Chapter 168: Tiger‑Skin Mask Ninja

Compared with Shiliuye's exhilaration and impatience, Shisui felt more doubt in his heart.

"Who sent the ambush?"

There are quite a few who would act against Shisui: within Konoha there is Tuan Zang, Zhuan Qin Xiaochun, some ninja clans previously targeted by the Uchiha, perhaps even the Third Hokage?

Outside Konoha there are even more; all major ninja villages want to kill him, especially the current Fourth Raikage, and within the country there is a great lord whose motives are unclear.

Although Shisui was careful enough and had made full preparations before leaving Konoha, it had been about half a month since he left the village, and it's possible that a clever person traced their tracks and set an ambush here.

However this place is already very close to Konoha, so Shisui leans toward the culprits being from within Konoha.

"Without the Hokage's support, Tuan Zang's available power is limited; it should still be Zhuan Qin Xiaochun. It seems we really can't keep her, and after returning we must deal with her quickly."

With that thought, Shisui shifted his attention to his surroundings; the three tomoe of his Copy Wheel Eye reflected everything before his eyes, cautiously scanning the enemies hiding behind the massive trees.

Four Uchiha jonin likewise activated their three tomoe, wielding long swords to stand beside Shisui, while Shiliuye used Susanoo to envelop all six.

In front of the Susanoo, the enemies' traps and successive bombings could not move them a fraction.

At this moment Shiliuye, controlling the Susanoo giant, condensed a chakra blade dozens of meters long and swung it broadly; a circular blade radiated outward, massive ancient trees crashed down, and countless unseen enemies were reduced to dust by that slash.

"Heh heh, hahaha~" Shiliuye's body trembled slightly, then he laughed heartily, his laughter sounding especially unrestrained in the now quiet surroundings.

"Damn, what is this?"

"Our intel never mentioned the enemy having such power, damn it!"

"Is this something we can handle?"

"Take this money, you keep it, I'm leaving first!"

【7】 Some ninjas who survived by luck in the forest lifted their heads, terrified, watching the scene, their throats tightening, feeling a desire to retreat.

Some ninjas who had luckily survived in the forest lifted their heads, staring at the scene before them in terror, their throats churned, and a desire to retreat rose in their hearts.

Yet even facing Shiliuye's exaggerated destructive power, some ninjas with blank expressions charged fearlessly from all directions.

"With your meager strength, you dare to press on; I acknowledge your bravery, but that's as far as your commendable deeds go."

Shiliuye had been looking for someone to test these eyes; when someone rushed at him he excitedly spoke, then without mercy lifted a massive blade dozens of meters long and slashed repeatedly.

Shisui, standing behind Shiliuye, twitched the corner of his mouth, as if meeting Shiliuye for the first time; in his memory Shiliuye had been rather composed, otherwise he wouldn't value him so much.

But now the feeling he gets from him gradually aligns with Hui's.

Or perhaps this is the Uchiha's common trait? Previously the clan was in a bad situation and deliberately suppressed; now that Shisui has become Hokage, the clan's crisis is resolved, and he has obtained the Mangekyou, so he completely lets loose?

"Huh?"

While speculating, Shisui let out a light "huh" and noticed a ninja.

Under Shiliuye's attack, these ninjas couldn't get close; they could only throw shuriken and kunai from afar, or use some ninjutsu.

But a strangely dressed ninja was cut by Shiliuye's light blade on the way he rushed forward.

In an instant, smoke and dust rose, the ground bore a deep scar, and Shiliuye, after turning to see his cut, paid no further attention.

Yet after only a moment, that ninja emerged from the smoke unscathed, continuing to close in on Shiliuye.

He wore a tiger‑skin mask, wielded a kunai, moved swiftly, reaching outside the Susanoo in just a few breaths.

The four beside Shisui also noticed him but were unconcerned; after all, could a single kunai pierce Susanoo's defense?

Only a warning bell rang loudly in Shisui's mind; such speed meant extraordinary strength, and he wouldn't be so reckless to risk his life on a test, would he?

But it was now too late to warn aloud; he could only raise his blade, ready to strike.

Almost simultaneously, the tiger‑skin mask ninja, kunai in hand and maintaining a charging stance, slipped through the Susanoo into its interior under the shocked gazes of the four, then rushed straight toward Shiliuye, whose back faced the four.

Shisui did not hesitate, predicted the position and slashed at the tiger‑skin mask ninja's neck.

As long as the opponent kept attacking, Shiliuye would indeed be wounded by the kunai, but the attacker would inevitably be decapitated and die on the spot.

