Uchiha Shinsuke gave a small bow. Before he could speak, Hidan scowled and shouted:
"You! When the hell did you get here?!"
Shinsuke met his glare with a cold stare. "I've been here the whole time."
He had cast a high-level genjutsu on Hidan—one designed to make the victim subconsciously ignore his presence. It was as if he'd been standing in a mental blind spot the entire time.
The Uchiha clan had developed countless illusions over the centuries. Many sounded impressive but were of little practical use. This one, however, was subtle and effective.
"Shisui," Orochimaru interjected, ignoring their bickering, "begin."
Shisui nodded. His eyes narrowed as the tomoe of his Sharingan spun together into a four-pointed shuriken shape.
Hidan, sensing a surge of powerful chakra, turned to him sharply. "You bastard, what are you—?"
Before he could finish, he froze.
Their eyes met.
Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan locked onto him, and the red glow was the last thing Hidan consciously registered before slipping into stasis.
Another genjutsu?! Hidan raged inwardly, aware but powerless.
Uchiha Shinsuke's eyes widened in surprise. "Your vision's recovered?"
Shisui nodded and turned to Orochimaru. "His brain is under my control. What alterations do you want?"
Unlike ordinary genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami didn't just create illusions—it rewrote thoughts. It directly tampered with neural pathways, permanently changing beliefs even after the technique ended.
"The usual," Orochimaru replied, licking his lips. "Loyalty. Absolute obedience—to me."
Shisui thought it over. That seemed reasonable.
Hidan was a zealot. Even if he were made loyal to the village, he'd likely interpret that through the lens of his twisted faith. He might believe forcing everyone to worship his so-called evil god would be "for the good of Konoha."
The loyalty of a madman could be more dangerous than his hatred.
Shisui's eyes flared red.
"You serve Lord Orochimaru. You obey his orders without question," he said, his voice deep and unwavering.
Inside Hidan's mind, resistance surged. He fought against the mental intrusion like a cornered beast. But Shisui pushed harder—his Mangekyō bleeding tears of blood as the strain grew.
Finally, Hidan lowered his head, and in a subdued voice said,
"I serve Lord Orochimaru… I obey his orders… without question."
Orochimaru's golden eyes narrowed. Something about the wording was off. "Is that… a success or a failure?"
Shisui didn't respond right away. He deactivated his Mangekyō and covered his eyes with one hand, panting heavily.
After a moment, he said, voice uncertain,
"…There was some resistance, but I think it worked. His willpower is unusually strong. It drained more chakra than I anticipated."
If Shisui hadn't undergone the enhancement surgery earlier that night, if his ocular power hadn't increased, he wasn't sure the technique would've worked at all.
It was his first time using Kotoamatsukami, and it left him shaken. He silently resolved not to use it again unless absolutely necessary.
"…I won't be able to use it again for at least five years," he added after a moment of silence.
And even his recently restored eyesight had slightly deteriorated. Thankfully, it should recover with rest.
Orochimaru nodded, then walked over and snapped his fingers, waking Hidan.
The man shot up immediately and began yelling at Shinsuke:
"You bastard! Playing with illusions again, huh?!"
But the moment he noticed Orochimaru standing nearby, his attitude flipped.
"Ah—Lord Orochimaru! You're here too…"
He looked visibly flustered.
So... he doesn't remember Shisui casting the genjutsu?
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "It's late. What exactly are you doing here?"
Scratching the back of his head, Hidan replied sheepishly,
"Well… I was just trying to convert these fine folks into believers of your greatness, Lord Orochimaru…"
"…Believers?" Orochimaru arched an eyebrow, intrigued.
He had expected Hidan's loyalty to override his old religion—or at least demote it. But here he was, merging the two.
Being worshipped by Hidan, of all people… Orochimaru wasn't sure if it was amusing or disturbing.
After a pause, he said flatly, "Faith is about quality, not quantity. These people aren't worth converting."
"Yes, understood," Hidan nodded quickly, agreeing as if it were obvious. In truth, he found the couple a bit boring anyway. Lord Orochimaru deserved more… unique followers.
"Go home and get some rest," Orochimaru said, then turned to Shinsuke. "Keep an eye on him."
"Yes, sir." Shinsuke nodded, then paused before asking:
"Lord Orochimaru… do you think I'll ever awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Watching Shisui had stirred something in him—a flicker of desire.
"You have the potential," Orochimaru replied with a cryptic smile. "But if you're lucky… you'll never have to."
He turned to Shisui. "Ask him yourself. Do you really want those eyes?"
Shinsuke looked to Shisui, who silently shook his head.
To awaken the Mangekyō, one needed profound emotional trauma—often through the loss of a loved one, sometimes even by their own hand. The power came at a terrible cost.
Indra, the Sage's eldest son, awakened it only after killing his dearest friend.
What would a common Uchiha have to go through to reach that level?
Especially now that the Sharingan had stabilized into the Xuelunyan variant… evolution was even harder.
Shinsuke's excitement faded, replaced by conflicted silence. He left reluctantly with Hidan, while Shisui stayed behind to help the old couple recover and erase their memories of the night—framing it as a nightmare.
---
On the way back to the underground lab, Orochimaru spoke to the Lamp God:
"So, what do you think? Is the 'evil god' Hidan worships just superstition… or something real? Could it be some aspect of death from the Pure Land?"
The Lamp God shrugged. "Probably not. At least, I haven't seen anything like that."
He added with a smirk, "Besides, even the god of death can be deceived—if you know how."
"…Why do you bring this up?" Orochimaru asked.
"It's just… Hidan thinks I am the evil god now. That's a little unsettling."
Orochimaru stopped, gazing up at the full moon from a nearby rooftop.
"If Hidan really is, as we suspect, the reincarnation of a chakra spirit with Ōtsutsuki blood… he might be connected to the Sage of Six Paths."
"…And now we've made him our follower. What if the Sage comes to reclaim him?"
The Lamp God thought for a moment, unsure.
"Unlikely," he said. "The Sage rarely interferes with the world of shinobi."
After all, in the original timeline, Hidan was defeated and buried alive by Shikamaru—one of the "Konoha Twelve." The Sage of Six Paths never lifted a finger.
_____________________
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