Even though he knew that with Shisui's personality there was no way he'd ever listen to a lunatic plan like Yorin's, Kakashi still felt hugely relieved hearing Yorin admit it himself.
Honestly, at this point Kakashi basically saw Uchiha Yorin as a stronger, nastier, even more shameless, smarter, and more ruthless… Shimura Danzō.
That was the karmic backlash Yorin deserved for pulling the Edo Tensei–Rin ghost-marriage stunt.
Of course, this was something Kakashi only dared mull over in his own head; he would never say it out loud in front of Yorin.
Otherwise next time Yorin Edo Tensei'd Rin back down and strapped a giant dong onto her for "disciplinary fun," Kakashi would have nowhere to run, just like those poor saps in the netorare books.
…
Honestly, Kakashi knew he ought to shut up and say nothing. But his burning curiosity still got the better of him.
"So then… how did he rank up to kage level?"
Strictly speaking, Shisui had already been kage-class before. But in Yorin's eyes, relying solely on Mangekyō didn't count. The subtext was: Shisui needed an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan to really qualify.
But Shisui had already refused Yorin's inhumane cloning scheme, which made Kakashi very curious.
"It went like this," Yorin said, lips curling into a proud grin. "I dug his Sharingan out and soaked them in nutrient fluid, then gave him a pair of ordinary eyes that wouldn't reject. After that I hammered his psyche with genjutsu over and over, forcing him to reawaken to Mangekyō level.
"That way both pairs of Mangekyō belonged to Shisui himself. Fuse them together and—ta-da—you've got an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Aren't I amazing? Am I not a super genius to come up with something like that? I really am a super genius, hahahahaha…"
Watching Yorin so ridiculously pleased with himself, Kakashi opened his mouth, then swallowed his words. In the end he decided it was safer not to provoke this man at all, to avoid ending up the "bottom" in his own marriage to Rin.
Just thinking about that horrible possibility sent a chill down his spine.
"Right," he forced himself to say instead, choosing to flatter Yorin despite how much it grated. "You're… very clever."
"That's right. You've got good eyes, Kakashi," Yorin said with satisfaction. "Once I upgraded Shisui to that legendary Eternal Mangekyō, I actually wanted to roll that plan out for the whole clan. Make it so every Uchiha had Mangekyō.
"But those guys didn't appreciate it at all. They said they'd rather die than let me re-wire their brains with genjutsu. So mean, right?"
(What the hell did you show Shisui in there to push him into Mangekyō so fast?)
Kakashi roasted him silently in his heart, and at the same time developed a deep respect for the Uchiha clan.
In the past, the Uchiha were the textbook example of "anything goes for power." Yet now they could rationally refuse power, refuse an "upgrade" from Yorin. That clan really had grown.
Of course, there was also another possibility: Yorin's Mangekyō crash course was just too deranged, and the side effects too monstrous. Even power-obsessed Uchiha turned pale and backed away after seeing how it worked.
"So what did Shisui actually see in that genjutsu? It can't have been him getting humiliated by four guys at once, right?"
Kakashi was very curious.
And when he met Shisui again, that curiosity only grew.
The once bright, sunny, youthful Shisui now looked like he'd aged twenty years. His hair had gone flecked with white, and his gaze was steady and resolute—the kind of "reliable older man" aura that made people want to trust him.
The issue was… Shisui had just turned twenty.
"So that's the mission?"
"Yeah. I understand."
What shocked Kakashi even more was that, despite everything Yorin had done to him, Shisui still looked at him with firm loyalty and obedience.
It was downright weird. Was Shisui secretly masochistic or something? Kakashi had never heard rumors like that.
While Kakashi was wrapped up in suspicion, Shisui walked over and said:
"I'll be in your care for this mission, Kakashi."
"Ah… yeah."
Their friendship wasn't deep, but with Yorin as the link, the two had gotten along quite well these last few years—well enough to call each other friends.
Under normal circumstances, going on a mission with someone as dependable as Shisui would make Kakashi feel very safe.
But this version of Shisui gave him a strange sense of dread.
