Chapter 584: Brainwashing Sasuke
Although Sasuke had asked for Sōkai and Uchiha Izumi, the messenger had reported directly to Ishiro.
The branch leader decided it was best to let the Tsuchikage decide whether to inform Sōkai and Izumi.
He was cautious about anything involving relations between the two villages, and "Uchiha" was a politically sensitive word. He couldn't afford to make a mistake.
Ishiro had just finished his five-nature fusion training when he heard the news from the northwestern Land of Fire branch.
His first reaction was disbelief.
Sasuke? Defecting to Iwagakure? Even if Kakashi messed up, how could the Sage of Six Paths allow Sasuke to come here?
The Sage misunderstands me so deeply... why would he let Sasuke come to get brainwashed?
Suddenly, Ishiro thought of the Giant Sharingan.
Does the Sage want Sasuke to use its power to awaken the Rinnegan early?
Ishiro wasn't thrilled. He disliked Sasuke's personality.
If he had to choose an Uchiha to train from the original story, he would pick Obito. He would have built bonds between Obito and Iwa, just like he did with Sōkai.
If he could brainwash him long-term, he'd choose Shisui. That overflowing "saintly" heart was the easiest to manipulate.
But Itachi and Sasuke... those two ungrateful wolves... Ishiro wouldn't waste his time or effort on them.
If not for the Sage's interference, he would have killed them both long ago.
Although Sasuke had a sliver of kindness—sparing Orochimaru's test subjects—it didn't cover up his extreme selfishness.
Aside from Naruto, Sasuke showed no mercy to anyone. Not Sakura, not Kakashi, not Karin. He was ruthlessly self-centered.
His worldview was pure idealism. He decided he wanted to protect Konoha, so he declared he would become Hokage. He never stopped to consider if the village wanted him as Hokage.
No one liked Sasuke, yet he still wanted the title. It showed he never considered anyone else's perspective.
Keeping someone like that around... Ishiro wasn't sure if Sasuke wouldn't stab him in the back the moment his whims changed.
Ishiro believed that if Iwa's interests ever conflicted with Sasuke's, Sasuke would sacrifice Iwa and Ishiro without hesitation.
Ishiro was selfish too. He understood selfish people best. And he would never keep company with someone just as selfish as himself.
Unless the Sage gives me a massive benefit... Sasuke isn't touching the Giant Sharingan! Ishiro thought.
Despite his hesitation, Ishiro moved quickly.
He sent word to Sōkai and Izumi, then headed for the teleportation array.
He didn't teleport recklessly. Fearing a trap on the other side, he first cast Sage Art: Earth Release: Hardening Technique.
Only then did he activate the array.
Arriving at the branch, he scanned the area with his Mind's Eye.
Seeing everything was normal, he relaxed.
He walked out of the branch to where Sasuke was waiting.
The branch leader had told him Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. So Ishiro was very cautious.
Not knowing if Sasuke's dōjutsu was the same as in the original story, Ishiro kept his eyes closed, maintained his distance, and set up a porcelain barrier between them.
His Mind's Eye remained locked on Sasuke.
Sasuke was disappointed to see Ishiro instead of Izumi.
"Lord Tsuchikage," he said impatiently, "I want to see Uchiha Sōkai and Uchiha Izumi!"
Ishiro ignored his tone. Still as arrogant as ever. Good, that rules out an imposter.
"Uchiha Sasuke, right?" Ishiro said calmly, after confirming no one else was around. "First, tell me exactly how you got here from Konoha."
Sasuke frowned. He felt the Tsuchikage was deliberately making things difficult.
Given that Hokage weren't good people, Sasuke assumed the Tsuchikage probably didn't have good intentions for the Uchiha either.
But he didn't leave. He felt he needed to expose Ishiro's true face to Izumi and Sōkai, and rescue the remaining Uchiha from Iwa.
The Uchiha didn't need to rely on any village!
"I want to see Uchiha Izumi and Uchiha Sōkai!" Sasuke repeated forcefully.
Ishiro wasn't angry, but he knew he wouldn't get answers like this.
"I've already sent for them," he said slowly. "They'll be here soon."
"However... your base strength might be negligible, but you do possess a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan."
"An unknown Mangekyō ability... if you attack suddenly, even I would be wary."
"How can you make me trust that you won't harm Izumi and Sōkai?"
Sasuke frowned deeper. He had no answer.
