The Forgotten Sensei
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Chapter 12: Shisui's Understanding
🕑 Added 2025-08-06 14:50:54 +0000 UTCWith the barrier now completely dismantled, Sarutobi Hiruzen could observe every movement within the Uchiha compound with perfect clarity.
"All ANBU, attack with maximum force. Priority target: Destroying the space-time ninjutsu."
Hiruzen continued issuing commands with ruthless efficiency.
Though at this moment, his burning desire was to see every Uchiha dead, he understood that eliminating the dimensional portal took absolute precedence over everything else.
However, the bitter taste of failure had already begun to settle in his mouth.
The majority of the Uchiha clan had successfully escaped Konoha's grasp.
Any future pursuit would demand enormous expenditure of both manpower and resources, while simultaneously creating a dangerous enemy that could strike back at them at any moment.
The weight of this realization filled him with crushing regret.
'If I had chosen to negotiate peacefully with the Uchiha from the beginning, would the outcome have been different?' he wondered, though such thoughts came far too late.
"Uchiha Shisui, surrender now, there’s nothing you can do anymore."
More than a dozen Root operatives had completely encircled Shisui, their weapons drawn and ready.
Danzo remained concealed in the shadows; his predatory gaze fixed on his prize.
He had long coveted those perfect Mangekyō Sharingan, and he refused to let such valuable assets slip through his fingers.
Recognizing that capturing every fleeing Uchiha had become impossible, Danzo had shifted his focus entirely to securing Shisui.
The power of those eyes would more than compensate for the losses they had suffered tonight.
"Hah... hah..."
Shisui's breathing came in ragged gasps, exhaustion evident in every labored breath.
A crimson trail of blood and tears had carved a path down from his right eye, marking the tremendous strain he had endured.
The green skeleton of his Susanoo flickered around his form, but the immense chakra consumption prevented him from maintaining its complete manifestation.
He had successfully delayed a significant portion of the enemy forces, buying precious time for his clansmen to escape to safety.
However, his massive energy expenditure stemmed largely from his unwillingness to deliver fatal blows to the Konoha ninjas.
Killing them outright would have been far more efficient, but Shisui's compassionate nature made such direct lethality much more costly to maintain.
"Why? Why won't you simply let the Uchiha leave in peace?"
"We only wanted to depart. We had no desire to become Konoha's enemies."
Shisui's voice carried both anguish and confusion as he stared toward the ANBU-uniformed figure in the distance.
Though Danzo had attempted to conceal his presence, Shisui's trained eyes had detected him despite the deception.
Of course, this was merely a shadow clone.
Danzo's paralyzing fear of [Kotoamatsukami] would never allow him to expose his true body so carelessly.
"The Uchiha are inherently evil and have no right to exist in this world," the shadow clone declared with chilling indifference.
"Death is the only fate that awaits your cursed bloodline."
"Shisui, you have thoroughly disappointed me. If you had simply obeyed our guidance without question, none of this would have been necessary."
Danzo's clone stepped out from its hiding place, regarding Shisui with cold, calculating eyes.
At this moment, Shisui found himself surrounded by over a dozen Root agents, with four elite operatives positioned strategically in reserve.
No avenue of escape remained available to him.
"You chose to intercept me rather than pursue the others. Your true target is me… or rather, my eyes, isn't it?"
"What a shame that the Mangekyō you desired, the one containing [Kotoamatsukami], is no longer in my possession."
A bitter smile crossed Shisui's features as he spoke these words.
The revelation sent a surge of anxiety through Danzo's shadow clone.
"Sharingan."
Without hesitation, the clone activated its transplanted Sharingan, locking directly onto Shisui's gaze.
The examination confirmed his worst fears.
Only the right eye still possessed the distinctive pattern of the Mangekyō, while the left had been replaced with an ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan identical to his own.
"Where did you hide my Mangekyō Sharingan?" Danzo's voice trembled with barely contained rage.
"You have a Sharingan..." Shisui whispered, his own eyes widening in horrified recognition.
"So, everything Yamikage-san predicted was absolutely correct."
"You have betrayed the trust of our forefathers and the previous Hokages, using Konoha as nothing more than a tool to strengthen your own faction."
