NOVEL NEXT Chapter 47: Plan
---
Susanoo, the ultimate defense and a power unlocked by the Mangekyō Sharingan, was often called the weapon of a god. Its forms varied, each stage granting unique abilities, but even its initial manifestation was formidable.
Uchiha Shisui was now wielding the first form of Susanoo. Only the upper torso of the construct materialized—a skeletal frame lacking any intricate features or weaponry. It relied on basic swords or fists, offering immense defense but leaving offense somewhat limited. This partial form was still a monumental drain on Shisui's chakra.
He had hoped it would be enough—until Orochimaru unleashed the Yamata no Jutsu.
The Eight-Headed Serpent, a titanic monstrosity, dwarfed Shisui's Susanoo. Each of the serpent's heads moved with terrifying independence, their eyes glowing with malice. Shisui couldn't help but wonder: Could each head truly function autonomously? If so, even his most powerful genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, would be insufficient without permanently damaging his vision.
Shisui hesitated. Orochimaru did not.
The eight heads lunged forward, fangs bared and tails lashing. Four heads slammed into Susanoo, shaking the skeletal construct, while the others encircled it like constricting snakes. Orochimaru's strategy was chillingly clear—consume Shisui whole, both literally and figuratively.
A thunderous roar filled the battlefield as Susanoo's skeletal arms lashed out, grabbing at the serpent's tails. The monstrous construct wrestled against the beast, the ground beneath them shattering under the strain. Yet, for every tail or head Shisui restrained, another coiled tighter or struck faster.
Breathing heavily, Shisui poured his dwindling chakra into Susanoo, forming a massive sword in its right hand. Though far from perfect, the weapon gleamed with raw power, its forty-meter blade cutting through the air with a deafening whoosh. With all his strength, Shisui swung horizontally, aiming to decapitate the creature.
Orochimaru's eyes widened.
Two heads narrowly dodged the attack, but three others were severed in a spray of ichor. The beast roared in agony, its remaining heads thrashing wildly. Yet even as Shisui struck, his exhaustion became evident. Susanoo flickered, its skeletal structure weakening with each passing second.
From a distance, Shimura Danzo observed the chaos, his expression unreadable. His attention, however, was divided. Across the battlefield, he faced a young yet fearsome adversary—Uchiha Itachi.
Danzo had underestimated Itachi, assuming the boy's youth meant inexperience. That mistake had nearly cost him. Now, Danzo employed Wood Release, granted by his stolen Hashirama cells, to hold off Itachi's relentless attacks. Branches surged from the ground, clashing against Itachi's fire-based jutsu, each explosion shaking the earth.
Watching from afar, Jiraiya stood on a cliffside, stunned by the scene before him. Orochimaru's monstrous serpent, Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan, and Danzo wielding forbidden techniques—all of it was a grim reminder of how far things had spiraled out of control.
"This… this can't go on," Jiraiya muttered. He bit his thumb, drawing blood, and slammed his palm onto the ground. A puff of smoke announced the arrival of Fukasaku and Shima, the two elder toads of Mount Myōboku.
"Jiraiya-chan, what's going on here?" Fukasaku asked, his tone sharp as he took in the battlefield.
Shima's eyes narrowed. "Is that Orochimaru's doing? That's some vile chakra…"
Jiraiya's jaw tightened. "It's more than that. Shisui Uchiha might be the child of prophecy. If he dies here, the balance of the world could be thrown off. I need your help."
With a solemn nod, the elders positioned themselves on his shoulders. As they began to harmonize their chakra with his, Jiraiya's skin gained the markings of Sage Mode, his power surging.
"Leave it to us," Shima said confidently.
Leaping into the battlefield, Jiraiya's voice boomed, commanding attention. "Stop this madness!"
Danzo and Itachi paused, their fight momentarily forgotten. Itachi, his Sharingan spinning, turned toward Jiraiya with a mix of hope and wariness. In contrast, Orochimaru's focus barely shifted. The snake Sannin's central head, from which his human torso emerged, smiled with serpentine malice.
"Well, well, Jiraiya," Orochimaru drawled. "Come to lecture me again about morality? You're too late, as always."
"I won't let you destroy everything, Orochimaru!" Jiraiya roared. Forming hand seals, he unleashed Sage Art: Goemon, a searing combination of oil, wind, and fire. The torrent of flames surged forward, forcing Orochimaru to withdraw his serpent form from Susanoo's range.
Shisui, barely standing within his faltering Susanoo, gazed at Jiraiya in disbelief. Relief flooded through him. Orochimaru's assault had finally been halted—if only for a moment.
"Shisui!" Jiraiya called, standing protectively in front of him. "Fall back. You've done enough."
"But…" Shisui started, his voice weak.
"No arguments. Leave Orochimaru to me."
Orochimaru reemerged from his serpent's mouth, his gaze cold. "Do you think you can save him, Jiraiya? Or perhaps you're simply here to play the hero again?"
"I'm here to end this," Jiraiya replied, his tone resolute.
From behind, Danzo's eyes narrowed. He wasn't about to let the opportunity slip. "This is my mission, Jiraiya," he growled. "Don't interfere."
Itachi Uchiha stepped forward, his Sharingan spinning ominously. His voice was calm, yet each word struck with precision.
"Is that what you call abducting my brother?"
Danzo's silence was deafening. Jiraiya turned his gaze toward him, the weight of the situation dawning on him.
"This has been about Sasuke all along," he murmured.
