As his voice fell, the shuriken-shaped Mangekyo spun rapidly, deeply attracting the few people like a black hole vortex.
Gradually, their minds became hazy, and then returned to normal.
Jokichi retracted the Nine-Tails' chakra, and the Mangekyo were also put away. He just stood there quietly.
The several Root ninja regained their freedom.
But they did not continue to confront Jokichi. Instead, they knelt on one knee towards him.
"Master."
Several people shouted in unison.
Jokichi seemed to have expected this, showing no sign of surprise.
He looked at the several people calmly and said indifferently: "Get up, it would be bad if someone saw you."
"Yes!"
"You did not find Uchiha Shisui's body. You saw Jokichi training at the 39th Training Ground, but you did not interact with him."
"Understood."
"From now on, you are still Root ninja, obeying Danzo's orders. If I do not actively seek you out, you are not allowed to come find me. If we happen to meet outside, you do not need to greet me, pretend you do not know me."
"Yes."
"Then his injury..."
Jokichi pointed at the Root ninja who had sneak-attacked him at the beginning and ended up being slapped away.
"It is just a minor issue."
The Root captain said, nodding at a team member behind him.
That Root ninja walked straight towards the injured teammate, then raised his hands and used medical ninjutsu to heal his injuries.
Soon, the injuries were healed. As long as the bloodstains on his clothes were dealt with, no flaws could be seen.
Jokichi nodded and said, "Since that is the case, you guys hurry up and leave, lest you be discovered."
"Yes."
After responding, the several people flickered away with a series of "swish" sounds.
Watching the black shadows gradually disappearing into the jungle, Jokichi sighed.
Kotoamatsukami, the visual jutsu of Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyo.
It can directly invade the opponent's brain without being discovered by them, modifying their will, and turning anyone the user sees into their puppet.
But once used, it requires a cooldown of over ten years before it can be used again.
This bug-like skill was just used by Jokichi, and the targets were merely these few Root ninja.
This made Jokichi feel it was a waste.
Because this was a skill on the equipment, not his own eyes.
If it were his own eyes, he could still rely on the vitality of the Perfect Sage Body to shorten the cooldown time, but things on the equipment could not be changed.
There was still a difference between the Mangekyo contact lenses and the Mangekyo Sharingan after all.
As for whether doing this was worth it...
That naturally did not need to be considered.
Continuing to stay in Konoha would provide a more stable environment and time for development. The countless famous ninja here could provide special materials to forge equipment.
Although it was a bit of a pity to use Kotoamatsukami, staying in Konoha would allow him to get more and stronger things.
For example, Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi, and the Byakugan Princess, and even...
For these things, using a bug-like skill with an over ten-year cooldown was worth it.
But...
"It still feels like a pity! Damn it!"
Jokichi angrily kicked the lawn, sending a friendly greeting to three generations of Shimura Danzo's family tree.
After venting for a while, Jokichi put Uchiha Shisui's body back into the water, letting the river wash it into the Forest of Death.
Eventually, his body would be eaten by wild beasts.
Jokichi admired someone like Uchiha Shisui very much, and he had gained benefits from him, so he originally wanted to bury him properly.
But this was Konoha, and the person who wanted him dead was Shimura Danzo.
If he buried him, no matter how hidden it was, given the search capabilities of ninja, he could be found within Konoha's territory.
At that time, in order for Shimura Danzo to find the remaining Mangekyo, his body would face dissection, and his brain would be invaded by ninja.
Rather than being defiled like this, it was better to let wild beasts eat him.
After dealing with the related matters, half of the sun had already sunk below the horizon, leaving only the dim afterglow spilling between heaven and earth.
Jokichi straightened his clothes and left the 39th Training Ground unhurriedly.
Although what just happened was a bit unpleasant, he had ultimately gained a harvest. If he maintained a normal state of mind, he should feel happy.
Moreover, today was his 5th birthday, so he had to celebrate it properly.
Yes, he would go to Yakiniku Q and have another full meal!
Thinking of the Choza father and son who secretly competed with him last time, and ended up eating so much they sprawled on the table, a smile involuntarily appeared on Jokichi's face.
He hoped he could run into that interesting father and son pair again.
When Jokichi arrived at the commercial street on the east side of Konoha, night had already fallen, and the full moon hung high, emitting a pure white glow.
The street was brightly lit and bustling with people.
He stood on the street with people coming and going, looking up, feeling a bit lonely in his heart.
Ah! I really wish someone could accompany me for my birthday!
Sighing like this in his heart, a rare trace of desolation appeared on Jokichi's face.
Adding his past and present lives together, he was only in his early twenties. He was far from being as strong and mature as imagined; everything was just a disguise to protect himself.
Suddenly, a silly smiling face filled Jokichi's vision.
"With an expression like a neglected wife, are you thinking of me?"
The desolation slowly turned into indifference. Jokichi looked at Uzumaki Naruto silently for a while, then pretended not to hear and walked past him.
"Hey! Wait!"
Uzumaki Naruto reacted a beat slow and quickly followed.
He walked beside Jokichi, acting familiarly like a friend he had known for many years: "Do not be so cold. I can tell you do not hate me."
Jokichi did not reply, maintaining his pace and continuing to walk towards Yakiniku Q.
Uzumaki Naruto did not give up and continued to follow beside him, saying, "You will not make any friends if you are so cold. Weren't you also looking very lonely just now?"
"Hey, say something, why are you ignoring me?"
"Right, my name is Uzumaki Naruto, what about you?"
As soon as these words came out, Jokichi clearly felt the gaze from the surrounding crowd.
He stopped in his tracks and scanned left and right.
Indifference, disgust, anger, distaste, and then they left as if turning a blind eye.
Jokichi looked back. Uzumaki Naruto was biting his lower lip tightly, his fists clenched tightly, his eyes fixed on those villagers, containing incomprehension, unwillingness, anger, and a trace of desolation.
Over so many years, he had already become accustomed to this kind of disregard.
But he still could not let it go.
His usual carelessness was just armor to protect his fragile heart.
"Today is my 5th birthday. I am planning to eat at Yakiniku Q. If you want to come, then come along!" Jokichi left a light sentence and walked away without looking back.
Uzumaki Naruto was stunned. The many emotions on his face turned into disbelief and then joy.
"Yeah!"
Ignoring the gazes of the people around him, Uzumaki Naruto raised his right hand in a victory pose to celebrate, then shouted carelessly and chased after him.
On the way, Uzumaki Naruto kept talking about something.
But it was all daily nonsense, and Jokichi did not listen at all.
He walked quietly in front, feeling the changes in the gazes from the passersby.
The initial disgust and disregard were only directed at Uzumaki Naruto beside him, but gradually, they also began to shift to him.
Faintly, Jokichi heard some unpleasant gossip.
---
[Author]: Regarding Kotoamatsukami, I have seen many comments saying that Kotoamatsukami modifies one's will or subconscious, not one's thoughts, and does not control the body.
In the anime, even when Uchiha Itachi's body was being controlled under the Impure World Reincarnation state, he was able to forcibly reverse it. Do you think it only modifies the subconscious?
Danzo gave Mifune a suggestion leaning towards Konoha. This was not because he could only manage a suggestion, but because the Kage of the other four ninja villages were present. If he did it too obviously, it would be seen through at a glance.
And even after it was seen through, Mifune still did not feel he was being controlled, and felt confused about the issue.
The description of Kotoamatsukami in the databook is: Everyone in sight is turned into a puppet.
I saw a lot of chapter comments, so I came back to write this.
...