Konoha Village — Hokage Office
Sarutobi Hiruzen gazed at the moon, half-hidden behind drifting clouds, a quiet sadness settling in his eyes. It had been six years since the untimely death of his beloved wife.
Since that night, he rarely returned home early. He worked deep into the night, often leaving the Hokage Tower only at midnight.
There was no one waiting for him anymore.
His eldest son had long since started his own family and moved out.
As for his younger son—that unfilial brat was currently serving the Daimyō, far away from the village.
Just then, a faintly cool breeze slipped through the open window.
Instead of comfort, a chill crawled up Hiruzen's spine, as though something unpleasant was looming just beyond his awareness.
"…Is Danzō plotting against me again?"
"Haaah…"
With a weary sigh, the Strongest Hokage turned back to his desk, resuming the endless task of signing and reviewing documents—alone beneath the dim light of the Hokage Office.
---
Konoha Village— Shisui's House
Shisui sat calmly at the table, sipping his tea as if he were simply waiting for a guest.
Opposite him, on the other side of the table, rested another cup—filled with steaming hot tea.
Yet the seat across from him was empty.
A moment later, a gentle gust of wind slipped through the open window.
The air distorted.
And a teenager appeared silently in the empty seat.
Shisui looked up, smiled faintly, and asked casually,
"How was it? Did he give you any trouble?"
Itachi reached for the cup and took a slow sip, moistening his throat.
Maintaining the illusion for half an hour had been troublesome.
Still…
It was indeed interesting.
"It was fine," Itachi replied evenly. "He never escaped the genjutsu—from beginning to end."
Shisui nodded.
He had expected nothing less.
With the awakening of Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan, Shisui knew that his younger brother might already be stronger than him.
{ A . N : Itachi hasn't yet awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan.
He only told Shisui about this to cover up his sudden change and his future abilities.
Itachi already has talked with Fugaku about his plans and also about the process of awakening his Mangekyo Sharingan ( lies ) to Shisui.}
---
As for the illusion Itachi used against Shinnosuke, it is an S-rank genjutsu known as Infinite Mirror.
Despite its unassuming name, it is considered the strongest non-Mangekyō genjutsu of the Uchiha clan.
Its effect is deceptively simple.
Infinite Mirror creates countless layered illusions, each one nested within another.
Once a target is caught, the genjutsu only ends when the caster's chakra is completely exhausted.
There is only one way to escape.
At the very beginning—the moment the genjutsu is cast—the target must clash directly with the caster using pure spiritual energy. If the target's Yin chakra exceeds the caster's by a significant margin, the illusion breaks immediately.
However, if that initial clash fails, escape becomes nearly impossible.
Each time the victim attempts to break the illusion, they merely shatter one layer—only to fall deeper into the next.
The more layers they destroy, the further they sink, until their spiritual energy ( chakra ) becomes too depleted to resist at all.
Worse still, Infinite Mirror preys heavily on the mind.
As the layers accumulate, the victim gradually loses the ability to distinguish illusion from reality.
Eventually, they no longer even realize they are trapped within a genjutsu.
By then—
Escape is no longer an option.
Although the illusion is extremely powerful—and, if successfully cast, can incapacitate even a Kage in an instant—it is not very practical in high-level battles.
The first requirement alone is difficult to fulfill.
Kage-level shinobi rarely possess weaknesses such as low spiritual energy. Most of them also have their own methods to resist or counter genjutsu of this caliber.
Even if the illusion is successfully cast, Kage-level shinobi are rarely alone. They usually fight alongside partners or subordinates who can either disrupt chakra of their partner or directly attack the caster, forcibly ending the illusion.
Finally, the chakra consumption of Infinite Mirror is several times greater than that of other S-rank techniques, and its structure is far more complex than ordinary genjutsu.
Because of these limitations, the technique is impractical for most real-time high level combat situations.
Perhaps that is why such an illusion never appeared in the Naruto canon.
{ Well, I created a new illusion, so I had to fill the plot holes. }
---
One Hour Later
After finishing his dinner of steamed rice, miso soup, and grilled fish at Shisui's house, Itachi left with a sense of quiet satisfaction.
Uchiha Clan Leader Residence
By the time he returned, Sasuke, Mikoto, and Fugaku had already finished their meal.
In the bedroom, Sasuke enthusiastically told Mikoto about his day at the academy and the shuriken training he had done earlier. His voice was full of excitement.
Meanwhile, Fugaku sat quietly in the living room.
When he noticed Itachi, Fugaku poured green tea into an empty cup and placed it on the table.
Itachi understood the gesture.
He sat down opposite his father.
"I have discussed your application with the other elders," Fugaku said calmly. "They have approved your transfer to the Konoha Military Police."
Itachi listened silently.
"You will be assigned to the Investigation & Intelligence Division as a Sub-Division Commander,"
Fugaku continued.
"After one year of service, you will be eligible to succeed as the Division Commander."
Itachi nodded in acknowledgment.
In the Naruto canon, very little was known about the internal structure of the Konoha Military Police—only that it was led by the Uchiha clan.
After his transmigration, Itachi finally understood its true organization.
The Konoha Military Police is led by a Captain, a position currently held by Fugaku Uchiha.
Beneath the captain are four major divisions, each commanded by a Division Commander and assisted by a Deputy Division Commander:
Public Order & Patrol Department
Investigation & Intelligence Department
Detention & Enforcement Department
Administration & Liaison Department
The number of personnel assigned to each division varies depending on the village's needs and the current political and security situation.
Joining as a Deputy Division Commander was indeed an excellent start. It saved Itachi many years of detours and political maneuvering.
As for why he obtained such a position so easily, there were several reasons.
1) He was the youngest ANBU captain in Konoha's history.
2) He was the son of the Uchiha clan leader.
3) For years, he had served as the Uchiha clan's undercover presence within the ANBU.
Although they didn't know—
That Itachi had been a double agent.
Seeing Itachi's calm acceptance, Fugaku continued,
"Three days from now, during the weekly clan meeting, I will announce the decision. You will officially report for duty four days later—on Monday."
With that, Fugaku stood up, a trace of smile on his face, and returned to his room.
In the past few days, he had noticed how much Itachi had changed.
Before, Itachi had always appeared to fight for the Uchiha—to outsiders and even to the clan itself. Yet long ago, Fugaku had already sensed faint traces of hesitation… even betrayal.
He had chosen not to expose it.
There were several reasons for this—Itachi was his son, and his bond with Shisui ran deep.
More importantly, Itachi's connections within the ANBU and his ties to Konoha's highest circles of power made him dangerous to confront openly.
Fugaku had believed that, in the end, Itachi would come to understand the Uchiha and indeed just as Fugaku expected Itachi indeed chose the clan.
Fugaku still remembered the night three days ago, when Itachi had spoken to him about his decision… and about his plans for both the Uchiha and Konoha.
In that moment, Fugaku had said only one thing:
"Itachi… I trust you."
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