Only by adapting to the role of the leader of the Root organization could Shisui truly become useful to Byakuya-sama?
Upon hearing this, Shisui was filled with shock and awe toward Byakuya. Byakuya's ambition was so grand, even someone with his own strength, at the level of a Kage, could only barely be considered a pawn in Byakuya's grand scheme.
Could Byakuya's target be the entire ninja world?
This ambition far surpassed even that of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, who had pacified the world for decades.
Although Hashirama Senju was the most powerful ninja in the world, after unifying the Land of Fire, he lost the drive for external expansion and focused entirely on the construction of the village. Shisui was unsure how to evaluate Hashirama, but it was clear that Hashirama's vision wasn't as grand as Byakuya's.
At least Byakuya had a way to save the Uchiha Clan, while Hashirama's Konoha Village had driven many great clans from the ninja world to extinction—clans like the Senju, the Uzumaki, and nearly the Uchiha as well.
Now, with the death of Danzo and the acquisition of leadership of the Root, Shisui's goals were narrowed down to two things: leading his clan to gradually leave Konoha and pledging his loyalty to Byakuya, binding the Uchiha Clan to Byakuya's cause.
With a powerful being like Byakuya in the world, the Uchiha Clan could at least enjoy decades of peace.
Shisui snapped back from his wandering thoughts and looked back at Byakuya, who was examining Danzo's body. Byakuya was muttering to himself, "Transplanting the Sharingan could indeed suppress the Hashirama cells, but Danzo received too few of them…"
Hearing this, Shisui blinked in confusion and asked, "Byakuya-sama, what did you just say? That transplanting the Sharingan could suppress Hashirama's cells?"
Byakuya nodded, then said, "Yes, transplanting the Sharingan can suppress the Hashirama cells, allowing the user to access some Wood Release abilities. Additionally, the Yang chakra in Hashirama's cells can help restore the Sharingan's vision. These are directions our organization's scientists have been studying."
After a pause, Byakuya seemed to remember something, adding, "Speaking of Hashirama's cells, Shisui, you might also want to try transplanting them. With your Uchiha bloodline, you'll be better able to handle the side effects than Danzo was. It's a little reward for joining the organization."
With that, Byakuya patted Shisui on the shoulder and continued, "Alright, the aftermath here is for you to handle. Once you assume Danzo's identity, you need to forget about Shisui and what happened tonight. Don't tell anyone. I trust you, but that doesn't mean I trust all Uchiha. There's likely a mole from Konoha within your clan. If you leak any information and ruin my plan, the Uchiha won't have any other backing left."
With that, Byakuya used his Mayfly technique and disappeared from the scene.
At the same time, Shisui heard the system's prompt.
[System prompt: Uchiha Shisui has joined the Akatsuki organization. You have obtained a pair of Three Tomoe Sharingan.]
[Three Tomoe Sharingan: The third stage of the Sharingan, possessing abilities like dynamic vision and the power to copy ninjutsu. A bloodline limit exclusive to the Uchiha Clan.]
[System upgrade: You now have two pairs of Three Tomoe Sharingan. You have fulfilled the conditions for upgrading your Sharingan. The Three Tomoe Sharingan has evolved into a Mangekyō Sharingan (Blank).]
[Mangekyō Sharingan (Blank): A pair of Mangekyō Sharingan with no recorded abilities. Although it lacks any special techniques, it greatly enhances the power of ninjutsu.]
After hearing the system's prompt, Byakuya was momentarily stunned.
Two pairs of Three Tomoe Sharingan evolving into Mangekyō Sharingan was certainly a pleasant surprise, but what was this about a Mangekyō Sharingan with no techniques? What was going on?
After all, while the Mangekyō Sharingan was famous for granting the user powerful abilities, like Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, or even Kamui, its real value lay in the abilities it granted. A Mangekyō without techniques seemed quite unusual.
However, Byakuya was somewhat familiar with this blank Mangekyō Sharingan. He recalled that only two individuals had possessed Mangekyō Sharingan without any inherent abilities: Madara Uchiha and his younger brother, Izuna Uchiha.
(AN: He actually does possess but it was never named. I think it was Time Reversal of sort or was it summoning a freaking asteroid?)
It was possible that both of them had obtained such Mangekyō Sharingan, which only served to enhance their base power, without granting them any specific abilities.
For Byakuya, a blank Mangekyō was still a great asset. With such an enhancement to his base stats, even his normal attacks could potentially overwhelm Susanoo, making it time for the ninjas of the world to experience the true power of a "Otsutsuki" individual.
After claiming the reward, Byakuya quietly returned to the crime scene to observe Shisui. Though he had told Shisui to handle everything, he was still somewhat concerned. Shisui was a good-hearted person, and playing the role of Danzo would be very difficult for him.
Byakuya's ultimate goal wasn't just Shisui. He wanted to bring the entire Uchiha Clan under his control. With so many Uchiha Jonin, perhaps he could even evolve his Mangekyō Sharingan to its Eternal form.
Plus, there were still a weasel and Indra's reincarnation within the Uchiha Clan…
...
After Byakuya left, Shisui continued to stare at the spot where Byakuya had vanished, still processing the words Byakuya had just spoken. Byakuya had promised him that, in the future, he would help with his deteriorating vision.
Byakuya had once again subtly threatened Shisui in terms of his family, placing the harsh reality before him.
Despite Byakuya's mixture of benevolence and intimidation, Shisui didn't resent it. If Byakuya were to help the Uchiha Clan without any strings attached, Shisui might suspect that Byakuya had ulterior motives.
After everything that had happened, Shisui no longer believed in the Will of Fire.
In fact, the Shisui Uchiha who had once believed in the Will of Fire had already died. What remained was a Shisui willing to do whatever it took for the sake of his clan—someone who had become a "Danzo" of the Uchiha.
With this thought in mind, Shisui glanced at the unconscious Danzo on the ground and cast a genjutsu once again.
The genjutsu was not to torture Danzo, but to acquire the information necessary for impersonating him. He needed to understand Danzo's mannerisms and behaviors if he was to become another Danzo.
After half an hour of absorbing Danzo's memories, Shisui frowned.
Danzo's memories were dark and twisted, which made Shisui question his ability to portray Danzo convincingly. Danzo was an extremely self-centered, selfish ninja. To become Hokage, he was even willing to sacrifice the Shimura clan.
Moreover, the behavior of the Third Hokage was disgusting. Danzo had committed so many acts that went against the Will of Fire, including attempting to assassinate the Third Hokage, and yet the Third Hokage still tolerated him.
This left Shisui in disbelief.
After digesting part of the memories, Shisui formed hand seals and transformed into Danzo's appearance.
With the memories he had gathered, Shisui felt confident that he could now portray Danzo effectively. He was ready to assume the role of the leader of Root and embrace this new chapter of his life.