After briefing Orochimaru inside the central command tent, Ishiki Kujo noticed something strange. The Sannin had taken everything in stride—offering no shock, no skepticism, and barely even questions. He simply waved them off with an order to bring Tokuma to another border camp, where they could seek help from Shisui.
The lack of reaction made Ishiki uneasy.
Something was off. Was this really Orochimaru?
A glance with the Saint's Right Eye confirmed it: it was Orochimaru—but a shadow clone.
That made things more suspicious. What game was Orochimaru playing?
Pushing the thought aside, Ishiki didn't linger. He left the camp quickly, carrying Tokuma with him.
Once they'd vanished, Orochimaru's clone smiled faintly. "If I've timed it right... it's almost here."
Elsewhere, Ishiki had taken refuge on a tranquil lakeside along the border between the Land of Grass and the Land of Earth.
In the past two days, he'd learned how to regulate ozone repair. If left unattended, Heavy Weather would spread hundreds of kilometers every hour. Within a day, it could cover the entire Land of Grass.
By filling the ozone layer every thirty minutes, Ishiki managed to confine Heavy Weather to a ten-kilometer radius.
Using shadow clones and President Turtle's summoning technique, he'd obtained several books from small villages across the Land of Fire. Unfortunately, most were useless—descriptions of weather, not explanations. It wasn't clear whether this was due to ignorance or lost knowledge.
Left to his own reasoning, Ishiki experimented with Weather Report's powers. Staring down at his map, new ideas were already forming...
Back in an isolated hideout, Obito Uchiha stood face-to-face with White Zetsu, who was now exhibiting signs of snailification once again.
"I need you to hit me with another genjutsu," White Zetsu said flatly.
Obito frowned. Why hadn't the last one worked?
"You're changing again," Zetsu pointed to Obito's stomach—already softening into snail flesh. Obito hadn't noticed.
"What!? That's impossible!" Obito shouted in panic. "I used Izanagi, and reinforced it with a mental suggestion! How can I be affected again?!"
Izanagi was supposed to cancel all negative effects. That much was certain.
Unless...
Obito's expression froze.
The rainbow.
He had seen it again after using Izanagi.
That was it.
Seeing the rainbow implanted a subliminal suggestion into the subconscious: "I am a snail." Given time, that belief distorted the body. And at night, even Sharingan users might fail to notice.
What a terrifying, insidious jutsu!
But now, Obito was sure he understood it.
"Don't approach Ishiki Kujo. Don't look at any rainbows," he ordered, quickly forming seals.
This time, he unleashed a stronger genjutsu—one that could, in theory, rewrite the very foundation of one's subconscious. He'd force himself to believe he was human.
Ten minutes later, both he and Zetsu looked at each other again.
Snail features had returned.
"Your genjutsu... isn't strong enough," said Zetsu bluntly. "I can't override the suggestion. Even telling myself I'm human doesn't help."
"I know," Obito growled, face twisted.
His Mangekyō Sharingan wasn't built for genjutsu. And even so, it wasn't enough to beat that jutsu.
"Izanagi can remove the symptoms, but I can't use that for you."
"I'll manage for now. The transformation's slowed," Zetsu muttered. "But we need someone with truly powerful genjutsu—someone who can reach deep enough to cancel this subliminal curse. Otherwise, next time we face Kujo, we'll be out of options."
Obito nodded grimly.
"Nagato. Shisui Uchiha."
Only two came to mind. One held the Rinnegan, the other was Konoha's genjutsu prodigy.
Nagato was out of the question—his Rinnegan was part of a bigger plan. But Shisui…
During the Third Great Ninja War, Shisui had earned the name Shunshin no Shisui, terrorizing the Kirigakure front. Even Ao—the sensor ninja who once challenged the Byakugan—fled at the mere sight of him.
Recently, even Kumogakure had issued covert directives because of Shisui's overwhelming reputation.
Obito had once admired him.
But admiration wasn't enough.
I'll take his eyes. Obito thought coldly.
If he could claim even one of Shisui's Sharingan, he could cast a genjutsu strong enough to reverse the snail curse. If not, at least the eye would grant him two more Izanagi activations.
"Shisui is stationed at the main border camp between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain," Zetsu said.
"I'm done," Zetsu added, voice heavier. "I'll have to seal myself with genjutsu until this curse wears off. Another Zetsu will support you."
"Thanks," Obito replied quietly, looking at the companion who had followed him through so much.
He didn't say more—but his resolve was steel.
Once I get Shisui's eyes… I'll end this.