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In order to obtain Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan, Ye Dou could only pit tigers against wolves—let Shisui and Shimura Danzō fight and wear each other down. Only then would he have the chance to swoop in and claim the spoils.
"But where exactly did the battle between Shisui and the Root operatives take place?"
Ye Dou repeatedly combed through fragments of memory, peeling back each layer in search of clues.
In Naruto Shippuden, when Kabuto Yakushi appeared before Tobi with his Edo Tensei army, he specifically mentioned that he hadn't found Uchiha Shisui's body. From beginning to end, Shisui's corpse never appeared in the main storyline—only references and memories of him.
It's very likely that, just like Jiraiya later on, Shisui's body was lost to the current—washed away in the Naka River, never to be found.
"What is certain," Ye Dou muttered, "is that Shisui died shortly before the Uchiha Clan Massacre. He had planned to use his Kotoamatsukami to prevent the coup, but was ambushed by Danzō and his Root agents, who stole his right eye."
"Before his death, he entrusted his remaining left eye to Uchiha Itachi and leapt into the Naka River. From that moment on, Uchiha Shisui vanished from the ninja world."
"He couldn't have gone far. After being attacked by Root, the place where he chose to end his life was probably close by. Conservatively, I'd say within ten miles."
"Unless... Danzō didn't want to alert the rest of the Uchiha or provoke suspicion. In that case, the ambush site might have been even closer—maybe half that distance."
Back at his hideout, Ye Dou returned and asked the mongoose for a detailed map of Konoha, then spread it out across the floor.
Scanning the topography, he realized it wouldn't be easy to determine where the ambush occurred. The anime revealed that Shisui committed suicide by jumping from a cliff with a waterfall into the Naka River. However, there were several such cliffs scattered along the river, each separated by considerable distance.
"Even after ruling out the areas farthest from the Uchiha compound, I still count four possible locations where Shisui might've jumped."
If only I had the Flying Thunder God Technique...
Ye Dou couldn't help but think of that incredible space-time ninjutsu—said to be the fastest in the ninja world.
If he had it, he could mark each potential site with a Flying Thunder God seal, assign shadow clones to observe each one, and teleport instantly when the battle broke out. Instead, he had to rely on his own feet. If the fight between Root and Shisui ended in mere moments, his entire plan might fail.
"I have to find a way to determine exactly where Root ambushed Shisui. Only then can I prepare traps in advance and increase my chances of success. Otherwise, I'm gambling with fate."
Ye Dou rolled up the map, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Opportunities like this don't come twice. I won't let this one slip by.
"For the next four months, I need to strengthen myself as much as possible."
Aside from his Devil Fruit abilities, Rokushiki training, and Haki practice, he was also relying on the Chakra Fruit to trade for equivalent power in the Exchange Space, including rare items like—
Potential Explosion Card
Type: Single-use consumable
Effect: After activation, for the next two hours, all physical and chakra-based attacks are boosted fivefold. (Warning: The effect comes at the cost of cellular strain. After the boost ends, the user will enter a temporary weakened state.)
A fivefold boost meant that with his current strength of 500, he could temporarily reach 2,500. And with the gravitational powers of his Devil Fruit added, his strikes would become completely unpredictable.
Even if his chakra reserves weren't enough to unleash large-scale ninjutsu, the overwhelming power of his fruit alone made him practically unstoppable beneath the Kage level. Even some actual Kage-level shinobi could fall before him due to lack of intel and preparation.
Unlike traditional ninjas, who needed hand seals to activate ninjutsu, his Devil Fruit abilities required none. Every attack was instantaneous—one of the Devil Fruit's most terrifying advantages.
If only I had access to the Eight Gates Technique from Might Guy... Even if I completed the training, I can't use it in this upcoming mission. But if I could, I might just have a chance to fight head-on and win.
Ye Dou knew how dangerous this plan was. One misstep could mean death.
He needed more power. Even small improvements could mean the difference between life and death.
"I can't neglect chakra control. Every extra drop adds power to my techniques. As for Rokushiki, I can afford to delay some styles."
Four months wasn't a long time—and for what he was planning, it definitely wasn't enough.
"Paper Art, Rankyaku, and Shigan are too difficult to master right now. I'll drop them temporarily and focus on Soru and Tekkai. I can also skip Geppo—I already have aerial mobility through my gravity powers."
"As for Haki, I haven't even scratched the surface yet. It'll have to wait. Combat strength comes first."
With his plan set, Ye Dou released his shadow clones. A crushing wave of exhaustion slammed into him, memories and chakra flooding back all at once.
"No training tonight. Just dinner and rest," he muttered.
The mongoose tried to help him to his feet but couldn't lift him. Ye Dou's massive build was closer to that of a giant.
"I know," Ye Dou said calmly, no longer forcing himself. His body needed time to digest everything.
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[Next Morning: Investigation Begins]
Before dawn, Ye Dou left the wooden house and headed straight for the Naka River with his map in hand.
When he arrived, he quickly realized why Shisui and Itachi chose this location for secret meetings. It was surrounded by dense forests and mountains—a perfect natural hideout.
As he explored the quiet landscape, not a single patrol ninja or guard came into view.
Splash!
The sound of a waterfall hitting rocks snapped him to attention. He stopped. This was one of the potential suicide locations—and from his analysis, the most likely one.
"It's secluded. Close enough to the Uchiha compound to monitor their movements, but remote enough to avoid attention. If anything happened, they could rush back immediately."
"And if they were seen, they could always say they were out for a walk—nothing suspicious."
"Plus, jumping from here into the river... the body would be incredibly hard to recover."
Looking down from the cliff, Ye Dou saw the waterfall plunging into the river below and then rapidly swept away by the current, destination unknown.
There were no fishermen nearby, no scavengers—nothing to suggest anyone might have found a body by chance.
More and more, Ye Dou became convinced that this was the spot.
Still, that's just my guess. With their speed and strategic minds, Itachi and Shisui might've chosen somewhere even more secure.
Even though Ye Dou understood the ninja power scale—Genin, Chūnin, Jōnin, Elite Jōnin, Kage-level, and the transcendent Tier Six—he knew one truth above all:
Information wins battles.
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