"What?"
Tobi's head twisted at an astonishing angle to look behind him. There, standing on another branch, was someone holding a thin steel wire that glimmered faintly under the sunlight.
The Root squad watched in shock as the restrained Shisui suddenly turned into a flock of crows, scattering into the air with flapping wings.
When did this happen?
They had been on guard against Shisui's Sharingan all along, especially after learning he possessed the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan. They had remained vigilant during their encounter, watching each other's backs constantly.
Yet, the scene before them revealed an unsettling truth: no matter how prepared they were, Shisui's genjutsu was impossible to defend against.
What they couldn't figure out was—when exactly did they fall into his trap?
"Huh? As expected of the Mangekyō Sharingan! Is it one specialized in genjutsu?" Tobi exclaimed in surprise.
Even he had been caught off guard in an instant without noticing anything unusual. Ordinary Sharingan—or even most Mangekyō Sharingan—couldn't achieve such a feat.
"Don't move."
Shisui tugged slightly on the wire in his hand. The Root squad, who had been about to act, froze in place, not daring to move. They had already noticed the tags wrapped around the steel wire flashing ominously—the deadly explosive tags.
If they made a wrong move, these explosive tags could detonate instantly, leaving them no room to escape and sealing their fate.
"Tell me your plan!"
Shisui's Sharingan spun rapidly in his eye sockets, and an overwhelming force of yin energy surged through his gaze, invading the minds of his enemies.
"Capture Uchiha Shisui and obtain—"
The Root squad leader barely uttered the words before his expression froze. His eyes went blank as he fell under Shisui's genjutsu. Just as he was about to reveal their mission, he suddenly stopped speaking or moving, standing still like a wooden post.
Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
Shisui immediately realized the cause—Danzo's Root members were all marked with this infamous curse seal.
This seal was designed to ensure Danzo's secrets remained protected. Anyone branded with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal would automatically be paralyzed and silenced whenever they attempted to speak about Danzo's plans or secrets.
"I can explain on their behalf!"
Tobi raised his hand high from the side. Since he was still hanging upside down, the motion appeared particularly eerie.
"Danzo wants your Sharingan!"
Shisui shifted his gaze to Tobi.
"Sharingan?"
"Yes! Your Mangekyō Sharingan!"
"And who are you? Who is this 'Lord Madara' behind you?" Shisui glanced at the Root squad captain, immobilized by the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, then turned his attention to the peculiar White Zetsu creature with unstable behavior.
"I'm Guruguru! You can call me Tobi! I'm a creation named by Lord Madara himself!"
Tobi's body dropped from the tree branch. In mid-air, he flipped, but his footing slipped on another branch, nearly causing him to fall.
Hugging the branch tightly with both arms, he managed to stabilize himself before lifting his face to speak to Shisui on the opposite branch.
"You still haven't told me—who is this 'Lord Madara'?" Shisui ignored Tobi's monkey-like antics and pressed further.
"How odd. Lord Madara is Lord Madara!" Tobi looked at Shisui with an expression of mock surprise. "Seriously, as a descendant of the Uchiha clan, you don't know about Uchiha Madara?"
"What are you talking about?"
Even someone as composed as Shisui was momentarily stunned by Tobi's words. Because of Uchiha Madara's supposed death, Shisui hadn't connected the "Lord Madara" Tobi mentioned with the legendary figure.
A shadow silently crept toward where Shisui stood. In that fleeting moment of distraction, the shadow latched onto his.
Shadow Imitation Technique!
"A ninja from the Nara clan?"
Realizing his body was no longer under his control, Shisui's eyes locked onto a masked Root member within the squad, whose fingers were forming hand seals.
Now's the time!
The remaining Root squad members who could still move managed to free themselves from the steel wires and launched an attack on Shisui.
But the fastest to act was Tobi, who had been smiling harmlessly the entire time.
Several tree branches, like giant serpents under Tobi's control, coiled toward Shisui, obscuring his vision while delivering a deadly assault.
Boom!
The branches struck down heavily like whips, attacking Shisui's area with a relentless barrage.
Wind Blades, Fire Release, and Wood Release rained down on Shisui's position in an instant.
Broken branches and leaves scattered with the shockwaves, spreading in all directions.
"Be careful, his presence is still here!"
Tobi immediately sensed something was wrong. He moved swiftly through the trees he had created, teleporting between them at high speed.
Thousands of energy arrows rained down from the sky like a luminous storm, detonating across the area and scouring it clean.
The vibrant vitality and resilience of the Wood Release creations lasted only briefly under the assault. In moments, they dissolved into pure energy, vanishing entirely.
When the light rain ceased, the affected area had been cleared into a circular open space. At its center, a deep crater revealed itself.
A sphere made of shadows within the crater was the first to shatter into fragments, followed by a swarm of insects that fell lifelessly, their corpses blanketing the ground.
The Nara clan member from the Root who had used the Shadow Imitation Technique had collapsed on the ground. The recent attack had exerted immense pressure on him, draining him completely.
He looked toward Shisui, who descended lightly from the sky, his body radiating an energy halo. Shisui's calm and composed expression made the Nara clan ninja's heart sink completely.
That brilliant strike just now, purely in terms of power, was on par with an A-rank jutsu in destructive force.
Considering the wide-scale light rain, no one present would argue if it were compared to an S-rank destructive jutsu.
There are always individuals who can elevate an ordinary-looking jutsu to catastrophic levels.
Their squad, considered an elite team within the Root organization, had completed numerous high-difficulty missions for Lord Danzo.
They had encountered many formidable opponents during these missions, but none had ever exuded the same overwhelming pressure as Shisui before them now.
Shisui's aura weighed on them tangibly, pressing on their bodies and minds alike.
For those with weaker resolve, facing Shisui in this state might feel like a mere beast encountering a predator far beyond its comprehension—a terror so profound that it shook their souls to the core.
This oppressive aura was enough to sap a person's will to fight, even without making a move. It could even make them turn tail and flee.
A figure emerged from the ground beside the Root squad—it was Tobi. Just before the rain of light had struck, he sensed danger and used his technique to teleport through the trees, evading the area of impact.
At this moment, Tobi no longer carried his usual playful, carefree demeanor. He looked much more composed, as if an entirely different personality had taken over.
****
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