Chapter 585: Guidance from the Ancestor
Seeing Kakashi suddenly appear, Ishiro had reacted on instinct.
Then, the Sage of Six Paths' forceful intervention scared him.
Unable to grasp the Sage's thoughts, Ishiro didn't dare to make another move for the time being.
But Ishiro's shock hadn't spread to the others. This was an unexpected encounter for both sides, and with powerful enemies in front of them, there was no time to think.
Izumi subconsciously used her Mangekyō dōjutsu on Itachi—the one that absorbs pupil power.
Itachi had been slightly startled by Ishiro's Light Release, mainly out of concern for his dear brother, so he was distracted. Izumi seized the initiative again.
Just like their first encounter, Itachi was caught in her dōjutsu.
But to Izumi's surprise, this time she absorbed nothing. Itachi's eyes felt like empty shells.
Just like the countless Sharingan she had drained dry!
Izumi was shocked. She thought Itachi had found a way to counter her dōjutsu.
She quickly changed tactics, switching to another dōjutsu aimed at Itachi.
This dōjutsu could completely strip a Mangekyō Sharingan user of their vision temporarily.
Not only would it blind them, but it would also prevent them from effectively using their own dōjutsu.
After all, most dōjutsu required visual focus.
However, Itachi didn't panic. He had long been prepared for blindness.
Or rather, he had been preparing for this day for a long time, practicing fighting without sight.
The moment he was hit by Izumi's first dōjutsu, he went blind, but he remained calmer than Izumi.
He didn't even know he had been hit by the second dōjutsu.
While Izumi was casting her second technique, Itachi was forming one-handed seals.
He launched a massive Great Fireball toward Izumi's location.
Itachi's reaction once again exceeded Izumi's expectations.
Two miscalculations in a row, and her ultimate move failing... Izumi panicked for a moment, caught off guard.
More importantly, she wasn't mentally prepared. Her combat experience wasn't particularly rich, and Itachi's fireball was too fast, so she couldn't react in time.
Fortunately, she had allies. Ishiro extended his hand toward Itachi's fireball and dispersed it with a Shinra Tensei.
Only then did the shaken Izumi react and activate her Susanoo.
On the other side, Sōkai and Kakashi also reacted quickly. Kakashi, holding Sasuke in one hand, couldn't form seals.
As he retreated rapidly, he aimed his left eye at Sōkai and used Kamui.
Sōkai had already activated his Susanoo and was preparing to strike Kakashi with the Sword of Totsuka.
Kakashi's Kamui was decisive. Sōkai's Susanoo had just materialized when it was torn in half at the waist and immediately dissipated.
At that moment, Ishiro extended his other hand and pulled Sōkai to his side.
However, Kakashi didn't continue attacking. He noticed Ishiro wasn't making any offensive moves.
Ishiro had only intervened to save Izumi and Sōkai when they were in danger.
So, Kakashi quickly called Itachi to his side.
Itachi didn't hesitate, leaping to stand beside Kakashi.
The two sides entered a standoff.
Ishiro was in a terrible mood. Kakashi had delivered himself right to his door; Ishiro really wanted to kill him once and for all.
If Kakashi died, Konoha would never be able to choose a suitable Hokage again.
Without a leader to unite them, what kind of Great Shinobi Village would Konoha be?
There would be no obstacles to Ishiro unifying the shinobi world.
Although Kakashi had the Flying Thunder God and many Sharingan on his left arm, making him hard to kill, this was a rare opportunity.
But the Sage of Six Paths' intervention just now had sent chills down Ishiro's spine.
He couldn't gauge the Sage's bottom line, nor could he be sure the Sage wouldn't actually kill him.
He always thought he could negotiate with the Sage, but when the Sage displayed such incomprehensible power, Ishiro lost his nerve.
After a brief exchange of blows, both sides paused.
Ishiro thought for a moment and said to Kakashi, "Hokage-dono, are you invading the Land of Earth to start a Great Ninja War?"
Indeed, although this place had belonged to the Land of Fire many years ago, it was now undisputedly Iwa territory.
For Kakashi, the Kage of Konoha, to appear here suddenly... calling it an invasion wasn't an exaggeration.
Kakashi found Ishiro's tone strange. This "strong on the outside, weak on the inside" style wasn't like Ishiro at all.
Dismissing the absurd thought, Kakashi said, "Tsuchikage-dono, my appearance here was an accident. I can apologize to Iwagakure, and I can offer compensation."
