June's midsummer heat blazed under the scorching sun.
But Higashino Makoto's dojo felt as though it had its own built-in climate control system—warm in winter, cool in summer.
Sunlight streamed through the windows onto Shisui's body, and the gentle warmth even gave him the kind of comfort one could normally only feel during winter.
The sensation unconsciously loosened the tension in the newly awakened Shisui's mind, allowing him to finally relax.
He opened his eyes.
His vision was completely normal, without the slightest abnormality.
It seemed the matter had already been resolved. The right eye he had lost had been recovered.
"Shisui-niisan, you're awake."
"It's Itachi, huh."
Shisui looked at the boy sitting beside the bed, then noticed Makoto standing nearby as well.
"And you too, Makoto. Thank you."
Makoto replied, "If you want to thank me, then hurry up and recover. Your eye is completely fine now, and I thoroughly treated your body too. But the poison Danzo specially prepared for you was pretty nasty. You'll probably need to stay bedridden for at least half a month."
"Only half a month? That already makes me very fortunate."
"It really is fortunate. If your body hadn't already been strengthened, you probably would've died from the poison long ago."
"Awakening the Mangekyō may have made me a little overconfident. From now on, I'll be more careful."
After reflecting on himself, Shisui asked: "What about Danzo?"
"I killed him."
"I see..."
Shisui was not surprised.
What he was more concerned about was the hawkish faction within the clan.
"And Sōsuke and the others? They were dealt with too, right?"
Makoto nodded.
"Yeah. Though I wasn't the one who did it."
Shisui looked toward his little junior.
His weakened condition had dulled his senses, and only now did he notice that Itachi's chakra felt different from before.
It carried the same sensation as his own Mangekyō.
The ninja world might not have Stand users, but Mangekyō users could still faintly resonate with one another.
"Itachi... you awakened it too?"
"Yes, Shisui-niisan."
Itachi activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, revealing a pair of eyes similar to Shisui's.
"So it really is the Mangekyō..."
Shisui sighed softly.
"Itachi, were Sōsuke and the others killed by your hand? Ending the lives of so many clan members personally... it must've been painful."
Makoto suddenly laughed.
"Shisui, I understand your concern, but Itachi awakened those eyes because of you."
"Back then, after I brought you back, I only told him you had died, and he awakened instantly."
"You really do hold a special place in his heart."
"Ahh, I'm honestly jealous of the bond between you two. Not brothers by blood, yet closer than brothers."
Itachi looked slightly embarrassed by the teasing and lowered his head a little.
No matter how mature his mentality was, he was still only a twelve-year-old boy—an age where most kids had only just graduated from the Academy.
"I see..."
Shisui smiled faintly.
"Then I can rest easy."
"But you're still too young. I'd advise you not to use the Mangekyō's abilities lightly for the time being."
"You need to train under Makoto for several years first."
"It'll be extremely beneficial for your future growth."
"At the very least, you should reach my level—being able to casually use the Third Stage of Susanoo without any strain. Only then will using the Mangekyō stop damaging your eyesight."
"I understand, Shisui-niisan."
"Then who killed Sōsuke and the others?"
"It was Uchiha Madara," Itachi immediately answered.
Afterward, he recounted everything that had happened the previous night.
"So the truth is exactly as I suspected..."
Shisui's expression darkened.
"Sōsuke and the others not only colluded with Danzo, but also with the culprit behind the Nine-Tails Incident."
"Makoto, you didn't stop him?"
"I did."
Makoto shrugged.
"But I didn't kill him. The timing isn't right yet."
"Still, don't worry. I already left a method of control on him. He won't dare come to Konoha again."
Shisui had no doubts about Makoto's handling of the situation.
But after thinking for a moment, he suddenly spoke with certainty: "Makoto... he isn't Madara."
"And you already know who he really is, don't you?"
"He's Obito. Uchiha Obito."
Makoto answered calmly.
"But right now, only Minato and Kushina, along with the three of us, know the truth."
"This is classified as top-level confidential information."
"Even if you run into him outside Konoha in the future, don't expose him. Just continue treating him as Madara."
"Obito?"
Itachi was startled.
"The Uchiha war hero? The one who supposedly died during the Kannabi Bridge mission?"
"That's right. Him."
Makoto narrowed his eyes slightly.
"And I think I understand why he became like this."
Shisui immediately grasped everything.
"Understood, Makoto. Itachi and I will keep it secret."
Itachi had always paid close attention to the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha.
As one of the few Uchiha recognized throughout the village as a war hero, Obito was naturally someone he had looked into before.
He also understood that Obito's transformation was most likely caused by the death of his teammate, Nohara Rin.
More importantly, he understood that if Obito's identity were exposed, it would deal a devastating blow not only to Konoha's authority, but also to the fragile progress the clan and village had finally begun making toward reconciliation.
So he buried the truth deep within his heart.
But there were still some things Obito had said that continued to weigh heavily on Itachi's mind.
