[Genjutsu: Sharingan]

This is the Uchiha clan's most powerful illusion technique aside from the Mangekyo Sharingan. It pushes the "hypnotic eye" trait of the Sharingan to its limits, reaching a peak where it can control tailed beasts. It's not just suppression; it's full control, just like Uchiha Obito controlling the Nine-Tails.

After all,

Obito's eye technique isn't purely illusion-based.

His ability to control the Nine-Tails and the Three-Tails Jinchuriki stems from this very technique, [Genjutsu: Sharingan]. It's so powerful that it deserves the title of "Sharingan." Only members of the Uchiha clan who have reached the level of three tomoe in their Sharingan can practice this illusion.

Of course,

How far one can take this technique depends on individual talent and wisdom. Not every clan member who learns it will be able to control tailed beasts. In fact, even for an average three-tomoe Sharingan user, reaching the theoretical pinnacle of controlling tailed beasts is unlikely. Most are satisfied with simply disturbing a beast's consciousness.

Throughout Uchiha history, it seems that only those who have unlocked the Mangekyo Sharingan can fully control tailed beasts using this technique. However, regardless of the odds, Shisui successfully controlled the Two-Tails.

With the major threat of Yugito Nii neutralized,

The rest of the battle was simple. The Cloud ninjas witnessed the might of Shunshin (Body Flicker), and Shisui's technique, perfected to the highest degree, crushed their pride in speed. His mastery of Wind Style also perfectly countered their Lightning Style. In mere seconds, Shisui annihilated them, leaving no survivors.

Apart from Yugito Nii, every other Cloud ninja present was slain by him.

Shisui collected the bodies. The corpses of Jonin have strategic value. Selling them to the village could bring in a lot of money. If not, he could search their memories for valuable information—a potential gold mine.

"Yamashita-senpai, please check her leg."

Shisui pointed to the unconscious Yugito Nii. "The Two-Tails Jinchuriki is an important bargaining chip. We can't let her die." The Two-Tails' chakra had stopped the bleeding, but the wound hadn't fully healed. Shisui had suppressed the Two-Tails' power with his eye technique, and without its chakra for continued healing, Yugito Nii was in bad shape.

"Can you heal her without her going berserk?"

Yakushi Nono squatted down, examining Yugito Nii carefully.

"Don't worry! She won't be able to."

Shisui pressed a hand to his eye. Controlling the Two-Tails seemed easy, but it had put a heavy strain on his eyes. Still, if it meant ending the war sooner, he was willing to make that sacrifice. But... it's a shame that Sozuke couldn't fight at full strength.

"Uchiha Madara..."

He silently repeated the name in his mind. Though the man claiming to be Madara was almost certainly not the real Uchiha Madara, borrowing the name stirred unease about the lurking danger in the shadows.

The Cloud Ninjas were not the most terrifying enemy!

The real threat wasn't the Cloud, which was only taking advantage of Konoha's temporary weakness. Besides their abundant manpower, the Cloud didn't have any other significant advantages.

Even the so-called "Perfect Jinchuriki" couldn't shine under the Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan. In the face of Susano'o, even a Perfect Jinchuriki must bow.

As for the Fourth Raikage,

He was strong,

But in Shisui's view, he wasn't as formidable as the deceased Third Raikage. From what he had learned from his elders, the Third Raikage was a monster who could physically withstand a Tailed Beast Bomb and various S-rank techniques, even forbidden ones. His body had been honed to inhuman levels.

In comparison, the Fourth Raikage was faster, but his speed wasn't unmatched. Unlike his father, he didn't have any overwhelming, nearly invincible trait. He wasn't that hard to deal with—certainly not as troublesome as the Third Raikage.

The true threat to the Uchiha, aside from the Senju, was another Uchiha.

With the Senju clan in decline,

The only real threat left to the Uchiha was... the Uchiha themselves. Now, this man claiming to be Madara, who was likely an Uchiha thought to be dead, had become their greatest threat.

To guard against this hidden enemy, Sozuke had held back his full strength. Although he appeared to use Susano'o, it wasn't the complete version. Even his Mangekyo eye technique remained unused.

Speaking of which, Shisui still didn't know what Sozuke's other Mangekyo Sharingan ability was. He only knew it was completely different from his own [Kotoamatsukami], unlike Shisui's sole ability.

"...Alright, she won't be able to move for a while, but her injuries won't worsen—assuming she behaves herself." Yakushi Nono finished treating Chiyo Uchiha's wounds. As for Yugito Nii, her condition had already been stabilized earlier.

At this moment,

Yugito Nii was bound by Juri's ink serpents and strapped to the back of a donkey.

Shisui glanced at her awkward position on the donkey, hesitated for a moment, then decided not to comment. As long as she was alive to be used for negotiations with the Cloud, that was enough.

"Chiyo, how are you feeling?"

Shisui shifted his focus to Uchiha Chiyo to distract himself.

"It still hurts. I won't be able to engage in intense combat for now," Uchiha Chiyo replied truthfully.

"Leave the rest to me. Don't worry about fighting anymore."

Shisui then turned to Kakashi and Ringo Ameyuri, asking about their condition and similarly advising them to leave everything to him. Kakashi sighed softly under his mask. He wasn't strong enough. Even though Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Sozuke were younger than him, their strength far surpassed his.