The tiger‑skin mask ninja seemed unfazed, his kunai thrust unchanged, piercing straight through Shiliuye's chest.

At the same time, Shisui's long sword also sliced across the opponent's neck.

"What?"

Feeling the sensation of a slash through empty air, Shisui's complexion changed; even stranger, the tiger‑skin mask ninja, kunai in hand, passed straight through Shiliuye's chest, then through the Susanoo, then through a massive tree, and vanished from everyone's sight.

"What is this?"

Shiliuye also startled, as if a person emerged from his gut, making his hair stand on end, and his defiant expression vanished instantly.

"Be careful of that person; he can pass through objects and is immune to physical attacks."

Shisui had never seen such a bizarre enemy and warned cautiously; hearing this, everyone dared not be careless.

"Is it an illusion? And that eye, how could it be—"

Shisui's spirit trembled, surprised not only by the opponent's strange tactics but also by the fleeting Copy Wheel Eye that crossed theirs.

"Who is he? Why does he have a Copy Wheel Eye?"

While Shisui pondered, the other five carefully surveyed the surroundings and then discovered that after the tiger‑skin mask ninja vanished without a hit, all the surrounding ambushers that could still move seized the chance to flee.

As for those that couldn't move, they had already turned into mush.

"Did they leave?"

Shiliuye composed himself, and the Susanoo reshaped into a skeletal form to protect everyone, no longer opening up so wildly as before.

"There's no movement; there are too many trees here, he could be hiding anywhere. Let's leave this place first."

Unable to foresee the outcome, Shisui no longer dwelled on it; since the opponent would attack them, they would eventually clash again.

"Yes!"

Shiliuye still led the way forward, and the group quickened their pace to leave, but they did not encounter another attack until they returned to Konoha.

Upon returning to Konoha, Shisui planned to visit the Hokage Tower first, while Shiliuye, eager to return, after receiving Shisui's permission, headed back to the clan lands.

"These past days, thank you for your hard work, teacher."

"Just a minor matter; as long as you return safely, that's enough."

At the Hokage Tower, Yan Shifan indeed had not yet gone back; after Shisui arrived at the Hokage office, another Shisui inside instantly turned into smoke and vanished.

Shisui also, taking advantage of the situation, regained the memories of this period.

Most of it consists of trivial matters, such as handling documents and reviewing important files. Only two things are relatively important, one being the Daimyo's response.

Unsurprisingly, the Daimyo did not obstruct or shirk regarding Shisui becoming Hokage; moreover, he sent people to lavishly praise Shisui and expressed great confidence in him.

But beyond that, there was no further indication.

This year's allocation is only 1.2 billion; judging from the Daimyo's attitude, there should be no further allocations this year.

The Village's allocation for Year 51 was delivered long before the Year‑50 Jonin meeting.

However, at that time the Daimyo, citing excessive previous extra allocations and an empty treasury, only allocated 1.2 billion and promised to supplement later once the treasury was replenished.

At that time the Village was plagued by severe internal strife, leaving no one in the mood to worry about this.

Now that Shisui has taken over this mess, he instantly regrets his earlier inaction.

As for the other matter, it concerns the Western River Route bordering the Fire Country's west and adjacent to the River Country and Rain Country, and it is an internal Uchiha affair.

After digesting these memories, Shisui did not act immediately; instead, he first relayed his findings along the way to Yan Shifan.

"Hahaha, this trip yielded great gains; with Shi Liu Ye present, the Uchiha's deterrence will further increase, and our arrangements outside the Village can be more relaxed."

Yan Shifan nodded; although Shisui's strength is great, he is still the Hokage, and one cannot have the Hokage act at the first sign of trouble. Having a powerful subordinate would make things much easier.

Regarding loyalty, after transplanting the First Generation's cells, Shisui has already found that the other deity's cooldown has been dramatically shortened, his eye technique has recovered, but he believes Shi Liu Ye will not disappoint him.

"Shi Liu Ye's matter can be publicized as soon as possible; as for the Two-Tails, after all it is a ninja beast that can provide the Village with a stable stronghold, and I haven't yet decided how to handle it."

Yan Shifan pondered briefly and said, "Then wait for now; if later there are too many enemies, find a suitable candidate to become a jinchuriki, and if the enemy count is low, you can seal the Two-Tails within yourself."

Becoming a jinchuriki offers Shisui little benefit; if there are many enemies beyond the Village, he may be spread too thin, so from a strategic standpoint, another person must be chosen as jinchuriki to stand alone.

