Chapter 194: Mind Control
In his study, Kinoshita Genichi wrote furiously with a brush, leaving behind symbols and lines of annotation on a blank scroll. A good memory is no match for a worn-out brush tip. He had to record everything about Magnet Release and Dust Release. In the future, this would be a precious treasure for the Kinoshita clan.
After finishing his notes on Dust Release, he sniffed the air, smelling a fragrant aroma. He turned and saw Uzumaki Ina, her hair still a little damp, coming in with a late-night snack.
He rubbed his stomach; he was indeed a little hungry. After all, he had been fighting for quite some time.
While eating, he asked, "How is Lady Tsunade's jutsu development coming along?"
"She already has a complete basic idea," Ina said. "But at her current pace, it will probably take a few more years to perfect the details." She then blushed slightly. "As for the Yin Seal, it will probably take me another year to master it."
"That's already very good," Genichi praised with a smile. "Shizune will probably need more time. By the way, what about Kyōka Suigetsu?"
Ina's face immediately fell. "It's a little difficult." She had four innate affinities: Water, Earth, Yin, and Yang. She was best at Yin and Yang, followed by Water. She had only mastered one Earth Release jutsu, the Earth-Style Wall. This was mainly because, following Genichi's guidance, she had started with Yang Release, then Yin Release genjutsu, and only then Water Release.
She had mastered the ordinary genjutsu version of Kyōka Suigetsu long ago, but the Kekkei Genkai version was a bit difficult; she still hadn't mastered it.
Thinking of the future, Genichi smiled. "Don't be so troubled. Everyone has a path that suits them. Perhaps the Kyōka Suigetsu Kekkei Genkai doesn't suit you. Yin and Yang are what you are best at. Why don't you try combining them?"
Ina was taken aback. "Won't that be even more difficult? For Yang Release, I remember you said, Genichi, that the Kurama clan's Kekkei Genkai is a genjutsu that controls the five senses, formed from the combination of Yin and Yang."
"That's right," he nodded. "You have already mastered the genjutsu that seals the five senses, and you are also practicing the Realm of Truth. Your proficiency in genjutsu is actually very high. And Yang Release is your innate talent."
He had taught Ina everything without reservation. In terms of their relationship, she was actually much closer to him than Shizune.
"Give it a try. Maybe you can do it," he suggested with a smile.
Hearing him say this, Ina nodded and, raising her fist, said seriously, "Yes, Lord Genichi! I will work hard!"
He reached out and pinched her cheek. "Go on, then. I still have some work to do."
Ina collected the dishes and obediently left the study.
After putting away the Dust Release scroll, Genichi took out a brand-new scroll and continued to write. The title was: Kekkei Genkai—Mind Control.
This was the Kekkei Genkai that the future Ina had accidentally mastered in Konoha Year 58. So although Genichi had not mastered it himself, through the Mirror Eye's copying and Ina's own sharing, he had already obtained very detailed information on it.
This Kekkei Genkai was a truly unexpected success. Ina's original goal had been Kyōka Suigetsu, but in the future, she had instead synthesized a Yin-Yang Kekkei Genkai that specifically targeted the mind. And yet, of all the genjutsu Ina had mastered, none of them directly targeted the mind. For example, she had not learned the Binding God Technique, which was part of the six-sense-sealing suite, because it required the Sharingan.
"There are really a lot of surprises with Kekkei Genkai," he couldn't help but sigh to himself.
After putting his knowledge to paper, he re-examined this genjutsu Kekkei Genkai. It was well known that conventional genjutsu targeted the five senses, deceiving the brain by deceiving the senses. Even for the Uchiha, a genjutsu that directly targeted the mind was usually only possible with a Mangekyō dōjutsu, such as Tsukuyomi, or the so-called "strongest genjutsu," Kotoamatsukami. Both were very domineering, especially the latter, which did not require eye contact and could be cast as long as the target was within line of sight. Tsukuyomi required eye contact. Kakashi had been instantly defeated by it and had been out of commission for a long time; the mental damage was immense.
This was one of the few techniques that could damage the spirit. Currently, the ones he knew of were the Reaper Death Seal, Tsukuyomi, and the Truth-Seeking Orbs, which possessed the power of Yin-Yang Release. He had only mastered the first. In the future, he had analyzed Itachi's Mangekyō, but a dōjutsu like Tsukuyomi was difficult to analyze and mirror-copy; it could only be used as a one-time skill after mirroring.
Returning to Mind Control, from its name, it was clearly a genjutsu Kekkei Genkai that directly targeted the mind. However, from the future Ina's performance, it was not as domineering as Tsukuyomi, nor as forceful as the will-altering Kotoamatsukami. Perhaps its development was still relatively shallow. From its manifestation, it was similar to the ability of the Shisui eye that Danzō had possessed in the original timeline: to subtly and continuously influence and control the enemy's mind.
