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"Move out!"
With a cold command, countless masked ninjas stormed into the Uchiha Clan's compound, raising their blades against the Uchiha.
One by one, former neighbors fell in a one-sided massacre. Soon, a group of attackers reached Kagaya's doorstep.
Kagaya opened the door, expecting to head to school, but instead of fresh air and sunlight, he was met with a bloodstained blade slashing toward his face! No way to dodge—death?
"Ah!"
Kagaya jolted upright in bed, checking his intact hands and touching his face, shaken. "A dream?"
Propping his face with one hand, Kagaya's expression darkened. Though it was only a dream, it made him realize something.
"Is that event getting close?"
---
The next day, Kagaya arrived at the Ninja Academy. The way people looked at him had noticeably changed. A few days ago, their gazes held resentment, admiration, or disdain. Today, most were filled with awe and complex emotions.
It seemed the impact of those two fireballs was significant, shattering any lingering defiance and making people fully aware of the gap in strength.
For the entire day, Iruka didn't arrange a single spar for Kagaya. Clearly, he understood that none of the other students posed any challenge to him. The skill disparity was too great, and they'd lose too quickly to learn anything from him.
Kagaya was happy to have the downtime, idly daydreaming. No one knew what was on his mind.
After school, he went to the training ground. Seeing Shisui, Kagaya didn't attack this time. Instead, he walked straight up to him, biting his lip slightly as if steeling himself.
"Senior, I need to ask you something."
Shisui looked at him curiously. "You're so serious. Is it something important? Go ahead, ask."
Kagaya locked eyes with Shisui. "Senior, have you awakened the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan?"
Shisui's pupils contracted, and he stared intently at Kagaya, his voice low and sharp. "Who told you?!"
Kagaya was startled by Shisui's reaction—he hadn't expected it to be so intense. "I-I guessed."
Shisui kept staring, pressing further. "Are you sure? Kagaya, this isn't the time to lie. I need you to tell me the truth."
Kagaya shook his head frantically. Shisui was a bit intimidating right now. "Senior Shisui, I swear, no one told me. I really just guessed."
Shisui slowly closed his eyes, the tense atmosphere dissipating. When he opened them again, he spoke gently. "Good, as long as no one told you. I thought Danzo-sama might have… Never mind. Kagaya, you're right—I have awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. You're sharp to have figured it out. But you're not the only smart one—others have suspected it too. I'm just worried they might use you to test me. They can come after me all they want, but I won't let them drag you into this. If they try, they're forcing my hand!"
Kagaya instantly understood why Shisui had reacted so strongly. Danzo's side must suspect Shisui had the Mangekyo Sharingan, a legendary power that, to Danzo, was "uncontrollable." For Danzo, such power had only two outcomes: destroy it or claim it.
Shisui's fear was that Danzo might "accidentally" let slip to Kagaya about his Mangekyo, then use Kagaya to probe him. That would inevitably pull Kagaya into the conflict, putting him at risk of being silenced by Danzo.
This was what Shisui couldn't tolerate, just as Itachi couldn't tolerate anyone dragging Sasuke into the Uchiha massacre.
Kagaya wanted to say something but held back. For people like Shisui and Itachi, who were dedicated to resolving the Uchiha-Konoha conflict, neither the Uchiha nor the village leadership were true allies—both sides had their own agendas. Their only true allies were each other.
In this crisis between the Uchiha and Konoha, countless people were involved, but only two genuinely sought to resolve it peacefully: Itachi and Shisui.
Kagaya decided not to comment on this. It was the path they'd chosen, and it wasn't his place to interfere. Besides, he had something more important to say today.
"Senior Shisui, do you trust me?"
Shisui was taken aback, then smiled and ruffled Kagaya's hair. "Of course I trust you."
Kagaya's gaze was resolute. "Then listen to me, Senior Shisui. Never, ever tell Danzo about your Mangekyo abilities!"
