Yukari Uchiha (English)

Chapter 39

"You're wrong, Danzo. Today, I'm on a mission of my own." My voice is calm, almost icy, but it carries the sharpness of a blade. My eyes bore into his, cold and resolute. "I'm here to retrieve my brother's eye."

Danzo's face barely twitches before his voice cuts through the air like a serpent's hiss. "Well then, good luck finding his corpse. As far as I know, it was never found." His words drip with mockery. "And even if you did—after all these years, the eyes would be useless."

"I deliberately said 'his eye,' not 'his eyes,' Danzo." My voice is sharper now, harder. "Maybe you should learn to listen better." My gaze flickers to the bandage covering his right eye. "I was there at his death. He entrusted one eye to me, and I know exactly where the other one is."

Danzo's face remains expressionless, but I can sense the shift in his stance—a hostile tension that buzzes in the air like the warning of an approaching storm. But I refuse to be intimidated. Not anymore.

"You know, Danzo," I begin, my voice clear and unwavering, "my Sharingan is quite different from Itachi's and Shisui's. I don't have Susanoo, and my Genjutsu may not reach the scale of Kotoamatsukami or Tsukuyomi. My flames aren't like Itachi's all-consuming Amaterasu. But my abilities... they're uniquely suited to me."

I see his gaze sharpen on me, the tension rising. "My Dan Eien no Kamashi creates shadow beings, robust like me, capable of sharing my skills and operating in the shadows."

In that moment, two of my shadows materialize silently behind Danzo's guards, their presence little more than a whisper in the night.

"And then there's Yuen, my ghostly flames." I let the violet flames spread over Danzo, casting an eerie glow over his right arm and part of his face. "These flames cause little physical harm, but they burn their victim's soul slowly and painfully. I alone decide whether they're visible or not."

Danzo can see them. I let the flames manifest for him, to underscore the danger. His eyes widen slightly, the shadow of death licking at his skin. I can feel his fear, even as he tries to mask it.

"These flames block all Chakra. That Genjutsu you were trying to cast earlier? Forget about it. And whatever you're hiding in that right arm of yours, it's useless to you now."

I maintain eye contact, as if our fates are sealing in this very moment. "My Genjutsu, Jikuten, alters the perception of time—both that of my enemies and my own. It grants me the upper hand whenever I need it."

I can see Danzo's control slipping, the realization dawning on him that he's been trapped. Yet he tries to reclaim dominance. "Did Hiruzen approve this mission?" he asks, his voice as cold as his stare. He wants to know how far the truth stretches.

"You can tell him yourself, Danzo." My voice is a quiet whisper, almost too soft, yet carrying a clear threat. "I'm here of my own will. You're welcome to tell him what you've done."

I hold up a small container where both of my brother's eyes now rest securely. "I already have what I came for. Your body just hasn't realized what my Genjutsu has already accomplished."

Inside, I can feel the exhaustion pulling at my senses, my vision losing its last remnants of clarity. "Using all my abilities at once was risky," I think, as my sight continues to narrow, "but it was necessary."

"One last warning, Danzo," I say, turning away from him as the air between us falls silent, like the eerie calm before a storm. "You're only alive because I know the village still needs you. But when the day comes that you become a threat to Konoha, I will come."

I take a slow, deep breath, lowering my voice to a dark whisper that pierces the quiet around us. "I am your death, Danzo. Nothing will save you from me. You took from me what was most precious. My abilities are a reflection of my emotions from that night. I felt like a shadow, powerless to act. I wished I could slow time to save Shisui. And just as my flames burn the souls of my enemies, a part of my own soul was burned that night. That is what made me your executioner."