SWISH!
Shisui and Shō stared at each other, locked in a silent battle of wills that lasted several seconds.
Gradually, the four-pointed windmill pattern of Shisui's Mangekyō began to rotate, the connected tomoe slowly separating until they reverted to the original three-tomoe formation of the standard Sharingan.
"Haaah!" Shisui gasped violently, his eyes flickering as his vision blurred around the edges. He staggered slightly, catching himself with one hand pressed against his knee.
I didn't expect the consumption of chakra and ocular power to be so intense, he thought, surprised by the toll. The technique called "Kotoamatsukami" residing within his Mangekyō had drained him far beyond his expectations.
"Are you alright?" Mei Terumi stepped forward with concern etched across her features. The concept of fundamentally altering another person's mind seemed almost unfathomable, even in a world of extraordinary abilities.
Shisui managed a weary smile, shaking his head slightly. "It's done," he confirmed.
Though the cost had been immense, the potential of this technique—Kotoamatsukami—had exceeded even his own anticipations. It could fundamentally rewrite a person's thoughts and motivations, leaving them completely unaware they had been influenced. The target would live the rest of their life believing these implanted thoughts were entirely their own.
The ultimate genjutsu, Shisui marveled inwardly. Perhaps the most powerful illusion technique in existence.
Reaching into his tool pouch, he retrieved a military ration pill and swallowed it, feeling a portion of his strength return as the medicine took effect.
"I should return and report to Lord Hokage," Shisui said, turning his gaze toward Mei Terumi. "The illusions binding the others will dissipate in fifteen minutes. You should leave before then."
He continued, explaining the implanted scenario: "In Shō's modified memories, he has developed strong suspicions about the Fourth Mizukage's true identity. After returning to the village, he'll seek you out specifically to discuss these concerns, which will initiate our plan."
"Understood," Mei nodded, hesitating briefly before adding, "Please tell Minato, the Fourth Hokage, that if the Mizukage is indeed being manipulated as we suspect, I will find an opportunity to visit Konoha personally once our village's troubles are resolved. I wish to express my gratitude properly."
"I will convey your message to Hokage-sama," Shisui promised solemnly.
With a few graceful leaps, he returned to where Kimura's body lay. Kneeling beside his fallen comrade, Shisui's eyes lowered, a flicker of renewed grief passing through them. He carefully arranged Kimura's disheveled clothing, treating his sacrifice with the dignity it deserved.
Lifting the body into his arms, Shisui turned and exchanged a final, respectful nod with Mei Terumi. Then, channeling chakra to his feet, he stepped onto the vast expanse of sea, quickly disappearing from Mei's sight.
After watching Shisui's departure, Mei surveyed the numerous Kirigakure ninja still trapped in genjutsu. Without further delay, she too vanished from the scene, leaving no trace of her presence.
Ten minutes later, among the Kirigakure forces caught in Shisui's illusion, Shō was the first to break free.
His eyes snapped open, his last memory being the moment Shisui had suddenly materialized before him.
"Uchiha Shisui," he whispered the name, a mixture of awe and apprehension in his voice.
One by one, the others began to stir—the wielder of Hiramekarei, Ringo Ameyuri, and finally the rank-and-file ANBU operatives. While the regular ANBU seemed relatively unaffected, the two Swordsmen had clearly suffered profound psychological trauma from whatever they had experienced within the genjutsu. Their bodies trembled visibly, faces pale with shock.
"He subdued us with just a glance..." they murmured, pupils constricted as they struggled to process what had happened.
Though Shisui had overwhelmed them with genjutsu, he had left them alive—damaged, but breathing.
Ringo Ameyuri raised her head suddenly, looking toward Shō. "Where is Uchiha Shisui?" she demanded.
Having been trapped in the same illusion, Shō couldn't answer with certainty. He called for the remaining ANBU to gather, piecing together their fragmented recollections. The conclusion was inescapable—everyone present had fallen victim to Shisui's genjutsu in rapid succession.
"If he controlled all of us with his illusions," the Hiramekarei wielder wondered aloud, "why didn't he simply eliminate us?"
The observation hung in the air, heavy with implication. Once they were all incapacitated by genjutsu, killing them would have required minimal effort.
Ringo Ameyuri frowned thoughtfully. "There are more than thirty Kirigakure ANBU here, plus the three of us—the elite of our village," she reasoned. "We're currently in a time of nominal peace. The Five Great Nations maintain a treaty, at least on the surface. He had already killed over a dozen of our operatives earlier. If we all perished here, Kirigakure would not simply accept it."
Yet even as she spoke, everyone present understood the underlying reality. ANBU operations existed in shadow, deniable by their very nature. Even if they all died on this remote island, what meaningful action could the Hidden Mist Village or the Fourth Mizukage truly take against Konoha?
Such retaliation might be possible if Kirigakure's power exceeded Konoha's—but the current reality was quite different. Konoha's strength far surpassed that of the other major villages, and the Fourth Hokage was widely acknowledged as the most formidable shinobi in the world.
"Regardless, this operation has failed completely," the Hiramekarei wielder concluded, his expression darkening. "We need to consider how we'll explain this to the Fourth Mizukage upon our return."
The prospect clearly unsettled him. Despite having risen to his current position through countless kills, even he feared the Fourth Mizukage's notorious methods.
In the Hidden Mist Village, mission failure carried severe consequences. This failure was particularly catastrophic—they had lost more than a dozen ANBU and narrowly escaped total annihilation.
As for lying about mission outcomes, there were numerous precedents in Kirigakure's history. The fate of those caught in such deception had invariably been brutal.
The Fourth Mizukage's governance was even more bloody and merciless than his predecessors', transforming the village's training system into what many called a "Demon Purgatory." Any Kirigakure ninja who survived this system might rightfully be considered a demon rather than a human.
Both Swordsmen turned to Shō simultaneously. As both the Mizukage's confidant and the commander of this failed operation, the fate of everyone present depended entirely on how he chose to explain their defeat.
The Fourth Mizukage...
Shō's thoughts drifted, his eyes narrowing slightly as doubts he couldn't fully understand swirled within his mind. These suspicions felt both foreign and deeply familiar, as though he had harbored them for a long time.
Quickly composing himself, he surveyed the two Swordsmen and the dozens of ANBU operatives. His expression grew somber as he addressed them.
"If you wish to minimize the punishment that awaits us," he said deliberately, "it depends entirely on whether you're willing to follow my guidance."
Hearing this, a ripple of uncertainty passed through the assembled ninja.
After a moment, the wielder of Hiramekarei offered a soft, humorless smile. "Of course," he agreed. "We're all grasshoppers tied to the same rope now. If we hope for a better outcome, unity is our only option."
Such sentiments seemed strangely out of place among Kirigakure's forces. These killing machines, trained in the bloody traditions of the Mist, had little concept of unity or collective action. Yet fear of the Fourth Mizukage's retribution united them now, and Shō represented their only potential lifeline.
Many among them were already Shō's confidants. Though all Kirigakure ANBU technically served the Mizukage, most had never seen his true face.
Gradually, the gathered forces expressed their willingness to follow Shō's direction. They had no other choice.
Observing their reactions, Shō nodded with satisfaction. Beneath his composed exterior, an astonishing idea—one that would have seemed entirely foreign to him just an hour earlier—began to take shape in his mind.