"It's all a misunderstanding. We'll leave now."
At this point, Sōkai spoke up. "You can go, but leave Sasuke. He is a member of our Uchiha clan."
Sōkai still hadn't recovered from the backlash of his Susanoo being destroyed.
But he felt that with Ishiro present, his side clearly held the absolute advantage.
Izumi didn't speak. Like Kakashi, she sensed something wrong with Ishiro and was worried.
Given Ishiro's personality, it was impossible for him to start negotiating right off the bat without doing anything.
Especially when they had the upper hand.
Thinking about how Ishiro's Light Release had suddenly vanished earlier, Izumi wondered if there was something wrong with Ishiro's body.
So, while maintaining her Susanoo and watching Kakashi and Itachi, she was also keeping an eye on Ishiro.
Kakashi glanced at Itachi, who seemed a bit off, guessing his Mangekyō might be having issues.
He took a small step closer to Itachi without being obvious.
Then he said, "The Uchiha clan is part of Konoha. They will not leave Konoha."
Hearing this, Izumi said coldly, "Hokage-dono, our Uchiha clan was destroyed by your Konoha high command."
"Saying something like that now... isn't it a bit too shameless?"
Kakashi was silent. As someone who sympathized with the Uchiha's plight, he couldn't refute Izumi's accusation.
Izumi also remembered Kakashi's stance on the night of the massacre, so she softened her tone slightly. "Hokage-dono, you haven't wronged our Uchiha clan, but the Uchiha and Konoha are absolutely mortal enemies."
"Before, Sasuke didn't know the truth, so living in Konoha didn't matter. Now that he knows, there is no way for him to live in Konoha anymore."
"Hokage-dono, you were able to save so many of our clansmen that night. Please, let Sasuke go today."
Kakashi glanced at the unconscious Sasuke.
To Kakashi now, Sasuke represented more than just the legitimate Uchiha line.
He also carried Kakashi's hope for reviving Konoha.
However, Kakashi suddenly realized something. Why was Izumi doing all the talking? Why was Ishiro silent?
Kakashi asked tentatively, "Tsuchikage-dono, what is your opinion?"
Ishiro rolled his eyes. If he could, he wouldn't want to speak at all.
If Izumi and Sōkai could force Kakashi to leave Sasuke, he would be happy to stay silent.
Since he wasn't the one forcing Sasuke to stay, the Sage shouldn't blame him.
But now that Kakashi was asking for his opinion, Ishiro really didn't know what to say.
Ishiro looked at Sasuke and the completely blind Itachi with a complicated gaze. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Hokage-dono, I'll give you two choices."
"First, leave either Sasuke or Itachi behind. Second, leave your left eye!"
"I can't let three invaders retreat unscathed. Otherwise, I will declare war on Konoha on behalf of Iwa!"
Ishiro didn't dare make a rash move, fearing the Sage's wrath, so he handed the initiative to Kakashi.
If Kakashi voluntarily left Sasuke, the Sage shouldn't do anything too drastic to Ishiro.
Kakashi was angry, but he felt something was wrong.
He thought about it, and like Izumi, wondered if something was wrong with Ishiro.
The thought tempted him.
If Ishiro really had a problem, now was the best time to kill him.
Although Izumi and Sōkai were tough, Kakashi felt that with Wood Release, Kamui, and the Flying Thunder God, he had a good chance of killing Ishiro while he was protected by the two.
However, Kakashi sensed Ishiro's aura, and there didn't seem to be any problem.
So Kakashi thought Ishiro was doing it on purpose, trying to lure him into attacking.
With the Flying Thunder God, Kakashi wasn't worried about not being able to escape.
Even though his version required hand seals, he could cast a large-scale Wood Release first and then escape through the forest.
Maybe Ishiro knew this and was deliberately showing weakness?
So Kakashi was debating whether to attack and test Ishiro.
But to Itachi, who was completely blind beside him, it seemed like Kakashi was in a dilemma.
So Itachi took out a pre-prepared bottle of nutrient solution.
Then, very naturally, he gouged out his own eyes and put them in the bottle.
Back then, Itachi had slaughtered his own clan to save Konoha from war. Today, he was willing to sacrifice himself for peace.
Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan; Itachi's mission was over. Apart from these eyes, the rest of him was useless.
Kakashi stared at the eyes Itachi offered him, stunned.
Ishiro, seeing this from a distance, sighed internally, but also felt relieved.
