Uzumaki Raiden didn't immediately reach for the scroll Karui placed before him. At that moment, he felt a sudden, inexplicable throbbing in his heart. After staring at the scroll for a long time, Raiden finally calmed himself and slowly picked it up.
Killer Bee, Karui, and the others all noticed Raiden's unusual reaction. When they saw him finally pick up the scroll, they grew nervous. They feared the contents might anger Raiden—and that he might direct his wrath at the Cloud ninja.
"Huh?"
"What's going on?!"
Raiden anxiously unrolled the scroll, but the sight before him left him stunned.
Empty!
There was no writing at all. The scroll Karui had given him was completely blank—only white paper, no message. Raiden frowned deeply and asked in a low voice.
It wasn't until he spoke that Karui and Omoi rushed forward. When they saw the blank scroll in Raiden's hands, they froze in disbelief.
"How is this possible?!"
"This scroll was given to me by Uchiha Shisui! I kept it close the whole way. I never opened it or let it out of my sight."
"How… how could it be empty?"
"Could it be that Konoha has some special technique for hiding the writing?"
Karui was briefly stunned, then quickly voiced her guess. She was certain this was the same scroll Uchiha Shisui had handed her. She hadn't opened it or lost it—she was sure of that. If the contents had disappeared, it couldn't have been her fault.
"Hiding the writing?" Raiden murmured, then glanced toward the door and shouted:
"Kisame! Come in!"
At Raiden's call, Kisame Hoshigaki pushed the door open, entered the living room, and stood before him. Raiden handed him the scroll and ordered:
"Check if there's any hidden technique on this scroll. It's supposed to be from Shisui, but there's nothing on it."
Kisame immediately accepted the scroll and left the room to examine it. After he was gone, Raiden silently drank his tea. Killer Bee and the others noticed his foul mood and remained quiet.
After a while, Kisame returned, silently placed the scroll on the small table, and said, "Lord Raiden, there's no hidden technique. It's just an empty scroll."
As Kisame finished speaking, Karui suddenly slammed the table and shouted, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"This is the scroll Uchiha Shisui gave me—how could there be nothing on it?!"
"I swear I brought it to Konoha intact! I didn't even show it to the Fifth Hokage—I gave it directly to you, Lord Raiden!"
Karui was emotional. She and Omoi had saved Shisui out of kindness. But if Raiden now resented them for that, her good intentions would be misunderstood. She felt overwhelmed thinking about the possible consequences.
"Lord Raiden, my student has always been honest."
"If she said she didn't read it, then she didn't. Could you check the scroll again—maybe something was missed?"
Killer Bee spoke in Karui's defense, clearly trusting his student. Since she had accepted Shisui's request, she would fulfill it to the best of her ability—of that, Bee was confident.
"Is that so? You truly didn't read it?" Raiden eyed the scroll on the table, tapping his fingers against the surface. After a long silence, he abruptly grabbed Karui by the collar and dragged her toward him.
"Raiden!" Killer Bee shouted, alarmed by the sudden move. He leapt up, slashing at Raiden's shoulder with his blade.
Still gripping Karui with one hand, Raiden merely looked up. A red tail extended from behind him and instantly swept Killer Bee through the air, sending him crashing into the courtyard.
"Let go of Karui!" Omoi shouted, his voice trembling. His master had been flung away so easily, and the difference in power terrified him. Still, for Karui's sake, he overcame his fear, drew the blade from his back, and held it tightly.
"Hey, kid with the sword," Kisame said, grinning as he pulled out Samehada, pointing it at Omoi. "For your own good, don't swing that thing around."
"I'm telling the truth…" Karui gasped. Raiden's grip made it hard to breathe, and she felt her limbs go numb. Her vision blurred, and her consciousness started to fade.
"I see."
Raiden carefully observed Karui's condition and subtly adjusted his grip. She soon fainted, and he let go of her collar.
But the moment he released her, Karui's eyes snapped open.
She was no longer herself—her eyes were blank at first, then rapidly turned crimson. Two tomoe spun in each eye—Sharingan!
"What the?!" Kisame shouted, stepping protectively in front of Raiden. Killer Bee also rushed back into the room, preparing to strike, but froze when he saw Karui's eyes.
