After a lengthy discussion, no one could come up with a viable way to rescue Yoshimaru and the trapped Konoha clans.
The gap in strength between the two sides was simply too overwhelming, and the terrain only made things worse. It was the kind of hopeless situation that left people completely helpless.
Shimizu had briefly considered using Water Release: Hard Whirlpool Water Blade to force open a path, but that kind of large-scale technique did not distinguish friend from foe.
Konoha's own forces would inevitably suffer devastating casualties as well.
At that point, would they really be saving people...
Or just killing them faster?
"It's a shame my genjutsu still isn't refined enough," Uchiha Fugaku sighed. "Otherwise, I could control the enemy through illusion techniques and create an opening for Yoshimaru and the others to escape."
You already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, didn't you?
"My technique can indeed affect an enemy mentally," Fugaku continued, "but what I'm truly suited for is killing... not control."
Something similar to Tsukuyomi?
A Mangekyō ability capable of directly erasing someone's life from within the mental world itself?
Shimizu silently committed the information to memory.
"However... Shisui might be able to try," Fugaku suddenly added. "During the earlier battle, Shisui awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan. His genjutsu abilities have become much stronger."
Shimizu recalled the terrifying potential of Shisui Uchiha's Sharingan.
Back when Shisui only possessed a two-tomoe Sharingan, he had already been capable of briefly altering the memories of Kumogakure shinobi.
Now that he possessed three tomoe...
It might truly be possible.
"We can try," Shimizu agreed.
"Then bring Shisui over."
Very quickly, Shisui arrived before the group. After listening to the explanation, he immediately understood what they wanted from him.
"I'm afraid it'll be difficult," Shisui said after a moment of thought.
"To create a long enough weakness in Kirigakure's defenses without alerting them, I'd need to place every guard at that checkpoint under genjutsu control simultaneously."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"The enemy forces are likely still in peak condition. I can only affect them for a very short amount of time. That's nowhere near enough for Yoshimaru and the others to break through."
In the past, Shisui had once used his Sharingan to alter the memories of eleven Kumogakure shinobi at once, and the effects had lasted nearly an entire day.
But at the time, those shinobi had already exhausted most of their chakra.
That was the only reason the genjutsu had endured so long.
Although the three-tomoe Sharingan was undeniably stronger than the two-tomoe version, the essence of genjutsu itself had not changed.
Even with superior dōjutsu power, if the enemy possessed significantly greater chakra reserves, they could still break free from Sharingan genjutsu before long.
Unless...
Mangekyō Sharingan.
Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyō ability—
Kotoamatsukami.
A genjutsu capable of invading a target's mind without their awareness and directly rewriting their will itself.
If they had that technique, then secretly "hijacking" Kirigakure's defensive line would absolutely be possible.
They could even gain several utterly loyal Kirigakure spies in the process.
But how could the Mangekyō Sharingan possibly awaken just because they needed it to?
The original story barely mentioned Shisui at all. No one knew when he awakened the Mangekyō, nor what price he had paid for it.
Shimizu subconsciously looked toward the still-youthful boy beside him.
Shisui was not even twelve years old yet.
If Shisui continued following him like this...
Would he still awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan the same way he had in the original timeline?
After all, the Mangekyō required an immense emotional trauma—usually the death of someone deeply precious.
So who exactly was Shisui's precious person?
As far as Shimizu knew, Shisui's parents had already died during the Second Shinobi World War.
And Shisui's social circle had always been extremely small.
If one had to name a close friend...
Itachi?
But Itachi was barely four years old right now. What kind of bond could possibly exist between them yet?
Then Fugaku?
With how much Shimizu himself had influenced things, that possibility no longer seemed very likely either.
After calculating every possibility over and over again...
Only one final answer remained.
Himself.
The moment that thought surfaced, Shimizu physically shuddered.
What kind of ridiculous plot was this?
Since when did the protagonist have to die just to become fuel for a supporting character's power-up?
But without awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, how could Shisui possibly control the enemy forces?
Was there truly no perfect solution here?
As long as Shisui awakened the Mangekyō and gained Kotoamatsukami, then rescuing Yoshimaru and the others would become genuinely possible.
"Is there really no other way...?"
Despair quietly spread through everyone's hearts.
Because at this very moment, on the battlefield beyond the valley...
Konoha shinobi were dying every second.
"Since none of us has a better solution," Takano finally said, "then all we can do is try our best... and see if we can force open a breach from the side."
With so few people, if they pushed too deeply into Kirigakure's defensive lines, it would practically become a suicidal assault.
But if they failed to apply enough pressure, then their attack would amount to nothing more than a meaningless harassment tactic.
Even this desperate plan required careful strategy and deployment.
"Then let's discuss the detailed battle plan next," Uchiha Fugaku said gravely.
…
"Shisui."
"Sensei?"
"Come with me."
"Yes."
Body Flicker Technique!
The two vanished almost simultaneously, reappearing far away from the others.
"Your Body Flicker Technique has become more and more impressive."
Shisui shook his head immediately.
"That's only compared to ordinary people. I know there's still a huge gap between me and you, sensei."
Always striving with me as his benchmark, huh? Shimizu thought. But... what exactly drives him to train this relentlessly?
Shimizu still clearly remembered the awkwardness and lack of confidence Shisui displayed the first time he asked to become his disciple.
Back then, Shisui's desire for strength had undoubtedly originated from his identity as an Uchiha. And within that mindset, Fugaku must have played a major role.
But several years had passed since then.
How much had Shisui's heart changed during that time?
"Why do you want to become stronger, Shisui?" Shimizu asked quietly. "Is it still for the pride and glory of the Uchiha clan?"
"Huh?"
Shisui froze briefly before quickly shaking his head.
"No."
"I want to end this war as soon as possible."
His expression slowly darkened.
"Over these past few years... too many people have died because of this war."
"And if I want to stop that..." his voice grew firmer, "then I need even greater power."
So he had already moved beyond those narrow ideals of "Uchiha pride and glory"...
Good.
Shimizu suddenly felt strangely relieved.
"I may have an opportunity for you right now," he said slowly after a pause. "I don't know whether Fugaku told you before, but the three-tomoe Sharingan can evolve into an even higher form."
"A higher form of the Sharingan?"
"The Mangekyō Sharingan."
Seeing the confusion on Shisui's face, Shimizu immediately understood that the boy knew nothing about the Mangekyō's existence.
The fact that no Mangekyō users had appeared within the Uchiha clan for decades was inseparable from Konoha's suppression.
If Konoha learned that two Mangekyō Sharingan users had suddenly emerged during this war, they might tolerate it while the fighting continued...
But after the war ended, the village would absolutely take action.
"This power is extremely dangerous," Shimizu continued quietly. "But it's also incredibly powerful."
"Powerful enough to completely change the outcome of our war against Kirigakure."
Suddenly, Shisui smiled brightly.
"Sensei... does that mean I can finally help too?"
"But it demands a sacrifice from you."
"My life?"
What did it feel like to stand on the precipice of death? It was solitary, freezing, and utterly hopeless.
"No," Shimizu answered softly. "Something worse than death."
Shisui's expression did not waver in the slightest.
"I'm not afraid."