Ch.162 Genjutsu Control!

Because the Otsutsuki branch elder's final attack, which absorbed all of Killer Bee's chakra, had drawn the attention of all the Akatsuki members, Uchiha Shinji's retreat went smoothly, encountering only Deidara along the way.

With the aid of Deidara's clay bird, he quickly left the battlefield, heading south, and a few hours later, he successfully crossed into the Land of Fire.

After confirming that no one had followed him, Shinji detonated Deidara's clay bird in a secluded area, then took the unconscious Neji and Yugito, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, into a small forest.

Within the forest, Shinji examined Neji's condition.

During the fierce battle on the moon, when the Otsutsuki branch elder used a repulsive force against Shinji, it had struck Neji's head, causing a concussion that kept him unconscious until now.

Fortunately, Shinji knew medical ninjutsu and treated Neji's injuries.

Afterward, Shinji turned his attention to Yugito's condition.

Compared to Neji, Yugito's injuries were far more severe. A long wound stretched across her chest, clearly inflicted by Hidan's bloodstained triple-bladed scythe!

Such an injury would have been fatal for an ordinary person.

Only a Jinchuriki with a powerful life force could have held on this long, managing to stay alive.

However, Yugito was close to her limit; without immediate treatment, she would not survive until dawn.

Without hesitation, after assessing Yugito's injuries, Shinji began emergency treatment.

"Whew."

After nearly half an hour of work, Shinji finally let out a sigh of relief.

He had first disinfected Yugito's wounds, then stitched and bandaged them, and finally used the Healing Palm Technique to aid in her recovery.

After confirming that Yugito's breathing and pulse had stabilized and that she was no longer in critical condition, Shinji found himself unsure of what to do with the Hidden Cloud Jinchuriki before him.

He had taken Yugito away primarily to prevent her from falling into the hands of the Akatsuki.

But now that he had managed to bring her out of the Land of the Moon, he was unsure how to handle this heavily injured and unconscious Jinchuriki.

Handing her over to the Akatsuki was obviously out of the question.

Simply releasing her would feel like a waste; after all, Yugito was a perfect Jinchuriki capable of communicating with the Two-Tails, holding a tailed beast within her. Letting her go would be like throwing away a tailed beast.

Moreover, Kakuzu and Hidan had seen him take Yugito without intervening.

This meant that the Akatsuki was still uncertain about his true identity, leaving its members confused about his allegiance. If he released Yugito, the Akatsuki would likely label him as an enemy, making any future encounters unavoidable battles.

"How does one handle a Jinchuriki?"

Shinji recalled how Tobi used genjutsu to control the Fourth Mizukage in the original timeline, and an idea came to him.

Since Tobi, with just a single Mangekyo Sharingan, had managed to control the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, the Fourth Mizukage, then Shinji, with his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and mastery over another pair of Mangekyo Sharingan, should be able to control a Two-Tails Jinchuriki using genjutsu as well.

With that thought, Shinji crouched before the unconscious Yugito.

Perfect Jinchuriki are indeed resistant to genjutsu, but that ability is active, not passive.

In reality...

Jinchuriki, like tailed beasts, cannot completely resist genjutsu.

The difference is that perfect Jinchuriki have established mutual trust with their tailed beasts, allowing them to communicate freely. So, when a Jinchuriki is caught in genjutsu, the tailed beast can awaken them immediately, effectively breaking the illusion.

However, if the Jinchuriki is unconscious and deeply comatose, the tailed beast can only take control of the Jinchuriki's body through a rampage and cannot directly wake the Jinchuriki.

And Yugito's situation was even more severe.

Her severe injuries had left her unconscious, and as her condition worsened, the Two-Tails residing within her had also grown weaker.

In this state, both she and the Two-Tails had lost their ability to resist, making it the perfect opportunity to control her with genjutsu.

Shinji closed his eyes briefly before opening them again with a sharp gaze.

Instantly.

His dark eyes turned a deep crimson!

He then reached out, lifting Yugito's eyelids and focusing the power of his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan into her mind.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a dark cave.

