Chapter 149: The Palace of Memories!

"Shūichi!"

Shisui, who had been meditating at the valley's entrance, suddenly appeared in front of Shūichi.

However, as soon as their eyes met, Shisui immediately noticed something was off. At the very moment his gaze reflected Shūichi, the three-tomoe Sharingan in his eyes activated, and he saw a surge of chakra light rushing toward him.

"Genjutsu?"

Just as the thought crossed Shisui's mind, the surrounding scenery shifted. He found himself back in the Hidden Leaf Village, standing atop a rooftop.

"So, it is genjutsu..."

Shisui scanned the surroundings. It looked exactly like the Hidden Leaf Village he knew: "Is this the genjutsu Shūichi has been developing?"

"My Shackling Stakes Technique isn't working at all here..."

"And this place... it's far from simple."

Shisui leapt down from the rooftop and onto a bustling street.

The place was lively, with people coming and going. Cats and dogs roamed the alleys, children played, people argued over prices, there was the scent of flowers in the air, the breeze brushed against his clothes—everything was so vivid. Even members of the Uchiha Police Force were patrolling the area.

It all felt so real, and so familiar.

Shisui observed carefully, but he couldn't detect a single flaw.

Sight, smell, touch, hearing... He even bought an apple and tasted it. The flavor was as real as could be.

"This goes far beyond the usual deception of the five senses."

"Is this... a mental space?"

A smile crept onto Shisui's face. "Looks like Shūichi's developed quite an incredible genjutsu!"

Suddenly, Shisui stopped in his tracks. In front of him, two ninja dressed as ANBU appeared out of nowhere.

One of them spoke, "Uchiha Shisui, Lord Danzo wishes to see you."

Shisui's eyes narrowed. "Understood, lead the way."

The two Root ninjas immediately leapt away, and Shisui followed, all the while thinking that this must be part of a memory Shūichi had experienced before.

Shūichi had mentioned his conflict with Danzo in the past.

Before long, they arrived at a secluded forest, where Shisui saw Danzo waiting.

"Lord Danzo," Shisui greeted.

Danzo looked at Shisui and said, "Uchiha Shisui, you are the only one in the Uchiha clan who has transcended clan loyalty."

"You are also the most skilled in genjutsu. Join the Root."

"The Root is where you belong. In the shadows, you can use your Sharingan to protect the Konoha."

Shisui remained calm as he replied, "Lord Danzo, joining the Root requires the approval of the Third Hokage and the Uchiha clan leader. I cannot agree to this here."

His refusal was firm. On one hand, Shisui knew this was a genjutsu. On the other hand, even if it were real, he wouldn't have been tempted.

Every Uchiha knew that the one who harbored the most hostility toward their clan within the village leadership was Danzo.

Shisui's restraint in not addressing Danzo by name was due to his manners and the fact that he hadn't yet been promoted to a Jonin. Once he reached that rank, he could speak to Danzo as an equal.

Danzo's eyes darkened. "The Third Hokage is a matter I will handle. As for Fugaku, I believe he will be more than willing."

"You are aware, aren't you, that the Konoha has its own Jinchūriki?"

"Your Sharingan can control both tailed beasts and Jinchūriki, which makes it invaluable. The Root, as the Konoha's shield in the shadows, must ensure the Jinchūriki never loses control."

"So, come... Join the Root."

"Here, you can truly utilize your talents and prove that you've risen above mere clan loyalty."

Shisui frowned. Though he knew it was an illusion, the immersion felt increasingly real.

Danzo and the others acted exactly as he remembered—down to their behaviors and chakra signatures.

"Has Shūichi's genjutsu even managed to deceive my mental perception?" Shisui thought.

With that, he once again refused, "The Jinchūriki is under the protection of the Third Hokage. That's all that needs to be said."

Danzo's face darkened even more. "How foolish!"

"As an Uchiha, you don't even understand how to properly use your own Sharingan."

"In that case, I'll take them from you myself!"

As the words left Danzo's mouth, he suddenly appeared in front of Shisui, his hand reaching for Shisui's eyes.

Shisui watched calmly as his Sharingan spun, freezing Danzo in place.

"As expected... these eyes can control both tailed beasts and Jinchūriki," Danzo muttered, his body trembling but unable to break free.

Just then, four other Root ninjas attacked. Shisui quickly retreated.

But as he swiftly dealt with the four Root ninjas, Danzo suddenly reappeared.

"What?!"

Shisui was shocked, and the next moment, his jaw was struck, followed by a heavy blow to his face. His reaction speed plummeted.

Danzo seized the opportunity and plucked Shisui's right eye from its socket.

"Ahhh!" Shisui cried out in pain, retreating into the forest.

But soon, more Root ninjas emerged from the woods, a barrage of shuriken flying towards him.