Five-senses-type genjutsu deceived the enemy's brain with false sensory information. Mind Control, on the other hand, directly gave the enemy's brain false information. The former was the senses perceiving false information and then feeding it back to the brain. The latter was the brain having false information and feeding it back to the senses, making what was seen and heard false. It was different from Tsukuyomi, and also different from Kotoamatsukami.
"Mind Control, plus my six-sense-sealing, and I can achieve the Brain in a Vat," he mused. No wonder his future self had wanted to master this Kekkei Genkai, and even combine it with Kyōka Suigetsu. Because the latter had the ability to reflect the real world, which meant he could use it to create a real background perception—grass, trees, wind, temperature, and so on.
Five senses control + mind control + Kyōka Suigetsu? "This has great potential."
He bit the end of his brush and thought for a moment, then stood up and took out the scrolls for Heaven and Earth Seal and Kyōka Suigetsu. He then began to design a feasible training plan for a Yin-Yang-Water genjutsu Kekkei Tōta. From his experience in developing Electromagnetic Release, he didn't have to master the Mind Control Kekkei Genkai first; he just needed to master its core secrets.
Time flew by, and soon it was midnight. He stretched, cracked his neck a few times, and then, satisfied, began to put away all the scattered scrolls on his desk.
When he returned to his bedroom, Ina was already sound asleep, curled up with a blanket like a little kitten. He slipped into bed in the dark. The moment he lay down, she wrapped herself around him. He put his arms around her and gently patted her ample behind. She hummed and a look of contentment appeared on her face. It's clear she's been starved for affection since childhood.
He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
After the excitement of the first half of the night, Konoha quickly quieted down. But far away in the Land of Water, the Village Hidden in the Mist was the opposite.
With Uchiha Tekka's death, the effectiveness of the genjutsu he had placed on the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, was rapidly fading. The most crucial part was that the genjutsu on the Three-Tails faded first, and it woke up. And so, the jinchuriki, Yagura, suddenly went on a rampage, causing heavy losses to the village because they were completely unprepared.
However, what made Yagura most angry, humiliated, and wary was that he had been controlled, and by a man named Madara Uchiha. So, after he recovered, the first thing he did was to issue an order to lock down the village and conduct a full search for suspicious individuals. For a time, the latter half of the night in the Mist was in chaos.
The next day, after receiving intelligence from Konoha, Yagura confirmed that the one who had controlled him was indeed very likely the legendary Madara. It was not an imposter. And his goal had been to attack Konoha.
With their revenge plan in place, the Mist would naturally be paying close attention to Konoha's situation. The battle last night could not have been hidden from them.
In the afternoon, the high-ranking officials of the Mist had gathered in his hospital room.
"Lord Mizukage, the plan has failed. According to the intel, the Six-Tails jinchuriki has also been captured by Konoha."
"Yes, what should we do next?"
"Should we pressure Konoha to return the jinchuriki?"
"We should use this as a pretext to go to war with them!"
The high-ranking officials spoke one after another.
Yagura's expression was fatigued, but he maintained his usual gentlemanly style, and he also suppressed his inner anger and humiliation. After they had all expressed their opinions, he coughed lightly. The room immediately fell silent. Although the Three-Tails had rampaged last night, no one dared to underestimate him, the Fourth Mizukage. Because the tradition of the Mist was that the strongest would succeed to the position. Even without the Tailed Beast, he was still the strongest.
When the room had quieted down, he slowly spoke. "Before we solve the problem of the Six-Tails jinchuriki, I must announce one thing. When I proposed the plan to attack Konoha, I was being controlled by a genjutsu. This is also the reason for the Three-Tails' rampage last night."
These words made the officials look at each other, and then a clamor broke out.
"How is that possible?"
"Who was it?"
"Could it be related to the great battle in Konoha last night?"
"This is a declaration of war on us!"
"This matter absolutely cannot be let go!"
Yagura quietly listened to their voices. For him, this was undoubtedly an extremely humiliating event, one that would even damage his prestige as the Mizukage. But for the sake of the village, he had to make it public. Because if it had happened once, it could happen again. To be safe, he had to do this. Once he was controlled again in the future, his abnormal actions would make the high-ranking officials think of today's event, and thus they could rescue him from the genjutsu, avoiding a huge loss for the village like this time. This was his responsibility as the Fourth Mizukage. Compared to this, his personal humiliation was nothing.
The room quickly quieted down again. "From the intel from Konoha, and the information revealed by the controller," he continued, "it can be basically confirmed that this person is the former Asura of the Ninja World, Madara Uchiha!"
Another bombshell that made the high-ranking officials' heads spin. Madara Uchiha? Wasn't he from the same era as the First Hokage? In the village now, probably only Elder Genshi had personally seen him.