Shisui frowned. "You know the Mangekyo has special abilities? How did you find out?"
Knowing about the Mangekyo wasn't odd—it was a legend within the Uchiha Clan, and many had heard of it. But knowing it had unique abilities was unusual.
Kagaya shook his head. "That's not important. Senior, promise me first—never tell Danzo about your Mangekyo abilities."
Shisui thought for a moment, then smiled. "Alright, I promise. But can you tell me why?"
Kagaya snorted coldly. "Danzo's the kind of guy who lurks in the shadows. If he knows you have those eyes, he'll either try to take them or destroy them! I'm afraid you'll fall into his trap."
Shisui didn't entirely agree. "Danzo-sama's personality may be like that, but with Konoha and the Uchiha in such a critical situation, he'd likely set aside his biases and prioritize the bigger picture, right?"
Kagaya's eyes widened. He suddenly understood why Shisui and Itachi trusted Danzo and worked so hard to resolve the Uchiha-Konoha crisis.
It wasn't that they couldn't see Danzo's true nature—they saw it clearly. But they believed that in a crisis threatening Konoha's survival, Danzo would put aside his personal agendas for the greater good.
"Impossible!!" Kagaya growled instinctively.
Shisui felt Kagaya was overthinking it and shook his head. "Kagaya, you're worrying too much. Danzo-sama isn't irrational. Before this crisis is resolved, he won't move against me. After it's over? Maybe then, but so what? If my life can bring peace between Konoha and the Uchiha, I'm willing to pay that price."
Kagaya's stance was unwavering. "No, Senior Shisui. Danzo is not someone who prioritizes the bigger picture. He's utterly self-centered, only doing what he thinks is right, without considering anything else."
In the original story, didn't Danzo repeatedly defy the Hokage's orders, secretly doing his own thing? Was that rare?
To put it bluntly, Danzo genuinely wanted to strengthen Konoha and acted decisively, even ruthlessly. He also firmly believed in his own judgment, much like the Second Hokage, Tobirama.
The difference? Danzo lacked Tobirama's strength, vision, and magnanimity. He was inferior in every way.
Why did Tobirama distrust the Uchiha? Because of Uchiha Madara, a figure unrivaled in history. Even then, Tobirama's response was merely to create the Konoha Police Force for the Uchiha, nothing too extreme.
But why did Danzo fear the Uchiha? For no clear reason—apparently, a few three-tomoe or two-tomoe Sharingan scared him senseless.
"So strong! I have to isolate them. This bloodline limit is too dangerous!"
That was a lack of both strength and magnanimity.
And vision? When the Senju and Uchiha fought to the death and later made peace, Tobirama, though displeased, accepted it for the greater good and didn't stir trouble.
But Danzo? With Konoha already weakened, he forcibly relocated the Uchiha, pushing them toward rebellion. Then, when Shisui could've used Kotoamatsukami to resolve the crisis, Danzo ignored Konoha's situation, fixated on the "danger" of the Mangekyo, destroying the chance for peace.
With Shisui's death, the Uchiha and Konoha became irreconcilable. Danzo turned a winning hand into a mess he couldn't clean up. Unable to resolve it himself, he dumped the problem on Itachi, forcing him to commit genocide for Konoha's sake.
How laughable. Itachi and Shisui worked tirelessly to resolve the conflict, while Danzo kept creating more problems behind their backs. When it all went wrong, he couldn't fix it and left Itachi to deal with the fallout.
This chain of actions not only cost Konoha the Uchiha Clan but also two unparalleled geniuses—Shisui and Itachi. Truly a masterful disaster.
Sometimes, Kagaya wondered: if Tobirama had passed the Hokage title to Danzo, would there even be a Naruto series? It might've been Mizukage Ninja, Raikage Ninja, Tsuchikage Ninja, or Kazekage Ninja—anything but Hokage Ninja.
Even the mightiest Konoha couldn't withstand Danzo's meddling.
*****
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