This matter wasn't meant to be known by a fourth party, which was why only Minato, Shimizu, and Jiraiya had been present.
Yet Shisui's sudden interjection didn't feel out of place at all—in fact, it seemed to bring them closer to the truth.
"Shisui, are you certain?" Jiraiya asked seriously.
"Yes. I'm certain."
"A skilled Uchiha genjutsu user can accomplish something like this," Shisui replied, meeting Jiraiya's gaze without hesitation. "As long as a 'trigger' is planted in advance within the target, the genjutsu can activate automatically when the right conditions are met…"
"I've never heard of genjutsu that powerful," Jiraiya said, frowning as he searched his memories.
"The last person capable of using this level of genjutsu was my grandfather—Uchiha Kagami."
"I see… Kagami-senpai…" Jiraiya murmured.
Kagami had lived during the era of the First Great Ninja War and had fallen in battle during that time. Back then, Jiraiya hadn't even become a shinobi yet, so he naturally knew little about the man.
"So you're saying an Uchiha cast this induced genjutsu on Shimizu?" Jiraiya speculated. "Who could it be?"
"I don't recognize the caster…"
"You saw him?!"
"…Yes. In the instant I made eye contact with the Nine-Tails, I glimpsed a scene where the caster was using genjutsu on Lady Kushina. It was only for a moment, but I'm certain he was a member of the Uchiha clan. However… I've never seen him in the village before."
Shimizu spoke up immediately. "Was he an old man?"
"No… he looked to be around fifty, about the same age as the Hokage."
That… couldn't be right.
The only person who had ever cast Sharingan genjutsu on him was Madara, a man who had been on the verge of death.
And hadn't he already broken free of that suggestion?
So how had it still taken effect?
"A roughly fifty-year-old Uchiha who's never appeared before…" Jiraiya muttered, unable to make sense of it. Then he turned to Shisui with a stern expression. "This matter cannot be told to anyone."
"Anyone—no exceptions. Understood?"
"Understood!"
"Good…" Jiraiya paused, then added, "Also, we need to talk about your little eavesdropping stunt just now…"
Shisui's information had effectively cleared Shimizu of suspicion, proving that he had indeed been influenced by a powerful external force, which led to that extreme action.
No—this couldn't even be called a "mistake" anymore.
At least for now, Konoha absolutely could not admit that they had ambushed and killed the Third Raikage. Instead, they had to frame it as seeing through Kumogakure's scheme and turning it against them.
Otherwise, Konoha would be placed at a severe diplomatic disadvantage.
Regardless of the truth, they had to seize the moral high ground first—even if that "truth" had to be bent.
Because in the end, all of this would become bargaining chips in future political negotiations.
"…Now that things have come to this, we can only push forward," Jiraiya said, trying to reassure Shimizu. "Don't dwell on it too much."
"Back when the Second Hokage died, Konoha never got the chance to settle the score with them either…"
In the official account, the Second Hokage had died at the hands of Kumogakure's Kinkaku and Ginkaku Force.
But no one sighed over it now. The death of the Third Raikage was already a fact—regret and fear would accomplish nothing. It was far more important to think ahead, to anticipate the consequences this might bring and prepare accordingly.
For instance, with the Raikage gone, would Kumogakure lose all restraint and launch a full-scale war against Konoha?
"They're already stretched thin dealing with Iwagakure and Kirigakure. They won't have the capacity to wage war against us," Minato said calmly. "If they do, it would only be after those threats are resolved."
"Right. Which means they don't have the bandwidth to press us over the Raikage's death right now," Jiraiya added, recalling the humiliating peace treaty the old man had signed. "In that case, if relations between our countries collapse, we might even reclaim the annual tribute from the Land of Waterfall."
"Mm… and with the Two-Tails' jinchūriki still in the village…"
"Hahaha, I'm just talking. Let the higher-ups in Konoha worry about those headaches."
"So what do we do with the eleven prisoners, including Dodai?" Minato asked.
"Shisui, can you use genjutsu to erase or alter their memories?" Jiraiya asked in a low voice. "If it's possible, then do it for now…"
"This won't stay hidden forever, but we can at least keep it under wraps for the time being. There's still a large Kumogakure force stationed outside Takigakure…"
"At the very least, we need to keep this quiet until we're out of danger."
"I'll… do my best," Shisui replied through clenched teeth.
"Good. Minato, take Shisui with you first…" Jiraiya gestured for Minato to leave immediately.
"Understood." Minato caught on at once and quickly departed with Shisui.
Jiraiya remained where he was, his gaze fixed on Shimizu. Shimizu met his eyes without flinching.
"There's nothing you're hiding from me, is there?"
"I was indeed under genjutsu."
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what?" Shimizu asked bluntly. "Are you wondering if I secretly contacted Madara? Or if that new technique came out of nowhere? What exactly are you suspicious of, Jiraiya-sama?"
"Ahahaha… of course not," Jiraiya laughed awkwardly, clearly struck at the core.
"…After something like this, if I don't make my stance clear, I doubt anyone in Konoha would stand by you," he added. "Even the old man will be under immense pressure. He might not support you."
"I know."
Jiraiya blinked in surprise. "You know? And you're still this calm?"
Seeing how composed Shimizu had been earlier, Jiraiya had assumed he simply didn't grasp the gravity of the situation.
"You think I'll become a missing-nin?"
"Ahahaha…" Jiraiya's face flushed slightly, his thoughts laid bare.
"I understand the situation. But I didn't do anything wrong, nor have I betrayed Konoha in any way. Or do you believe this is my fault?"
"…The act itself was carried out by you," Jiraiya admitted.
"I'm not a genjutsu specialist. And the one who cast it was Madara. I don't even know when I was placed under it."
"With an explanation like that… I'm afraid the higher-ups in Konoha won't accept it," Jiraiya sighed, helpless.
He knew very well that the true victim in all of this was Shimizu himself. Overnight, he had been pushed to the center of a political storm between two great nations—all because he had been manipulated by genjutsu.
Blame him?
Blame him for not matching Madara's genjutsu?
Blame him for being strong enough to kill the Third Raikage in a single ambush?
It was absurd.
Jiraiya had watched this young man grow step by step. Was he really supposed to just stand by and let him become another casualty of political maneuvering?
That was something Jiraiya simply couldn't accept.
He needed to understand what Shimizu truly thought—because that would determine how far he was willing to go to help him through this crisis.
And as for solutions… there were always ways, if one was willing to find them.
Perhaps the young shinobi before him wasn't the Child of Prophecy…
But he had appeared in the Great Toad Sage's prophetic dream.
And that dream seemed to hint that he would play a key role in ending this war.
Someone so important—how could he be reduced to a mere bargaining chip by Konoha's leadership?
The tragedy of the White Fang of Konoha had happened once.
Once was enough.