The tension on the battlefield grew thicker as Orochimaru chuckled, his voice dripping with mockery.
"Such drama. I almost feel left out."
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed as he addressed the snake-like Sannin. "Why attack Shisui? What's your game, Orochimaru?"
Orochimaru's smirk twisted into a sneer. "Me? Attack him unprovoked? How absurd. Shisui Uchiha came after me, attempting to disrupt my work. Punishment was necessary."
Shisui's voice, hoarse but steady, cut through the lie. "That's a lie! You kidnapped Sasuke to control Itachi. I confronted you to stop this madness."
Orochimaru hissed, his smile unwavering. Jiraiya frowned, torn between the conflicting accounts.
"This is bigger than all of us," Jiraiya muttered. "This needs to be brought before the Hokage"
Danzo cut him off sharply. "That won't be necessary."
Danzo stepped forward, his tone cold and authoritative. "The Hokage entrusted this matter to Root. If you know what's good for Konoha, you'll assist me instead of hindering my mission."
Jiraiya's lips pressed into a thin line as he ignored Danzo. The situation was spiraling out of control, and every passing moment made the air heavier with anticipation.
Then, a new voice entered the fray—calm, collected, and dangerously confident.
"What an intriguing scene."
All eyes turned toward the source of the voice. A masked figure, his face obscured by a tiger-striped mask, stood on the battlefield. Over his shoulder, he carried the unconscious form of Shisui Uchiha.
Shisui, focused entirely on Orochimaru and Danzo moments earlier, had been caught off guard. Natsume had quickly incapacitated him without drawing attention.
Jiraiya's eyes widened. "Who are you?"
Itachi's Sharingan locked onto the figure as his voice rang out. "Put Shisui down. Now."
The masked figure didn't flinch, seemingly unfazed by the mounting hostility. Orochimaru's golden eyes, however, narrowed. Recognition flickered in his gaze, though he concealed it quickly.
Danzo saw an opening and vanished in a blur of speed, reappearing behind the masked man with a kunai infused with Wind Release chakra. The blade sliced down toward the masked figure's back.
The strike landed—but instead of flesh, the blade met wood. The masked man unraveled into a mass of thick vines, wrapping tightly around him. His visible eye widened.
Danzo's visible eye widened. "A Wood Clone?!"
The ground beneath him split open, and the real masked man emerged, chakra surging as he wielded a blade humming with energy. With one precise motion, he severed Danzo's arm at the shoulder.
Danzo staggered back, clutching the stump, his scream echoing across the battlefield. "You'll regret that!"
The masked man remained composed, sealing the severed arm into a scroll. His gaze lingered on the embedded Sharingan.
"Two Sharingan... Izanagi. These must be Uchiha Kagami's eyes."
A plan began to form in Natsume's mind. If I transplant Kagami's Sharingan into Shisui, it might awaken another Mangekyō Sharingan—perhaps even the Eternal Mangekyō.
Danzo's anger flared, but the masked man ignored him, turning his attention to Orochimaru.
"Shisui isn't yours to take, Orochimaru."
Orochimaru's lips curled into a sneer as his body transformed, serpentine heads erupting from his form to create the Yamata no Orochi. The massive beast loomed over the battlefield, its many heads hissing in unison.
"You're no match for me," Orochimaru growled. "Even with Wood Release."
The masked man clapped his hands together, his voice steady.
"We'll see."
Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!
The ground trembled as a colossal forest erupted, massive roots and trees wrapping tightly around the Yamata no Orochi. Orochimaru thrashed and hissed, the wood constricting his movements.
Jiraiya, watching the spectacle, muttered in shock. "This... This is the First Hokage's jutsu. How can he use this power?"
As the forest expanded, reinforcements arrived on the horizon. Sarutobi Hiruzen and a team of Konoha shinobi approached the battlefield, their expressions grim.
The Third Hokage's voice rang out, tinged with disbelief. "This power... It's Senju Hashirama's legacy."
Tsunade, standing among the shinobi, stepped forward, her eyes wide. "Natsume…" she whispered.
The masked figure noticed her but said nothing. Instead, he raised a hand, and the forest shifted, creating an impenetrable wall of wood that separated him from the shinobi.
Sarutobi barked orders. "Attack!"
Fire, Wind, and Water techniques collided with the wall, but it remained unyielding.
A Hyuga, his Byakugan active, trembled as he spoke. "Hokage-sama, he's... gone."
---
Later…
In a secluded clearing outside Konoha, the masked man—Natsume—gently laid Shisui on the ground. Activating a communication seal, he spoke with cold efficiency.
"Kabuto, prepare the operating room."
He glanced at Shisui's face, a smirk forming beneath his mask.
"The power of the Mangekyō Sharingan... Soon, it will be mine."
The plan was falling into place, and with the Holy Ring of Fate, he wouldn't need the surgery himself.
As the night deepened, the pieces continued to move.
---
System Notifications
You have altered Uchiha Shisui's fate. Gained 99 Destiny Points.
You have altered Danzo Shimura's fate. Gained 99 Destiny Points.
You have altered Sarutobi Hiruzen's fate. Gained 28 Destiny Points.
You have altered Orochimaru's fate. Gained 37 Destiny Points.
You have altered Uchiha Obito's fate. Gained 27 Destiny Points.
You have altered Uchiha Itachi's fate. Gained 16 Destiny Points.
After deducting 30 points to access the Sage's life force temporarily, Natsume smiled. A profit of 276 points was more than worth the effort.
"The game begins now."
---