"The priestess… escaped?"
"I am deeply sorry, Lord Mōryō. We were originally about to catch up to the priestess and her guards, but two shinobi of unknown origin suddenly appeared. In a single exchange, they killed the companions you had granted chakra enhancement to. This subordinate knew he was no match for them and could only bring the remaining personnel back to report to you…"
Inside the blazing capital of the Land of Demons, a middle-aged man covered in cold sweat was kneeling on the ground in full prostration.
With trembling fear, he reported the intelligence to Mōryō, who was seated on the throne that had originally belonged to the priestess of the Land of Demons.
Behind him, Mōryō's long hair twisted like living serpents.
Mōryō narrowed his eyes and asked in a voice that carried no clear emotion.
"Shinobi? Were they from Sunagakure, or from Konoha?"
"I-I am terribly sorry. Because this subordinate was caught in one of their genjutsu at the time, I… I did not clearly see their forehead protectors…"
The middle-aged man was sweating like rain. His entire body began trembling and twitching under an intense desire to survive and overwhelming terror.
Seeing this, Mōryō did not wave his hand and take his life like some conventional villain. Instead, he shifted his gaze to another survivor from the pursuit team and asked casually.
"That is how Fukuda answered me… What about you, Yomi? Can you let me hear some different, valuable intelligence?"
The young man named Yomi froze when his name was called.
He hesitated, raised his head, met Mōryō's strange and evil eyes, then swallowed and said in fear, "I-I am not sure whether I was also caught in the enemy's genjutsu. May I still report this kind of intelligence to you, Lord Mōryō?"
"Tell me, Yomi…"
"Yes."
Yomi took a deep breath and racked his brain to recall the scene he had seen in the instant his companions were killed.
"Those two intruders wore black robes with red patterns that looked like flames. The taller one carried a ninja sword on his back, had an ugly appearance, and wore a forehead protector. The symbol was not Sunagakure's, nor Konoha's. Instead… instead, it looked somewhat like Kirigakure's symbol."
"The other intruder was shorter and did not look very old either. He did not wear a forehead protector. He only glanced toward us, and several people, including Captain Fukuda, immediately fell into genjutsu. I barely resisted his genjutsu because he did not activate it at full power, and then… then…"
"Then what?"
Mōryō, who had contracted his body into a humanoid form, asked in an icy tone.
"What did you see that made even the simple choice of whether to speak become so difficult for you, Yomi?"
"Lord Mōryō, you may not believe me if I say this."
Yomi closed his eyes and recalled that deeply shocking scene.
After confirming that he had not seen wrong, he opened his eyes and spoke to Mōryō one word at a time.
"The pattern I saw in the eyes of that shorter intruder looked very much like the Sharingan of Konoha's Uchiha clan…"
"Wh-What!? You also saw the Sharingan, Yomi!?"
Fukuda, who had just been questioned by Mōryō until he was drenched in sweat, showed a delighted expression as if he had grabbed a lifeline.
He turned around, grabbed Yomi by the collar, and asked urgently, "Can you be sure, Yomi!? Can you be sure that guy used the Sharingan to activate the genjutsu we couldn't resist, and that he didn't create the illusion that he possessed the Sharingan inside the genjutsu to mislead our thinking?"
"What a foolish question, Fukuda…"
Mōryō rose from the priestess's throne and looked coldly toward the distant direction that made his soul throb.
"If that person wanted to mislead you, then he should not have let you see the Kirigakure forehead protector worn by his companion. Since Yomi saw the other person's Kirigakure forehead protector, that means… they are indeed both Kirigakure shinobi."
"B-But, Lord Mōryō, why would someone from the Uchiha clan act together with someone from Kirigakure? Weren't they still fighting each other before you began your operation?"
Fukuda, kneeling on the ground, and the wandering shinobi standing on both sides of Mōryō could not help asking that question.
Mōryō merely gave a disdainful cold snort and placed his hands behind his back.
"It only means that during the war, something happened that Konoha is unwilling to let outsiders know about, while Kirigakure also has no intention of deliberately publicizing it… Withdraw!"
Following Mōryō's order, the ghost army that had been rampaging and slaughtering within the city immediately came to a halt.
Then their bodies gathered together one after another, once again turning into rocks scattered throughout the entire city.
