"In front of my eyes, your genjutsu is meaningless," Uchiha Itachi said coldly, staring at Kurenai Yuhi. Due to the rumors about Kurenai and Shishou, Itachi did not want to engage her in battle.
"Itachi, you'd better not touch her," Momochi Zabuza warned quietly. He also did not want to provoke Kurenai.
"Whether it's meaningful or not, we have to try to find out," Kurenai replied, moving cautiously toward Sasuke while keeping an eye on Itachi and Zabuza. She didn't intend to fight them but also couldn't abandon Uchiha Sasuke.
Even though her father had died in the Nine-Tails incident and she had seen the Sharingan in the fox's eyes, these were the grudges of the past, and Sasuke had nothing to do with them.
Seeing Kurenai's goal was Sasuke, Itachi squinted slightly and laughed. "That useless kid who can't even awaken his Sharingan is of no use to me now."
With that, he and Zabuza headed straight out of Konoha Village.
Kurenai didn't make any rash moves. She approached Sasuke and examined his injuries. "He was hit so hard!"
Seeing Sasuke's twisted arms, Kurenai bit her lip.
"Let me handle this," Shishou said, approaching Kurenai with disappointment since there wasn't a fight. Mikoto and Izumi had already been sent back to Fire Source City by his clone, and he needed to fulfill his promise to Itachi to heal Sasuke.
So, Itachi and Zabuza were scared off by him? Kurenai thought, seeing Shishou. She blushed and left, feeling a mixture of relief and embarrassment. Even though she wanted to see Shishou when he wasn't around, she couldn't face him when he was.
"I'll come to see you when I'm done with my tasks," Shishou said, watching Kurenai leave before looking at Sasuke and sighing. He squatted down and took Sasuke to Tsunade's house, where Shizune was studying.
"Who did this to him?" Shizune exclaimed in shock upon seeing Sasuke's injuries.
"Shizune, you set his bones, and I'll heal him," Shishou instructed.
Shizune nodded and began setting Sasuke's bones while Shishou restored his vitality. With their combined efforts, Sasuke's arms were soon as good as new.
"I'll take him back now. You keep studying," Shishou said, giving Shizune a quick kiss.
Blushing, Shizune nodded, aware of Shishou's busy schedule. Using the Flying Thunder God technique, Shishou returned Sasuke to his home.
Then, he went to his secret laboratory before heading back to Fire Source City.
...
In the afternoon.
"Sasuke!" Mikoto woke up abruptly on the bed. Seeing Shishou beside her, she quickly grabbed his hand, panicked. "Where's Sasuke? Have you seen Sasuke?"
Sighing, Shishou replied, "I was too late. Sasuke... he's already..."
Mikoto was stunned, feeling as if she had been struck by lightning.
"I don't believe it... I don't believe it..." She muttered, opening the door to search for Sasuke. As soon as she opened it, she saw 'Sasuke's' headless body in the courtyard and froze in disbelief.
"No!!!" Mikoto rushed to 'Sasuke's' body, holding his head and crying heart-wrenchingly.
"Itachi!" she screamed. "I'll kill you! Sasuke!"
Mikoto's grief and regret triggered her Sharingan to spin rapidly, forming a three-leaf clover pattern as she awakened her Mangekyou Sharingan upon witnessing 'Sasuke's' death.
"Isn't this too much?" Yugao asked quietly, coming up beside Shishou. She knew about Mikoto's identity and Shishou's goal. In fact, she was the one who suggested placing 'Sasuke's' body in Mikoto's courtyard.
With Anko driving out all the servants and maintaining the barrier around the mansion, Shishou sighed. "She needed this to awaken her eyes."
The 'Sasuke' Mikoto held was actually a White Zetsu transformed with the Transformation Jutsu, meant to stimulate Mikoto further. Shishou had also infused her with Uchiha Madara's bloodline power. If she still couldn't awaken her eyes, he would have had to continue infusing her with Madara's power until she did.
Fortunately, Mikoto finally awakened her Mangekyou Sharingan, saving him a lot of effort. Cultivating Madara's cells took a lot of time and energy.
Shishou knocked Mikoto out with a chop and carried her to her bedroom. "Clean that up," he said to Yugao, gesturing to 'Sasuke's' body.
"Got it, you heartless scoundrel," Yugao pouted as she carried 'Sasuke's' body away.
After Yugao left, Shishou went to Izumi's room, where the unconscious Izumi lay on the bed. Placing Mikoto beside her, he sat in a chair, keeping a careful watch over them.
After a while, Yugao returned with some food and asked softly, "How are they?"
Shishou shook his head and looked at the food in surprise. "Did you make this?"
"Yeah, just finished," Yugao replied, placing the food on the table before staying close to Shishou.
"What's wrong?" Shishou asked, eating and noticing Yugao's unusual behavior.
Yugao hesitated, her face turning red as she asked, "I want to get stronger."
With Mikoto and Izumi awakening their Mangekyou Sharingan, Yugao felt pressured to keep up.
"Alright, I'll help you get stronger once I'm done with my current tasks. In the meantime, focus on learning Sage Mode," Shishou agreed, not surprised by her request since Tsunade, Mei, and Yugito had all asked for the same.
Yugao smiled shyly but asked hesitantly, "What do you want me to do in return?"
Shishou was taken aback, unaccustomed to Yugao's sudden bashfulness.
"Nothing much," said a voice suddenly. It was Izumi, who had woken up and was watching them with a smile. "She just wants to be my sister."