Volume One, Chapter 14: Illusion Magic

“Hmm? The presence of Fengtian has vanished; it seems the plan has succeeded...”
“I should hasten my own escape...”

As Shisui, locked in fierce combat with Granny Chiyo, sensed Fengtian’s aura disappear, he was already prepared to retreat at a moment’s notice.

His gaze shifted toward the serious expression on Granny Chiyo’s face, but in his heart, he had already made a decision.

With a single slash, he pushed back several puppets, then instantly distanced himself from Granny Chiyo.

“Huh? What’s this? No longer fighting?”

Granny Chiyo couldn’t help but question upon seeing this.

But Shisui slowly raised his head, his eyes instantly switching to the Mangekyō Sharingan. His voice was soft yet laden with pressure:

“We’ve fought for quite some time now. I imagine you’ve guessed my true identity...”
“A person who is always so swift and possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan is rare indeed...”
“I suspect you are Konoha’s swift shadow—Uchiha Shisui.”

Granny Chiyo’s eyes narrowed slightly. Though she had correctly identified him, it did not bring any sense of accomplishment. Instead, the solemnity on her face deepened.

“You guessed right, but there’s one thing I must correct...”

Shisui spoke as his Mangekyō Sharingan spun rapidly, a powerful chakra gathering in his eyes:

“The reason I’m called the ‘Swift Shadow’ is not because of my speed, but because...”
“At the very moment an enemy sees me, they are already caught within my genjutsu...”

“Take a good rest, Granny Chiyo...”

Before his words finished, the space around Shisui seemed to warp. Countless points of light flickered, stretching and compressing the distance between him and Granny Chiyo, creating an illusion where time and space intertwined.

Granny Chiyo’s pupils suddenly constricted; she realized she was being drawn into a powerful genjutsu. Yet, as the top puppeteer of the Hidden Sand Village, her reactions were swift. Her hands quickly formed seals, attempting to break free from this illusion’s hold.

“Sanpō Kyūkai!”

With her low chant, the air around seemed to freeze. Three puppets formed a triangle, converging at the center to summon a mighty tornado, aiming to carve a path of reality within this genjutsu-crafted world.

However, as the tornadoes touched the edges of Shisui’s genjutsu, they dissipated like invisible barriers repelling them.

A faint smile tugged at Shisui’s lips as his figure flickered within the illusion. Each appearance was accompanied by a wave of chakra that sent chills down the spine.

“Granny Chiyo, your puppetry is indeed exquisite, but before my genjutsu, the boundaries between ninjutsu and reality blur completely.”

“Genjutsu...”

Granny Chiyo whispered the word. This was Uchiha Shisui’s unique genjutsu—its strength beyond even her imagination.

Just as an unprecedented sense of crisis rose within her, Shisui’s voice rang out again, this time seemingly piercing through the barrier between illusion and reality, striking deep into her soul.

“Rest assured, Granny Chiyo. My purpose is not to take your life, but to grant you a moment’s respite—so the Hidden Sand Village may avoid an unnecessary war.”

As Shisui’s words fell, Granny Chiyo felt a warm, gentle force envelop her. It was Shisui’s genjutsu infused with a soothing chakra technique.

Her body gradually relaxed, consciousness blurred, and in time, all settled into a profound slumber.

Having confirmed Granny Chiyo was completely ensnared in the genjutsu, Shisui slowly withdrew his Mangekyō Sharingan. The warped space around him calmed, everything returning to normal.

He sighed lightly, turned, and vanished from the spot, leaving Granny Chiyo lying quietly as if deep in a profound dream.

“Sleep peacefully. I hope this genjutsu can bring a period of peace to both the Hidden Sand and Hidden Leaf Villages...”

Shisui silently prayed, then glanced back toward the place where Sasori was still fighting…

At that moment, Sasori was facing nearly the entirety of the Hidden Sand’s forces. Even after activating the Hundred Puppet Drill, he appeared somewhat overwhelmed.

His eyes swept over the scattered broken puppets, a grave expression settling deep within them.

“Why are the Leaf shinobi so slow? How much longer must I wait?”

Sasori inwardly grumbled. As the one drawing all the enemy’s main firepower, his endurance was already commendable.

