"No! Those people from Kumogakure just want us to pay with our lives! If that's the case, then take mine! My branch family has plenty of people—take as many as you want! But I will never hand over my daughter!"
For the usually strict Hyuga Hiashi, this was completely out of character. No matter what, he refused to surrender his daughter. However, someone was bound to try and change his mind.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed. "Hiashi, you don't want war, do you? The Third Great Ninja War just ended, and if we start another conflict now, it won't just be a few Hyuga lives lost. Neither Konoha nor Kumogakure can afford another war."
"For the sake of your clan, for Konoha, for the village—please, make this sacrifice."
"Damn it!!"
Hiashi couldn't argue against the Third Hokage's reasoning, but he still wanted to fight for his daughter. Yet, when he turned to rally the other Hyuga clan members in protest, he realized something even more tragic.
No one stood with him.
Even his own younger brother, Hyuga Hizashi, remained silent.
It wasn't that the branch family members didn't understand what was happening. Hiashi was willing to sacrifice their lives to protect his daughter—twenty branch family members in exchange for her freedom. But this time, Kumogakure wasn't demanding lives, they only wanted to take Hinata away. The branch family knew which choice was the lesser evil.
Some even secretly relished seeing the main house in distress. They had spent their entire lives serving the main family—how could they not feel some schadenfreude now that the tables had turned?
And so, the matter was settled.
...
Before leaving Konoha, Kakuzu was approached by a father and son.
"Kakuzu-sama, thank you for saving us. Please, accept this as a token of our gratitude."
Might Guy pushed his father, Might Duy, who was sitting in a wheelchair, toward Kakuzu. Bowing deeply at a ninety-degree angle, Guy extended a scroll with both hands.
"It was nothing," Kakuzu replied indifferently. To him, it truly wasn't a big deal. But to Duy and Guy, the debt of gratitude was immeasurable.
"No, Kakuzu-sama, you must accept this. You didn't just save our lives—you made an invaluable contribution to Konoha and the entire ninja world. If you refuse, we won't be able to rest easy."
"...Fine." Seeing how determined they were, Kakuzu took the scroll.
At that moment, father and son embraced each other, sobbing.
"Guy, do you see this? This is what youth is all about! We must be like Kakuzu-sama and dedicate ourselves to the peace of the ninja world!"
"Yes, Father! I will learn from Kakuzu-sama!"
Watching their passionate display, Kakuzu rubbed his temples, feeling an impending headache.
After finally sending them off, he unrolled the scroll Guy had given him.
"This is..."
...
A few days later, Kakuzu left Konoha, cradling the infant Hinata in his arms.
However, he ran into some trouble shortly after departing.
He had barely stepped out of the village when he stopped in his tracks.
"Do you Root members always see me off like this? Should I just turn around and send Danzo off permanently?"
Kakuzu's patience with Danzo's antics had reached its limit—it was time to put an end to this nonsense.
As soon as he spoke, a figure emerged from the dense foliage nearby.
Unlike most Root members who wore masks to conceal their identities, this one removed his mask, revealing his face.
A boy around fifteen years old, with crimson Sharingan eyes gleaming ominously.
"State your purpose," Kakuzu said flatly, still holding Hinata. He had no patience for mind games.
"My name is Uchiha Shisui," the boy said, his tone respectful. "Kakuzu-sama, by all rights, you are my senior—an elder. But your actions have placed Konoha in grave danger. I couldn't sense any genjutsu on the Hokage, yet it is a fact that he follows your every command."
Kakuzu cracked his neck.
Sakumo Hatake was only Hokage because Kakuzu had put him there—of course Sakumo listened to him. And after experiencing so much hardship, Sakumo had no interest in political struggles anymore.
"Seems like Danzo really did a number on your mind. Enough talk—just use your strongest technique, Kotoamatsukami."
At those words, Shisui's Sharingan trembled.
He had never told anyone that he had unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan.
And yet, Kakuzu not only knew, but had also accurately identified his eye technique.
While Shisui was still processing this, Kakuzu moved.
With a sharp "whoosh," Kakuzu appeared right in front of him.
A punch landed squarely on Shisui's face.
His face twisted from the impact, blood spurting from his mouth as he was sent flying more than twenty meters, crashing through several trees before finally coming to a stop.
"The difference in strength is too great..."
Shisui used every ounce of strength to struggle to his feet. His Sharingan eyes burned with determination.
"If that's the case..."
His three-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly, transforming into a pinwheel-shaped Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Kotoamatsukami!"
The shuriken-like pattern in his right eye began to spin rapidly.
Kakuzu formed a single-handed seal.
"Kai..."
He had intended to activate the Rinnegan hidden beneath his forehead protector but hesitated.
Instead, his eyes shifted into the Byakugan.
But this was no ordinary Byakugan—its structure resembled the Otsutsuki clan's Tenseigan.
Thousand-Eyed Byakugan—Activated!
The two locked gazes in a battle of ocular prowess.
A long silence passed.
Then, Kakuzu smirked.
"Both of your eyes possess Kotoamatsukami. But your right eye's version is an enhanced genjutsu type, while your left eye holds the true ace up your sleeve."
It was common knowledge that the Sharingan's two eyes often carried different abilities. In the original timeline, Danzo had used Shisui's right eye to manipulate Mifune at the Five Kage Summit, suggesting it was a powerful but reusable genjutsu. His left eye, however, was likely the version with an extended cooldown—perhaps a decade-long reset time.
People claimed Kotoamatsukami was the strongest genjutsu in the ninja world, but where did that leave Infinite Tsukuyomi?
Furthermore, no matter how powerful a jutsu was, it had to follow certain principles. The ultimate evolution of the Sharingan was the Rinnegan—Kotoamatsukami couldn't affect it.
And the Byakugan was one of the three great dōjutsu as well.
"Come on, then. Let's see if your ocular power surpasses this Byakugan!"
Kakuzu decided to let Shisui try his best—just to see how far his Kotoamatsukami could really go.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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