"So, this is Yugito's inner world?"

He stifled his curiosity and began to explore.

The surroundings were filled with pitch-black caves, and the air carried a charred smell, as if the rocks had been repeatedly scorched by flames.

At the other end of the cave...

"Hiss!"

The Two-Tails hissed like an agitated kitten, growling in Shinji's direction.

Yugito hurriedly pressed down on the Two-Tails, whispering, "Shh, be quiet. If he finds us, we're finished!"

A trace of panic flashed in the Two-Tails' eyes, and it lowered its head. "Oh no, oh no! He's coming our way!"

Yugito was also panicking. She quickly picked up the Two-Tails, hunched over, and darted through the cave, carefully avoiding Shinji.

She understood her current state well; her primary consciousness was still unconscious, and this version of herself was merely her subconscious within the mindscape.

The Two-Tails' state was even worse.

Normally, the Two-Tails in her mindscape would be tens of meters tall, but now, it was as small as a housecat.

After circling around and hiding in another cave, both Yugito and the Two-Tails gasped for breath.

Shinji's footsteps, like a haunting nightmare, echoed in their minds, making them too scared to breathe loudly, afraid that even the slightest sound would draw him toward them.

The Two-Tails bared its fangs and leapt onto the ground, "I've never endured such humiliation! No, I'm going to fight him to the death!"

Yugito's face darkened. "He has the Mangekyo Sharingan!"

The Two-Tails froze, then quickly retreated beneath Yugito, muttering, "Fine, I won't stoop to the level of a Uchiha!"

"Are you talking about me?"

At that moment, a deep voice echoed behind Yugito and the Two-Tails.

Both of them were startled, turning to retreat further.

From the shadows, Shinji emerged slowly, smirking at their panicked expressions, "Found you!"

Seeing the cloaked Akatsuki member, just as they had suspected, Yugito and the Two-Tails realized that the intruder into their inner world was indeed a member of the organization.

However, the member wore a mask, concealing his face.

Yugito stepped back, speaking fiercely, "You've made a mistake entering here. I'll kill you in this space, and your consciousness will be completely erased!"

"Hiss!"

The Two-Tails bristled again, backing up Yugito's words.

"Is that so..." Shinji smiled faintly, adding, "But are you sure this is your inner world?"

Yugito snorted, "What, you think it's not? If it's not my mindscape, then whose—"

Halfway through her sentence, she abruptly stopped.

Because with just a blink, everything around them changed.

The pitch-black caves vanished, as did the scorched scent in the air. Instead, the surroundings became a scene of crashing waves. Looking up, there was an endless expanse of ocean!

"How is this possible?!"

Yugito gasped, and suddenly she lost her balance, plummeting into the sea.

As she struggled, she noticed that the Two-Tails had also fallen into the water, thrashing desperately!

Though all nine tailed beasts originated from the Ten-Tails, they each had different tendencies. The Three-Tails enjoyed water, while the flame-covered Two-Tails loathed it.

And just as Yugito and the Two-Tails began to feel dazed from their struggle in the water, a chill ran through their bodies.

In an instant, the vast ocean disappeared, replaced by a snow-covered, frozen world!

Shivering from the cold, Yugito asked, "Is this genjutsu?"

The Two-Tails growled angrily, "It must be! Damn Uchiha!"

At that moment, Shinji's figure appeared out of nowhere before them.

Seeing the intricate patterns in the Sharingan within Shinji's eye sockets, Yugito muttered, "It really is the Mangekyo Sharingan..."

The Two-Tails shrank back further.

In a normal encounter, this duo of Jinchuriki and tailed beast wouldn't fear a Mangekyo-wielding Uchiha.

But now, they had lost all means of resistance. Facing an Uchiha with the Mangekyo Sharingan, they were utterly helpless!

Shinji spoke calmly, "Do you like it here?"

Finally, unable to endure the mockery, Yugito snapped, "Just kill me!"

Shinji shook his head, "That would be too boring."

