The Art of Following Your Heart

Land of Hot Water, Daimyo Residence.

Guards lined both sides, completely ignoring the two as they entered.

It wasn't until they reached the daimyo's residence that several guards sensed something was wrong and reached for their swords...

The last thing they saw was a pair of dazzling crimson eyes.

"Sora... Attacking the Feudal Lord violates the shinobi treaty, doesn't it...?"

Glancing at Shisui, Uchiha Sora replied casually, "You keep saying you want to kill the Hokage's advisor. What are you telling me about the shinobi treaty for?"

"Uh..."

Uchiha Sora walked straight into the residence and continued, "You handle the next part. I'm not very good at keeping someone under control for a long time."

Shisui looked a little puzzled. "How did you know my genjutsu could do that? I haven't told anyone, have I?"

Mangekyō techniques were a reflection of the heart.

Uchiha Sora guessed that awakening a Mangekyō had a lot to do with what its wielder was thinking at the time.

According to the original timeline, several years later...

Shisui wanted to change the village and clan's way of thinking and ease their conflict, and he gained Kotoamatsukami, which could alter people's will.

After Shisui's death, Itachi developed thoughts of destruction and awakened Amaterasu.

Obito watched his beloved die at the hands of his best friend and wanted to escape reality, so he awakened Kamui.

What someone was thinking when they opened their eyes mattered, but the Mangekyō wielder's innate talent was important too.

Uchiha Sasuke wasn't a genjutsu specialist. No matter how much he overthought things, he couldn't awaken the strongest genjutsu.

Before Uchiha Obito awakened Kamui, even his Two-Tomoe Sharingan had some space-time properties.

Madara had said himself that Obito's body hadn't been crushed by the boulder at the time. It was as if he had passed through the rock. His rescue had been a miracle.

Perhaps intangibility was Obito's unique talent. It wasn't until he awakened his Mangekyō and connected to the Kamui Dimension that he could use that ability to its full extent.

Genjutsu was, by nature, the art of manipulating the five senses, and Shisui had the greatest talent for it among the Uchiha.

Based on this information, Uchiha Sora was sure that even if Shisui didn't have Kotoamatsukami yet, he must have a similar ability.

"I told you, I saw the future."

Uchiha Sora looked at Shisui with amusement and teased, "You've got a strong need to control things, don't you?"

"D-don't make things up!"

Shisui's face reddened. "I just want people to acknowledge me!"

"Mm. Keeping someone under control counts as being acknowledged, too. Forced love—I get it."

"What are you even talking about? I don't understand you at all!"

As they joked, the daimyo's personal guards had already surrounded them.

Just as the Land of Fire's Feudal Lord had Guardian Ninja, other Feudal Lords had similar protectors.

These were three ninja from Yugakure. Judging by their chakra, they were about on par with Konoha's Chunin.

In a place like this, they counted as fairly skilled.

"Uchiha..."

Both Sora and Shisui wore the Gunbai clan crest on their clothes. Almost every ninja knew that symbol.

The lead ninja had a little more chakra than the others and was probably their leader.

Faced with two kids, he didn't dare underestimate them in the slightest. In fact...

When he saw the Three Tomoe Sharingan in Shisui's eyes, his scalp prickled and fear welled up inside him.

There had been no distinction between Genin, Chunin, and Jonin during the Warring States period.

Who had been the first Kage—the Hokage—and where had that name come from?

Madara Uchiha.

Because he was skilled in Fire Style, the village leader had been called the Hokage.

So was it possible that the ranks beneath the Hokage had also been based on the number of tomoe in the Sharingan?

One Tomoe for Genin, Two-Tomoe for Chunin...

It was widely accepted in the Shinobi World that an Uchiha with Three Tomoe had unquestionable Jonin-level strength.

The coincidence was hard to ignore. Had Hashirama simply been too lazy to come up with a ranking system and used the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan tomoe as the standard instead?

Other ninja might have been hiding their true abilities, but the moment an Uchiha revealed their Sharingan, people could tell who they needed to send after them.

Shisui was fairly distinctive, and a Three-Tomoe Uchiha this young...

The ninja shuddered violently and asked in a trembling voice, "Could you be... Body Flicker Shisui?"

Uchiha Sora raised an eyebrow and smiled. "As expected of Lord Body Flicker Shisui. Your fame has reached this far?"

Shisui rubbed his nose. "That's a little awkward. Don't put it like that."

Unlike the relaxed pair, the Yugakure ninja grew even more nervous once Shisui's identity was confirmed.

"Why have you invaded the Daimyo Residence? Don't you know the Five Great Nations have an agreement not to accept missions that target a Feudal Lord?"

"That's unfortunate. We're not ninja from the Five Great Nations."

The Yugakure ninja stared blankly at Uchiha Sora.

Seriously, do you think I'm an idiot?

The only people in the whole Shinobi World more recognizable than the Uchiha might be those Byakugan-wielding Hyuga!

You've already shown your Sharingan, and you still want to pretend you're a wandering ninja?

At least cover the clan crest on your back, you idiot!

"Hasn't the news reached here...? Never mind."

Uchiha Sora smiled faintly. "I don't like killing people. You have five seconds to leave."

He hadn't activated his Sharingan, so he wasn't nearly as intimidating as Shisui.

The Yugakure ninja snapped, "Are you kidding me? Even if it's—"

He struggled for a while, but still couldn't bring himself to say, "Even if it's Body Flicker Shisui, the three of us can take him." He couldn't even convince himself.

Taking a deep breath, he came to his senses.

"Five seconds isn't enough. Ten seconds. We'll be out of your sight by then, all right?"

"What! What are you saying, Suixi? We—"

Smack!

The lead Yugakure ninja slapped the one who had spoken, then hurriedly grabbed the other kunoichi and rushed away.

The Land of Hot Water had known no war for years, and Yugakure was a village that championed pacifism.

In short, they were weak and quick to back down.

He knew his own strength. The three of them working together might be able to hold Shisui off for a little while.

But the kid beside him spoke to Shisui so casually that he was clearly his equal.

They'd already tried to stop them. If they weren't leaving, then what was wrong with leaving themselves?

Was it really worth risking their lives for a daimyo?

The one who had been slapped watched his companions hurry off, then turned to glance at the two of them...

"One person... five seconds, okay?"

Uchiha Sora was about to burst out laughing at them. He waved his hand. "Hurry up and go. You might still make it in time for a late-night snack."

Shisui shook his head with a hint of helplessness. "I don't want to kill anyone either, but giving up on the mission so easily..."

"What do you want, then? For them to charge us fearlessly and get killed?"

"They have families, too."

Uchiha Sora smiled. "You don't have to face a powerful enemy with the conviction that you're going to die to be brave."

"Being able to clearly judge the difference in strength between you and your enemy, then decisively choosing to retreat..."

"That's an art, too—the art of following your heart."

Clatter...

Uchiha Sora kicked open the folding screen and looked at the fat Feudal Lord of the Land of Hot Water, who was huddled in a ball.

His smile gradually faded.

"Do you understand this art?"

"I... I... I..."

"Wrong answer. Shisui, do it."