"Although we cannot grasp the specific intelligence of the battle in Konoha," Yagura said calmly, "from what we have, we can analyze the basic situation. Just like the battle at the Valley of the End back then, Madara was defeated. He was at least severely injured, which is why the genjutsu on me faded so quickly."
"Lord Mizukage," a high-ranking official said in a deep voice, "do you mean that Kinoshita Genichi of Konoha is already comparable to the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, from back then?"
"You all know about Mr. Genichi's Ice Release," he said. "According to the intel, he was the one who fought that mysterious person last night. This is a gap we must take seriously."
The high-ranking officials' expressions immediately turned grave. Hashirama Senju. The legendary God of Shinobi, the man who had created the ninja village era.
"As for the Six-Tails jinchuriki, send an envoy to Konoha for peace talks and bring him back," he said. "We can form an alliance with them to deal with Madara. We now have a common enemy. And we must make it clear to them that this plan was not of our own volition."
"I'm afraid Konoha will make some excessive demands," a high-ranking official said hesitantly.
"The most important thing now is internal affairs," he said.
The official who had spoken immediately fell silent. Continuing to be tough with Konoha now would bring no benefits. And with the loss of the Six-Tails jinchuriki, the village's strength would also decline. The most important thing was the internal problem.
Soon, the high-ranking officials reached a consensus. They could make appropriate concessions, such as in fact acknowledging that the islands of the former Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Waves belonged to Konoha's sphere of influence.
The Hidden Leaf Village.
The village was bustling from early in the morning. The area near the main gate had become a large construction site. The destroyed buildings and walls had to be repaired.
In the breakfast shops, many Konoha ninja were discussing last night's great battle.
Genichi's family's dango shop was also lively, and Kurenai and the others were having breakfast there.
"If only we could have participated in the battle yesterday," Obito sighed repeatedly.
"Our strength is still far from enough," Genma shook his head. "You saw the terror of the Tailed Beast."
"Obito," Aoba said, "when you awaken the Mangekyō, you'll be able to easily deal with that kind of terrifying creature."
The news had spread quickly. The news that Fugaku had used his Mangekyō to subdue the Six-Tails had already spread among the ninja community. Of course, there was also the news of Tekka being a rogue ninja. For the Uchiha, this was both good and bad news. As for Madara, that was still a secret known only to the high-ranking officials and a few others.
Hearing Aoba's words, Obito immediately puffed out his chest. "Of course. But…" His voice trailed off, and he then said seriously, "I will definitely awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. I won't let such a thing happen again." He was one of the few who knew the truth. And if Genichi hadn't saved him, then perhaps he would have been the one causing chaos in the village last night. Just as he had said before. If Rin had died, and died right before his eyes, would he have gone mad?
I definitely wouldn't. And Rin won't die either.
Obito suddenly fell silent. This was very strange to Kurenai and the others, but thinking of the rogue ninja Tekka, they thought it was because of that.
"Obito," the captain, Genma, said, "Tekka is Tekka. You are you. And the Uchiha are the Uchiha. You don't have to worry about it."
"Thanks, I know," Obito looked up and smiled.
On the other side, after breakfast, Genichi first created clones to go and train, and then returned to his study and wrote furiously. The work from last night was not yet finished.
"Genichi, I'm going to the Hokage's tower," Ina's voice came from outside after an unknown amount of time.
"Wait, come here for a moment," he stopped writing.
Ina soon pushed open the door and came in, a puzzled look on her face.
"Give this to the Fourth." He handed her a scroll. It contained some key points about the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
In fact, in the future, Tsunade had already initially completed it, but it was not perfect, so he had not touched it. Anyway, in another year, he could use his 'cheat' again and help her push it forward in the future. Now, he finally had a complete version. Of course, the scroll did not contain the complete version; that would be too shocking. But it did contain some key points and some ideas on the difficult parts. With these, he believed that Tsunade could develop the complete jutsu in a very short time. And it would be different from the original timeline's version, because the current version was not just for using Creation Rebirth, but also for the idea he had proposed before of cell activation and nourishment.
Now that this idea had been proven feasible by him, but Tsunade couldn't master the Art of Pyo to his level, she still needed a secret technique like the Strength of a Hundred Seal to assist.
Ina left with the scroll. He buried his head and continued. He would also give her the contents of the Mind Control Kekkei Genkai in the evening. He was actually afraid that this would interfere with her own training, but he also didn't want to just wait for her to master it by luck. The value of his 'cheat' would be diminished. She was already an adult, and the changes to her constitution from mastering a Kekkei Genkai would already be discounted, unlike him, who was still in his growth period. Fortunately, the Uzumaki constitution was special.
However, the seeds he had sown had blossomed and borne fruit not just in her. And the unexpected was also not just her. For example, that guy Kakashi.
(End of Chapter)
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