Although he didn't want Sasuke, if Kakashi voluntarily gave him up, removing a potential asset from Konoha would be good.
In the future, Sasuke alone could tie down Naruto, making the destruction of Konoha easy.
If Kakashi was willing to give up Obito's Mangekyō, Ishiro would also be very happy.
Obito's eye was possibly the most valuable Mangekyō in the world.
An eye that could connect to another dimension had endless possibilities.
Comparatively, Itachi was the one Ishiro wanted least.
But since Itachi had removed his own eyes, the Sage presumably wouldn't be watching over him anymore.
Removing another Kage-level threat from Konoha wasn't a loss.
Itachi had made the decision for Kakashi, and effectively for Ishiro as well.
Ishiro no longer had to agonize over whether to attack Kakashi regardless of the Sage.
Kakashi took a deep breath and looked at Ishiro.
Ishiro waved his hand, and a mass of porcelain mud quickly moved to envelope Itachi, sealing him.
Seeing nothing unusual in Ishiro's attack, Kakashi's heart skipped a beat.
He felt even more strongly that Ishiro was baiting him. Did Ishiro have a way to counter the Flying Thunder God?
Did it require him to close the distance?
Was there some special barrier?
Kakashi let his imagination run wild.
After finishing the task, Ishiro said to Kakashi, "I have received the Hokage's sincerity. Consider today's events as never having happened. Safe travels, I won't see you out!"
Kakashi's eyes flickered, but in the end, he formed the seals for the Flying Thunder God and teleported back to Konoha with Sasuke.
After Kakashi left, Ishiro walked over to Itachi and applied a few more seals on him.
Izumi was worried about Ishiro's condition. She deactivated her Susanoo and stepped forward to ask, but Ishiro waved his hand.
Ishiro looked back toward the branch base, where many Iwa ninja were watching.
He could sense that many of them had formed up, ready to support him.
A pity.
Ishiro beckoned to Izumi and Sōkai, then took the sealed Itachi and led the way away from the Iwa branch.
Izumi knew Ishiro must have something important to say, so she called Sōkai and followed.
Once they were out of sight of the branch ninja, Ishiro spoke slowly, "Master-Uncle, please show yourself!"
Izumi and Sōkai stopped, confused by Ishiro's words.
Sōkai instinctively asked, "Ishiro-sensei, what did you say?"
Izumi pulled him back, signaling him to be quiet.
Ishiro ignored Sōkai. Seeing the Sage didn't appear, he continued, "Master-Uncle, these two are also your descendants. Although they aren't like me, a disciple by inheritance, they aren't outsiders either."
"You protect Sasuke so fiercely, yet you are so heartless to your other descendants. How unfair!"
Still no response from the surroundings.
Ishiro continued, "Master-Uncle, I believe you know we fused a Giant Nine-Tomoe Rinne-Sharingan."
"I know you don't care for Izumi and Sōkai, but considering I didn't make things difficult for Sasuke today and even enlightened him..."
"Please give them some guidance. Just tell them how to use the Giant Nine-Tomoe Rinne-Sharingan to evolve their own eyes."
Having said this, Ishiro stopped and waited quietly for the Sage's response.
Izumi and Sōkai looked at each other, bewildered.
They both realized Ishiro was talking to someone, and that person was related to them.
Sōkai's brain wasn't enough to process it, but Izumi, combining this with Neji's experience on the Moon, had a vague guess.
Her heart started pounding wildly.
Both activated their Mangekyō Sharingan and scanned the area, but no matter how they looked, there was still no one around.
After a moment of silence, just as Ishiro thought he would leave empty-handed today, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him. It was the Sage of Six Paths.
Ishiro's eyes lit up. The main event was here.
He quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Master-Uncle."
Then he turned to Izumi and Sōkai. "Izumi, Sōkai, this is the Sage of Six Paths, your ancestor."
"Come and pay your respects."
Izumi quickly pulled Sōkai forward, bowed to the Sage, and said, "Greetings, Ancestor."
The Sage sighed. He looked at Ishiro with a complicated expression, then looked past him to Izumi and Sōkai.
Ishiro noticed the Sage's gaze never fell on Itachi. It seemed Itachi was useless to the Sage now, and he wouldn't interfere further.
The Sage beckoned to the two. "Come here. I will teach you how to communicate with that eye."
Ishiro gestured behind his back for them to go. Izumi and Sōkai quickly stepped forward to face the Sage.
