Chapter 136: Shisui's Return
Shisui's identity is special in the Uchiha clan.
Whether he was the clan leader, or other elders, or jonin, they all tacitly agreed to Shisui's specialness.
He was allowed to join the Anbu because the Uchiha clan was excluded from the decision-making circle of Konoha's top leaders. A lot of intelligence information from the upper echelons was blocked for the Uchiha clan.
This behavior of staying away from the high-level decision-making circle made some far-sighted people in Uchiha worried. Therefore, they arranged for Uchiha Shisui to leave the family's guard system and join the Anbu to serve as the eyes of the family.
This is not a taboo, but a tacit understanding between the Konoha high-level officials and the ninja clan. The ninja clan supplies their own outstanding clan members to the high-level officials and let them work for the village. Similarly, if the intelligence obtained in this process involves their own family, they can reveal some information.
Both Sarutobi Hiruzen and the three elder advisors were aware of this and tacitly agreed to it. As long as it was not pointed out, it was permitted within the rules.
The reason for choosing Uchiha Shisui is also because his elder, Uchiha Kagami, is the son of a former partner of the Konoha high-level officials, so he will encounter fewer obstacles.
In fact, Shisui did successfully enter the Anbu. Although he failed to become a trusted Hokage bodyguard, he became a subordinate of Orochimaru.
Especially after the establishment of the Technology Development Department, the Uchiha clan, which was deeply bound to Orochimaru, even began to be grateful for the original decision.
"Quibbling! Hiruzen, summon Shisui back to face the Root's questioning." Danzo originally wanted to say interrogation, but after thinking about it, he decided to use the relatively milder term "questioning." Obviously, he took into account the dishonorable nature of this excuse and the factors on Orochimaru's side.
"Can the Root interrogate an Uchiha ninja at will? Shisui has not betrayed the village! Or, Elder Shimura, can you deprive a Konoha ninja of his identity on behalf of the Hokage?" Uchiha Fugaku's face darkened instantly, and his tone was filled with dissatisfaction.
"Shisui is on a mission outside the village. There is no need to call him back for this matter. It is normal and correct for ninjas to have their own secrets and hide their strength."
The Third Hokage finally spoke, and after scolding Danzo's suggestion, he made his attitude clear to Fugaku.
Any ninja village, once it involves the ninja clan's secret ninjutsu, even the Kage will not forcefully dig deeper without a good excuse.
Even though the Konoha Ninja Clan was no longer the pillar of the Ninja Village's power as it was when it was first established due to the continuous weakening by the Second Generation and him, it was still an indispensable and even important force.
Although there have been many outstanding ninjas among the civilian ninjas in recent years, and strong ninjas have appeared in the small ninja clans, the large ninja clans with heritage still have considerable reputation and voice in the village, and are filled with various system departments of the ninja village.
If possible, given Sarutobi Hiruzen's current style of doing things, he would certainly prefer stability, especially now that it is a time of war!
"Don't blame Danzo for being so sensitive. There is a reason for it." After scolding Danzo, he looked at Fugaku with an apologetic look on his face and explained gently.
"Is it related to the Uchiha?"
Although most Uchiha clans are impulsive, after all, as the clan leader for so many years, Uchiha Fugaku certainly could tell that the Third Hokage and the captain were playing a double act, with one playing the black cop and the other the white cop. He was also able to analyze and guess what Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo said.
"Uchiha Madara might still be alive!" Sarutobi Hiruzen took a puff of cigarette, his face showing fatigue. When he heard this news from Danzo, his heart almost jumped out of his chest.
Although there are rumors in the village that he is the strongest Hokage, his family knows their own business. It is said that with his extensive knowledge of ninjutsu, he can barely qualify, but compared with the first and second generations, he may not be worthy of the title of the strongest.
Especially the first Hokage who pacified the chaos in the ninja world and reformed the ninja from the ninja clan to the ninja village. He had seen the other party take action.
The strongest he shamelessly claims to be is only at the normal Hokage stage, while the first Hokage is known as the God of Ninja.
Uchiha Madara was a strong man who could be ranked on par with the first generation. Although he was the loser in the battle at the Valley of the End, even as a loser, he was able to suppress him as a Hokage in terms of strength.
