Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou

Credits: Shoddy

The Valley of the End.

Two enormous statues loomed on either side, with a waterfall cascading between them. A golden-haired figure burst through the rain.

"Shirou!"

A bolt of lightning streaked across the night sky. Under the torrential downpour, Tsunade's face was filled with shock and anger. She had never expected to face an assassination attempt immediately upon reaching her destination.

Two Root ninjas darted out from either side, their blades glinting with a cold, deadly light.

"Sharingan!"

Tsunade's pupils contracted in fury as she noticed the fleeting crimson glint in the eyes of the two Root ninjas—they were under the control of the Sharingan. Now, they charged toward her with murderous intent.

"Damn it, Shirou, what the hell are you doing?!"

Tsunade roared, summoning a chakra scalpel into her palm. Even though these were Root ninjas, as fellow shinobi of Konoha, she instinctively aimed to incapacitate rather than kill.

"Sister Tsunade, this is the Valley of the End—the place where the Senju and the Uchiha fought their final battle. This is our destiny! The Senju and Uchiha are fated to clash here again!"

In the rain-soaked night, Shirou's figure emerged. His face, however, was twisted with madness. Laughing maniacally, he lunged toward Tsunade.

Alongside the two Root ninjas under his Sharingan control, the three attacked Tsunade from different angles.

"You've gone insane!"

Tsunade shouted, overwhelmed by confusion and rage. She had no idea what had driven him to this state.

"Ha… hahaha… ahahahahaha…"

Amid the downpour, Shirou's crazed laughter echoed. The tomoe in his crimson Sharingan spun wildly, locking onto Tsunade.

"The strongest eyes of the Uchiha! They awaken by killing the most important person! Sister Tsunade, tonight will be either the night you kill me—or the night I awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan!"

With a wicked, crazed grin, Shirou's body radiated sparks of lightning. His attacks with the Kusanagi sword were ruthless, leaving Tsunade no room to breathe.

"Shirou! You've lost your mind!!"

Tsunade's pupils narrowed as she roared in anger. She couldn't believe the transformation—how had Shirou suddenly become like this?

Another Uchiha, consumed by the lust for power?

She couldn't reconcile this bloodthirsty, sinister figure before her with the sunny boy who used to stand protectively in front of her, teasing and laughing.

"Isn't an evil Uchiha exactly what you always believed in your hearts?!"

Shirou's furious roar resounded, as though venting endless rage bottled up within.

"All of Konoha—hasn't it always condemned the Uchiha as unforgivable? Sister Tsunade, your death won't be in vain. My Mangekyō will awaken, and with Kushina at my side, I'll become the new Hokage!"

"No one can stop me! You all researched Wood Release just to suppress the Uchiha and the tailed beasts…"

With his maniacal shouting, the sharp Kusanagi sword sliced through the cold rain, spraying droplets of blood. Tsunade, forced into the defensive, finally snapped.

"Shirou! I'll knock some sense into you!"

Roaring with fury, Tsunade unleashed her full strength. Her monstrous power surged as memories of the past flooded her mind.

Scenes of the boy shielding her, his warm smile, his teasing remarks—all of it shattered under the weight of those crazed, spinning Sharingan eyes.

"Power! Power! Always power! Why?!"

Tsunade screamed in rage, her voice breaking as rain and tears blurred together. She lashed out wildly, furious at yet another soul driven mad by the pursuit of power.

Under the roaring storm, the clash between the two was relentless, with no mercy shown. As the battle intensified, Tsunade's gaze grew colder and more resolute.

She recalled the records—how Uchiha often lost control in their pursuit of power. The unique stimuli of the Sharingan, driven by overwhelming emotions, inevitably led them to darkness.

Shirou was a genius, but the pressures he bore over the years, combined with the awakening of Uchiha Mikoto's Mangekyō, had finally pushed him into the abyss.

What once was love had now been replaced by hatred and vengeance.

"Uchiha Shirou! I'll snap you out of this!"

In the pouring rain, Tsunade screamed as she kicked aside the two Root ninjas and prepared to pummel him back to his senses.

