"How is this possible? Isn't he just a useless Chunin? How did he awaken the legendary Mangekyo?!" Torune's composed facade shattered, his voice cracking.
As high-ranking operatives of Root and Danzo's trusted confidants, both Torune and Fu had been briefed on the darkest secrets of the Uchiha clan. There was only one explanation for the terrifying, rule-defying eyes staring back at them.
"Fu!" Torune shouted, exchanging a sharp, desperate look with his partner.
"Do it!"
"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!" Fu acted instantly. He threw his hands forward, aiming his consciousness directly at Shinyuu to hijack his mind—the signature, unavoidable technique of the Yamanaka clan.
Simultaneously, Torune's cheeks bulged. He exhaled violently, spewing out a thick, ominous cloud of black mist. "Secret Jutsu: Poison Dust!"
The sudden, synchronized assassination attempt jolted everyone in the cave.
"Shinyuu, get back!" Shizune screamed, her face draining of color. "That mist is made of nano-scale venomous insects! If you inhale even a single one, you're dead!"
"Relax," Shinyuu replied, his voice eerily calm. He didn't flinch. He simply raised his head, the nine tomoe in his Mangekyo Sharingan spinning into a frenzied blur.
The suffocating, disastrous chakra that had been filling the cave suddenly reversed, rushing back toward Shinyuu like a tidal wave.
"You're too arrogant, kid! Once the dust gets within a meter of you—" Torune's vicious smirk froze on his face.
Just three feet away from Shinyuu, the swirling black mist smashed into an invisible, solid wall of crimson energy. In the blink of an eye, the overwhelming ocular chakra materialized into a colossal, terrifying skeletal ribcage that completely filled their section of the narrow cave. It was Susanoo—the ultimate, absolute defense granted only to those who unlocked the Mangekyo.
Deep within the skull's hollow eye sockets, blood-red flames ignited, radiating a soul-crushing pressure.
Hiss!
The microscopic venomous insects crashed against the crimson construct and were instantly incinerated by the blistering chakra flames, falling to the cave floor as harmless gray ash.
Torune stared in absolute horror at the skeletal giant, its crimson ribs glowing in the dim light. Just looking at it sent a debilitating chill down his spine. "Impossible... you should be paralyzed! Fu's jutsu should have taken over your mind!"
Not only had Shinyuu effortlessly manifested this monstrous avatar, but their flawless, lethal combination attack had been broken without them even understanding how.
"Did you forget?" Shinyuu's mocking laughter echoed from within the skeletal ribs. "The Uchiha clan is famous for our Fire Style, yes... but we are the undisputed masters of Genjutsu."
"What?!" Torune's breath hitched. He tried to leap backward, only to realize his limbs wouldn't respond. It felt as though invisible iron shackles had been violently clamped around his entire body. "I... I can't move! When did you cast an illusion on me?!"
"What's wrong? Are you finally feeling scared?" Shinyuu sneered. "Too late."
With a deafening roar, the Susanoo thrust its massive, skeletal hand forward, sweeping down toward the two Root captains with the force of a falling mountain.
"No!" Torune roared, his face twisting into a mask of pure madness. Unlike Fu, his body was completely paralyzed, but his connection to his insects remained. "If we're dying, you're coming with us! Secret Jutsu: Insect Explosion!"
The venomous insects dormant beneath Torune's skin went into a violent frenzy. Horrific lumps rapidly swelled across his flesh.
BOOM!
The insects detonated. A massive shockwave tore through the cave, carrying a dense, dark-green cloud of lethal poison gas.
"Everyone, get down! Don't breathe it in!" Shizune shrieked, throwing her arms over her face.
But as the deadly cloud rushed toward them, the world suddenly twisted. The space around them spun like a cracked mirror, and in the next heartbeat, reality snapped back into place.
The surrounding shinobi blinked, gasping for air. They were still standing in the cave. The air was clear. There was no poison gas, no explosion, and no colossal crimson skeleton. The stone walls were completely untouched.
They quickly looked toward the cave entrance. Torune and Fu were on their knees, staring blankly at the wall, drooling and giggling mindlessly like broken dolls. They were deeply trapped in a nightmare of their own minds.
A collective shudder ripped through the survivors.
"What... what kind of Genjutsu is this?" an older shinobi stammered, his teeth chattering. "He pulled all of our minds into an illusion the moment he looked at us. Everything we just saw... the battle, the explosion... none of it was real."
"He trapped two elite Root Jonin in an illusion without a single hand sign, and they can't even break free. This is terrifying..."
The realization was bone-chilling. If Shinyuu had wanted to, he could have slaughtered everyone in the cave while they were helplessly watching a fake battle play out in their heads. They were soldiers; they were prepared to die on the battlefield. But dying a meaningless, ignorant death while trapped in a hallucination was a fate too horrific to accept.
"Well," Shinyuu clapped his hands lightly, snapping them out of their terror. He looked over the crowd with a casual, analytical gaze. "Those who kill must be prepared to be killed. They tried to execute me, so killing them is only fair, right?"
He took a slow step toward the drooling Root captains.
"He's right!" one of the shinobi suddenly blurted out, desperation overriding his fear. "Root operates without humanity. They were willing to slaughter their own comrades. Even if we report this to the village, they deserve to be punished!"
"Better to deal with them now than have snakes in our own ranks!" another chimed in. "Shinyuu, your strength is undeniable. Torune and Fu have lost our trust. Please, take command of this squad!"
A chorus of agreement echoed through the cave. Shinyuu chuckled inwardly. People were fickle, always gravitating toward power when their lives were on the line. Still, he noted with satisfaction that none of these people had actively tried to attack him or voted to abandon the wounded. If they had, he wouldn't have hesitated to dispose of them, too.
"Shinyuu, you can't kill them!" Shizune suddenly stepped in front of him, her arms spread wide. "Lord Danzo is notoriously vindictive. If you execute his top men, he will twist the narrative and brand you a rogue ninja! I don't want you to get in trouble..."
The mention of Danzo made the crowd flinch. Everyone knew the shadow Hokage's ruthless reputation, and his particular hatred for the Uchiha clan was an open secret.
Shinyuu paused, looking down at Shizune's determined but anxious face. The corner of his mouth twitched upward. "You don't want me to get in trouble?" he teased gently.
Shizune froze, realizing how her words sounded. A bright flush spread across her cheeks, reaching the tips of her ears. She bit her lip and quickly nodded. "I... I mean, I don't want anything bad to happen to any of us!"
"Right, of course. My mistake," Shinyuu laughed, his tone lightening. He waved a hand dismissively. "Since you asked so nicely, Shizune, I'll spare their lives for now. But they don't walk free. Bind them and lock them up."
He turned to face the rest of the squad, his demeanor shifting from playful to commanding. "Since you've all decided to put me in charge, I won't decline. Here are your orders: We rest and recover here for exactly three days. In three days, we take the offensive and meet the Cloud shinobi head-on."
His dark eyes swept over the wounded, his voice ringing with absolute certainty. "In my eyes, comrades are never abandoned. Unless the enemy steps over my dead body."
"Someone, get these two out of my sight."
The casual yet unbreakable authority in his voice sent a shockwave through the squad. The timid, insecure boy they once knew had been completely erased. Whether it was subduing two Jonin in seconds or boldly declaring war on a superior force, Shinyuu stood before them as an undisputed protector.
For the first time since the Cloud's ambush, the squad felt something they had entirely forgotten: absolute, unshakable security.