If he wished to withdraw, it was uncertain whether Rosha and the others could capture him. But for now, he could not retreat; he had to buy enough time for Fengtian and Shisui.

If he left, by the time Rosha and his comrades reacted, this operation would fail completely!

This struggle of neither pressing the attack effectively nor being able to withdraw was one of the reasons for his frustration.

“Hmph! Sasori, face reality. Over half of your puppets are destroyed. Even the Third Kazekage’s puppets won’t hold much longer. Surrender now!”

Rosha shouted, standing atop the floating sand gold, palm up, manipulating the sand to recklessly destroy Sasori’s puppets.

“Hmph, Rosha, your chakra seems depleted too. Can you really hold out till the end?”

Sasori glared at Rosha not far off, fully aware of how much strength his opponent had left after such a prolonged battle.

Rosha’s face darkened at the remark but quickly composed himself, sneering coldly:

“Sasori, you seem to forget this is the Hidden Sand Village—my home turf. Even if my chakra is drained, I can still draw on the power of this land to bury you here completely.”

Sasori’s lips curled into a mocking smile:

“Relying on external power? That’s not the way of a true warrior. But since you want to depend on sand gold, I’ll show you what true art is—puppetry mastery!”

With those words, he swiftly pulled a scroll from his chest. Flicking his fingers, countless tiny mechanical insects swarmed out, instantly covering his remaining puppets.

These mechanical bugs seemed alive, quickly repairing damaged puppets, even recombining discarded parts into new combat units.

“What...!”

Rosha’s expression shifted; he had never seen such a strange yet efficient repair technique and found himself momentarily at a loss.

“This is my latest masterpiece: Mechanical Regeneration. Each mechanical insect is meticulously cultivated by me. They sense my will and transform scrap into battle power.”

Sasori proudly explained as he controlled both repaired puppets and newly formed mechanical forces, launching an even fiercer assault on Rosha.

On the battlefield, sand gold clashed with mechanical puppets, sparking dazzling flares. The entire Hidden Sand seemed to tremble.

Though Sasori’s puppet army was smaller than before, with the mechanical insects’ aid, each puppet became more agile and powerful, placing unprecedented pressure on Rosha.

“Damn it, this can’t go on!”

Rosha thought grimly. He knew he couldn’t keep wearing himself down like this; he had to find the key to breaking the deadlock.

“Lord Rosha, the number of puppets is overwhelming. We must find a way to deal with this!”

Nearby, Maki, the calm and composed elite Hidden Sand jonin, called out.

To him, Sasori was clearly a shadow-level shinobi despite his youth!

He had initially suspected Sasori used some strange method to assassinate the Third Kazekage, but it turned out Sasori truly possessed the rumored power to single-handedly destroy a nation!

“Everyone, hold steady. Let me think!”

Facing such a dire situation, Rosha could only comfort his comrades while his mind raced, seeking a way to turn the tide.

Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed in his mind, and he shouted:

“To find a puppeteer’s weakness, we must find someone familiar with puppets!”

“What about Granny Chiyo? To deal with a genius puppeteer like Sasori, we must call on Granny Chiyo!”

Upon hearing this, Maki’s expression turned complicated. He looked at Rosha gravely and said:

“Granny Chiyo and Yakushimaru are guarding Gaara. Not long ago, a battle broke out there. Granny Chiyo may not be able to arrive anytime soon...”

Rosha’s face darkened; there was no alternative but to continue manipulating sand gold to hold back Sasori’s assault.

If not for concern for the many civilians in the Hidden Sand, he would never expend so much chakra controlling sand gold for defense...

For now, the stalemate had to continue…

Elsewhere, Shisui sensed a subtle disturbance in the space beside him. A figure slowly emerged before him.

When Shisui recognized the newcomer, he loosened his grip on the short sword.

It was Fengtian!

“Quick! Shisui! We must retreat!”

Fengtian clutched his bleeding eyes, staggering toward Shisui.

Gone was his prior composure; he seemed swallowed by endless darkness.

Seeing this, Shisui hurried forward to support him, asking with concern:

“What happened? What’s going on?”

“Quick! We have to go! My eyes... my vision is blurring...”

“I’m losing sight...”