In that moment, Shisui had forgotten this was just a genjutsu. He instinctively used his Body Flicker Technique to dodge, rushing through the forest at full speed. After clearing some distance, he turned and launched a Fireball Jutsu to block the advancing Root ninjas.

"Next... it's the left eye..." Danzo's voice came from behind him.

Shisui spun around, only to see a deadly gust of wind rushing toward him.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!"

Shisui leapt into the air to avoid the attack, and while airborne, he threw several shuriken in return.

Danzo dodged to the side, shuriken appearing in his hand. He blew on them, imbuing them with razor-sharp Wind Release chakra, then hurled them at Uchiha Shisui in quick succession.

Fireball Jutsu!

Shisui countered with another jutsu, preparing to use genjutsu again, but in the next moment, his vision plunged into complete darkness.

"Not good... It's the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique!"

As soon as he landed, Shisui felt a sharp pain radiating from his left eye.

However, just as he thought he was about to be killed by Danzo, the intense pain suddenly lessened, and the roar of a waterfall echoed in his ears.

Lowering his hand from his eye, Shisui looked up to see Shūichi standing before him with a gentle smile. Shisui gasped for breath. "Shūichi... That genjutsu just now... What was it?"

Shūichi smiled. "That was Demonic Realm: Palace of Memories, a mental space modeled after the Konoha Village."

"Since it's based on my memories, the details are very intricate. But, on the surface, that doesn't mean much, because the person under the genjutsu knows they've been caught in it."

Shisui, now recovered, asked, "But the ninja inside it, the chakra, and the pain from the attacks— even I couldn't tell the difference."

Shūichi chuckled. "The chakra was real, but the sensations it provided were deceptive."

"I can't simulate someone else's chakra yet, but since I'm a sensory-type ninja, I can overlay my perceptions onto yours to create the illusion."

Shisui pondered this. "So, that battle just now... Could you say it was real?"

"Was that really you?"

Shūichi nodded. "In a sense, yes."

"I was just mimicking their fighting styles."

"Of course, breaking free from your Shackling Stakes Technique with the Izanagi— that was an exception."

He couldn't use the Izanagi technique himself, after all.

Understanding dawned on Shisui, and he gave a thumbs-up. "Impressive!"

"A genjutsu like this would be incredibly difficult to break."

He thought aloud, "To escape, one would have to break free mentally by defeating the version of you inside the illusion, right?"

"But, as you said, the chakra is real, so it would be almost impossible to overpower you through sheer will!"

Shūichi shook his head. "Shisui, you're underestimating the power of a person's mental will."

"Remember, chakra is formed from the fusion of spiritual and physical energy."

"The body and spirit are one."

"The power you used in the illusion wasn't imaginary."

"If someone's willpower is strong enough, they can exhibit the same strength inside the illusion as they would in the real world."

As he spoke, Shūichi recalled the scene from the original story where Uchiha Obito lent Kakashi his Mangekyō Sharingan even after his death.

It had seemed absurd at first.

But now, with a deeper understanding of chakra, it no longer felt so far-fetched.

After all, Obito had reached the Six Paths level by then.

He had once become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, effectively reaching the level of the Sage of Six Paths.

If the Sage could bestow power upon Naruto and Sasuke, it made sense that Obito could lend his Dōjutsu powers to Kakashi.

Especially since Kakashi had previously possessed Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan, which provided a crucial foundation.

Shisui listened in deep thought.

Meanwhile, Shūichi was also reflecting on the results of the experiment.

Clearly, the genjutsu was complete, but in terms of control, it couldn't yet compare to Itachi Uchiha's Tsukuyomi.

Kakashi had been completely immobilized by the Tsukuyomi, unable to resist at all, and could only endure the torment.

But genjutsu, in the end, was about control. Even one second of control was enough for someone with Shūichi's speed to kill the enemy seven or eight times over.

Moreover, the Tag Tree had acknowledged this technique.

An S-rank genjutsu!

At this moment, Shisui asked, "Shūichi, if I'm not mistaken, you invaded my mind through my eyes, right?"

Shūichi nodded. "That's correct."

"Of course, entering through the eyes isn't the only way, but the eyes are the window to the soul—a shortcut, if you will."

However, Shūichi had learned a valuable lesson from Shisui: never attempt to invade an Uchiha's mind, especially one with strong Dōjutsu powers.

His earlier invasion had almost been blocked by Shisui's Sharingan.

This was because Shūichi had used a spiritual clone to perform the invasion.

The spiritual clone was an ability he had developed from the Spirit Transformation Technique, similar to creating a shadow clone while in a spirit state after using the technique.

Currently, Shūichi no longer needed to use the Spirit Transformation Technique before deploying the spiritual clone, otherwise, it would have been pointless for him.

And it was precisely for this reason that the technique had only been completed today.

The spiritual clone retained all the characteristics of a spirit, but with limited chakra. Like a shadow clone, it transmitted its experiences and memories back upon release.

