Kaito Akaden (Kaito)

Kaito Akaden Chapter 128

Holding out his hand, Shisui insisted, "You're the only one I can count on, my best friend. Protect the village and the Uchiha name—both of them."

Tears welled up in Itachi's eyes, but he nodded, his Sharingan activated. He took the eye from Shisui. "Alright, I accept it. What will you do now?"

"If I die, many things will change. I've left a note," Shisui said as he walked backward, edging closer to the cliff's edge.

Itachi realized what was happening and called out, "Shisui, wait..."

But Shisui interrupted, "Don't try to stop me, Itachi." He smiled one last time before leaning back and falling off the cliff into the river below.

Itachi lunged forward, trying to grab Shisui as he fell, but he was too late. He watched helplessly as Shisui disappeared over the edge, shouting, "Shisui!" His hand reached out, but he was too far away.

…..

Kaito's clone sat atop Minato's head on the Hokage Monument, gazing over the village as the sun began to set, casting a golden glow across the sky. Currently, Kaito's shadow clone was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed; he was using the Mind's Eye of Kagura to keep an eye on Hiruzen.

Seeing that the situation with the Uchiha clan had escalated, Kaito ordered one of his clones to monitor the Third Hokage and his associates, knowing that the Uchiha clan massacre could happen at any moment. Itachi had already told Kaito that the Uchiha clan had started to arm themselves for the coup d'état.

Kaito knew that in the original timeline, Shisui was attacked somewhere around this time. So yesterday, right after the mission report was given, Kaito had made a shadow clone and assigned it to Tail Shisui.

Using the Mind's Eye of Kagura, Kaito could see that the Third Hokage was having a meeting in one of the rooms within the Hokage Building. Alongside him were Koharu, Homura, and Danzo. They were seated behind a large desk as Shisui gave his report to them.

Seeing Danzo among them, Kaito's clone thought, "I thought so. Danzo hasn't lost his influence on the surface." The sight of Danzo with the Third Hokage confirmed his suspicions.

They were deep in discussion, and Danzo was the most vocal of the group. Shisui, kneeling in front of them, said, "So, as it stands, the coup is still in motion."

Hiruzen sighed and looked down at Shisui. "I see," he said thoughtfully.

Danzo glanced sharply at Hiruzen and demanded, "Hiruzen, what's your plan now? If we remain idle any longer, it's going to be too late."

"Hmm," Hiruzen hummed as he leaned back in his chair, contemplating.

Danzo pressed on, his tone insistent. "Look, as the head of the village, sometimes it's necessary for you to make hard decisions. Isn't it time to do just that?"

They continued to argue among themselves, Just then, Shisui spoke up, his voice steady but urgent. "Please wait... if I may, I think I have an alternative. There's a plan I'd like to try, if you'll let me."

Hiruzen's eyes focused on Shisui. "A plan, you say?" he asked,

Danzo attempted to silence him, asserting, "This is a waste of time. There are no other options right now."

Hiruzen ignored Danzo's interruption and turned to Shisui. "What is this plan, Shisui?" he asked.

Shisui bowed his head respectfully and said, "I will use my Mangekyo Sharingan on the clan."

The elders were taken aback by his declaration, and Hiruzen pressed further, "Do you truly understand what you're saying? You'll forever be branded with the sin of using such a jutsu against your own clan."

Shisui nodded solemnly. "I understand. But still, it's worth it to protect what I hold dear... Lord Third, please!" he pleaded, looking earnestly at Hiruzen.

Hiruzen closed his eyes in contemplation before nodding in agreement. "If you believe in this, I won't stop you. Do what you must."

Shisui bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, sir."

However, Hiruzen added, "However, you may step back and cancel your plan if you change your mind. Remember, there is still some time for all of us to think of other alternatives. Understood, Shisui?"

Meanwhile, Kaito, using the Mind's Eye of Kagura, could only sense what was happening inside. The Mind's Eye wasn't as visually clear as the Byakugan, so he wasn't able to read their lips to know exactly what they were discussing.

But Kaito grasped the gist of it, thinking to himself, "So Shisui just told the Hokage that he's going to use Kotoamatsukami on Fugaku, huh? The idiot just painted a target on his back." He noticed Danzo's eyes narrow at Shisui's departing figure as he left the room and signaled to one of his ANBU.

Kaito's clone watched through the Kagura's Mind's Eye as Shisui left the Hokage's office. Almost immediately, a Root ANBU operative approached him to convey a message. Shisui pondered for a moment, then nodded, and the Root ANBU vanished as swiftly as he had appeared.

Standing there briefly, Shisui seemed deep in thought. He then summoned a crow, attached a note to it, and sent it soaring into the sky. Without wasting any more time, he sped off toward the southern outskirts of Konoha.

Back atop Minato's head on the Hokage Monument, Kaito's shadow clone opened his eyes and stood up, stretching his limbs in preparation. He leaped gracefully from the monument, landing on a nearby rooftop. From there, he propelled himself forward, following after Shisui while maintaining a cautious distance of about two kilometers.

Shisui exited Konoha's walls and entered the surrounding forest, darting through the trees as he made his way to his destination. After some time, he reached a secluded Root base and waited there for Danzo to arrive.

Kaito came to a halt atop a tall tree, leaning against its sturdy trunk about 2.5 kilometers away from Shisui. He scanned the area with his sensory abilities. After thirty minutes of patient waiting, he sensed someone approaching Shisui's location.

