Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with quiet certainty.
After finishing—
His gaze subtly shifted toward Danzo Shimura.
A trace of confusion lingered in his eyes.
Normally—
Danzo was the most aggressive among them.
A true war hawk.
Yet today—
Faced with the objections of the two advisors—
He had remained silent.
That was… unusual.
"Hiruzen."
"I suggest you review the latest casualty list before making your decision."
Koharu Utatane interrupted.
Hiruzen snapped out of his thoughts.
He glanced at her—
Then calmly picked up the report.
Page after page—
Names.
So many names.
Some—
He recognized immediately.
Members of the Sarutobi clan.
Others—
From Konoha's great families.
The Hyuga.
The Uchiha.
The Inuzuka.
The Akimichi.
The Yamanaka.
The Aburame.
Each entry—
Detailed with age.
Gender.
The more he read—
The heavier his expression became.
Most of the fallen—
Were young.
The youngest—
Only eight.
The oldest—
Barely thirty-five.
The older generation could fall.
That was war.
But the young—
They were the future.
The lifeblood of the village.
Without them—
Decline was inevitable.
For the first time—
Hiruzen hesitated.
Then—
Danzo spoke.
"Hiruzen is right."
"We've suffered losses."
"But so have they."
"This is now a war of endurance."
"The side that lasts longer—wins."
"We've already forced the Hidden Mist to withdraw."
"The Land of Water seeks peace."
"The advantage is ours."
His tone hardened slightly.
"And yet…"
"You want to pull back?"
"I don't understand."
A pause.
Then calmly:
"Of course…"
"The final decision is yours."
Danzo fell silent again.
As if detached.
But his words—
Had already landed.
Hiruzen exhaled slowly.
"Send more intelligence units."
"I want updated reports from all fronts."
"We need a clearer comparison of strength."
"For now…"
"We will reallocate part of our forces."
"Reinforce the other battlefields."
"We continue the war."
A brief pause.
"We'll know the outcome soon enough."
"That is my decision."
He lifted his pipe again—
Looking out the window.
Koharu and Homura exchanged glances.
They wanted to object—
But remained silent.
Meanwhile—
Danzo's lips curled faintly.
…
Uchiha Akira moved swiftly through the forest—
Returning to regroup with his clan.
His perception spread outward—
Constantly scanning.
After the heavy losses suffered by the Hidden Mist—
They no longer dared to send large forces into the Land of Fire.
And the defeat of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—
Had only deepened that fear.
Within his range—
There were no enemies.
"…The Third Hokage will either recall us…"
"Or redeploy us to another battlefield…"
Akira thought.
Then—
He stopped.
The moment he did—
A figure appeared ahead.
Standing on a branch.
A boy.
Around his age.
Perhaps slightly younger.
Short black hair.
A short blade strapped to his back.
Konoha headband.
His gaze—
Sharp.
Calm.
Observant.
"…The Uchiha prodigy."
"Shunshin no Shisui."
Akira recognized him instantly.
After all—
They belonged to the same clan.
And that name—
Was already legendary.
Shisui's eyes shifted—
From Akira's face—
To the weapons on his back.
Hiramekarei.
Kabutowari.
Nuibari.
Shibuki.
Trophies—
Taken from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
If not for the others escaping—
He might have claimed all seven.
"…Looks like I'm late."
Shisui spoke calmly.
As if—
He had come for the same prey.
"Were you after these?"
Akira gestured toward the swords.
But Shisui didn't answer directly.
"Lately, there have been many rumors about you."
"From what I can see…"
"You've awakened the Sharingan as well, haven't you?"
Akira vanished.
Body Flicker.
He appeared beside Shisui—
Silently.
Close enough to stand shoulder to shoulder.
Then tilted his head slightly.
"For now…"
"I've reached the highest level of the Sharingan."
A test.
A probe.
Just as expected—
A flicker of surprise crossed Shisui's eyes.
"…Mangekyō?"
That single word—
Revealed everything.
He knew.
And ordinary Uchiha—
Did not.
Which meant—
He had already awakened it.
"…Mangekyō?"
Akira feigned confusion.
"The highest stage isn't three tomoe?"
Shisui's expression settled.
Understanding.
"No."
"Beyond three tomoe…"
"There is a higher state."
"The true power of the Uchiha."
As he spoke—
His eyes changed.
Black—
To crimson.
Patterns shifted.
A four-bladed pinwheel emerged.
Mangekyō Sharingan.
Mysterious.
Terrifying.
Akira's eyes widened.
This time—
His shock was real.
He hadn't expected—
That at this point in time—
Uchiha Shisui had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.