Chapter 146: Shisui: "Itachi, what have you done?" Shisui's Kakusei no Ketsu!

"Has it already... come to an end? It just began, and yet... it's over already... Huh. Sorry, Shisui. I failed you. I couldn’t remove the tumor from Leaf Village."

"The tumor within Leaf Village had grown beyond what even my own Root could eradicate. I had already found an ally... but I came too late."

"So... the Ninja World truly does have a sanctuary of pure Izumi. I can feel my soul being called by a place—pulling me toward it."

Uchiha Itachi murmured to himself, his gaze wandering aimlessly across the endless void. He stood alone, utterly isolated.

He looked down at his hands, and memories flashed—his father, his mother, Sasuke’s face.

"I’m sorry, Sasuke. I wanted to teach you the Shuriken Throwing Technique one last time after this was over. I wanted to hear you say 'Onii-chan'—really say it, with your own voice."

"But it’s too late now. Maybe... in a few decades, or even centuries... we’ll meet again."

As he walked, Itachi suddenly froze, his eyes widening in shock.

Before him, just a few steps away, stood a figure.

His breath caught.

"Shisui?!"

The figure before him was unmistakably Uchiha Shisui.

"Itachi... I thought I’d have to wait here for decades to see you."

In reality, Shisui had lost both eyes a year ago—one taken by Danzō, the other given to Itachi.

But here, in this realm, Shisui’s eyes were whole, unblemished. He smiled, watching Itachi approach.

"Looks like we both failed," Shisui said, clapping Itachi gently on the shoulder. "Don’t worry. Even without us, others will rise. That’s Leaf Village—our fallen leaves become nourishment for the next generation. They’ll carry on our will. Sometimes... you have to trust in the wisdom of the new."

Itachi felt the weight of the hand on his shoulder. He took a slow, deep breath, hiding the sting behind his eyes.

"Have you... been waiting here for me?"

"Of course!" Shisui chuckled. "I couldn’t just leave you. When I left, you were only ten—maybe eleven? You were too young. How could I possibly let you go?"

"And now... you died younger than I did."

Shisui rubbed the back of his head, a faint guilt in his voice. "Maybe I shouldn’t have entrusted you with my eye. Maybe that’s what doomed you."

"Tell me... what happened? I can barely see your situation from here."

Itachi fell silent.

After a moment, he spoke.

"I believe the true tumor in Leaf Village lies within the Uchiha Clan—and within Uchiha Iizumi. I tried to save the village my way. So I made a pact with a man in the Akatsuki Organization, one who calls himself 'Uchiha Sharingan.'"

Shisui’s expression darkened visibly.

"I had two plans. First—kill Uchiha Iizumi. Destroy his Absolute Justice. Because Absolute Justice is just as dangerous to Leaf Village as the Uchiha extremists."

"Second—destroy the entire Uchiha Clan."

"The Uchiha Clan either succumbs to radical ideology, or is purged by Absolute Justice. And with how the Sharingan awakens—its very nature is radical. It’s inherently unstable. It’s the greatest threat to peace within Leaf Village."

"Only by eliminating both of these could we truly remove the two greatest tumors. Only then could real peace be achieved."

"But..." Itachi shook his head. "I was no match for Iizumi. He killed me before I could even act."

Shisui stood frozen.

He stared at Itachi, stunned.

"Then... what about the Mangekyō? The one I gave you? The Kakusei no Ketsu?"

Itachi exhaled deeply.

"I meant to use it to mark Sasuke—imprint Kakusei no Ketsu upon him. So he’d serve Leaf Village for the rest of his life. Oh—forgot to mention. I planned to spare Sasuke. To rebuild a new Uchiha Clan in his name."

"A new Uchiha, forged under Kakusei no Ketsu, would be loyal to Leaf Village and the Hokage—just like the Hyūga Clan."

Shisui’s mouth opened.

"Kakusei no Ketsu... on Sasuke? On a child... just six or seven years old?"

"Itachi..." Shisui whispered, stunned. "What were you thinking? I gave you that eye so you could change the Uchiha Clan’s mindset—not to destroy it, then use that eye to control a child!"

"Who are you to decide that a child can rebuild an entire clan? Why make him suffer such pain? Itachi... what are you doing?"

Shisui realized he couldn’t follow Itachi’s logic. He couldn’t understand the mind behind such a plan.

Why destroy the entire Uchiha Clan?

Why oppose Iizumi’s Absolute Justice?

What kind of genius, what kind of madness, could conceive such a way to save a village?

"Itachi..." Shisui hesitated, voice laced with concern. "...are you even coping with this? Did it... break you?"

Itachi was silent.

Why wouldn’t Shisui understand?

His father had believed in his capacity. His father had approved of his choices.