But beneath Shirou's twisted, maniacal smile, the corners of his mouth curved upward slyly.

"Sister Tsunade, you're so pathetic right now."

His mocking voice echoed as lightning illuminated his blood-red Sharingan. Tsunade, her face drenched with rain, charged forward in fury.

With her chakra scalpel glowing in hand, she aimed for his joints, still holding back enough to avoid killing him outright.

"Uchiha Shirou!"

Her furious cry split the air as their battle pushed each other to the limits—Shirou unleashing his speed and Tsunade her monstrous strength.

"Kill the target!"

The two Root ninjas, their Sharingan-controlled eyes flashing crimson, attacked again.

"Why?! Why did you have to change just as I made my decision? Why did it all fall apart?!"

Tsunade's anguished screams reverberated as her bloodshot eyes locked onto the two Root ninjas. With one furious kick, she sent one flying.

The ninja crashed through the air, slamming into the surface of the river with meteoric force, exploding into a bloody mist upon impact.

"Get out of my way!"

Tsunade's chakra scalpel pierced the other Root ninja, who stumbled back with blood spraying out. But as the mask cracked and fell away, the figure revealed a pale, pained smile.

It was Uchiha Shirou.

Stunned, Tsunade froze as her trembling hands held the scalpel buried in his chest.

"How… how could this…"

Rain poured over his face as blood streamed from his lips. The figure in the distance—the one she thought was Shirou—had been a deception. The real SHirou had swapped places during the chaos, wearing the Root ninja's armor and mask.

"Why… why did you step into it…"

The Kusanagi blade fell from his hand, inches from Tsunade's chest, clattering to the ground. Shirou's trembling fingers gently touched her forehead, his face showing a sorrowful, resigned smile.

"I'm sorry… Sister Tsunade… this will be the last time…"

Tsunade's tears mixed with rain as she screamed, collapsing into despair.

"Why?! What happened to you?! Why did you choose death?!"

Shirou coughed up blood, cutting through her cries. Her panic rose as she frantically tried to heal him.

"Shirou, listen to me! Kushina will be here soon. Hold on!"

But Shirou, smiling faintly, shook his head as blood continued to flow.

"Sister Tsunade, no need. And… you lied to me."

His voice, weak and broken, carried the weight of his final words. Tsunade's screams echoed through the Valley of the End, her heart shattering as she held him.

"Sister Tsunade…, the Wood Release cells… it's not your fault that I'm dying… Even if you didn't take action, I'd still die. I don't want my body to be used for… their experiments after I'm gone. I… I can't hold on much longer…"

In a faint, fragmented voice, Shirou weakly tore open the clothing over his abdomen, revealing a wound bleeding profusely. What was eerie, however, was that the surrounding skin had turned pale white, and the discoloration was spreading rapidly.

It was as though some kind of virus was ravaging his body!

Seeing this, Tsunade's pupils contracted, and she looked on in shock.

"Wood Release cells! How is this possible? Shirou, what… what happened to you?!"

Under Tsunade's astonished gaze, Shirou gave a weak, bitter laugh and said, "Sister Tsunade, I discovered a hidden lab in the village. It was… about Wood Release… cough, cough… all of it involved children. I found one child… who could already tolerate the Wood Release cells… I've already…

In the Shikkotsu Forest… the child has been relocated… Sister Tsunade, the Senju Clan can be revived. You don't have to bear this burden anymore…"

Hearing this fragmented explanation, Tsunade understood what Shirou had uncovered, but her mind was overwhelmed. She let out a heartbreaking cry:

"I don't care about that! I care about you! Why did it have to come to this?! Why are you throwing your life away?!"

"Wood… Release cells…" Shirou's weak voice trailed off as a tragic smile appeared on his face.

"Sister Tsunade… I was too… careless. It was a trap… My body was injected with… Wood Release cells… By the time I realized… it was too… late…"

"Why didn't you wait for me?!" Tsunade roared, her voice trembling with anger and desperation. "Why didn't you come to me? I could've saved you! Why would you choose death?!"

Tsunade's anguish was met with Shirou's faint, sorrowful smile as he struggled to speak.

