In Naruto's wide-eyed gaze, he saw a green, demon-like figure emerging in the distance. Even in broad daylight, the demon's presence was strikingly noticeable.
The waves of wind it stirred up even reached Naruto, making his short hair flutter.
"What is that?" Kakashi's eyes also widened as he looked, his pupils shrinking slightly.
"What is that thing?"
Kakashi had never seen Susanoo before, even though he had a Sharingan himself.
Kushina immediately pulled Karin behind her.
"Karin, don't stand too close."
Her tone was serious.
The only person whose expression remained unchanged was Whitebeard, who squinted slightly as he looked at the distant scene.
"Gurararara!"
He laughed with interest: "That's quite a big guy! Taller than the giants of the sea!"
The green demon they saw was at least twenty meters tall.
And it seemed only to have an upper body.
"Dad, do you know what that is?" Naruto swallowed hard and turned to Whitebeard.
"No idea." Whitebeard replied matter-of-factly.
"Kid, asking that old man is useless. You should ask me!" An unexpected voice sounded in Naruto's mind.
Naruto was startled: "Big fox?"
Kurama's irritated voice continued: "I didn't expect to see a Mangekyo Sharingan in this place."
"Mangewhat?" Naruto was confused.
"Mangekyo Sharingan! Didn't you hear properly?" Kurama snorted: "That demon is a technique of the Mangekyo Sharingan, called Susanoo."
Naruto turned and told Whitebeard and the others: "Dad! The big fox says that's Susanoo of the Mangekyo Sharingan!"
Kurama's eyelids twitched.
It gnashed its teeth.
This brat!
Selling me out so quickly?
"Mangekyo Sharingan? Susanoo?" Kakashi instinctively touched his own Sharingan: "So, over there... there's an Uchiha?"
"An Uchiha kid?" Whitebeard knew this clan; they had caused trouble for him in Konoha.
He even found Naruto, a Uchiha friend.
Named Uchiha Sa... Sasomething?
At that moment, a loud rumbling came from the distance.
Flames and smoke rose up.
It seemed a fight had started.
...
"Pant... pant... damn, the poison smoke not only affects chakra but also damages my body."
Protected within Susanoo, Shisui's face was pale.
He was sweating profusely, kneeling on one knee.
"And the impact of Susanoo on the body's cells is much greater than I expected. This is my first time using this technique."
The area where he and the Root were fighting was in ruins.
There were flames and smoke everywhere, with deep craters all around.
Buildings had collapsed into rubble.
The cries and wails of civilians made Shisui hesitant and restrained in his actions.
There were many corpses nearby.
Both civilians and ninjas.
Among the Root ninjas who followed Shisui on this mission, only about five remained, one of whom was Danzo himself.
"Uchiha Shisui, you truly are an anomaly among the Uchiha. Even at death's door, you try to avoid harming civilians."
Danzo watched the gradually fading Susanoo with calm eyes.
He still held Shisui's eye in his hand.
"Too bad you have an eye that makes me wary."
With some sentiment, Danzo said, "I didn't expect the Mangekyo Sharingan to have such power. Thanks for the heads-up. After I take both your eyes, I will use this power well."
"..." Shisui panted heavily.
He stared at Danzo.
The searing pain in his cells and the increasingly unstable chakra.
Made him realize that Susanoo couldn't hold on much longer.
Maybe... not even ten seconds.
Ten seconds might be enough to deal with the Root ninjas around Danzo, but not Danzo himself.
No!
He couldn't let both eyes fall into Danzo's hands.
This ambitious man with both Mangekyo Sharingan would certainly cause great harm.
But where could he run?
Hmm?
Wait!
A surge of strength rose within Shisui. He suppressed the rampaging toxins in his body and controlled Susanoo to attack Danzo and his men decisively.
"Hmph! Your movements have slowed down!"
Danzo dodged Susanoo's attack. Just as he was about to say something, he saw Susanoo disappear.
He then saw Shisui collapse to the ground.
"Hm? Exhausted?"
Danzo's expression froze the next moment because the collapsed Shisui turned into a puff of smoke.
It was just an illusion.
"Damn you, Shunshin no Shisui!" Danzo gritted his teeth: "Chase him! Don't let him escape!"
Shisui knew he couldn't let both eyes fall into Danzo's hands.
So he ran.
Shisui knew where he should go.
Enduring the discomfort, he headed straight for the coast. Because Whitebeard was there, and so was Kakashi!
Especially Kakashi, loyal to the Third Hokage, wouldn't side with Danzo.
Perhaps...
This was his chance.
"Faster..."
"Faster."
The toxins in his body made it hard to breathe. Forcing one eye to open, Susanoo caused immense pain in his cells.
His lips were turning black.
His right eye still bled.
His vision was blurring.
Shisui knew it wasn't his Sharingan malfunctioning; his consciousness was fading.
His consciousness was blurring!
For the first few seconds, he relied on sight, then memory.
He stumbled several times.
But he quickly got up each time.
Until he collided with a hard, cylindrical object, his consciousness snapped as he hit his head hard, causing immediate unconsciousness.
His vision went black.
His consciousness sank.
He passed out!
In the two seconds before he lost consciousness, Shisui vaguely heard a young voice shouting in panic.
"Dad! Someone crashed into your naginata!"
"Why is he bleeding so much?"
——It was Naruto's voice.
Whitebeard glanced down at the unconscious Shisui on the ground.
The Uchiha clan emblem on Shisui's body was conspicuous.
He then looked ahead.
He saw the Root ninjas arriving, but they didn't make a move upon seeing Whitebeard.
No one in Konoha didn't recognize Whitebeard.
"They're from Root!" Kakashi immediately recognized them: "Their masks are different from Anbu's! Wait! That's... Danzo Shimura?!"
Kakashi's eyes widened.
"Then this person is?" Kakashi squatted down, turning Shisui's head.
A familiar face made Kakashi's pupils contract: "Uchiha Shisui!"
"Root?"
Whitebeard didn't care who Uchiha Shisui was.
But Kakashi's mention of "Root" triggered Whitebeard's memory, raising an eyebrow: "The ones in Konoha who tried to assassinate me with masks?"
"Gurararara! Are they lingering ghosts, or is this just a coincidence?"
...
...