Thirty-Nine: Shisui and Orochimaru

"What a pity... is it merely a genjutsu capable of manipulating hearts and altering personalities?"

After hearing Shisui Uchiha's words, Orochimaru shook his head with a touch of regret.

"While this auxiliary dōjutsu is certainly bizarre and extraordinary, it still falls far, far short of the sheer, overwhelming power I recall."

He scrutinized Shisui as if observing a lab rat, his face devoid of any emotion: "Perhaps it is a matter of the individual. You are too weak, Shisui-kun, and on top of that, these are not your original eyes... Heh heh, I suppose I am the same; after all, not every Uchiha can be compared to that man."

"What do you mean by that?"

Shisui tilted his head in confusion.

What did he mean by "merely a genjutsu capable of manipulating hearts and altering personalities"?

This was the first time he had seen someone react this way upon hearing about his dōjutsu.

His Kotoamatsukami was capable of altering a person's personality and spirit without them ever realizing it—it was arguably the most supreme genjutsu in the world.

The Third Hokage had turned pale with panic upon hearing of it, never daring to be alone with him again, and that man Danzo had wanted to seize his eyes the very moment he learned of its existence.

Such a terrifying genjutsu.

Yet, in front of Orochimaru, it was merely a "pity"?

He felt a massive sense of disparity, as if his Kotoamatsukami were not a dōjutsu worth fighting over by the Hokage and Root, but rather a common weed one could pluck by the roadside.

Observing the look on Shisui's face, Orochimaru sat down at a nearby table: "You are seventeen or eighteen years old; you must have been to the battlefield, right?"

"...A few years ago, as a Chūnin, I participated in the Third Shinobi World War."

"I am different from you. I was a witness to both the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars."

Orochimaru said: "Therefore, I have seen many Mangekyō dōjutsu. Based on my previous research, your genjutsu not only has a limited number of uses, but if used against an Uchiha with higher ocular power than you, it is even likely to backfire... It is truly a useless burden."

I have never even used Kotoamatsukami on anyone else; how could he know so much about it?

Shisui felt a jolt of shock in his heart.

"Are you surprised?"

Orochimaru took out a scroll and tossed it to Shisui.

"Touch it and see."

Shisui instinctively caught the scroll, but the moment his fingertips brushed the surface, the searing temperature caused his pupils to constrict.

"So hot!"

His fingers reflexively loosened, and the scroll fell to the ground with a dull thud.

"Sealed inside this is the residual flame of a Mangekyō dōjutsu."

Orochimaru said: "It has been over forty years, yet it remains as scorching as it was on that day."

"A flame that has been burning for over forty years..."

Shisui Uchiha felt a sense of suffocation.

"If not for this Seal of Fire Suppression, this fire could have ignited the entire shinobi world..."

Orochimaru stood up and picked up the scroll: "Compared to the dōjutsu I have witnessed, your genjutsu is truly a burden that is tasteless to consume yet a pity to discard."

"...What was the relationship between Orochimaru-senpai and the predecessor of my clan?"

Shisui lowered his head to ask.

"Naturally, we were close friends who shared life and death."

A hint of nostalgia flickered in Orochimaru's golden eyes: "Saving you was also his request."

"...Did that predecessor realize the future of the Uchiha Clan so many years ago?"

Shisui's face was full of astonishment.

"Heh heh, who knows?"

Orochimaru smiled faintly: "However, he was indeed very clever."

"..."

"Rest well."

Looking at the silent Shisui Uchiha, Orochimaru said: "A special guest will come to see me tomorrow. When that time comes, you must answer whatever she asks you. Do not lie, and do not hide anything."

"A special... guest?"

Shisui was bewildered.

"Ah, a very special guest."

Orochimaru placed heavy emphasis on the word "special."

Five days later, Sakuya and his group returned to Konoha.

"Thank you for your hard work, Sakuya, Tsunade, and everyone else."

Taking the scroll sealed with the Salamander's toxin, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "Tsunade, Orochimaru, the researchers from Sunagakure led by Chiyo arrived in Konoha a few days ago. They have established a laboratory within the village specifically for developing an antidote. Time is of the essence; take the Salamander's toxin to them immediately."

"Understood."

Tsunade nodded, casting a glance at Sakuya with a hint of worry in her eyes.

Having rushed back from Amegakure only to face a life-or-death crisis, she had so much she wanted to say to Sakuya now.

"I'll come find you tonight."

Sakuya swept a glance at her, sensing her thoughts, and spoke softly.

"Alright."

Tsunade nodded and left with Orochimaru.

"You may all leave."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, signaling for all the jonin in the office to depart. "Sakuya, you stay."

The group nodded and filed out one by one, leaving the space to Sakuya and Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"I have heard everything about the situation in Amegakure."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Sakuya and said, "Sakuya, you did well."

"Thank you for the praise, Lord Hokage."

Sakuya replied indifferently.

"No need to be so modest... after all, you saved Tsunade."

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that in that situation, abandoning Tsunade and retreating with the toxin would have been the most logical choice.

Yet, Sakuya had risked his life to break back into Amegakure and bring Tsunade out.

As a ninja, he had completed his mission; as a member of Konoha, he had protected his comrade.

Looking at Sakuya, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes grew distant for a moment.

An Uchiha filled with the Will of Fire... Kagami...

The sunlight from outside slanted in, casting Sakuya's face into shadow against the backlight. As he gazed at that silhouette, he felt as if he were seeing the young Kagami standing before him.

The strategist of our Hokage Guard Platoon, my proudest dear friend...

"...How are your eyes?"

A moment later, Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his reddened eyes, and the image of Kagami in his pupils shifted back to the appearance of Sakuya.

"A bit fatigued..."

Sakuya answered truthfully.

"The Mangekyō Sharingan..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed gloomily.

He was well aware of what the Mangekyō Sharingan represented.

Back when Madara Uchiha rebelled and fought Hashirama Senju at the Valley of the End, he, then a youth, had been led by Tobirama Senju to provide support from a distance.

He had witnessed the ultimate power of Wood Release and the Mangekyō Sharingan.

More than twenty years had passed since the death of Madara Uchiha; no Mangekyō Sharingan had emerged within the Uchiha Clan since, and the Wood Release of the Senju had vanished as well.

He had assumed that these two world-ending powers would never appear again.

But now... the Mangekyō Sharingan had reappeared in the eyes of the junior he valued most.

He had already learned of the tragic state of Amegakure through the Intelligence Division.

Black Flames filling the sky had incinerated the entire village and were even spreading across the Land of Rain, with no one able to stop them.

This kind of power...