When Uchiha Kagami left the mental space, not much time had passed in reality. Genjutsu works by affecting the chakra in the brain, and while chakra allows for some miraculous effects, physical effects still exist.
Due to the brain's perception of time, the time in the genjutsu world may not perfectly align with reality. The higher the level of genjutsu, the more this is possible. For example, Itachi Uchiha's genjutsu, Tsukuyomi, allows for three days and three nights to pass in the genjutsu world, yet only an instant in reality.
Uchiha Kagami immediately reverted his Mangekyo Sharingan to a regular Sharingan. Although not much time had passed in reality, the time in the genjutsu world was still sustained by the Mangekyo Sharingan, which consumed a significant amount of chakra.
The Mangekyo Sharingan possesses incredibly powerful abilities, but it might be too powerful even for Uchiha clan members. Even bodies most suited for the Sharingan still feel the burden of using it. Madara was exhausted the first time he used the Mangekyo Sharingan, and only gradually improved as his chakra increased and his body matured.
Uchiha Kagami was already in his prime ninja years, and aside from the initial discomfort of using the Mangekyo Sharingan for the first time, he had recovered significantly. In comparison, the younger Uchiha Ken might feel the physical burden of using the Mangekyo Sharingan more easily.
"Is it over?" Roshi came to his senses. When the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan invaded his mental world, he only felt a dizzying sensation. He didn't know how much time had passed, but when he felt better, he saw Uchiha Kagami close his eyes.
"Yes," Uchiha Kagami nodded slightly. "Thank you for your cooperation."
"I should thank you too. I was quite worried earlier that you might use the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan to pry for information or control me," Roshi replied.
While genjutsu is mysterious, those caught in it always feel something. They might be disoriented during the genjutsu, but once they recover, they will understand what happened, whether they were controlled or deceived.
Only Uchiha Shisui's Kotoamatsukami, a genjutsu from a grandson of Uchiha Kagami whose existence in later generations is uncertain, could make people perceive implanted thoughts as their own, without arousing suspicion. While a person could still change their mind through their own reasoning, ultimately, such self-correction would require external factors to influence them; otherwise, changing their mind wouldn't be easy.
And for outsiders, without sufficiently strong dōjutsu or several hours of searching with ordinary mental secret techniques, it would be impossible to discover any clues.
Therefore, Roshi could confirm that Uchiha Kagami had not used the Mangekyo Sharingan to try and control him or extract information. For someone from an enemy ninja village, Uchiha Kagami's actions were remarkably magnanimous, leaving Roshi with an indescribable feeling.
Jinchuriki have always been ostracized and lived in an environment lacking love. Therefore, as long as someone shows them affection, jinchuriki are willing to reciprocate. Just as Gaara became Naruto's steadfast companion after being saved by Naruto, the root of which was Naruto rescuing Gaara from his self-inflicted torment during the Chunin Exams.
Although Roshi was an enemy, he couldn't help but be moved by the goodwill of the Hidden Leaf Village. Thinking about his own ruthless actions against the Hidden Leaf Village during this time, he suddenly felt a pang of shame.
"I wanted to, but for certain reasons, we still don't want our relationship with your Hidden Stone Village to worsen, so we didn't do that," Uchiha Kagami replied. "But don't forget, you've killed many of our ninja. Although it's wartime, and you were just following orders, we can somewhat understand that. But you are the invaders."
Hearing this, Roshi was momentarily speechless, unable to offer a defense.
Acting according to the village's orders on the battlefield is a necessary moral code for a ninja, and there is nothing to criticize about that. However, whether the orders followed are correct is still a question. The Hidden Stone Village, no matter how one looks at it, is a village that violates righteousness and invades other countries.
Roshi had never understood what righteousness was; he simply followed the ninja village's orders for his own sake. However, in the genjutsu world, he vaguely heard the conversation between Uchiha Kagami and the Four-Tails Son Goku. He didn't hear it perfectly, but he learned some of the things the Hidden Leaf Village upheld.
This might be what every Hidden Leaf ninja upheld during the war. Roshi recalled the unyielding gazes of the Hidden Leaf ninja he had seen in the past. Although their strength wasn't great, their conviction had moved Roshi somewhat. He hadn't understood before, but now he seemed to understand a little.
"Rest well, and don't struggle. If you accidentally injure your meridians, we'll have to get someone to help treat you," Uchiha Kagami said.
Then, everyone left. Uchiha Kagami ordered the guards to keep a close watch on the jinchuriki and returned with the others. Hatake Sakumo then spoke, "Kagami-sensei, are we sending him to Masaki-sensei next?"
"Ah, your sensei wants to have a good talk with the Tailed Beast inside him. If there's any progress, it might greatly help boost the village's power," Uchiha Kagami said.