After a pause, Ishiro said, "Reveal your dōjutsu. After I test it, I'll let them see you."
Sasuke thought for a few seconds. "I will only reveal my dōjutsu to my clansmen! I don't trust you!"
Ishiro smiled. "Fair enough. I'll compromise. When they arrive, I'll let you see them first. Then you can demonstrate your dōjutsu to them."
Sasuke agreed to the condition.
They stood in silence, separated by the barrier.
A short while later, Sōkai and Izumi hurried over.
Sōkai didn't know Sasuke well; he'd only seen him once at the exams. He'd heard from Izumi that Sasuke was Fugaku's son and Itachi's brother. He didn't know much about Sasuke's ideology. Sōkai's brain didn't hold complex things well.
He only knew Sasuke's performance at the exams was mediocre, and he was curious how he'd awakened the Mangekyō so quickly.
Izumi, however, knew Sasuke well. She had often trained under Fugaku and interacted with Sasuke.
She knew Sasuke was different from Itachi; he leaned toward the clan, like a normal Uchiha.
But she also knew Sasuke was very attached to Itachi. He had often defended his brother to the other kids. Not saying Itachi was right, but that he must have had a reason.
So Izumi's feelings were complicated. She didn't know if she should be hostile.
Seeing Sasuke and Ishiro, Izumi didn't speak to Sasuke immediately. She bowed to Ishiro first. "Lord Tsuchikage, it really is Sasuke Uchiha."
Ishiro nodded. "He doesn't trust me, and I don't trust him."
"Confirm his dōjutsu first. Once you're sure he's not dangerous, you can talk. Ask him how he escaped. Even with a Mangekyō, his strength shouldn't be enough to escape Konoha."
Izumi nodded, then looked at Sasuke. "Sasuke, can you tell me your dōjutsu?"
Seeing Izumi alive, Sasuke was emotional. "Izumi-neechan! Can you tell me the truth about the massacre? Is the Iwagakure Bi-Weekly telling the truth? Are there really many Uchiha survivors? Where are they? Are they okay?"
Izumi didn't answer. She repeated firmly, "Sasuke, tell me your dōjutsu first!"
Izumi wasn't politically naive. Even if she knew Sasuke meant no harm, this was an order from the Tsuchikage. She had to prioritize Ishiro's command.
She knew exactly where she and the Uchiha stood in Iwagakure.
Iwa accepted them, but they had to integrate and obey orders like everyone else.
Sōkai, as the Tsuchikage's disciple, could be casual. But Izumi could not. She never slacked off on Ishiro's orders. She didn't want the Uchiha to be ostracized by their new family.
Sasuke calmed down slightly. He hesitated, then said, "My left eye's ability is called Breaking Delusion. It can see through illusions."
"My right eye's ability is Amaterasu. You should know it; the newspaper said Itachi has it too."
Izumi nodded, whispered something to Sōkai, then turned back to Sasuke. "We need to verify it."
"Sōkai will cast a genjutsu on you. Use your dōjutsu to break it."
"Then demonstrate Amaterasu."
Sasuke didn't refuse. He didn't know yet that Mangekyō power was finite, so he didn't see the waste.
He broke Sōkai's genjutsu and demonstrated Amaterasu.
Ishiro removed the barrier.
Izumi then began to tell Sasuke the full story of the massacre.
When she missed details, she turned to Ishiro.
With Ishiro and Izumi's explanations, Sasuke confirmed the truth he held in his heart.
And he fully understood the attitudes of Konoha's Hokage toward the Uchiha, and why they were that way.
The First Hokage trusted them because of his bond with Madara.
The Second hated them because he killed Madara's brother and blamed Madara for Hashirama's death. He also understood the Sharingan's evolution and feared its uncontrollable power, leading to suppression and scheming.
In Ishiro's telling, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, restricted them out of incompetence and fear, terrified they would awaken the Mangekyō, so he kept them off the battlefield.
(Ishiro briefly mentioned Hiruzen's philosophy of suppressing clans to support civilians, but mostly focused on his malice toward the Uchiha.)
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was explained as using the Uchiha to avoid being a puppet to the elders. He coveted their bloodline limit, evidenced by him letting Kakashi keep Obito's eye.
The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, was driven by jealousy. Her Senju clan was gone, while the Uchiha thrived. Ishiro painted her as a bitter leader who lost her sense of justice.
