Before the smoke had even fully cleared, a glowing orange tomoe could be seen inside.
Then, a wave of green, glowing chakra arrows shot out.
The arrows rained down on the masked Root members like a storm.
Though the attack was powerful, it wasn't very accurate.
The men dodged quickly, and once the arrows passed, the smoke finally cleared.
"What the hell is that?!"
One of them couldn't help shouting, and the others tensed up.
Even with masks on, it was obvious how shaken they were by what they saw.
Behind Shisui stood a giant green figure, with a single orange tomoe on its chest.
It was clear the arrows had come from that exact spot.
No matter how they looked at it, trying to fight something like that—something they had never seen before—would be suicide.
Shisui, breathing heavily, slowly lowered himself.
The giant green warrior faded just as quickly as it appeared, like a flash of fire that burned out in an instant.
All of Shisui's remaining chakra and strength had been poured into that one Susano'o.
He crouched slightly as a kunai flew toward him.
But right then, a giant fireball shot out from behind him, and in the blink of an eye, the nearly-collapsing Shisui vanished into the flames.
As the fire died down, the Root members prepared to give chase.
Suddenly, a burst of clapping came from behind them, followed by a bright and cheerful voice.
"Whoa, you guys can still pull this off at a time like this?"
"No wonder I had my eye on you."
The members of Root were caught off guard and quickly turned around in shock.
They had just come running from the woods behind them, and never noticed anyone following.
How did this guy suddenly show up here?!
They froze for only a few seconds before reacting. The one in front lifted his chin slightly.
Three of them turned and dashed toward the spot where that fireball had suddenly come from.
"Don't run~ I went through a lot just to catch up to you."
Hatake Satoru walked up without a care and curled his fingers.
With a slight movement of his hand, a pale blue mist spread from his palm.
The kunai that had been knocked to the ground floated up gently, and in the blink of an eye, shot toward the three who were running away, moving too fast to track.
In an instant, the kunai pierced straight through their chests.
"Ah!"
Three painful screams rang out at almost the same time, followed by complete silence.
The two people left turned to look at their teammates who died before even reaching the woods, their eyes wide in fear, their hearts clenching in panic.
"Who are you?!"
"What kind of crazy power is this?!"
They couldn't see how it moved — the kunai just seemed to vanish, then reappear right in their chests.
They could see the faint blue mist in his hand, but they couldn't feel anything strange at all.
No matter how they looked at him, this guy didn't even seem to have any chakra!
"Even if you knew, what would it change? You're not leaving here alive anyway."
Hatake Satoru scratched his chin and tilted his head.
Silver hair, a weird black blindfold, and a smile like a demon's.
Two of the bodies were nailed to tree trunks by kunai, eyes wide open, their faces frozen in disbelief under their masks.
"That should do it."
Hatake Satoru brushed the dust off his pants and looked over the bodies on the ground.
If Danzo wanted to send more people, it'd take a bit of time — and that wasn't his problem.
Standing among the trees, Hatake Satoru glanced in both directions.
Just as he was about to leave, a soft "ding" sounded in his head.
[Congrats, host has gained enough experience. Restoration rate has increased to 25%.]
[Mid-range movement upgraded to long-range movement.]
[New skill unlocked: "Red."]
[Red: A burst of force that sends out a straight shockwave up to 7 meters.]
[Note: Host has not yet unlocked the Limitless Technique, so Red cannot be used to its full power. Keep working to restore more abilities.]
Huh?!
Can you speak like a normal person, please?
But hey, if it's not at full power, that just means there's still room to grow.
Hatake Satoru vaguely remembered Gojo Satoru had a time when he couldn't use Red at sixteen either.
Well, whatever — it's good enough for now. I'll use it as is.
A black blur flashed across the messy clearing.
The wind blew gently, carrying a few leaves to the ground.
By the cliffs of the Nanga River.
Shisui and Itachi hadn't been to this place in a while. It was rare that almost all of the guards watching the area had been called off.
Hatake Satoru had also taken care of the remaining Root pursuers behind them, giving them a bit of time to stand here and say goodbye.
The sound of the waterfall at the Nanga River roared loudly. Shisui stood with his back to it, eyes closed.
Now that he had lost his sight completely, the sound of rushing water seemed even louder.
"Before Danzo catches up, I want to give you this eye."
"You're the only one I can count on. Protect this village, and protect the Uchiha name."
Itachi took the Sharingan. The soft, wet eyeball rested in his palm.
He understood what Shisui meant, but by now, there was no turning back for either of them.
Shisui smiled and patted Itachi's shoulder.
"I have one more gift for you—the Mangekyo Sharingan."
"I won't live much longer anyway, so just take it as a farewell gift."
"My journey ends here, but let it be your strength and help you move forward."
The sound of the Nanga River's waterfall was deafening, and Shisui was standing very close to it.
Hatake Satoru sat on a tree branch nearby, watching the two of them, but didn't come any closer.
It didn't feel right to step in on a moment like this between close friends.
As the sun completely disappeared below the horizon, Shisui's figure fell straight down from the cliff by the Nanga River.
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