After withdrawing his ghost army, Mōryō leapt into motion and began heading in the direction where he sensed the priestess.
"Lord Mōryō!? Lord Mōryō, where are you going!?"
The wandering shinobi behind him all followed Mōryō, who had suddenly begun moving, and questioned the master they served while racing forward.
"To the Land of Swamps. That foolish priestess will definitely go to the Sealing Shrine in order to seal me once more…
But that is also the best opportunity for me to seize her body and truly release all of my power. Before her eyes, I will tear apart those two Kirigakure shinobi who dared ruin my plan to rebuild a thousand-year empire. Then, amid her screams and despair, I will joyfully become one with her…"
"Hmhmhahahahaha, kehahahaha…"
"Miroku, wait for me. Once we become one again, that will be the moment this world completely submits to us, kehahahaha!!"
…
"Hello, hello. Calling Kisame, calling Shisui. Can you hear me?"
"…Fourth Mizukage!?"
Shisui Uchiha had just found a cave for the exhausted Miroku and Shion to rest in.
He himself was outside acting as guard, while comparing a map against a torch he had made with Fire Release.
When he heard that voice, he froze.
Then he took out the small white snake Rei Kaguya had given him from his sleeve and asked with a face full of surprise and uncertainty.
"Oh, Shisui. It's me."
Rei Kaguya's lazy and sleepy voice came from the little white snake's mouth.
"Where's Kisame? Also, did you make contact with the mission target?"
"Kisame went to scout the area ahead. As for the mission target, she is resting nearby."
Shisui Uchiha calmed his surprise and answered seriously.
"However, the specific circumstances of the mission are somewhat different from what I expected. That Mōryō seems to be an existence that can only be killed, or perhaps sealed, using special methods known only to the priestess. Kisame and I have not fought it head-on yet. We only eliminated several wandering shinobi who followed Mōryō…"
"Hm? So it's a monster that requires special mechanics?"
The little white snake flicked out its tongue. A very humanlike look of thought appeared on its blank little face.
"I see. No wonder I couldn't sense either of you using the Cursed Seal of Heaven. So you're still doing the mechanics?"
Shisui Uchiha could not quite understand these descriptions Rei Kaguya used.
However, his clever mind could still piece together the general meaning of Rei's words.
After sighing, the boy asked the other boy, who was more than a thousand kilometers away.
"Fourth Mizukage, regarding the priestess of the Land of Demons and that Mōryō, I have some rather terrible uncertain guesses… If my guesses unfortunately turn out to be true, what do you hope I should do?"
"What should you do? Of course, act toward the outcome you yourself want to obtain."
The little white snake twisted its head and made a very puzzled sound.
"What's wrong with you, Shisui? You are a genius of the Uchiha clan. You are someone who possesses the most idealistic Kekkei Genkai in the entire shinobi world—the Sharingan. Why are you asking me even about something where you can completely follow your own heart and make a choice?"
"Is that all right?"
Shisui Uchiha was somewhat surprised by Rei Kaguya's reaction.
"This mission should be related to some of your later diplomatic strategy, Fourth Mizukage, right? If you hand judgment over to an outsider like me, wouldn't that be a little…"
"Then here comes the question."
Rei Kaguya's tone became somewhat amused as he asked in return.
"Under what circumstances would a choice made according to his own heart by an Uchiha like you, someone with strong empathy and a bone-deep yearning for peace, while carrying out a mission to protect a noble, harm Kirigakure's interests and negatively affect my diplomatic strategy?"
"…Was this also within your expectations, Fourth Mizukage?"
"It was only a simple deduction based on my understanding of your personality, Shisui. It isn't anything difficult…"
After a short pause, Rei Kaguya yawned and said lazily, "Just follow your heart. Since the Uchiha's Sharingan is an eye that reflects the soul, then when things change, it will definitely reflect the truest thoughts in your heart… I have very high expectations for you, Shisui."
"What expectations?"
Shisui Uchiha asked warily.
"Of course, I'm looking forward to the day you obtain the Mangekyo Sharingan, Shisui."
Rei Kaguya, who was preparing to go to bed, thought for a moment and gave an answer that made Shisui Uchiha's expression shift slightly.
