Uchiha Shingen thought of this point.
Shisui naturally realized it as well.
His gaze rapidly swept around their surroundings.
The originally familiar streets began to violently twist and distort, gradually peeling away to reveal their true appearance.
Only then did he realize…
They weren’t inside the Uchiha clan compound at all!
They were in another completely abandoned old district on the outskirts of Konoha!
A bright moon hung high in the sky, and the surroundings were dead silent.
Only a few crows glided low through the air, landing on a nearby branch, quietly watching everything unfolding here!
“Genjutsu!?!”
Shisui was visibly shaken.
The Uchiha’s Sharingan was inherently adept at casting Genjutsu, and even more terrifyingly adept at seeing through it.
Yet the Genjutsu cast by whoever was attacking them right now was not only able to deceive Shisui’s eyes, but it even completely fooled Uchiha Shingen, who had already awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan!
The only ones in all of Konoha capable of casting a Genjutsu this incredibly realistic were the Kurama clan!
Shisui’s gaze swept over the Root shinobi lurking in the distance.
At the very back, a frail, emaciated figure heavily wrapped in bandages and sitting in a wheelchair was exceptionally conspicuous.
That was undoubtedly the Kurama clan shinobi who had made the move tonight.
The Kurama clan possessed a terrifying Kekkei Genkai said to be capable of blurring the lines between reality and illusion, but they also bore the heavy curse that came with it.
Almost any Kurama clansman who awakened this Kekkei Genkai would inevitably suffer from a genetic physical illness, resulting in a tragically short lifespan, fleeting as fireworks.
But in exchange, they gained an absurdly powerful Genjutsu ability, one that could arguably even surpass the Sharingan itself!
“It’s not just that.”
Uchiha Shingen shook his head.
He could see a layer deeper than Shisui.
If it were purely just Genjutsu, even if it could fool Shisui, it would be extremely difficult to completely deceive his Three-Tomoe eyes.
The subtle anomalies in their surroundings were now crystal clear to him.
The faintly flowing chakra in the air, though thin, could be clearly perceived.
“There should be a Barrier Ninjutsu as well.”
“With the two combined, even the Sharingan would find it hard to see through.”
“That level of insight certainly lives up to the strength you’ve displayed!”
A low, raspy voice drifted from the darkness in the distance, and Danzo, leaning heavily on his cane, stepped out of the shadows.
Danzo’s gaze swept over the two of them.
When he clearly saw Shisui’s face, he paused slightly, a hint of deep reminiscence surfacing in his one visible eye:
“Uchiha Shisui, is it?!”
“You certainly have a bit of Kagami’s shadow in you, whether it’s your personality or that talent that far surpasses ordinary men.”
“I just wonder how much of his Will you’ve managed to inherit.”
Clearly, even if Danzo mentioned his revered ancestor, the heavy guard in the boy’s heart didn’t drop a single fraction.
Seeing Shisui stay silent, Danzo wasn’t annoyed.
He shifted his gaze to Uchiha Shingen.
Within his usually dead, stagnant eyes, a look of genuine marvel appeared for the very first time:
“Thirteen years old, yet already possessing the absolute combat power of a Jonin.
Your on-the-spot reaction speed even perfectly suppressed Shisui, a recognized genius…”
“Are you interested in working for me?!”
Uchiha Shingen rejected him without a second thought:
“I’m doing perfectly fine at the Konoha Military Police Force, and I don’t have any plans to change jobs at the moment.
I appreciate the thought, but can I leave now?!”
As an iron-clad slacker, Shingen was incredibly satisfied with his current job.
High pay, low workload, close to home; respectable position with virtually zero heavy responsibilities.
Out of the golden rules for evaluating a top-tier job, being a Police Force Squad Captain hit almost all of them.
Aside from not having absolute supreme authority, it had almost no flaws.
Not to mention, this old geezer looked like terrible news at first glance!
That guy in the back was practically wrapped in bandages like a dying mummy, yet he was still dragged out here to work overtime!
This was naked, unabashed corporate exploitation!
“And you?!”
Danzo looked back at Shisui, his tone dropping a few degrees colder.
“I’m with Captain Shingen.”
Shisui also refused.
Seeing Danzo’s ugly expression, he continued:
“Even if I leave the Police Force, I’ve already received Lord Hokage’s invitation and will be joining the Anbu under his direct command.”
“Is that so…”
Danzo’s voice was indifferent, but within his slightly lowered eyes, a heavy, violent killing intent had already surfaced.
He absolutely hated the feeling of being rejected, especially by members of the Uchiha!
“Then that truly is a shame.”
Danzo’s voice went completely cold, followed instantly by a thick, undisguised murderous aura.
A pawn that cannot be used by me has no reason to exist!
Danzo slowly raised his hand.
The surrounding Root shinobi instantly tensed their bodies, like lethal arrows drawn back tight on a bowstring.
Shisui broke out in a cold sweat, his eyes turning incredibly grave.
Unlike Uchiha Shingen, who largely ignored the outside world, Shisui understood the internal political factions of Konoha much better.
Although he had long anticipated Danzo’s ruthless operating style, he never imagined the man would be this extreme.
This was practically detonating the volatile conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha right then and there!
Uchiha Shingen’s face was equally grave.
The situation tonight had escalated way too fast and too violently.
First came Shisui’s ambush, and then being entirely surrounded by Root shinobi.
Among the operatives surrounding them, there were a few whose sheer auras made even him feel a deep sense of dread.
They were undoubtedly elite veteran Jonin of Konoha!
With them joining forces, let alone winning, just managing to escape in one piece was going to be a massive problem!
Uchiha Shingen never imagined that things would deteriorate to this catastrophic point in just a few breaths, giving him the terrifying illusion that they were about to be buried here over a single disagreement!
After a split second of frantic thought, Shingen was just about to open his mouth to compromise.
But at that exact moment, a powerful, calloused hand clamped down firmly on his shoulder, and Jiraiya’s overly familiar voice rang out.
“It’s been a long time, Danzo-dono!”
“I can’t let you take away my precious pen pal so easily tonight, now can I~”
The crushing killing intent originally locking onto Uchiha Shingen abruptly dissipated.
He turned his head.
Only to see that Jiraiya had somehow appeared right beside him without making a single sound.
In the night breeze.
Jiraiya’s silver, lion-like mane fluttered wildly.
Even without making a single aggressive move, his mere presence caused all the surrounding Root shinobi to freeze in their tracks, as if they were staring down a terrifying, legendary beast about to break out of its cage.
Only then did Uchiha Shingen truly realize in shock.
This ridiculous middle-aged uncle who had been enthusiastically discussing smut with him just days ago…
the sheer, overwhelming presence he was exuding right now was even more suffocating than that of the current Uchiha Clan Head, Uchiha Fugaku!
Damn it!
How can there really be such an absolutely shameless old man, who refuses to do his perfectly good job as an elite ninja and insists on wandering around writing erotica?!
The absolute lower limits of the shinobi world had once again shattered Uchiha Shingen’s worldview.
But right now, his heart was filled with nothing but immense relief.
“Did Hiruzen send you?!”
Danzo lowered his hand, his face completely devoid of emotion.
The surrounding Root shinobi instantly retreated, melting seamlessly back into the darkness of the night as if they had never been there at all.
“Is he really that confident he can bring the Uchiha under his wing?!”
“Oh my~”
Jiraiya’s face once again took on that thoroughly unreliable, goofy expression as he said thoughtfully:
“We’re purely just in a very innocent pen pal relationship, you know!”