After cleaning up the battlefield and tending to everyone's injuries,

The group set off again, heading toward the Cloud ninja command center, which had been under Juri's surveillance the whole time. This time, unlike before, Shisui charged ahead alone, with the others following behind, witnessing the power of Shunshin.

Numbers meant little to Shisui.

Unless the enemy had someone of equal strength or an army of thousands to swarm him—like how the Stone used ten thousand ninja to wear down the Third Raikage—the Cloud had no hope. Their forces lacked both those conditions, so it was no surprise that Shisui cut through them with ease.

Even a fast hippo couldn't outrun Shisui.

As for the idea of scattering the Cloud's command staff, it wouldn't matter. Without the ability to rally their forces, their vast army on the front lines would be vulnerable to Konoha's strategy of divide and conquer.

This was something the Cloud's strategists understood. After facing off against the Nara clan of Konoha for so long, they knew how formidable they were. Konoha's resilience came not only from their higher overall quality and the greater number of elite fighters but also from the immense contributions of the Nara clan.

"We have no way out."

"That's obvious."

"Even so, someone needs to say it."

"Does saying it help?"

"It makes it clear that silence is no longer an option. We have three choices: fight to the death, flee, or surrender. What will it be?" The Cloud's brightest minds, now grim-faced and despondent, sat in a wooden house atop a hippo.

The situation had spiraled into their worst nightmare.

Yugito Nii had been defeated, captured alive by the Konoha ninja, and their command post couldn't escape Konoha's pursuit. Now, they were being chased, and the hundreds of Cloud ninja defending them couldn't withstand the onslaught of just one Konoha ninja.

Shisui had only used the first stage of Susano'o, along with his Sharingan illusions and airborne sword slashes, to crush this group of Cloud ninjas who lacked true top-tier fighters.

The result sent chills down many spines.

Just one person had fought against their hundreds, leaving them completely unable to resist. Even Mao He Ma was so frightened that he didn't dare to move.

The strategist who had mentioned the "three choices" looked at his fellow officers and sighed deeply, "Everyone, let's face reality! No matter how frustrated you feel, it won't help in this situation. The Konoha ninja outside hasn't given us much time."

"Has the message been sent to Lord Raikage?"

"It has. The Konoha ninja didn't stop it, probably because he's happy to let it happen."

"So, does that mean Konoha doesn't plan to annihilate us completely?"

"Annihilate us completely? That's impossible!"

"Who said it's impossible? Haven't you seen how powerful that Konoha ninja outside is? If Konoha is willing to pay the price, wiping out most of our army might not be easy, but eliminating eighty to ninety percent of our forces is definitely possible."

"You coward, you're scared out of your mind..."

The furious strategist slammed the table and stood up, but before he could finish his sentence, a flash of cold light pierced through his chest. Blood splattered onto the wooden walls, and as the others watched, the blade was pulled out of the corpse and flew to the door, landing in a pale hand.

Shisui, holding the sword, walked into the room.

The Cloud ninjas outside had all been taken care of by him. Of course, he didn't kill all of them. Due to time constraints, many were knocked out by genjutsu, some were seriously injured and unable to move, and a small portion were too scared to approach but didn't dare flee either, only circling aimlessly at a safe distance. Shisui couldn't be bothered to chase them down, as they posed no real threat.

After clearing the obstacles, only the strategists in the room were left.

After killing the one who was spouting nonsense and appeared to be a hardline opponent, Shisui stopped at the doorway. He didn't press the remaining people any further. "My time is limited, and so is my patience. Please give me an answer quickly—are you going to surrender or not?"

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the sword, which was still dripping with blood.

Fear took root in their hearts, but no one spoke. For them, being the first to suggest surrender was something they desperately wanted to avoid. As for refusing to surrender and choosing to fight to the death… they were smart enough to understand that this battle was already lost. Many of them believed their village still needed them, and it was better to survive and be useful in the future than to die here.

"Sigh! Lord Uchiha, we... surrender!"

Before Shisui's patience completely ran out, someone finally spoke up. It was an elder who appeared to be over fifty years old. His eyes were filled with deep despair and helplessness. As he uttered the word "surrender," his heart twisted in pain, wishing he could have died in the battle outside.

But,

He couldn't.

He understood that staying alive was more useful than dying. With the battle already lost, they could still form a functional command structure and lead the Cloud forces to end this unwinnable war as quickly as possible. He believed that even Lord Raikage wouldn't insist on fighting to the death against Konoha at this point.

The Konoha ninja hadn't killed them because they wanted to end the war as quickly as possible. After all, even if Cloud lost its command, its sheer numbers would still pose a challenge. Konoha might eventually win, but the price would be high.

Of course,

He knew that no matter the reason, by surrendering, he would inevitably become a target of hatred and scorn from his fellow villagers. Even if Lord Raikage wanted to protect him, it might not help. And who knew if Lord Raikage would even bother? But with Tutai around, he hoped the fallout wouldn't affect his family.

"Everything is for the village!"

He closed his eyes and then reopened them, deciding not to dwell on what the future might hold. For now, he was focused on the present—minimizing the losses so that they wouldn't lose everything.