The long-dormant war machine of Konoha was once again awakened. After being fueled with enough resources, it began to operate at full speed, sending up clouds of smoke from unseen chimneys, blocking out the sun, and casting a shadow over the hearts of people — a shadow called war.
However, Konoha's prosperity did not diminish because of this.
People were already accustomed to life and death. A glance at the long history recorded shows that war has always been the true main theme of this world. Peace? That was a luxury only occasionally enjoyed!
On the contrary, the news of an impending war sparked a boom in industries such as weapons manufacturing and medical production in the village. Producers and merchants, with their hands on large village contracts, were grinning ear to ear. Some unscrupulous individuals even secretly hoped this upcoming war would last as long as possible.
Yes, the war hadn't started yet.
The envoys from the Mist had already been expelled, and Konoha's side wasn't sure if the Mist received their messages. However, based on reports from the border defense forces on the eastern coast, the expected storm-like assault from the Mist hadn't arrived.
There was no sign of movement yet, making it hard to figure out the Mist's intentions.
But Konoha welcomed the extra preparation time. The assembly and reorganization of troops were still ongoing, and the supreme commander, Sougen, had personal matters to handle before heading to the front lines. He wasn't ready to leave without settling things in the rear.
"What should I do?" Sougen murmured, stroking his chin, staring at the person in front of him who had fully recovered physically but remained trapped in a genjutsu — the tool, Biwa Juzo. Sougen had been troubled for almost three days now, as news from the frontlines could send him into battle at any moment. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel•fire.net
There wasn't much time left for further preparation!
He could only take the risk!
"Shisui, I leave it to you!"
Sougen turned to Uchiha Shisui, who was standing beside him.
Shisui had undergone a massive change over the past two months.
He had lost a significant amount of weight. His frail body made it seem like a gust of wind could blow him over. His long eyelashes veiled eyes filled with pain and disappointment. His once vibrant and energetic aura had turned icy cold, like a block of ice.
After Hiruzen Sarutobi was ousted, Danzo Shimura, bedridden and powerless to resist, was swiftly brought down. All of his dark dealings were exposed one by one. To show Shisui the harsh reality of the world, Sougen took him to Danzo, who was imprisoned alongside Hiruzen and the others.
He forced Shisui to search Danzo's memories personally.
As the wielder of Kotoamatsukami, no one could weave false memories to deceive Shisui's eyes. In Danzo's memories, Shisui saw the darkest aspects of the world. As they say, "There are no incorrect nicknames." The title of "The Darkness of the Shinobi World" was well-deserved.
Since then, Shisui had changed.
His innocence had been shattered.
It turned out that the battlefield wasn't the worst hell in the world! Hidden in the darkness were even deeper pits of cruelty that trampled upon human morality and conscience!
"Leave it to me," Shisui said softly, nodding in agreement.
He quickly stepped forward, pried open Biwa Juzo's eyelids, and allowed the power of Kotoamatsukami to flow into Juzo's mind. Within seconds, Shisui had effortlessly modified Juzo's memories according to Sougen's instructions.
Blood trickled down from his eye sockets.
Even though Sougen's Mangekyo Sharingan could be used many times before blindness set in, Shisui's Kotoamatsukami required a lengthy cooldown period after each use. If Shisui wanted to lose his eyesight quickly, his only option was to overuse the Susanoo.
"Take a seat and rest. The Samehada is on the table," Sougen patted Shisui's shoulder.
Shisui retreated, took the Samehada from the table, and gripped its hilt. A warm energy flowed into his body and up to his eyes, healing his damaged eyes and replenishing his chakra.
He sat quietly in a chair, watching as Sougen pried open Biwa Juzo's eyelids, just as he had done moments before.
Inside a long-standing ninja tool shop in Konoha:
"Are you out of explosive tags?"
Kakashi Hatake, with his white hair and face mask, scratched his head in frustration. He sighed softly, turned, and walked out of the shop. As soon as he stepped outside, the blinding sunlight caused him to squint his right eye, adjusting to the bright white landscape before him.
Time had quietly slipped into June.
The blazing sun in the sky radiated endless heat, making the ground almost unbearably hot. The loud, incessant sound of cicadas filled the air, like waves crashing on the shore. In such weather, it felt as if his brain was about to boil.
"So hot," Kakashi muttered, placing a hand over his forehead to block the blinding sunlight.
He stood in the shop's shadow for a long time, not moving.
"I was only away on a mission for half a month, but when I came back, Lord Third had been impeached and resigned, and the Fifth Hokage had taken office… It feels like a year or two has passed!"
"You'll get used to it soon enough."
"By the way, I heard that Danzo Shimura was sentenced to death. Is that true?"
"Yeah, but the execution date hasn't been set yet."
"It's true… What was his crime? What did Danzo do?"
"Oh, the list goes on! Ever heard of the White Fang of Konoha? He was forced to commit suicide because of rumors spread by Danzo. Danzo also teamed up with the rogue ninja Orochimaru to kidnap infants from nearby villages for human experimentation. And during the Nine-Tails' attack, he stood by and watched while the Fourth Hokage fought alone, just so he could take the Hokage's position. He even slandered the Uchiha clan to steal their Sharingan…"
As the two young chunin walked away, their voices faded into the distance.
Kakashi stood frozen at the shop's entrance. He lowered his head, his unlit right eye staring blankly at the line where shadow met light, unmoving like a scarecrow.
A voice, as lively as a cannon blast, exploded in his ears.
Then, a dark figure descended from the sky.
The man in front of him wore a tight green bodysuit and sported a bowl haircut. He flashed a smile as bright as the rising sun, his pearly white teeth gleaming with a blinding brilliance.
After a moment of hesitation, Kakashi seemed to recognize the man in front of him.
"Kakashi, are you alright?" Gai's thick eyebrows twitched. His usual eagerness to challenge Kakashi to a duel was pushed aside as he sensed something was off. Although Kakashi was always a bit strange, today he seemed especially out of sorts.
"It's nothing, just trying to escape the sun for a bit," Kakashi replied, his mask hiding any hint of emotion. His downcast eyes avoided Gai's gaze, making it hard to read him. Only someone with Gai's animal-like instincts could sense that something was wrong.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Gai, let's postpone our duel for another time. I've got something to take care of today." Kakashi said his goodbyes and walked away along the shadowed side of the street. Gai, standing in the sunlight, watched his friend's retreating figure, feeling a sudden unease.