Had Shisui changed?

...

The Real World. Leaf Village.

"Susanoo?!"

Uchiha Fugaku gasped, staring at the colossal, lava-like crimson figure before him.

His face paled.

"Fire chakra... that’s Iizumi’s Susanoo. Armor-plated? What form is this?"

"Has Iizumi’s Mangekyō Sharingan grown this far? Is he trying to catch up to the legendary Uchiha Sharingan?"

Then, a horrifying thought struck him.

"Who was the other Susanoo... the one that was split in two?"

In the last ten years, only three Uchiha had awakened Mangekyō Sharingan: himself, Shisui, and Iizumi.

The first Susanoo wasn’t his. Shisui was already dead. The massive one was clearly Iizumi’s.

"Itachi!!"

Fugaku froze mid-step, heart hammering.

Was that really Itachi?

If so... how was he even alive after being cleaved in half by Iizumi’s Susanoo?

Fugaku’s chest tightened.

...

On the other side, Hiruzen Sarutobi—accompanied by a squadron of Anbu Ninja—stopped dead in his tracks, his old eyes wide with shock.

"That..." he murmured. "Is that a Mangekyō Sharingan technique from the Uchiha Clan?"

A voice cut through the silence.

"It’s called Susanoo."

Hiruzen turned. Standing nearby was Jiraiya—on whose shoulder perched the Shima Sage.

"The one with the lava-veined armor and that massive sword—it’s definitely Iizumi’s. His Mangekyō has fused completely with his bloodline."

Jiraiya’s tone grew grave.

"If this is Mangekyō, then it’s Iizumi who unleashed it. That armor, that sword—both radiate molten heat. The power is no longer just technique. It’s a living weapon."

He turned to Hiruzen.

"Old man, I thought he was after you. Turns out, I was wrong."

Hiruzen said nothing.

He stared at the towering Susanoo—its sheer scale defying reason.

If Iizumi had turned that power on him, the Third Hokage, in a one-on-one battle... Hiruzen admitted, with grim honesty, that he had no real defense.

This was no longer a battle between ninjas. This was the power of a Shadow—a being who had ascended beyond mortal limits.

And among the Shadows, Iizumi stood at the peak. Only his younger self might have matched him.

Now? He was too old. Too worn.

So his years of restraint—his silence, his refusal to act on the pain of losing his son... it had been the right choice.

Otherwise, with such power in the village, Iizumi’s rage would have caused destruction rivaling the Nine-Tails Uprising.

And worse—because Leaf Village was weaker now than it had been then... the damage could have been even greater.

...

Every person in Leaf Village stared in awe at the towering figure—like a god descending from the heavens.

A few recalled ancient texts, but most—ninja and civilian alike—had no idea what it was.

"What is that thing? Is it the Nine-Tails rising again?"

An older chūnin trembled.

"I remember that night... the fire, the screams..."

Another swallowed hard. "Don’t scare me! If it were a Nine-Tails event, the alarms would’ve gone off by now. Nothing’s triggered yet. Maybe it’s not that bad?"

"Regardless—get your families to safety. Just in case."

"Can a ninja even do that? What kind of jutsu is this? Akimichi Size Increase?"

"Size Increase doesn’t scale like that!"

...

"Hey, Haiichi," Nara Shikaku said. "That’s probably an Uchiha technique, right?"

Yamana Haiichi nodded. "Yeah. They call it Susanoo."

Akimichi Teizou added, "It’s in our clan’s records. Our ancestors saw an Uchiha use it. But... nothing like this. This is monstrous."

He stared in awe. "This kind of power could turn the tide of any war. And it’s all in one man’s hands."

He turned to Haiichi. "You were right. Iizumi’s shown us the truth. He’s ready for the next Hokage."

"Even with just the Three Great Clans behind him, Iizumi could become the Fifth Hokage with ease. The only real obstacle? Whether the Third Hokage wants to step down."

Haiichi shook his head. "Iizumi isn’t cut out to be Hokage. Not that he lacks the power. If he ruled, Leaf Village would flourish—back to its First Hokage-era strength."

"But his dreams are bigger. He doesn’t see Leaf Village as the center of the world. He sees the entire Ninja World."

Teizou scratched his head, sheepish. "Guess I’ve been thinking too small."

"Relax," Haiichi said. "If the Third Hokage retires, Iizumi will interfere in the election. He’ll push for someone who believes in Absolute Justice. Only then can Absolute Justice and the Will of Fire truly merge."

"From there, Absolute Justice will spread—through Fire Country, across other nations, into every village, every ninja realm."

"That’s Iizumi’s vision."

Shikaku sighed, hands in his pockets. "Only someone like Iizumi could inspire trust. Anyone else with such ambition... we’d fear they’d try to dominate the entire Ninja World."