"Off you go, the sooner you leave, the sooner you'll be back," Yorin told them. "I'll be waiting for your good news. Oh, and one more thing: the latest model of chakra armor is done. Go pick up a set each and give it a field test."
"Yes, sir."
"Another new toy? Amazing…"
…
The "new-generation chakra armor" was a combo of Windflower Nadare's tech and the Sky ninja's tech.
The old chakra armor could fly, but not well—it was inefficient and underpowered. Only the highest-grade suits even had flight modules.
With the Sky ninja's flight system integrated, the armor's mobility shot through the roof, and the efficiency became acceptable. Snow ninja engineering also shored up the original flight module's weak defense.
New equipment needed battlefield trials. This mission to Takigakure was the perfect chance to test the Mark IV armor.
…
And so, two of Konoha's brightest young ninja set off, spreading the chakra wings on their backs and heading toward Takigakure.
As they flew, they chatted idly, and after a while, Kakashi's curiosity finally won out.
"Hey, Shisui," he asked, "how did Yorin get you that Eternal Mangekyō…?"
"I was wondering when you'd ask," Shisui said.
"If it's classified, then…"
"No, it's not that. I just don't know if you'll believe me."
Shisui's voice deepened a touch. He steadied himself, then said:
"Actually, Yorin didn't show me anything particularly strange. He just presented a reasonable projection—if he'd never existed in this worldline—of what would've happened to Konoha, to the Uchiha, and to the whole shinobi world."
He clenched his fists unconsciously; clearly the memory still shook him.
"Ah…?"
That answer was nowhere near what Kakashi had expected. Why did it suddenly sound like a pro-Yorin propaganda speech?
If this guy weren't around, Konoha, the Uchiha, and the shinobi world would all be doomed?
Kakashi couldn't help thinking Shisui had fallen for a con. This was textbook Yorin-style gaslighting.
"I knew you wouldn't believe me," Shisui said. "But… Yorin never said this had to be kept secret. If you really want, I can show you via genjutsu."
He clearly wanted to share it. It wasn't the kind of thing you could just tell a random stranger on the street—go around saying "Without Yorin, the world ends" and people would either treat you like a lunatic or assume you'd joined a creepy cult.
And, in fact, some idiot cults had started forming lately, worshipping "Yorin-sama" as a god.
Most people didn't take them seriously. Yorin, however, was a bit concerned and already planning to wipe those sects out.
Religion, cults, whatever you called them—none of it was good news. What he wanted people to have faith in was the Imperial Truth: a nice clean materialist scientific worldview. Since this world didn't have warp gods, promoting something like that should be fine… probably?
…
Honestly, Kakashi was tempted.
But his shinobi instincts—and the "trust" he had in Yorin's utter lack of shame—made him refuse in the end.
"Better not," he said. "As long as I know Yorin's important to this world… that's enough for me, right?"
"…Yeah. I suppose so."
Shisui sounded a little disappointed, but let it drop.
They didn't touch the topic again. Instead they sped up, flying straight toward Takigakure.
Over there, the village had no idea they were about to face a catastrophe.
Like most small hidden villages of this age, Takigakure was caught in a contradiction: one hand extended toward Konoha, hoping the big boss would let them sip some soup; the other hand held up defensively, terrified that Konoha might swallow them whole.
Living in that push-and-pull was miserable.
If anything gave them a shred of comfort, it was the tailed beast they'd risked everything to seal and control.
No matter how hard, no matter how tired or poor they were, as long as they remembered they had a tailed beast jinchūriki, Takigakure ninja would puff out their chests with pride. They felt like their lives had meaning.
Even though everyone knew that with Yorin and "Rinyo" around, tailed beasts were a bit passé—like someone still bragging the F-22 was unbeatable in 2025.
But what else did Takigakure have?
Without even that fantasy, that last bit of hope, they'd be stuck forever in a living hell with no way out.
Then Konoha's envoys arrived and threw the entire village into an uproar.
Because they'd come to demand… that Takigakure hand over its tailed beast.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— This Fanfic is Completed in Patreon!