It was Danzo—that much was clear. But Kaito also detected fifteen other Jonin-level shinobi subtly converging on the area. Danzo walked toward Shisui alone, but his Root operatives were hidden strategically around the vicinity.

Danzo said, "Shisui, even if you use your dojutsu on Fugaku to get the clan to cooperate, what if the village doesn't change?"

Shisui replied confidently, "Lord Hokage has promised to bring about that change."

Danzo shook his head. "Even if the Third Hokage is content, the distrust among the Leaf Village won't simply disappear."

Shisui nodded thoughtfully and said, "I realize that, but in time..."

Danzo interrupted him sharply, "Besides, someone as suspicious as I am will never change. What will you do then, Shisui?"

Looking confused, Shisui asked, "But Lord Danzo..."

Danzo's eyes narrowed. "When the time comes, will you use your Kotoamatsukami on me too? Your Sharingan shall be in my safekeeping."

Without warning, Danzo lunged at Shisui, reaching out for his eye. Shisui reacted swiftly, catching Danzo's hand and casting a genjutsu on him, causing Danzo to go limp.

As Shisui turned to walk away, he suddenly sensed danger and jumped back as kunai were hurled toward him. Landing gracefully and facing Danzo, he realized he was now surrounded by fifteen ANBU members. One of them had already released the genjutsu on Danzo.

While all this was going on, Kaito's shadow clone watched silently but chose not to interfere. Kaito had decided that this was necessary. He remembered that Itachi only awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan because of Shisui's death, and Kaito didn't want to prevent that pivotal moment. So, he opted to observe and not intervene just yet.

Shisui engaged the fifteen Root ANBU members, managing to take down a few of them. However, Kaito could see that Shisui was starting to slow down considerably. Kaito thought, "He's been poisoned; that's why his movements are becoming sluggish." Shisui desperately fended off the ANBU, panting heavily.

Using his Kagura Mind's Eye, Kaito watched as Danzo sneaked up on Shisui and plucked out his left eye. Shisui jumped back, clutching the empty socket where his eye had been. He landed in a clearing, facing Danzo who stood opposite him. Panting, Shisui watched as Danzo placed the eye into a container and said something to him.

Kaito sensed that Shisui was channeling a large amount of chakra into his remaining eye. Shisui activated his Susanoo and attacked Danzo and the Root ANBU, creating a distraction. Seizing the opportunity, Shisui escaped.

Kaito's shadow clone followed as Shisui reached Itachi. The clone watched as Shisui told Itachi what had happened, then handed over his right eye. Just as Shisui began to lean back to fall off the cliff, Kaito's clone thought, "Now," and dispelled himself—not before dropping his marker.

Kaito appeared atop a tree, a tri-pronged kunai at his feet, just as Shisui was falling off the cliff. Plucking the kunai, he used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished.

Reaching the cliff's edge, Kaito threw down the kunai he was holding onto the ground near Itachi. Then, he hurled another kunai toward Shisui. Just as Shisui was about to hit the river below, Kaito appeared beside him, caught him mid-air, and disappeared once more.

They reappeared on the cliffside behind Itachi, at the spot where Kaito had dropped the tri-pronged kunai—all of this happening before Itachi could even process what was going on.

Kaito gently laid Shisui on the ground, his hands glowing green as he used the Mystic Palm Technique to assess Shisui's condition. Shisui was already unconscious.

Sensing Kaito and Shisui behind him, Itachi turned around and saw Kaito hunched over his friend. Confused, he called out as he got up, "Kaito, h-how...?" and rushed over to their side.

Kaito gave a brief nod to Itachi but remained focused on Shisui. "Itachi, he's in bad shape. What happened to him? Why is Shisui in this condition?" Kaito asked, not showing that he already knew the reason behind Shisui's condition.

"Danzo attacked him and got his Sharingan," Itachi said, his voice tinged with urgency. "Can you save him, Kaito?"

Kaito shook his head. "He's been poisoned. We need to get him to a hospital quickly," he replied, starting to pull a scroll out of his pouch. He thought to himself, "He must have been moving through sheer willpower alone. This must be one of the Aburame clan's poisons."

"Danzo must have poisoned him," Itachi said, shaking his head. "We can't. If the clan finds out that Danzo attacked Shisui, they'll launch the coup immediately. Even if they don't discover Danzo's involvement, Danzo himself would kill Shisui while he's in the hospital. That's why Shisui tried to take his own life."

Unfurling the scroll over Shisui's body, Kaito made a series of hand signs and placed his palm on the seal matrix. The kanji seals spread across Shisui's body, glowing briefly before fading. As the light dimmed, Shisui's breathing came to a stop.

Kaito rolled the scroll back up and looked over at Itachi. He noticed Itachi's eyes had shifted into the Mangekyo pattern as he stared intensely at Kaito. "What did you do?" Itachi demanded, concern and suspicion evident in his voice.

"That should buy us some time," Kaito explained calmly. "It will stop the poison from spreading and keep him stable until we can find help."

Itachi nodded slowly, processing the information. "But where can we take him?"

Kaito's mind raced. "Where should we take him? We can't take him to the Konoha hospital. I don't know anyone from the Aburame clan who could help. I could bring him to Hachō Village, but I doubt they'd have the antidote for this poison." Then, a thought struck him.

"Hold onto my shoulder, Itachi," Kaito said urgently as he lifted Shisui into his arms.

Without hesitation, Itachi grabbed Kaito's shoulder.

In an instant, Kaito teleported them away.

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