.

However, this time, Shisui didn't remain silent.

"Why! Why are you attacking ninjas from the same village?! Aren't we supposed to be comrades, trusting and supporting each other?!"

He suddenly raised his head, his eyes gleaming with anger and pain.

At the same time, powerful chakra surged from his body, and the air around him seemed to tear apart.

What was even more shocking was that, at this moment, the ordinary eyes on Shisui's face transformed into a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan with a mysterious and terrifying four-cornered Tomoe pattern!

These eyes were filled with endless power and killing intent, striking fear into anyone who saw them.

"What?!"

With a cry of shock, the ninjas of the Root Organization finally felt an unprecedented fear.

Shisui already possessed immense strength at the Jonin level. Because of this, the Root Organization had specifically sent six full-fledged ninjas to hunt him down.

But no one expected that Shisui would activate the Mangekyo Sharingan at this moment, and his strength would immediately soar to a terrifying level far beyond what the Root ninjas could handle.

"If there's anything you want to say, let's talk... We were just following orders..."

At that moment, the Root ninjas finally woke up from their delusion and tried to surrender and plead for mercy.

However, it was already too late. Shisui, who usually remained calm even in the face of the greatest crises, was now overwhelmed by endless negative emotions, and his mind was in turmoil.

And the strange Mangekyo Sharingan continued to release a powerful, evil force, further eroding his once-clear thoughts.

"Suffer death!"

With a furious shout, Shisui suddenly drew a short sword from his waist, his eyes glowing with a heart-pounding light – the Mangekyo Sharingan! In an instant, his aura became razor-sharp, as if he had merged with the world around him.

At this moment, his power had increased compared to before. Every movement was filled with strength and speed, making it impossible to track his figure. He moved like lightning, and the dagger in his hand became a deadly, cold light that mercilessly took the lives of his enemies.

Everyone in the Root Organization was horrified. They had never expected Shisui to be this powerful. But, faced with this terrifying killing machine, they had no strength to resist and could only watch as their comrades fell one by one. Blood dyed the ground red, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of blood.

The massacre continued, and Shisui's eyes grew colder and more merciless. He knew that these people had no loyalty to the village, so they didn't deserve to be considered comrades.

If these enemies couldn't be completely wiped out from this world, then Shisui wouldn't be able to explain it to the fallen ANBU ninjas!

After all, it was because of the existence of these hateful people that so many brave and fearless ANBU ninjas lost their precious lives!

Thinking of this, the anger in Shisui's heart grew even stronger. He tightly gripped the short sword that gleamed with a cold light in his hand, his eyes filled with determination and resolve.

With a sudden swing of his arm, the short sword cut through the void like lightning, bringing with it a series of sharp wind sounds, slashing directly towards the enemy rushing forward!

There was no mercy or hesitation in this strike, only endless killing intent and rage!

Shisui poured all his strength into this sword, integrating all his emotions into it, striving to end the tragic battle before him in the most brutal way possible.