"This state..."
Yamanaka Shinno observed Uchiha Mikoto's mental condition, his brows slightly furrowed.
Uchiha Hoshima was a skilled nin, but his knowledge of genjutsu was quite limited.
Mikoto wasn't simply caught in an illusion.
Instead, the enemy's Yin Release chakra had fused with the genjutsu that had been reflected back at them, forming an extremely stubborn force of Yin chakra that was now clashing with her own energy.
Perhaps because her psyche had already been damaged beforehand, despite relying on sheer instinct to continuously squeeze out chakra to fuel her Sharingan, the foreign force was tenacious and couldn't be erased in a short time.
That's why she appeared mentally unstable, her Sharingan fluctuating with intense chakra surges.
Normal methods to dispel genjutsu wouldn't work in this case. In fact, they might even have adverse effects, interfering with her resistance to the invading force.
As for external intervention—if the interfering force didn't vastly exceed Mikoto's Yin chakra, it would only backfire from the conflicting energies!
Mind Clone Switch Technique!
Shinno clapped his hands together and activated his clan's secret technique.
His formidable mental energy surged into Mikoto's body, breaking through into the depths of her consciousness like a tidal wave.
Inside her mental realm, Mikoto stared at him in shock.
Shinno's Yin chakra took the form of an overwhelming ocean, swallowing up the chaotic force that had been ravaging her mind in an instant.
"Shinno-kun's strength is as formidable as ever."
Mikoto, within her consciousness, watched as the force that had exhausted her was swept away effortlessly. She brought her hands together in front of her, giving him a respectful bow.
Her gentle face still carried that soothing, serene smile, one that seemed to calm others by just looking at it.
Yet, in her current state of exhaustion, there was an added touch of delicate fragility that stirred a sense of protectiveness.
"Tell me briefly about the mission and your opponent."
Shinno waved a hand dismissively, quickly asking about her encounter. Her current condition required immediate rest, but that Yin chakra just now—dark, extreme, and frenzied—was unmistakably connected to the Sharingan.
He needed to hear the full story to put his mind at ease.
"Our squad was assigned to deliver a scroll to Hanzō of the Salamander in Amegakure. The first half of the mission went smoothly, but on our way back, we encountered a group of young shinobi wearing Ame headbands and black robes, distributing food to civilians."
"I found it odd, so I had my subordinates ask around. Supposedly, these young shinobi were members of a group called Akatsuki—a group founded by war orphans. Their ideology seemed to revolve around achieving peace through nonviolent means."
"Upon returning to the Land of Fire, we were suddenly ambushed by a masked ninja with a single Three Tomoe Sharingan. Even though he only revealed one eye, his dojutsu was far stronger than mine."
"If it weren't for the flying summon beasts I purchased from you earlier, Shinno-kun, our squad might not have made it back."
"I tried to probe the identity of the masked ninja. He is definitely not a member of the Uchiha clan. Also, his speech pattern was… kind of idiotic?"
"Based on my analysis of Hanzō's situation, it doesn't make sense for him to turn against us. So, I suspect the problem lies with this Akatsuki organization."
Mikoto paused for a moment before relaying her encounter and thoughts.
"...Get some rest."
"Thank you, Shinno-kun. Once I recover, I'll personally visit to express my gratitude."
"No need for formalities. It's not like we just met yesterday."
Shinno waved her off and withdrew his consciousness.
Using his own mental energy, he gently smoothed out the lingering agitation of the Yin chakra within her body.
He couldn't help but sigh at her misfortune.
Of all the people she could've run into, it just had to be Nagato and the others.
Ever since Black Zetsu had escaped last time, he'd already considered heading to Amegakure to extract Nagato's Rinnegan.
That pair of eyes was an ever-looming threat.
But at the time, he had no idea where Nagato was hiding. Even after taking over Root, he'd only found scattered intelligence on Akatsuki. And lately, he'd been too busy to act on it.
Yet before he could make a move, Black Zetsu had acted first.
"Is this meant to provoke Konoha into targeting Akatsuki? To stage an event that would push Nagato toward executing the Eye of the Moon Plan?"
A flurry of thoughts crossed Shinno's mind, but he wasn't entirely certain of Black Zetsu's intentions.
It's not like that guy would be paranoid about Konoha investigating Akatsuki and act preemptively to silence them.
If that were the case, why hadn't he eliminated Root's operatives who had already gathered intel on Akatsuki?
As for collecting Sharingan… if they were serious about that, Tobi should've used Wood Release from the start. Mikoto and her team wouldn't have survived.
"Looks like it's resolved."
Uchiha Hoshima sighed in relief as Mikoto's pained expression faded, her mental state stabilizing, and her chakra flow returning to normal.
If that condition had persisted much longer, both her mind and body could've suffered severe damage.
"I've cleared out the foreign Yin chakra. She just needs some time to recover mentally. The rest is up to you."
With the Yin energy no longer interfering, all Mikoto needed was rest to make a full recovery.
As for using medical ninjutsu to speed up the process?
...Yeah, no thanks.
He'd rather not deal with any awkward explanations later.
"How is she?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke up as soon as Shinno stepped out.
Mikoto held a significant position within the Uchiha clan, acting as a crucial link between them and the village. If not for that, he wouldn't have personally left his office and even sent ANBU to summon Tsunade.
Several Uchiha clan members also watched Shinno anxiously, their faces filled with tension, as if dreading bad news.
"She's fine now."
Shinno repeated his earlier explanation.
Hiruzen nodded slightly, and the Uchiha shinobi collectively sighed in relief.
A few Uchiha who had been glaring at Shinno earlier for Tsunade's absence now looked at him with gratitude, thanking him profusely.
Their shift in attitude was almost laughable—going from hostility to nearly worshipping him in an instant.
Shinno's gaze swept over three young Uchiha, two boys and a girl, wrapped in bandages and embracing each other in tears.
He knew these three were the genin who had accompanied Mikoto on the mission.
A brief sensory scan confirmed there was no trace of White Zetsu on them, leaving him puzzled.
Just what was Black Zetsu's endgame?
If he was baiting Konoha into action, wouldn't he at least leave some spies behind?
...Forget it. Thinking about it was a waste of brain cells.
He'd just take his eagle and fly straight to the Land of Rain.
Time to dig out Nagato's eyes first.
Hiruzen exchanged a few polite words with the Uchiha before leaving.
As Shinno turned to go, Uchiha Hoshima suddenly called out to him.
"Shinno, would you have time for a private discussion?"
"...If Hoshima-sama invites me, of course I do."
"I appreciate it. This way, please."
"After you."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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