Upon witnessing Danzo's stolen Sharingan, Shisui's own anger finally ignited like wildfire.
“You even called my eyes as yours…”
In that short moment of clarity, he could barely understand that he had once placed his faith in such a treacherous individual.
If Yami had not approached him with the truth, it seemed inevitable that this very person would have murdered him in cold blood while orchestrating the complete annihilation of the Uchiha clan.
"Capture him alive. Do not kill him. I want to know where he hid the other Mangekyō Sharingan."
Seeing that Shisui would not surrender the information willingly, Danzo recognized that more persuasive methods would be required.
His desire for the Mangekyō Sharingan burned too intensely to accept failure.
He would take Shisui prisoner and extract every secret through whatever means proved necessary.
"Danzo, you alone… I will never forgive."
Shisui's glare burned with pure determination as it fixed upon Danzo's shadow clone.
"[Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld]."
"[Lightning Release: Thunder Net]."
"Bang. Bang. Bang."
The surrounding Root operatives launched their coordinated assault without delay.
They deployed restrictive ninjutsu techniques, nets, wires, and binding materials.
Anything that might successfully capture their target.
But their efforts met only empty air.
The legendary reputation of "Shisui of the Body Flicker" had not been earned through idle boasting.
****
"[Amaterasu]."
Blood-red tears streamed down Uchiha Fugaku's face as he unleashed his hidden power.
The Mangekyō ability he had concealed for so long now blazed forth without any reservation.
His only remaining desire was to ensure that as many of his clan members as possible could escape to safety.
He intended to use Amaterasu's eternal flames to create an impenetrable barrier that would cover his people's retreat.
With a single focused glance, the familiar streets of his childhood home became completely engulfed in writhing black fire.
Multiple ANBU who had been advancing found themselves forced to halt their pursuit entirely.
After all, more than a dozen of their comrades had already fallen victim to the attack, and there existed no known method to extinguish these cursed flames.
The survivors could only watch in helpless horror as their teammates burned alive.
"All personnel, retreat now."
After releasing [Amaterasu], Fugaku felt as though his very life force had been drained from his body.
Nevertheless, he forced himself to maintain his stance and issued the critical evacuation order.
"Clan leader, we should leave together."
The Uchiha clan members surrounding him bore various injuries, and not a single person remained in perfect health.
"Go now. Don't waste precious time. I can only leave after you do."
Fugaku's voice carried the absolute authority of command.
Seeing their leader's determination, his subordinates could only turn toward the portal without looking back, their hearts heavy with the necessity of abandoning him.
Approximately ten seconds later...
Thump
Thump
Several ANBU had tunneled underground passages to avoid direct contact with Amaterasu's flames, successfully breaking through the defensive line despite Fugaku's barrier.
"[Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation]."
Uchiha Fugaku abandoned all hesitation.
After releasing a devastating torrent of flame that set every surrounding building ablaze, he began his own tactical withdrawal without delay.
Since they were abandoning these structures anyway, he might as well put them to good use as obstacles to delay Konoha's pursuing forces.
****
Yami maintained his position beside the portal entrance, carefully counting each clan member who passed through to safety.
Approximately twenty individuals still remained unaccounted for.
"Here they come. The clan leader's group is arriving."
The Uchiha responsible for sensory detection reported to Yami with evident relief.
"Provide cover."
Yami issued his command with military precision.
Five three-tomoe Sharingan users remained at his side.
All of them possessed strength that ranked among the finest jōnin in their clan.
Upon hearing Yami's order, they acted without the slightest hesitation, unleashing the Uchiha clan's signature fire techniques to ignite the surrounding buildings.
These blazing structures would create both obstacles and concealment for the final phase of their retreat.
"Everyone, enter through this portal immediately."
Yami himself joined the defensive effort, launching more than a dozen kunai with lightning speed.
Three hand seals later, he channeled [Lightning Release] through the weapons, creating an electric grid that effectively blocked the ANBU's pursuit route.
Relief flooded through him as Uchiha Fugaku's familiar form came into view.
"[Earth Release: Earth Flow River]."
But at that critical moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen burst onto the scene.
The Hokage launched his earth-based technique directly toward the dimensional portal, intending to bury it beneath a torrent of mud and stone.