Konoha's current situation is not good. The front line is beginning to be short of manpower. The reality has forced him to consider letting the students of Konoha Ninja School graduate early and then let them participate in the battlefield.
At this critical moment, if another Uchiha Madara came out to cause trouble, Sarutobi Hiruzen could feel despair even with his eyes closed about the future of Konoha.
"This is impossible! He's dead!" Uchiha Fugaku suddenly heard the name and news and subconsciously refuted.
Uchiha Madara died at the hands of the first Hokage, Senju Hashirama. This was news known to all the Konoha high-level officials and the ninja clan.
Now the Third Hokage says that Uchiha Madara is not dead, then wasn't the Second Hokage's examination of the corpse false?
The Second Hokage would show leniency to Uchiha Madara, but Uchiha Fugaku, who saw the historical records within the clan, did not believe it.
"We certainly don't want to believe that he is still alive! But now, there is a person, or a mysterious organization, who is secretly acting in the ninja world under his name.
The forbidden technique of Izanagi and the Mangekyō Sharingan that Shisui opened were all obtained from the members of that mysterious organization. According to Danzo's intelligence, the other party has a special interest in the Uchiha clan and a deep understanding of it.
Now, it is hard to say whether this organization's attitude towards Konoha is good or bad. But what is certain is that the other party must have a spy of high status inside Konoha who can access Konoha's secrets! This cannot be allowed!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was unwilling to believe that Uchiha Madara was still alive. But after waking up from panic and shock, he realized that even if Madara was still alive, he would be an old man who was in a shabby state and had little fighting power.
This speculation made him feel much more at ease.
"Are you suspecting that there are Uchiha members behind that organization?" Uchiha Fugaku understood Sarutobi Hiruzen's words a little.
"Maybe it was established by Uchiha?" Danzo snorted and looked at Uchiha Fugaku with cold eyes.
Uchiha Fugaku was silent for a moment. If we exclude the possibility that Uchiha Madara is still alive, then there are only a few people in the entire Uchiha who can access the forbidden technique of Izanagi.
"I understand what you mean. I will investigate immediately after I return to the family." Uchiha Fugaku took the initiative to speak.
"However, I hope to know more about this so-called mysterious organization and its members!"
"Find out what you can on your own and let the Root ninjas do it," Danzo seized the opportunity and applied.
This mission would undoubtedly allow him to get access to some of the secret records of the Uchiha clan! On the way back to the village, Danzo became very interested in the records and forbidden techniques of the Uchiha clan. He had already begun to plan what excuse or method he could use to get those things.
Sharingan, Mangekyō, Izanagi!
If you add Wood Release!
He should be able to give his declining strength and body, which was seriously injured in the Second Shinobi World War, a new life. "I believe in Fugaku! Let's focus on Uchiha first."
The Third Hokage did not agree to Danzo's request. But Uchiha Fugaku, who heard the hidden meaning in his words, was not very happy either.
First of all, these two words mean that if the Uchiha clan cannot find out anything, or fails to produce reliable and credible evidence to prove the innocence of the Uchiha clan, then Danzo's Root, or perhaps the Anbu directly under the Hokage, will take over the investigation mission.
By that time, with an excuse and the title of Hokage, even Uchiha Fugaku would find it difficult to refuse his request.
"I will investigate everything." Uchiha Fugaku gritted his teeth.
"This is the intelligence scroll that Danzo has." Sarutobi Hiruzen handed an opened scroll to Uchiha Fugaku.
Uchiha Fugaku stepped forward to take the scroll, opened it and read it, then he understood why the Hokage and Danzo thought that there was a traitor in the Uchiha clan and why he acted so aggressively at the beginning.
Because it not only involves the secrets of the Uchiha clan, but also the Wood Release!
Wood Release has been revived with the help of the Technology Development Department. Although most of its power is not satisfactory and the transformation has certain risks, it has indeed reappeared in the ninja world.
And in that organization, there are people who can use Wood Release!
It is hard not to think that it was a high-ranking Uchiha who reappeared outside the village after coming into contact with the Wood Release Bloodline technique of the Technology Development Department.
For a ninja village that would cut off the head of a rebel ninja after death, and destroy the body if necessary to prevent the leakage of ninjutsu information in the brain, they would certainly not turn a blind eye to seeing their own technology circulated without their knowledge.
