The setting sun had quietly embraced the mountains, leaving only a fiery, burning cloud stretching endlessly across the vast sky.
Shisui sat at the wooden table, filled with worry, comparing it to the days he had lost his sight.
He had never felt time stretch so long as it did now.
Just as he was about to stand up, the card on the wooden wall suddenly expanded, and in a soft white light, Chizhao and Itachi emerged one after another.
His worry eased a little, and he hurried forward, letting out a sigh of relief after confirming that they were both safe.
“That’s great, you’re both alright.”
A crow’s caw, accompanied by the flapping of wings, landed steadily on Itachi’s shoulder. The crow lowered its head, and the eyeball it held in its beak gently slipped into his palm.
“Time is of the essence. I’ll help you transplant the eye now.”
【Good Deed Progress +9】
As night deepened, streetlights flickered on one by one, casting a dim, yellow glow on the surrounding buildings, adding a touch of solitude and desolation.
Meanwhile, in a dark corner, a faint light quietly spread, and then, three figures emerged from the light.
This was the Uchiha Clan’s gathering place.
Chizhao curiously observed everything before her, examining the ancient buildings around them.
After regaining his sight, Shisui, cloaked in black, placed his hand on the cold wall, carefully sensing the aura of the Uchiha Clan.
Suddenly, his right eye, which had only recently recovered, throbbed with an uncomfortable pain. He instinctively reached up to it, his brows slightly furrowed.
“Shisui-nii, are you alright? Is it still too much?”
Meeting Chizhao’s concerned gaze, Shisui smiled, straightened up, and regained his relaxed expression.
“It’s fine, I just need to get used to it a little.”
With that, under their caring gazes, he put on another demon mask, his burning gaze fixed on a nearby utility pole, his tone firm:
“Operation start!”
“Yes!”
Chizhao and Itachi responded in unison, quickly dispersing to their respective mission areas.
In the quiet night, a bright full moon emerged from the clouds, emitting a chillingly clear halo.
A figure as deep as night, clad in black, stood silently atop the utility pole, seemingly merging with the darkness.
Illuminated by the bright full moon, an unsettling pressure of a strong individual inadvertently emanated from him.
Shisui stood at a high vantage point, overlooking the clan’s territory. He meticulously traced the familiar outlines of the streets and buildings in his mind once more, each brick and tile carrying memories of the past.
Amidst his deep gaze at his homeland, there was an indescribable sadness.
He felt deep self-reproach and regret for failing to protect his clan, to allow them to live peacefully in the quiet village.
But soon, his eyes regained their hope for the future.
As long as the Uchiha bloodline survived, they would one day return to this land.
The eyes slowly closing behind the demon mask trembled slightly. When he opened them again, the blood-red Mangekyo rapidly spun and expanded in his pupils.
“Kotoamatsukami!”
With Shisui’s low cry, a circular space filled with black and white, centered on him, instantly spread rapidly outwards.
The entire Uchiha territory was enveloped within it, and time within the space seemed to be frozen.
All members of the Uchiha Clan stopped their actions, standing still in a daze.
Regardless of age or gender, their eyes were all, without exception, etched with the mysterious Mangekyo pattern.
They were like devout followers, listening intently to the whispers of a god.
In a moment, the black and white space rapidly contracted back towards Shisui.
The space enveloping the territory disappeared, and people resumed their movements.
The difference was that their pupils, still marked with the Mangekyo pattern, remained dazed, like marionettes walking towards their homes.
Stunned by everything before her, Chizhao watched them return home like zombies, numbly packing their belongings.
She couldn't help but feel a chill about the Kotoamatsukami ability.
This power was truly too strong and terrifying.
She dared not imagine what consequences it would cause if it really fell into Danzo’s hands.
Pain instantly filled Shisui’s eyes. He crouched down on the high perch, feeling a warmth flow from his eye sockets, and the smell of blood permeated the inside of his mask, forcing him to temporarily remove it.
Indeed, using Kotoamatsukami on a large scale was still a burden on his eyes.
It seemed he wouldn’t be able to use Kotoamatsukami for a long time.
He calmed his breathing, and the pain gradually subsided. Wiping away the blood under his eyes, he put the demon mask back on.
A figure jumped to Chizhao’s side, and Shisui’s unique gentle voice came through the mask:
“The rest is up to you, Chizhao.”
The girl wearing the demon mask nodded, but because the mask wasn't very secure, it wobbled a bit with her nod. She reached out a small hand from her cloak, somewhat clumsily adjusting the mask.
A warm finger inadvertently brushed her earlobe, passing through her hair, making her feel a tingling sensation.
The mask on her face was re-secured, and her vision returned to normal, but the clear, warm sensation still lingered on her earlobe.
She turned her head slightly and saw Shisui, who had lifted his mask and was smiling at her.
Those eyes were indeed very beautiful.
They were like the soft starlight twinkling in the night sky, containing endless tenderness and comfort.
A slow, shuffling sound of footsteps attracted Chizhao’s attention. She turned to look and saw the Uchiha Clan members, fully packed and ready to go.
Their expressions were blank, their dim eyes still etched with the Mangekyo pattern, like a group of soulless puppets walking towards them.
Chizhao quickly acted, slowly pulling the tempered film on the wall behind her to its limit, to allow them to pass through unimpeded.
Amidst the complex crowd, Chizhao’s gaze keenly caught sight of Uchiha Toru.
He stood still, carrying a bulging backpack, slowly passing through the light gate with his family, following the flow of people.
Xiao Tou, from this moment on, you can also grow up well.
Just then, a crow flew across the sky, and Itachi’s figure abruptly appeared beside the two of them.
Shisui turned and asked, “Has the surveillance system been dealt with?”
“Yes, I used genjutsu to temporarily prevent them from seeing what’s happening here. In their eyes, everything here is still as it always was.”
Suddenly, two familiar figures walked past Itachi. He paused for a moment, but then quickly returned to calm as they departed.
Father, Mother.
Watching the clan members disappear through the light gate one by one, Itachi felt a slight sense of relief at this moment.
“Shisui, what was the will you rewrote?”
Knowing he would ask, Shisui gazed at the departing backs of the clan members and slowly began:
“The Uchiha Clan members have grown tired of endless strife and suspicion. Under the leadership of their clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, they have decided to leave the mundane world, retreat into the mountains, and seek a peaceful sanctuary. The day when there is no longer any conflict in the world will be the day they return to Konoha.”
As Shisui’s words trailed off, the last Uchiha Clan member disappeared behind the light gate under their gaze.
Chizhao slowly retracted the tempered film, feeling genuinely happy that the fate of the Uchiha Clan could continue.
But then, Chizhao looked at the troubled Itachi and softly called out:
“Itachi-nii…”
Following the sound, Itachi’s gaze gently fell on the girl who had removed her mask. Her smile was pure and firm, and in the soft light, it seemed to dispel all gloom.
“Sasuke will be fine.”
The two young men looked at this girl, who was younger than them yet remarkably resilient, and were moved.
Shisui patted Itachi’s shoulder, like comrades encouraging each other, and set a grand goal:
“Then let’s work together towards that world without conflict, Itachi!”
A world without conflict, huh?
Itachi nodded, repeating it in his mind, his gaze shifting to Chizhao, who had participated in and indirectly orchestrated all of this, his eyes subtly moving.