The Sage tapped each of them on the forehead.
As soon as he did, both fell into a genjutsu.
Then the Sage looked at Ishiro. He studied Ishiro and found that his soul power was much stronger than the last time they met.
But while stronger, Ishiro's soul also seemed a bit unstable.
The Sage didn't say much about it. Ishiro was smart enough to weigh the pros and cons himself.
Seeing that Izumi and Sōkai had received what they wanted, Ishiro said, "Master-Uncle, you told me last time that the Star from Hoshigakure would help me with the five-nature fusion."
"But I still haven't figured out how to use it. Please enlighten me."
The Sage looked at Ishiro for a while, then said, "When you successfully fuse the first wisp of chakra, the Star will have its use."
Perhaps feeling that Ishiro was too troublesome, this time the Sage decided to satisfy Ishiro's greed properly, so he explained in detail.
Ishiro memorized every word.
The content wasn't profound, and the usage of the Star wasn't difficult.
But from the details in the Sage's words, Ishiro gleaned a lot of information he found useful.
The Sage's high-level perspective also gave Ishiro many points of reference.
A long time later, Ishiro recovered from his deep thought. By then, the Sage was gone, and Izumi and Sōkai had woken up.
One was guarding Ishiro, the other was guarding the sealed Itachi.
From the excitement in their eyes, Ishiro knew they had gained a lot.
"Ask whatever you want," Ishiro said.
He was looking at Izumi; he knew Sōkai wouldn't find anything amiss.
Sure enough, Izumi immediately asked, "Lord Tsuchikage, was that really the Sage of Six Paths? Has he been secretly protecting Sasuke?"
Ishiro thought for a moment. "Sort of. Your Uchiha clan are all his descendants, but among your current generations, Sasuke is special."
"The Sage has other reasons for watching Sasuke. You don't need to worry about it."
Izumi nodded, seemingly understanding, then asked, "Can we still deal with Konoha in the future? I'm not reconciled to letting them go like this."
Ishiro laughed. "That's easy. The Sage doesn't care about Konoha. He only cares about Sasuke and a few others."
"He won't get angry if we kill other Konoha ninja."
"Konoha is a big village. If we suppress them until they only have a handful of ninja left, Konoha will be finished."
"Isn't the village's new strategy to suppress Konoha?"
Izumi's eyes lit up. "Ishiro-sensei, I understand now. I always wondered why you didn't just send the army when it was clearly the best time to destroy Konoha."
"So it was because of this! Lord Tsuchikage, when did you know the Sage was protecting Konoha?"
Ishiro smiled. "I knew from the beginning. That's why I suggested a strategy of internal strife to deal with them."
Izumi nodded in sudden realization.
Seeing Izumi had no more questions, Ishiro said, "You cannot tell anyone outside the high command about the Sage."
"This affects morale. If people know there's a Sage behind Konoha, our confidence as the number one village might collapse."
"Publicly, just say I spared Konoha for Sasuke's sake. This will drive a wedge between Konoha and Sasuke, and make Sasuke lean more towards us."
"Although Kakashi took Sasuke away today, it might not be good for Konoha."
"Sasuke isn't of one mind with them. Making Sasuke obey the Hokage won't be simple."
Izumi nodded gravely. Sōkai, although he didn't understand much, nodded along, looking like a dutiful husband following his wife's lead.
Ishiro paused, then added, "Izumi, Sōkai, tell me what the Sage taught you this time."
Sōkai couldn't join the previous conversation, but he could answer this one.
He rushed to say, "The Sage told me the origin and evolution process of the Sharingan."
"Including the Rinnegan, and the Tomoe Rinne-Sharingan which is even stronger than the Rinnegan."
"He also told me how to communicate with the Giant Sharingan, and how to use it to awaken our own high-level eyes."
Ishiro looked at Izumi. She nodded, indicating she learned the same.
But she added, "The method the Sage described is different from what Neji told us."
Previously, they had tried communicating with the Giant Sharingan using Neji's method for the Tenseigan, but the results had been poor.
Ishiro smiled. "Excellent. Let's go back to the village. Go communicate with the Giant Sharingan immediately. I look forward to the day your eyes evolve again."
Izumi and Sōkai nodded eagerly, their eyes full of anticipation.
Then, Ishiro took Itachi and the two Uchiha back to the branch, and teleported back to the village.
(End of Chapter)
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