"In the world Fugaku Uchiha constructed through the dōjutsu of his Mangekyo Sharingan, I faintly felt the immense grief he experienced when he awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. Because he lost his best friend, a friend willing to trade his own life for Fugaku's survival, he was devastated with sorrow and ultimately obtained a Mangekyo dōjutsu capable of deducing the future based on the intelligence he possessed."
"Even Fugaku, whose talent is far inferior to yours, could awaken such a powerful dōjutsu. Then when you, whose talent and vision far exceed his, obtain the Mangekyo Sharingan, what kind of power will you gain?"
"…Why do both Mr. Fugaku and you, Fourth Mizukage, unanimously believe that I will awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan?"
Listening to Rei Kaguya's incomparably certain tone, Shisui Uchiha asked in a somewhat low mood.
"Because whether you are in Konoha or Kirigakure, with your talent, Shisui, you are absolutely capable of supporting the awakening of a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan."
Rei Kaguya lay down on his soft and comfortable bed and calmly gave an extremely boring answer.
Yes.
Because Shisui Uchiha's talent was sufficient.
Therefore, whether he continued to live actively as a Konoha shinobi or was forced to remain by Rei Kaguya's side, receiving the baptism of ideas that were somewhat too advanced for the current shinobi world, he would certainly awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan.
If he survived as a Konoha shinobi, then Shisui would be forced to face Kirigakure as a Konoha shinobi.
Kirigakure, under Rei Kaguya's leadership, was destined to launch a war to unify the shinobi world.
And the constant life and death, sorrow and joy of war were the best fuel to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan amid grief and tears.
And if he stayed by Rei Kaguya's side as he did now, came to understand Rei's ideas that surpassed the era, carried out the policies Rei had seriously formulated to change the entire shinobi world, and witnessed the new path Rei had envisioned for shinobi…
Then Shisui Uchiha's loss would only become more complete, more deeply engraved into his bones.
Because he would have to betray his clan.
Betray his village.
Even betray the class to which he belonged.
He would have to pursue a future he believed was correct, but that the world could only describe as madness.
Before the disbelieving gazes of his family, amid the incomprehensible questioning of his former companions, and under the heart-wrenching pleas of the people closest to him who trusted him the most, he would recognize and firmly uphold the road he had chosen.
Then he would actively abandon everything he once possessed and set foot without hesitation on a thorn-covered road that allowed him to see peace and hope.
The sorrow brought by such self-chosen loss should be able to give birth to an ultimate genjutsu surpassing even Kotoamatsukami, shouldn't it?
But before that, he needed to let Shisui Uchiha carry out more missions that would help him understand Rei's intentions and strengthen his trust and comprehension of Rei…
Shisui Uchiha naturally did not know that Rei Kaguya was calculating him with expectation.
He merely sighed because of Rei Kaguya's boring answer that had no value at all, then shook his head and replied.
"If possible, I would rather not have the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan… No matter how powerful an ability that requires sacrificing the most important people to obtain may be, I would rather let those who would be sacrificed because of it live properly by my side, then rely on my own efforts to overcome the difficulties people think must be crossed with the Mangekyo Sharingan."
"Hmhm. A gentle and naive brat… But I don't dislike that way of thinking."
Rei Kaguya closed his eyes on the bed and spoke slowly.
"As encouragement, before ending the connection, I'll give you a little help and a hint."
"First, raise your guard. Check whether there is any suspicious movement nearby. Kisame's Cursed Seal of Heaven has already activated, which means the enemy is not far from you."
"Second, if you encounter trouble that cannot be solved with your knowledge and ability, have the white snake I gave you bite your Cursed Seal of Heaven, then activate the Cursed Seal's power with everything you have… I will lend you my power and properly teach those frogs in wells, who know nothing yet think themselves clever, a deep lesson."
"I will try my best to solve problems with my own ability."
"Do as you like. But I must remind you of one thing. Having a trump card and not using it, and having no trump card at all, are two completely different situations, Shisui…"
Once he finished speaking, the little white snake used as the communication medium immediately became listless.
Seeing this, Shisui Uchiha carefully tucked it back into his sleeve.
Then he extinguished the campfire in front of him and began preparing to meet the enemy and protect the clients.
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