"I understand, then let's wait a bit longer.

Also, I was ambushed on my way back."

Shisui frowned as he brought up the ambush, Yan Shifan's expression changed slightly, then gradually turned to puzzlement.

"Copy Wheel Eye? Not the Transplant or the Third Hokage?"

Yan Shifan also thought the possibilities of the Transplant, Xiao Chun, and the Third Hokage were highest; the Raikage is too far away to have so many people cross the defensive line to block Shisui.

But that person actually possessed a Copy Wheel Eye, forcing the two to consider Danzo.

"Orochimaru once said he had transplanted a Copy Wheel Eye into Danzo, which is the eye now hidden behind his bandage; this ambush is very likely Danzo's doing, could someone be secretly supporting him?"

Clearly, that many people could not have been summoned by Danzo alone.

Yan Shifan did not jump to a conclusion; he turned, looked through the window at the Hokage Rock, and said, "In my opinion, perhaps not, for there are others besides Danzo who possess a Copy Wheel Eye."

Shisui was startled; looking at Yan Shifan, his mood instantly grew heavy.

"Teacher, what does that mean?"

"Hahaha, I was talking about the Nine-Tails matter."

Upon hearing that, Yan Shifan immediately realized Shisui had misinterpreted, and burst into laughter, then explained.

"I see!"

Shisui gave an awkward smile; he had thought Yan Shifan was suspecting those within the clan, especially a certain Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyou.

After Yan Shifan's reminder, Shisui gradually recalled such an enemy of the Village, an enemy of the Uchiha.

He immediately summoned a member of the ANBU and ordered, "Go to the archive and bring the records of the day of the Nine-Tails Incident."

"Understood!"

Then Shisui said to Yan Shifan, "At that time my strength was average, and the clan received orders from the ANBU or Root that prevented us from acting, leading to the Fourth Hokage's death and the Uchiha being ostracized by all sides.

Later I heard that person might have been a member of the Uchiha clan; I originally didn't believe it, but now it seems there may be something else at play."

Shisui said this while rubbing his forehead.

"You've been traveling for several days; if you're tired, go back and rest first. I'll tell you after I finish handling this."

"No problem; a former enemy may reappear, my mind is unsettled and I cannot sleep."

When that person is mentioned, even if he might be a fellow clan member, Shisui still wishes to tear him to pieces; had it not been that person, the Uchiha would never have reached such a point.

Seeing this, Yan Shifan stopped urging, and the ANBU member did not keep them waiting long, quickly bringing the night's files over.

The two immediately opened and began perusing.

"Someone who can silently pass through the Barrier and, under the protection of many ANBU, infiltrate the Nine-Tails jinchuriki production site— it must be him, it must be him!"

The file contains little description of the mysterious person's appearance or attire; those who saw him, including the Fourth Hokage, all perished that night.

But it made corresponding conjectures about his abilities.

Shisui read the description, his murderous intent radiating uncontrollably, causing the lurking ANBU around him to rush in.

Seeing this, Shisui quickly took a deep breath, steadied his emotions, and softly said, "It's fine, you may go down."

"Understood!"

"Shisui, watch your demeanor; in your current state, if you encounter him, wouldn't he toy with you at his fingertips?"

Seeing Shisui's emotional turbulence so great, Yan Shifan, his forehead slick with cold sweat from the murderous aura, could only speak a warning.

"Huh~ Sorry, that was my lapse, Teacher."

"He can systematically eliminate the ANBU directly under the Third Hokage, pass through the highest‑security Barrier, knows that the Nine‑Tails' seal weakens during production, can even break the seal and tame it.

Moreover, he can freely enter and exit without being blocked by the Village's Barrier; all these, if not done by Fugaku Gan, must be another Uchiha who has awakened the Mangekyou, as an ordinary Sharingan could never achieve this."

Shisui even thought of the Uchiha Madara who once tamed the Nine‑Tails, but he knows Madara is dead and his body was taken by the Village, so it cannot be him.

"This person not only knows the Village intimately, but also harbors hatred toward it; in my view, perhaps he is a Uchiha clan member lost abroad during the war, whose eyes were awakened by intense trauma, drastically changing his personality and turning him against the Village."

Yan Shifan also had some knowledge of the Mangekyou and instantly guessed the gist.

Shisui's eyes flashed, and he said, "The Mangekyou he awakened likely allows his eye technique to pass through objects, which is why he can ignore the Village's Barrier!"

"Teacher, help me check which clan members' bodies were not brought back during the war!"

(End of chapter)