Thus, in the genjutsu, the Danzo and Root ninjas Shisui fought were actually Shūichi's spiritual clone, transformed into them.

Shūichi summarized, "While this genjutsu's control isn't as refined as Tsukuyomi, it doesn't require direct eye contact to activate."

"The invasion by the spiritual clone can't be easily blocked by ordinary means."

"In fact, without a Sharingan, Byakugan, or some other Dōjutsu, one wouldn't even be able to see the spiritual body."

That said, Shūichi's goal in developing this genjutsu wasn't purely for offensive purposes. Part of it was to satisfy the requirements of his Tag, but more importantly, it was meant to counter similar genjutsu techniques.

For example, Tsukuyomi.

After finishing his explanation, Shūichi said, "Shisui, could you do me a favor and use your Shackling Stakes Technique on me?"

Shisui immediately caught on. "Shūichi, the same mental attack method you just used can also be employed for defense— or rather, to counter my invasion, right?"

"As expected of Shisui!"

Shūichi gave a thumbs-up. "Exactly!"

Shisui smiled. "You'd better be ready, then, because I'm going all out."

As he spoke, his three-tomoe Sharingan spun to life once more.

Their gazes met, and the `Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique` was activated.

Within Shūichi's mental world, a spiritual clone was pinned down, unable to move.

However, his main consciousness wasn't restrained and could still control his body.

Shisui sensed something odd. "This... Shūichi, this feels like…"

Shūichi smiled. "Looks like it worked."

Shisui felt a strange sensation. "Shūichi, you're already caught in the technique… A clone and a substitution?"

Shūichi nodded. "Exactly."

"A spiritual clone, followed by a substitution."

Shisui could only praise him. "Shūichi, your mastery of clones, substitutions, and transformations is unparalleled."

Shūichi had taken the basic Three Substitution Jutsu and turned them into an art form.

Just as Shūichi was about to say something modest, Asuka leapt into the valley. "Shūichi, Shisui, the Mist ninja are launching a large-scale invasion!"

Both Shūichi and Shisui's expressions sharpened at the news.

It had finally begun!

Since the end of last month, the Mist had been harassing the eastern coast of the Land of Fire.

That was the start of the intelligence war, a prelude to their large-scale invasion.

And now, the Mist were making their move.

Shūichi immediately asked, "Do we have any intel on the size of their forces?"

Asuka stopped in front of him and nodded. "Lord Orochimaru said the Mist's forces exceed 2,000. Most of them are landing on the eastern coast, while another group is advancing from the southern peninsula, coming through the Land of Tea."

Shisui commented, "Over 2,000—clearly, the Mist are determined."

That was a significant number, considering the Mist had already lost over a thousand shinobi in the Land of Rivers.

And this was only the first wave.

Shūichi wasn't surprised. "They'll go crazy for revenge after losing so many last time."

"This is just the beginning."

"Asuka, have the Sand increased their forces?"

Asuka's expression grew serious as she nodded. "According to my sensory reports, the Sand now have over 1,000 troops on the front lines."

Shūichi frowned, but not because of the Sand's numbers. He thought for a moment and then asked, "Have there been any reports about the war between the Stone and Sand?"

"Yes, there have."

Asuka smiled. "Lord Orochimaru anticipated you'd ask that."

"The war between the Sand and Stone is still in a stalemate. There haven't been any large-scale battles yet."

Shūichi's eyes narrowed.

"Are you worried that the Sand and Iwagakure might suddenly make peace?"

Shisui analyzed, "Given the deep-seated conflict between the Sunagakure and Iwagakure, negotiating peace would be extremely difficult."

"Although Shūichi revealed his Lava Release power during the battle with the Mist, that's not enough to clear the Iwagakure of suspicion for killing the Third Kazekage."

"Not to mention the Iwa had already invaded the Land of Wind, and Suna's hero, Pakura, who wielded Scorch Release, was openly known to have died at the hands of the Stone."

"Even if the Fourth Kazekage wanted to negotiate, the entire Sunagakure would oppose it."

Shūichi nodded. "You're right, Shisui. The Sunagakure won't publicly suggest peace."

"And the Iwa… well, the Third Tsuchikage is not an easy man to persuade."

"They'll never admit to being involved in the death of the Third Kazekage. To propose peace would be akin to admitting fault."

"However…"

Shūichi's tone shifted. "For both the Suna and the Iwa, continuing this war no longer holds much meaning."

"The Iwa has nothing to gain, and it's impossible for the Suna to take control of the Land of Birds. However, they've already achieved their goal of driving out the Iwa, and Rasa has used this to solidify his position as the Fourth Kazekage."

"But now, they may have a common interest."

Shisui and Asuka were both startled, exclaiming in unison, "The Land of Fire!"

"Let's move, we're heading back!"

Shūichi quickly gathered his things, and along with Shisui and Asuka, hurried back to their main base.

(End of Chapter)

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