"The Wood Release cells… are out of control. My chakra… I can't… suppress it… And I… I couldn't use Flying Thunder God to escape. I barely managed to contain the Wood Release cells before… but now… they're breaking loose.

I… I couldn't end my own life… and I won't let myself fall into Danzo's hands… If I lose control, I… I might hurt the village… hurt you…"

"Shut up! Shut up! Just stop talking!" Tsunade yelled, sobbing uncontrollably, unable to accept the reality before her.

"I'm… sorry…"

Blood dripped to the ground as Shirou smiled weakly and embraced Tsunade in his arms. Once shorter than her back in the Land of Grass, he had since grown much taller. As he held her close, a faint smile crossed his lips.

"Sister Tsunade… I wanted… to hug you. Also… your taste in clothing is as bad as ever…"

With a fragile smile, Shirou's bloodstained hand gently wiped the tears from Tsunade's face, smearing blood across her cheeks.

"Be good, Shirou. Listen to me. If you hold on a little longer, when we get back, you can hug me all you want. Just hold on a bit longer, Kushina is almost here…"

Tsunade panicked and tried to soothe him. But Shirou, smiling faintly, suddenly leaned in and kissed her.

The metallic tang of blood lingered in the kiss. Tsunade trembled as tears continued to flow, but she responded softly, trying to comfort him.

"Be… good…"

In the rain, with his wounds worsening, Shirou's lips parted, leaving behind a glimmer of blood. Weakly leaning against Tsunade's shoulder, he whispered in her ear:

"Sister Tsunade, this isn't your fault. The blame lies with those who betrayed the Will of Fire. They experimented on people in secret, using the Wood Release, and even experimented on villagers… there were even…"

"Sister Tsunade… Be careful in the future. My body… it's full of Wood Release cells. Two years ago, in the Land of Rain, I was ambushed… that night, some Wood Release cells were already inside me.

For the past two years, I've been suppressing it… The power of the Uchiha seems to balance it… but this time, there's too much… I can't control it anymore. Sister Tsunade… end it for me… Use my body for research… You can figure it out…"

His faint voice grew weaker and weaker as Shirou's forehead leaned gently against Tsunade's, their eyes meeting. In his Sharingan, now featuring the eerie red glow of three tomoe, Tsunade could see only her reflection.

"Sister Tsunade… take my eyes. You'll be able to… unlock the secrets of the Wood Release…"

Shirou's trembling hand reached toward his eyes as though he intended to pluck them out, but Tsunade's face twisted with rage.

"No! Uchiha Shirou, you idiot! You stupid brat! Yesterday, I finally figured everything out—I decided to find you! I even thought of our child's last name! And now you pull this on me! You bastard! Don't you dare die! If you do, I'll dig you out of your grave! And I don't want your eyes! Keep them yourself!"

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the forest. It was Kushina, her red hair flying as she ran toward them with a look of joy. But when she saw the scene before her, her expression froze. Her wide-eyed shock turned to disbelief.

"Shirou!"

In the rain, Kushina saw Tsunade's chakra scalpel stabbing through Shirou's chest. Stunned, she stood frozen, her pupils dilated as she processed the scene.

From the shadows, even White Zetsu, who had been monitoring the scene, was taken aback. This was eerily similar to the scenario Madara had envisioned but with key differences. What was happening?

"How do I explain this to Lord Madara? That the one he had high hopes for… killed himself?" White Zetsu muttered in shock.

"No! This isn't real!"

"Shirou!" Kushina screamed and dashed forward, pushing Tsunade aside. Seeing Shirou's bloodied body, she desperately exposed her neck.

"Shirou! Bite me! It's okay, just bite me! You'll be fine!"

In the rain, Kushina's voice cracked as she yelled, but Shirou weakly smiled.

"Cough… Kushina, I ran… into her. It wasn't Sister Tsunade…"

"Shirou, don't speak! Bite me! Why?! Why won't you bite me?!"

Tears streamed down Kushina's face as she sobbed uncontrollably. But Shirou's trembling hand gently wiped her tears away.

PS: Shirou watched too much drama.