Ishiro didn't mention Danzō; Sōkai and Izumi had covered that well enough. Hearing about Danzō's arm full of Sharingan made Sasuke tremble with rage.
But surprisingly, Ishiro praised Kakashi.
"The Seventh Hokage, Kakashi Hatake... he genuinely cared for your clan," Ishiro said.
"On the night of the massacre, he sided with me. He saved many of your clansmen."
"His bond with Obito was real. After Obito's 'death,' he transferred that affection to the whole clan."
"I'm sure you can feel that his concern for you is genuine."
"It's a pity he became Hokage after the massacre. Otherwise, he might have sided with you against the high command."
Sasuke believed them.
Ishiro hadn't just smeared everyone. He had affirmed the current Hokage, which went against Iwa's interests. And it matched Sasuke's own feelings about Kakashi. This made Ishiro credible.
Most importantly, Sasuke's left eye told him Ishiro was speaking the truth.
Somehow, Ishiro always spoke the truth... while using exaggeration, omission, and twisted concepts.
So while Sasuke's eye confirmed the "truth," it couldn't detect what Ishiro was leaving out—like his own role in the massacre. He painted himself as a bystander.
Unknowingly, Ishiro brainwashed Sasuke with the narrative he wanted.
Seeing Sasuke believed him, Ishiro changed the subject. "Sasuke, tell us how you escaped Konoha."
Sasuke didn't resist. He deactivated his Sharingan. "Orochimaru sent people for me."
"I used them to leave the village. In a city in the Land of Fire, I bought back issues of your newspaper."
"Itachi appeared while I was reading, but he didn't stop me."
"Later, I awakened the Mangekyō. He tried to use Tsukuyomi to bring me back."
"But my eye broke his illusion. I escaped while he was suffering the backlash."
Ishiro nodded, about to speak, when two figures suddenly appeared beside Sasuke.
After recovering from the backlash, Itachi raced back to Konoha.
He went straight to the Hokage's office but was told Kakashi wasn't back yet.
Kakashi had separated from Itachi, but en route, he received a distress signal. The Sound Four, while being transported, had used their Cursed Seals to ambush the ANBU guards and escape.
Kakashi detoured to help his injured subordinates and recapture the Sound Four.
So, he arrived later than Itachi.
Hearing Itachi was looking for him urgently, Kakashi's heart sank.
When he heard Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyō, he was stunned. Sasuke is... ten? Not even eleven? And he has the Mangekyō?
Did I take on a disciple who far surpasses me?
Kakashi considered himself a genius, but compared to Neji, and now Sasuke... he felt inadequate.
Konoha's revival is hopeful!
But hearing Sasuke was defecting to Iwagakure snapped him out of it.
If Ishiro brainwashes him... Kakashi shuddered at the thought of Sasuke becoming a weapon of vengeance against Konoha.
He quickly gave orders and then used the Flying Thunder God to teleport himself and Itachi to Sasuke's marker.
Outside the Iwa branch, Ishiro was startled to see Kakashi and Itachi appear next to Sasuke.
His first thought: It's a trap. Sasuke lured me out.
Or maybe they were after Sōkai and Izumi.
But he quickly realized... Kakashi bringing only Itachi was too arrogant for an ambush on him.
And looking at Itachi's state... could he even fight at a Kage level right now?
Sasuke hadn't lied. He had escaped. But he didn't know about the marker.
Kakashi must have been brought by Itachi.
Ishiro reacted instantly. He fired a C-rank Light Release directly at Kakashi and Sasuke.
It was instinct. His seals were fast, his attack decisive. Before most people could react, the beam was almost on them.
Kakashi and Itachi had come prepared, but their prep was for Sasuke. They knew he had the Mangekyō and feared Susanoo.
They moved on Sasuke immediately.
Itachi punched Sasuke in the neck; Kakashi used Wood Release to bind him and drain his chakra.
They hadn't expected Ishiro, Sōkai, and Izumi to be right there.
And they hadn't expected Ishiro to attack so fast.
Suddenly, the space in front of them twisted. Ishiro's Light Release vanished.
Itachi, Kakashi, Sōkai, and Izumi didn't understand what happened, but they reacted, taking combat stances.
Sasuke was already unconscious.
Only Ishiro's heart pounded. The Sage of Six Paths. It's you again!
It looked like Kamui, but Ishiro hadn't sensed any chakra buildup in Kakashi's eye.
Only the Sage could nullify his attack without triggering his Mind's Eye.
(End of Chapter)
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