Although they are still unable to confirm where the opponent's Wood Release comes from, it does not prevent Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo from linking it to the technology leak of the Technology Development Department.
Since it involves the technical development department, it is naturally no longer an internal affair of the Uchiha clan.
Unless Uchiha Fugaku can prove that this matter has nothing to do with the Uchiha of Konoha, and the Technology Development Department can confirm after investigation that there is no loss or leakage of technology, otherwise even if the Anbu and Danzo's Root intervene, Uchiha Fugaku will not be able to stop it.
After thinking this through, Uchiha Fugaku suddenly felt a little grateful to the Third Hokage. Although he knew that this was the Third Hokage's habitual way of smoothing things over, that is, offering a condition that both parties could accept.
But this did not prevent him from being touched! At least the Third Hokage gave him a chance to examine himself, instead of showing his distrust like Danzo did.
……
The border of the Fire Nation.
A dense forest two kilometers away from the border camp.
Lunie welcomed Uchiha Shisui, who had rushed back from Anker Bandian, looking dusty and tired.
"Is Hanzo dead?" When Lu Nie heard this information, he was also surprised. This was a powerful ninja who once made the young three ninjas helpless and had to be granted survival.
"Yes." Shisui pulled out a scroll from his arms, "Here is his body, and the body of Karatachi Yagura."
Shisui, who had worked as an assistant to Orochimaru and Kagome in their experiments, was well aware of the two men's habit of collecting the corpses of strong people, just like Anko.
At the original site of the Technology Development Department, there is still a cold storage warehouse that Orochimaru used to store corpses.
Influenced by the two, Shisui and Anko would collect the flesh and blood, or corpses of strong men for Orochimaru and Kagome if possible after fighting with them.
Especially the corpse of the bloodline ninja.
There are two demigods, Hanzo and Karuta Yagura. Needless to say, the former is the only strong man who can be compared with the Kage of the five major countries and has gained a certain respect.
The latter is also the best of the new generation of the Hidden Mist Village in the Land of Water, and his reputation is no less than that of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen who are rampant in the Land of Fire. In fact, he is even better than them in terms of command ability. He is a genius of the new generation of the Hidden Mist Village who has both strength and a sense of the overall situation and a talent for command.
"The battle doesn't look easy. Is your vision so blurry?"
Lu Nie first took the scroll, but did not rush to open it. Instead, he stepped forward and used medical ninjutsu to carefully check Shisui's physical condition, especially the condition of his eyes.
The conclusions drawn after the inspection were somewhat unpleasant.
The blindness of the Mangekyō Sharingan is inevitable, the only difference is the amount of pupil power and how long it can be used. Although Lu Nie has prepared some corresponding eye drops and ointments for Shisui, it is only limited to the shallow level of Mangekyō.
The battle with Hanzo was undoubtedly a protracted war, which caused Shisui's Mangekyō pupil power to be consumed too much in a short period of time, and his body also suffered corresponding pressure and extremely heavy load.
Under such heavy consumption, the effect of the eye drops and ointments that Lu Neita prepared for Shisui was somewhat unsatisfactory.
"Not bad." Shisui shook his head. The battle with Hanzo was indeed a dramatic one. The opponent had too much combat experience, and his body movements and ninjutsu were eye-opening. If the opponent didn't confront him head-on, it would take Shisui a lot of time and effort to defeat him.
Shisui could feel that the eye drops and ointment were still working to restore his vision, but compared to the excessive consumption of his pupil power, these supplements and recoveries were not just a drop in the bucket, nor could they make up for the lost pupil power in a short period of time.
It’s just that I won’t be able to use the kaleidoscope for a long time in the future.
"Are you interested in receiving another power?"
Lu Nie asked suddenly. He also knew that Shisui's Mangekyō might not be able to be used again for some time in the future. This would inevitably affect his strength. After thinking for a moment, he asked Shisui.
Orochimaru had already informed him of the intelligence about the Hogyoku using a snake, including some crude experimental data and results.
Although in Lu Nie's opinion it is still only a semi-finished product, it can make up for the loss of Shisui's strength due to his inability to use the Mangekyo at will.
(End of this chapter)