"Makoto-senpai... do you think he really has a way to sever all the hatred and karmic bonds in this world and create a world where everyone can live happily?"
Makoto replied calmly: "If you mean that kind of world... then I think there actually is a way."
Itachi's eyes immediately lit up.
"Really? What way?"
Even Shisui looked extremely curious.
Makoto said: "Conflict exists everywhere."
"On the large scale, there are conflicts between nations, between hidden villages, between ninja clans and villages."
"And even ordinary villagers have conflicts with one another."
"It's a universal phenomenon."
"Itachi, your Uchiha Clan has ordinary civilians too, right?"
"Do you think there are conflicts among them?"
After thinking carefully, Itachi nodded.
"There are."
"The clearest example I remember is Uncle Uchiha Tebiyaki's family—the one that runs the noodle shop in the clan district."
"He didn't have any talent as a ninja, but he desperately wanted to become one, so he placed all his hopes on his descendants."
"But his son also lacked talent as a ninja, so the father and son had a very deep conflict and argued constantly."
Makoto nodded.
"Exactly."
"It's the same among ordinary villagers in Konoha."
"Even two neighboring shops can end up arguing—or outright fighting—over something as trivial as who occupies more space outside their storefront."
"And dealing with those kinds of minor disputes is extremely troublesome."
"Even if mediation succeeds, the relationship between the two families often becomes permanently strained afterward."
"So tell me—do either of you know a way to resolve those conflicts instantly?"
The two of them arrived at almost the exact same answer.
Itachi said: "Instantly resolve them...?"
"If they're ordinary civilians, then genjutsu could make them forget their conflicts and live harmoniously."
Shisui gave a bitter smile.
"Something like that, huh..."
"When I was still in the Police Force, I actually handled cases like that before."
"Back then, the constant arguing irritated me so much that the thought of solving everything with genjutsu crossed my mind."
"But it was only a passing thought."
Makoto spread his hands.
"See? That might be the method Obito came up with."
Itachi lowered his gaze slightly.
"So that's what it is..."
Shisui frowned.
"But Makoto... that method might work on ordinary people or weak ninja, but how could it possibly work on the entire world?"
"Even now, with both Itachi and me possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan and our genjutsu abilities greatly enhanced, we still couldn't completely control all of Konoha."
"Let alone the entire ninja world."
Makoto replied casually: "The world is full of strange possibilities."
"Maybe Obito found a way to trap the entire world inside a genjutsu."
Itachi fell silent for a moment before speaking.
"If that's the case... then he truly wasn't lying to me."
"After all, within genjutsu, everything is controlled by the caster."
"All suffering and conflict could simply be ignored, leaving behind only beauty and happiness."
"But... that would all be an illusion."
"Makoto-senpai, since you thought of this possibility, then you must also understand what the price would be, right?"
"Of course."
Makoto's expression became calmer.
"Like I told you before, everything in this world has two sides."
"Yin and Yang."
"Day and night."
"Men and women."
"Hatred and love."
"War and peace."
"Contradictions exist everywhere."
"Human civilization advances through the constant process of resolving old conflicts and discovering new ones."
"That is the very foundation of human existence."
"If everyone were trapped inside genjutsu, then yes—it could instantly eliminate all conflict."
"But it would also destroy that foundation."
"So naturally, the price would be the extinction of human civilization."
Shisui's expression grew grave.
"But if it were only a temporary genjutsu that altered everyone's thoughts... eventually someone would notice something was wrong, wouldn't they?"
"Genjutsu isn't invincible."
"People would still create new conflicts in daily life."
"If every conflict mysteriously disappeared each time, eventually someone would realize something abnormal was happening."
Makoto answered calmly: "Then don't let them continue living normally."
"If every human body fell into eternal sleep while everyone lived inside their own dream world, wouldn't that solve the problem?"
Cold sweat instantly broke out across Shisui's back.
How was that any different from killing everyone?
Even Itachi understood that much.
"If everyone falls asleep, then who would take care of their bodies?"
"They'd eventually starve to death."
"And once the body—the vessel carrying the soul—is gone, how could the dream continue?"
Makoto smiled faintly.
"That's why, inside dreams, you can have everything..."
"...and nothing at all."
Of course, he knew human bodies would not actually die.
The God Tree would dutifully take care of everyone.
And, along the way, turn them all into White Zetsu.
But by that point, humanity would be no different from extinct.
Shisui's expression became increasingly serious.
"Looking at it now, things are very likely moving in the direction we just analyzed."
"If that's the case, Makoto... why did you still let Obito leave?"
Itachi glanced toward Makoto.
"I think... Makoto-senpai probably has plans of his own."
Makoto smiled.
"Exactly."
"Itachi, if Obito was feeding you dreams and promises..."
"...then have you ever thought about who was feeding dreams and promises to him?"
Itachi and Shisui both fell silent.
The more they learned, the more they felt this entire matter becoming increasingly troublesome.
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---