"Boring!?"

Yugito was furious.

Shinji said, "I've left an exit in this world. As long as you can find it, you can escape this genjutsu and gain your freedom!"

Yugito was skeptical, "Really?"

"Of course!" Shinji spread his arms and smiled, "The game begins. Find the exit, and you can be free!"

The Two-Tails hurriedly urged Yugito, "What are you waiting for? Go find it!"

Yugito hesitated for a moment, then, following the Two-Tails, she moved away from Shinji and began searching for the so-called 'exit.'

In the real world.

Shinji opened his eyes and smiled.

He had successfully trapped the subconscious minds of Yugito and the Two-Tails within the genjutsu he created using his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

And the 'exit' he mentioned did indeed exist.

If Yugito and the Two-Tails could find the exit, they would break free from his genjutsu.

However, the exit he left was none other than himself within the illusion. Seeing how Yugito and the Two-Tails seemed to avoid him as much as possible, they probably wouldn't find the 'exit' anytime soon.

With their subconscious minds trapped, Yugito's physical body had become a puppet that he could control at will.

He commanded, "Get up!"

The vacant-eyed Yugito, lying on the ground, immediately rose.

Shinji nodded in satisfaction.

Now, Yugito was essentially like one of his puppets, and not just Yugito—even the Two-Tails inside her was under his control.

As long as there were no strong external disruptions, and if Yugito and the Two-Tails couldn't break his genjutsu, he would maintain control over them both.

At that moment, Shinji noticed that Yugito's chest wound had reopened due to her movement, causing the freshly healed injury to tear again.

"Even though I've gained control over her, she's too injured to be of immediate use," he mused.

So, Shinji activated 'Jikibi', marking Yugito.

He planned to temporarily place Yugito in a hidden location to recover. Once she had healed, she would not only become a formidable ally but also serve as a valuable source of chakra for him.

In the future...

He could deploy Yugito in battle and even use 'Wazunagi' to extract the chakra of the Two-Tails Jinchuriki for combat.

With his plan set, Shinji used 'Shadow Clone Jutsu', instructing the clone to take Yugito away, then woke the unconscious Neji.

"Ugh..."

Neji held his head as he sat up, looking around in confusion.

Shinji asked, "How do you feel?"

"Where... where are we?" Neji asked, suddenly recalling something and quickly getting to his feet, looking wary. "Leader, where are we?"

Shinji gestured calmly, "Don't worry, we've left the moon."

"We escaped?"

Only then did Neji relax, breathing a sigh of relief.

Shinji looked at Neji, "What do you remember?"

Neji thought for a moment and replied, "I only remember that you brought me back to the entrance of the passage, and as we tried to escape, we were intercepted by the Otsutsuki branch elder."

Shinji nodded lightly.

Neji had indeed lost consciousness around that time, so he hadn't witnessed Shinji using the complete form of Susanoo, nor the subsequent battle between the Akatsuki and the Hidden Cloud shinobi.

Curious, Neji asked, "Leader, how did you manage to escape?"

Shinji replied, "I have my ways."

Neji sighed, "I was such a burden to you!"

Shinji shook his head, "Not at all. If it weren't for your decisive action in killing that Otsutsuki branch member at the shrine, we might not have made it out."

Neji did not take credit.

In truth, he had been startled by his own decisiveness. When he saw the decapitated Otsutsuki branch member, his mind had gone blank.

Looking back now, he realized that his determination had been influenced not only by the urgent situation but also by Otsutsuki Hamura's entrustment.

It was because of his ancestor Hamura's request that, in his subconscious, he had already viewed the Otsutsuki branch members as traitorous killers, leading to his ruthless actions.

Shinji continued, "We gained a lot from this experience. I have a plan in mind now. Return to the Hidden Leaf and stay put for a while. I'll come to find you once I've sorted things out."

"Understood!"

Neji nodded.

After experiencing this event, Neji's trust in Shinji had grown even stronger, as he now saw Shinji as someone genuinely striving for the safety of the shinobi world.