The meeting between Hagoromo and Orochimaru lasted only a fleeting moment. Such a stealthy and secretive interaction went completely unnoticed by anyone.
As for Orochimaru's movements afterward, Hagoromo paid them no mind, or rather, he had no way of tracking them.
Hagoromo only knew that Orochimaru was indeed still in the village. But where exactly he was hiding, perhaps only Orochimaru himself knew; Hagoromo had no way of finding out.
From his brief exchange with Orochimaru, Hagoromo vaguely realized something extremely important: there was a very high probability that Danzo genuinely planned to strike the Uchiha first.
Hagoromo's suspicion was spot on. Danzo had never once considered letting the Uchiha live. However, before making his move on the clan as a whole, he had a few things to take care of... He had to cut off the strongest branch before he could hack at the trunk.
Therefore, Danzo's first target was "one of their own," who also happened to be the strongest Uchiha at present: Shisui of the Body Flicker.
Even though Shisui had graduated with the orthodox "Will of Fire," Danzo Shimura did not trust him—simply because of the surname "Uchiha."
Or perhaps Danzo did trust Shisui enough, but the attitude he displayed had to be one of distrust, as he needed to seek justification for his subsequent actions.
In truth, his pursuit couldn't really be called twisted. Looking at the history and future of this world, it could be simply summarized as a process of everyone trying to find a "cheat" for themselves. Whether it was trying to become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki or snatching a Sharingan, it was all the same; fundamentally, there was no difference.
Strangely enough, in the minds of the most powerful ninjas, the idea of relying on their own strength to train up to Super Saiyan 4 was nonexistent; finding a cheat was actually the norm.
Thus, it was perfectly normal for Danzo to want to seize Kotoamatsukami for himself.
Shisui had already fallen into a severe crisis without even realizing it.
On the surface, Fugaku Uchiha had given Shisui the mission to use Kotoamatsukami against Hagoromo when the time came. But in reality, he had another highly classified mission:
Surveil Itachi Uchiha.
By this point, no matter how slow the Uchiha were to react, they should have realized there was a severe information leak within the clan. Whatever move they made, Konoha had a corresponding countermeasure. If they still hadn't realized the problem, then it wasn't their eyes that were cursed, but their IQs.
And the target of their suspicion narrowed down to Itachi Uchiha... who was an Anbu ninja.
But regardless, the arrow of rebellion was already notched on the bowstring.
"The Uchiha rebellion is ready to fire. It's hard to imagine that ordinary measures can prevent the worst-case scenario from happening."
Inside the Hokage's office stood the Third Hokage and Danzo.
The one who spoke these words, however, was the third person present: Shisui Uchiha.
"Reaching this point is not beyond my expectations. We must begin preparing forceful measures," Danzo stated.
"Hold on, Danzo!" The Third Hokage stopped Danzo from continuing.
"Given the current situation, Shisui, according to our previous strategy, you will next..."
"Yes, Lord Hokage. Next, I will use Kotoamatsukami on Fugaku, making him reconsider a way to coexist with the village. The operation... will take place tonight at the Uchiha assembly," Shisui said.
This was a decision he had made a long time ago.
"Too naive. Do you really think altering the will of Fugaku alone can quell the dissatisfaction of the entire Uchiha clan? Can a rebellion be stopped just like that?"
Danzo viewed problems very realistically. At this juncture, Fugaku's individual opinion was both important and entirely irrelevant. In Danzo's eyes, changing the clan head's mind would be futile; at most, it would just delay the rebellion for a while. And that was not what Danzo wanted to see. He wanted to eliminate all hidden dangers in one fell swoop. From his perspective, it was better for the Uchiha to be annihilated; only then would the problem be solved once and for all.
"Change is mutual. As long as one side takes the first step, we are willing to proceed with proactive measures... Shisui, act according to your plan. I will have an Anbu ninja support you."
At this moment, the Hokage would not accommodate Danzo. The two had fundamental contradictions in their overall strategies. The Third Hokage stuck to his ideals; no matter what, he did not want to see bloodshed.
He was the Hokage. Even if Danzo was dissatisfied, he could not openly rebel.
And the Anbu ninja the Hokage promised would provide support and cooperation to Shisui was undoubtedly Itachi Uchiha, assuming nothing went wrong.
After further detailed discussion, Shisui left first. To him, tonight's Uchiha assembly was of paramount importance.
Soon after, Danzo also took his leave, or perhaps "stormed off" would be a more appropriate description.
