"Such a shame... So it's just a genjutsu that can manipulate people's hearts and change their personalities?"
After hearing Shisui Uchiha's explanation, Orochimaru shook his head with some regret.
"Though this kind of auxiliary eye technique is just as strange and mysterious, it falls far short of that tremendous power I remember."
He sized up Shisui as if he were a lab rat, his face devoid of emotion. "Perhaps it's because the person is different. You're too weak, Shisui, and your eyes aren't even the originals... Heh heh. Then again, not every Uchiha can be compared to that person."
"What do you mean?"
Shisui tilted his head in confusion.
What did he mean by "just a genjutsu that can manipulate people's hearts and change their personalities"?
This was the first time Shisui had seen someone react this way after hearing about his eye technique.
His Kotoamatsukami could change a person's personality and state of mind without them realizing it. It was the most powerful genjutsu in the world.
The Third Hokage had looked panicked when he heard about it and no longer dared to be alone with me. And when Danzo found out, he tried to seize my eyes at the first opportunity.
Such a terrifying genjutsu.
Yet in front of Orochimaru, it was just a "shame"?
For a moment, Shisui felt a tremendous sense of disappointment, as if his Kotoamatsukami weren't some eye technique the Hokage and Root would fight over, but merely a foxtail grass anyone could pluck by the roadside.
Seeing Shisui's expression, Orochimaru sat down beside a table. "You're seventeen or eighteen. You must have been to the battlefield, right?"
"...A few years ago, I took part in the Third Shinobi World War as a Chunin."
"I'm not like you. I personally experienced both the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars."
Orochimaru said, "So I've seen quite a few Mangekyō techniques. According to my research, your genjutsu can only be used once. What's more, if you use it on an Uchiha with greater ocular power than yours, it might even backfire... It's really quite useless."
I've never used Kotoamatsukami on anyone. How could he know so much about it?
Shisui was startled.
"Surprised?"
Orochimaru took out a scroll and tossed it to Shisui.
"Feel it."
Shisui caught the scroll instinctively, but the moment his fingertips touched its surface, the scorching heat made his pupils contract.
"It's so hot!"
His fingers loosened on instinct, and the scroll fell to the floor with a dull thud.
"What's sealed inside is the remnant flame of a Mangekyō technique."
Orochimaru said, "It's been over forty years, yet it still burns as fiercely as ever."
"A flame that's been burning for over forty years..."
Shisui Uchiha felt as if he couldn't breathe.
"If it weren't for this Seal of Fire Suppression, that flame could even set the entire Shinobi World ablaze..."
Orochimaru stood and picked up the scroll. "Compared to the technique I've seen, your genjutsu is a poor thing—bland if used, a shame to discard."
"...What was your relationship with the senior from my clan, Orochimaru?"
Shisui lowered his head as he asked.
"Of course, we were the closest of friends, ready to live and die for each other."
A hint of nostalgia flashed in Orochimaru's golden eyes. "Saving you was his request, too."
"...Did that senior realize the future of the Uchiha Clan all those years ago?"
Shisui was astonished.
"Heh heh, who knows?"
Orochimaru smiled faintly. "But he was certainly clever."
"..."
"Get some rest."
Looking at the silent Shisui Uchiha, Orochimaru said, "A very special guest will be coming to see me tomorrow. When she asks you something, answer her. Don't lie, and don't hide anything."
"A special... guest?"
Shisui was confused.
"Yes, a very special guest."
Orochimaru put extra emphasis on the word "special."
Five days later, Sakuya and the others returned to Konoha.
"You've all had a hard journey, Sakuya, Tsunade, and everyone."
Taking the scroll containing Ibuse's poison, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "Tsunade, Orochimaru, the researchers from Sunagakure, led by Chiyo, arrived in Konoha a few days ago. They've set up a research facility in the village to study the antidote. Time is short, so take Ibuse's poison there right away."
"Understood."
Tsunade nodded, glancing at Sakuya with worry in her eyes.
They'd hurried back from Amegakure and then faced another brush with death. There was a lot she wanted to say to Sakuya.
"I'll come see you tonight."
Sakuya glanced at her, understanding what was on her mind, and spoke softly.
"Okay."
Tsunade nodded and left with Orochimaru.
"Everyone, leave."
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, dismissing all the jonin in the office. "Sakuya can stay."
They nodded and filed out, leaving Sakuya alone with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"I've heard everything about what happened in Amegakure."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Sakuya. "Well done."
"Thank you for the praise, Lord Hokage."
Sakuya replied evenly.
"No need to be so modest... You saved Tsunade, after all."
Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that, given the circumstances, abandoning Tsunade and retreating with the poison would have been the right choice.
But Sakuya had risked his life to go back into Amegakure and bring Tsunade out.
As a shinobi, he'd completed his mission. As a member of Konoha, he'd protected his comrade.
Looking at Sakuya, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes grew hazy for a moment.
An Uchiha filled with the Will of Fire... Kagami...
Sunlight slanted in through the window, casting Sakuya's face into shadow. As Hiruzen gazed at his silhouette, he seemed to see Kagami as a young man, standing before him.
Our strategist in the Hokage Guard Platoon, my dearest friend—the one I was proudest of...
"...How are your eyes?"
A moment later, Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his reddened eyes, and Kagami's image within them turned back into Sakuya.
"A little tired..."
Sakuya answered honestly.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed softly.
He knew exactly what the Mangekyō Sharingan represented.
When Madara Uchiha rebelled and fought Hashirama Senju at the Valley of the End, Hiruzen had been young. Under Tobirama Senju's guidance, he'd supported Hashirama from afar.
He'd also witnessed the ultimate power of Wood Release and the Mangekyō Sharingan.
More than twenty years had passed since Madara Uchiha's death. No one in the Uchiha Clan had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan since, and the Senju's Wood Release had vanished as well.
He'd thought these two world-ending powers would never appear again.
But now... the Mangekyō Sharingan had appeared once more in the eyes of the young man he'd believed in most.
He'd already learned the extent of the devastation in Amegakure through the Intelligence Division.
Black Flames had consumed the entire village and were even spreading through the Land of Rain. No one could stop them.
This power...
Before you continue