...

Inside the Uchiha Compound, Mikoto’s face was etched with worry.

Despite their argument at dinner, her husband had gone to the front line—she couldn’t help but fear.

"Mother... what is that?!" Sasuke asked, his young voice trembling with shock.

"Susanoo," Mikoto said, her voice tight. "A forbidden technique from our clan’s records. Only a handful of Uchiha have ever awakened it."

"Because..." she paused. "Legend says you must have Mangekyō Sharingan to awaken it."

"Mangekyō Sharingan..." Sasuke whispered. "So that Susanoo... was created by Iizumi-sensei using his Mangekyō?"

Mikoto shook her head. "I don’t know. But tonight... something big has happened. Or perhaps it’s already ended."

...

Elsewhere, Iizumi stood, stunned, watching the Susanoo fade into the distance.

Beside her, Tachibana Jiro said, "Never seen Iizumi-sama use it before. He’s only ever spoken of it."

He glanced at her wide eyes, then gently patted her leg with his paw.

"Relax. That was Iizumi-sama’s power. The other kid—Itachi—used a Susanoo too. But compared to this? He was like a child playing with sticks."

Itachi’s Susanoo hadn’t stood a chance.

Izumi stared at the long, jagged trench carved through the village—stretching beyond the walls, cutting a mile-long gash into the earth.

"That’s... Absolute Justice."

She steadied herself.

"Tachibana Jiro, what about Itachi?"

A cold, familiar voice cut through the air.

"No need to ask."

Izumi turned.

Uchiha Iizumi stood there, untouched, his left hand holding a scroll, his right gripping a raven.

"His Susanoo was severed. My sword—forged from Molten Release, Mangekyō chakra, and raw will—burns at lava temperatures. Its strike carried the force of a volcanic eruption."

"By the time it hit him, he was already dead. Every cell in his body vaporized. To die by my sword? That’s not a death. It’s a burial."

"Too kind," he said, voice flat.

Izumi felt a strange stirring—anger at Itachi’s foolishness, a fleeting urge to kill him for his betrayal.

But then she remembered.

When she returned to the Uchiha Clan, Itachi had been her only friend.

She exhaled slowly.

The doubt, the sorrow—gone in two seconds.

Iizumi had sacrificed even blood for Absolute Justice.

Itachi was already beyond pity.

He was a warrior. He knew the cost of his choices.

And for someone so stubborn, so reckless, so blind to reason... death was the only fitting end.

Besides—among the Uchiha, his death would be celebrated.

Every day he lived was a day of fear. Iizumi’s prophecy had already poisoned their minds.

"Kid! Enemy?!" A voice roared.

Kushina landed with a crash, cracking the pavement beneath her.

"Enemy’s dead," Tachibana Jiro answered.

"Dead?" Kushina lowered her stance, clearing her throat. "So you didn’t plan to destroy the village?"

"Uchiha Itachi," Iizumi said.

Kushina blinked. Then her eyes widened. "Wait—Fugaku’s son? The one obsessed with wiping out the Uchiha?"

"Correct."

Kushina stared. Then she walked over, slapped Iizumi’s shoulder.

"Good thing the Uchiha have you. Don’t know if that’s a blessing or a curse."

"It’s a blessing for the good. A curse for the wicked."

Kushina smirked. "Oh, you’re such a little show-off."

She chuckled. "But... you’re right. No exaggeration."

She glanced at the scroll and raven in his hands.

"What’s that?"

"Sealing Flame Ritual Scroll," Iizumi said, tossing the scroll to Izumi, who barely caught it.

"It contains a black flame—Itachi’s Mangekyō ability, Amaterasu. It burns until nothing remains. Use it as a last resort."

Izumi stared at it. "Thank you, Senior!"

Tachibana Jiro gasped. "Izumi-sama! The raven’s eye!"

Kushina and Izumi turned.

"Wait... that’s..." Izumi’s eyes widened. "A Sharingan? But that pattern... no way... it’s a Mangekyō Sharingan!"

Kushina raised an eyebrow. "Mangekyō?"

"Is that... Itachi’s eye?" Izumi asked, trembling.

"No," Iizumi said. "It’s Shisui’s Kakusei no Ketsu. A gift from Absolute Justice."

In plain terms: the eye that exploded after Absolute Justice was enacted.

Otherwise, even a steel raven wouldn’t survive that strike.

At that moment, footsteps echoed.

Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived with a full Anbu squad.

He heard Iizumi’s last words.

"—Shisui’s Kakusei no Ketsu!"

"Old man?" Kushina glanced at the Third Hokage, then at the dozens of Anbu. "You’re here to back him up... or to watch him?"

Hiruzen said nothing.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end