By all rights, the Hokage should have been the only one left in the room, but just then, Hagoromo stepped out from the shadows... He had been there the entire time, though it was unclear where exactly he had been hiding earlier.
"Well then, Third, I will begin my operation as well."
"Hagoromo, your mission is to ensure that Shisui faces no interference from anyone while executing his plan. Understood? Do not do anything unnecessary," the Third Hokage instructed firmly.
"I understand."
Did Hagoromo really understand? He certainly hoped he did.
Night approached, and the shadows were about to swallow the last rays of twilight. In front of a secluded shrine, Danzo and Shisui—who was about to execute his critical mission—had one final, decisive conversation.
"Is there something you need, Lord Danzo? The assembly is about to begin. I must use my visual prowess on the clan head before he clarifies his stance during the meeting," Shisui said.
He couldn't just make Fugaku's attitude do a complete 180-degree flip all at once. It wasn't that Kotoamatsukami couldn't achieve it, but doing so would inevitably arouse the suspicion of the entire clan.
Everything needed to be done subtly, which was a highly difficult task.
"If you and the Third's plan succeeds, Fugaku changes, and the Uchiha change, but the village's attitude remains unchanged afterward... what will you do then?" Danzo asked.
His question cut straight to the core.
Shisui hoped that after altering Fugaku and the Uchiha, Konoha would gradually improve its attitude and treatment toward them. Ultimately, he was still acting for the sake of the Uchiha... The idea of annihilating his own clan had never once crossed Shisui's mind. That was far too extreme.
"The Third promised me. He will definitely make it happen."
"The attitudes and hearts of the villagers will not change just because the Third Hokage commands it. The more likely reality is that nothing will change at all. So... what will you do when that time comes?"
"I..."
Before Shisui could answer, Danzo cut in, "You will use your visual prowess on all of Konoha's upper echelon, including the Third Hokage, won't you?"
Danzo's attitude was now perfectly clear. He feared Kotoamatsukami.
But at the same time, he coveted it.
"Your genjutsu is far too dangerous. Such a jutsu cannot be left in the hands of the Uchiha... This eye, I will be taking it."
Before his voice even faded, Danzo launched a shocking sneak attack against Shisui!
In terms of sheer strength, Danzo couldn't possibly be a match for Shisui of the Body Flicker, even if the latter didn't use his ultimate visual prowess.
But in this exchange... the problem was that Shisui held back too much and drastically underestimated Danzo's capabilities.
Shisui only cast a standard genjutsu on Danzo, and for a moment, the older man was indeed instantly subdued.
However, Shisui didn't know that Danzo also possessed a Sharingan.
Furthermore, after undergoing Wood Release modifications, the combined power of the Senju and the Sharingan allowed Danzo to use one of the ultimate Sharingan jutsu.
Izanagi...
This was a visual prowess capable of erasing any disadvantageous reality for the user in one fell swoop!
Thus, Danzo broke free from Shisui's genjutsu and simultaneously launched a surprise attack on the completely unprepared young man!
A Mangekyo Sharingan was plucked out by Danzo in an instant, as easily as yanking out a USB 3.0 flash drive.
The pain of the sudden attack and the loss of his eye plunged Shisui into an extremely disadvantageous state. Worse still, the Root ninjas lying in ambush rapidly rushed out and surrounded him.
Was losing his right eye painful? Yes, but at this moment, the most painful realization for Shisui was that everything he had planned was now impossible to execute.
But he couldn't die here. He still had one last hope. So, after unleashing a Grand Fireball, Shisui used his signature Body Flicker Technique to swiftly escape.
"Pursue!"
Danzo issued a simple command to his subordinates.
Receiving the order, all the Root operatives immediately gave chase after Shisui.
Only Danzo remained. Yet, before he even had time to admire his newly acquired eye, another person's voice rang out.
"Come to think of it, this is an Uzumaki clan shrine..."
"And also, my little girl's sixth birthday is coming up very soon. Finding a suitable gift is a real headache. Heaven knows what little girls that age even like."
"So... could you hand over the item in your hand, Lord Danzo?"
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Author's Note 1: Shisui died when Itachi was 11, and the massacre happened two years later. The timeline here has been condensed for pacing.
Author's Note 2: In the anime original filler, Shisui personally reveals the intel about Kotoamatsukami right to Danzo's face. Before that, it seemed only the Third Hokage knew about the jutsu. Then, his eye was snatched that very same day before the night was over. Danzo... what a terrifying old man. He doesn't even let the loot sit overnight before stealing it.