The Mangekyō Sharingan engraved with a shuriken pattern radiated a terrifying power that felt almost like a curse.
The eleven Hidden Mist shinobi inside the tent fell completely silent in an instant.
It worked!
Everything had gone exactly according to the plan Shimizu Uzuki and Shisui had prepared beforehand.
But this still wasn't the time to relax. They only had one chance left.
If Shisui released the Mangekyō now, there was no telling how long it would take before he could use Kotoamatsukami again.
Without wasting even a second, Shimizu immediately questioned them the moment the genjutsu took hold.
"Have you located the Three-Tails Jinchūriki?"
"We did," the Great Elder replied from his seat.
"Who is it? Where is he now?"
"Karatachi Yagura. He's inside the camp."
Shimizu pointed toward a Hidden Mist ANBU standing closest to the entrance.
"You. Bring Karatachi Yagura here immediately. Move."
The ANBU vanished in a blur.
Time slowly ticked by.
Inside the tent, the silence was suffocating, completely at odds with the chaos and shouting outside.
Had Konoha already pushed all the way to the edge of the camp?
And how were Fugaku and Takano doing with their harassment operation?
"…Sensei, I can't hold on much longer…"
Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan twisted violently in his eyes as two streams of blood slowly ran down his face.
Shimizu understood Shisui better than most. Unless he had truly reached his limit, the boy would never say something like that.
"Is there any way around it?"
"…I can't control this many people at once."
The momentary regret in Shimizu's heart vanished almost immediately.
He drew his sword.
Nine streaks of silver light flashed through the tent in an instant.
Blood sprayed into the air as nine bodies collapsed soundlessly to the ground.
Looking at Shisui's thin, trembling back, Shimizu asked quietly,
"Can you still endure it?"
He had already abandoned nine carefully planted spies. If even this wasn't enough, then they would have no choice but to give up on the Three-Tails jinchūriki.
After all, their primary mission was still rescuing the trapped Konoha shinobi.
"…I can."
Shisui gritted out the words through clenched teeth. His entire face had already become distorted from the strain.
The young Uchiha was forcing his body and willpower beyond their limits.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the wait paid off.
"Great Elder…"
The one who entered the tent was a boy around eleven or twelve years old, with green hair and purple eyes.
There was a scar beneath his left eye that looked almost like a stitched wound.
Then, almost instinctively, his gaze met the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Kotoamatsukami!
"You are Karatachi Yagura?"
"Yes."
"That's enough, Shisui."
Shimizu let out a long breath of relief.
But there was no response.
"Shisui?"
Shisui's body slumped forward, collapsing toward the ground.
What the hell?!
Don't tell me he pushed himself past the point of permanent damage?!
Shimizu's heart skipped a beat. He lunged forward, catching the falling boy before he hit the dirt. After a rapid medical inspection, a wave of profound relief finally washed over him. Fortunately, it was merely an acute state of physical collapse brought on by absolute Chakra exhaustion.
Shimizu turned his gaze back to the three surviving targets. "From this moment forward, the three of you are double agents planted within the Hidden Mist, operating under my direct command."
He specified himself—Shimizu Uzuki—not the village administration of Konoha.
This was the strict requirement Shimizu had outlined to Shisui from the very beginning: the target's consciousness had to be rewritten to place their absolute, undying loyalty directly into Shimizu's hands, transforming them into fanatical enforcers willing to sacrifice their lives for him. He refused to allow this hidden lever of geopolitical power to ever fall into the hands of Konoha's internal darkness.
Shisui had harbored no suspicion toward this seemingly anomalous mandate. To the young boy's simple, earnest logic, Sensei was a dedicated member of Konoha. Obeying Sensei was synonymous with serving the village, so he had executed the parameters without a single second thought.
"Yes, sir," the three of them answered in unison.
Whether it was the deaths of their comrades or Shimizu confirming their identities, their reactions were completely natural. There was no hesitation, resistance, or sense of discomfort whatsoever, as though they had always been spies personally planted by him from the very beginning.
That was the terrifying power of Kotoamatsukami. Those affected by it would never even realize their will had been altered.
It truly deserved its reputation as the ultimate genjutsu.
Shimizu looked at the elderly official. "By the way, what's your name?"
"Kawataki."
He then turned toward the Hidden Mist ANBU. "And you?"
"Ran. I specialize in Ice Release."
"You're from the Yuki Clan?"
"Yes, sir."
"Your top priority is to immediately get the Konoha shinobi you surrounded out safely."
That was the first direct order Shimizu gave the three of them. Then he glanced at the corpses scattered across the tent floor and felt a slight headache coming on.
"Forget it… you'll have to clean up this mess yourselves."
"There's no time. I need to head back immediately."
"Contact me if anything happens."
"Yes, sir!"
The three answered in unison once again.
…
Using the Transformation Jutsu once more, Shimizu carried the unconscious Shisui on his back as he left the Hidden Mist camp.
This time, however, with the Hidden Mist ANBU Ran accompanying him, the journey went smoothly, and they safely arrived at an empty stretch of forest.
"This is far enough. Head back."
"Yes, sir."
Shimizu watched as Ran's figure gradually disappeared into the darkness between the trees.
Just like that, he had delivered the Hidden Mist a massive "gift."
Now he needed to find Uchiha Fugaku and Takano and have them withdraw immediately. There was no longer any reason to continue fighting the Hidden Mist forces.
Kawataki, as the Hidden Mist's Great Elder, would definitely use his authority to ensure Yoshimaru and the others escaped safely.
However, before long, Shimizu encountered another squad of Hidden Mist shinobi head-on.
Without the slightest hesitation, crackling lightning flashed forward in an instant, closing the distance between them.
A disposable squad made up of one chūnin leading three genin only lasted a single breath.
Three dead. One heavily wounded.
"Y-you're Shunshin no Shimizu…" the surviving chūnin captain said fearfully.
Shimizu had originally intended to kill him immediately, but suddenly stopped his finishing strike midway.
Because he realized there would likely be more battles ahead, and right now, what he needed most was a way to recover chakra as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, he had already exhausted all of his soldier pills.
But then he remembered the way Fuguki Suikazan had used Samehada earlier, and his thoughts naturally drifted toward the Samehada fused within his own body.
Originally, Samehada had been a strange creature capable of absorbing and refining chakra. Even after merging with him, that trait should still remain.
Shimizu carefully recalled the sensation from the last time he had used the Summoning Jutsu.
Hand seals formed rapidly.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With a puff of smoke, a bizarre-looking shark roughly the size of a medium dog appeared, flopping wildly across the muddy ground.
It looked slightly larger than before.
Shimizu then decided to use the terrified Hidden Mist chūnin as Samehada's "food."
The moment Samehada noticed its prey, it lunged forward eagerly. Rows of sharp teeth sank directly into the shinobi's body as it began feeding greedily.
Only a few breaths later, the Hidden Mist ninja lost all signs of life.
After finishing its meal, Samehada continued flopping around excitedly in the mud.
This time… it almost seemed happy?
Once the feeding was over, Shimizu dismissed the Summoning Jutsu.
"Return."
Carefully sensing the chakra within his body, he immediately noticed a slight increase.
That confirmed it.
Shimizu Uzuki could also replenish his chakra through Samehada.