"Genjutsu…" Raiden muttered.
The tomoe stopped spinning, and the Sharingan's power surged toward Raiden. The world spun, and then everything changed.
From the living room, Raiden was transported to a dark stone chamber. A faint light illuminated the center. As Raiden approached, he saw a large stone bed.
Lying on the bed was a man in red Warring States armor. His eyes were wrapped in thick gauze, hiding most of his face. But the design of his armor and his wild, flowing hair gave away his identity instantly.
"Uchiha Madara…" Raiden murmured. He tried to step closer but was halted—the illusion was designed to keep the viewer at a distance.
Sure enough, Uchiha Madara stirred.
"That damn Raiden… A brat with that much power!"
"The Rinnegan was tampered with by that bastard. If I see him again, I'll kill him!"
Madara roared and slammed the stone bed, causing the gauze over his eyes to seep red.
"Lord Madara, don't worry. I've already found a suitable Sharingan for you. With those eyes, you can recover your power and take your revenge," said a masked figure stepping from the shadows.
"A suitable Sharingan?! Without the Rinnegan, how could I defeat that bastard?!"
"Do you think any random Sharingan can compare to mine?!"
Madara shouted in fury.
"No, no… They're only temporary," the masked man said obsequiously. "Once you regain enough strength, we'll find a way to unseal the Rinnegan. Then you'll defeat Raiden for sure."
"Hmph!"
"Where are these eyes?!"
"I brought them for you," the masked man replied, clapping once before vanishing into the darkness.
Heavy footsteps echoed as a figure entered. Light revealed a handsome face—Uchiha Sasuke, wearing a light kimono. His Sharingan stared at Madara with a mix of fear, curiosity, and determination. In his left hand, he carried a limp figure.
"My eyes… they're here?" Madara asked, sensing the chakra.
"Uchiha Madara, these are your eyes," Sasuke said coldly. He lifted the figure and tossed it onto the stone bed.
"Shisui?!" Raiden gasped, recognizing the man thrown onto the bed. His gaze toward Madara and Sasuke turned murderous.
"Another Uchiha?"
"Heh… hahaha!" Madara laughed maniacally and reached for Shisui's eyes.
But before he could touch them, Shisui's eyes snapped open. A surge of green chakra wrapped around him. His eyes became Mangekyō.
"Susanoo!"
Boom!!!
A massive green chakra figure burst forth, shattering the grotto's roof. The giant reached out to crush Madara on the spot.
But Madara moved fast—leaping from the stone bed and dodging just in time.
Within Susanoo, Shisui nodded to Sasuke, then chased after Madara.
The scene cut off, plunging Raiden into darkness.
When it returned, Raiden saw a dense forest. Shisui, now battered, staggered along a narrow path. Suddenly, he changed direction, pushed through some bushes, and entered a clearing.
There stood Karui and Omoi, looking shocked.
Then, the vision faded to black.
Raiden knew Shisui's message had ended.
"I met Uchiha Madara… and the assassination failed," Raiden muttered. With a wave of his hand, tailed beast chakra surged, shattering the illusion like glass.
Raiden returned to reality.
"Lord Raiden?! What's with her Sharingan?" Kisame asked, raising Samehada and pointing toward Omoi. Killer Bee had just reentered and was staring in shock at Karui's Sharingan.
Everything was exactly as it had been before the illusion. Though Raiden experienced so much, only a moment had passed in reality.
As he snapped out of the illusion, Karui's Sharingan faded. Her pupils turned blank again, and she collapsed.
"Shisui… Your genjutsu has become so refined."
"Your control over time and space is truly terrifying."
Raiden praised Shisui in his heart, then frowned.
He now knew why Shisui disappeared—but had no clue where he was. The fact that Madara was after Shisui's Mangekyō infuriated him. Not only was Shisui his disciple, but his eyes were too powerful to fall into Madara's hands.
Without hesitation, Raiden made a decision. He released Karui and turned toward the door.
"Kisame, inform Minato—I'm going to find Shisui."
"Until I return, no Uchiha is to leave the village."
"I'm off."
He stepped outside, glanced back at Kisame, and vanished in a flash.
(End of Chapter)