The others didn't quite understand, but Asuna was pensive. Because she could use Sage Mode, she had some knowledge of its research. She understood that her father believed there was a conversion relationship between natural energy and chakra, and the Tailed Beasts' revival and vast chakra source came from natural energy. Her father's goal in talking to the Tailed Beasts might be to find the key to this relationship.
Fumori Masaki had been dedicated to lowering the requirements for learning Sage Mode over the years and had even outlined several stages for its mastery. Fumori Masaki was undoubtedly at the forefront of humanity, even some old figures in the Three Great Sage Regions might not be able to compare to him, yet he couldn't find the threshold for a higher level.
Fumori Masaki believed that the Six Paths Sage Mode was the highest stage of Sage Mode — perhaps there was an even higher one, but for now, the Six Paths Sage was the highest standard — and according to the scriptures of Ninshu, after the Six Paths Sage, those who could reach these stages were all descendants of the Six Paths Sage; no ordinary person had ever reached that level.
Originally, the Sage Mode was an imitation of the Six Paths Sage's Sage Body, initiated by the Six Paths Sage and popularized by Asura. Even so, very few people mastered it, and even those who did mostly couldn't approach the level of Asura and other Six Paths descendants. Six Paths descendants had an inherent advantage in this regard.
However, even with Sage bloodline, it's not that no one has ever come close. In the ninja world, there have been those who, with the strength of ordinary people, approached and even surpassed Kekkei Genkai, but that required countless efforts and sacrifices to achieve.
Moreover, at the current stage, no matter how powerful an ordinary person is, it is difficult to approach the Six Paths realm. Only Might Guy in later generations, with the immense power of the Eight Gates Released Formation, vaguely touched a corner of the Six Paths realm.
However, regarding the unknown Six Paths realm, probably no one wouldn't be curious. Asuna also hoped that her father could indeed find some clues from the Tailed Beasts, and find the criteria for entering the Six Paths realm.
For now, Fumori Masaki could confidently say that within the human realm, he was the closest person to the Six Paths Sage. Asuna, with her innate talent, hadn't been able to catch up to her father in Sage Mode training; there was still a long way to go. If ranked according to Fumori Masaki's classification, Asuna's current level was approximately equivalent to Naruto Uzumaki's Perfect Sage Mode.
Fumori Masaki's Sage Mode was even more formidable; he had even grasped some of the relationship between natural energy and chakra, thus enabling him to imbue natural energy with nature transformation. In battle, this made him even more unpredictable. Pure natural energy was already terrifying, and with nature transformation, it was practically silent and always hit its mark.
"Once we capture the jinchuriki, Onoki must be furious. The Hokage will hold him off, and we will be responsible for the counterattack here. Sakumo, the mission to escort Roshi is crucial. You and another squad will take the fast route. I'll take command here. Even if the Hidden Stone ninja pursue, it will certainly be small units," Uchiha Kagami said.
"Understood," Hatake Sakumo nodded slightly. "Who will be cooperating with us, I wonder?"
"It's Ken Uchiha's squad, isn't it?" Mizuki raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at her father. "Although there are sealing jutsu to ensure safety, if the Tailed Beast really goes berserk, having a Mangekyo Sharingan user there means we don't have to worry about it truly rampaging, right?"
Although Mizuki also possessed a Sharingan, it was only a normal one, capable of suppressing a certain degree of Tailed Beast chakra at most. If a Tailed Beast truly rampaged without restraint, a normal Sharingan couldn't suppress it; only the Mangekyo Sharingan could. Since Uchiha Kagami, as the commander, had to stay here, only the other Mangekyo Sharingan user could be dispatched.
Because of his excellent performance in the Battle of the River Country, Uchiha Ken's Mangekyo Sharingan was no secret to those in high positions. Mizuki and the others, due to their relationship with Uchiha Kagami, naturally knew that Uchiha Ken possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan. He was indeed the one who could replace Uchiha Kagami.
"Is it him? Then there's no problem; his strength is also very great." Hatake Sakumo, hearing this, recalled Uchiha Ken's performance in the Battle of the River Country and couldn't help but feel a chill. The Black Flames and the ability to control them were truly terrifying, especially the Black Flame arrows shot at the puppet army. Both their speed and power were top-notch.
Hatake Sakumo recalled the scene he witnessed at the time and couldn't be sure if he could have escaped safely if that arrow had been aimed at him. Once even a tiny bit of that Black Flame touched him, if he didn't use a sealing jutsu or cut off the contaminated area before the Black Flame spread, he would simply be burned to death.
If it was just the natural spread speed of the Black Flames, perhaps the threat wouldn't be particularly great; concentrating a large amount of chakra could block it for a while. But if Uchiha Ken used his ability to control the Black Flames, even a tiny bit could probably spread in the blink of an eye, which would truly mean death.
The Mangekyo Sharingan, unlike a normal Sharingan, truly possesses terrifying abilities. Hatake Sakumo considered himself stronger than most ninja from Kekkei Genkai clans, but the Uchiha truly live up to their status as descendants of the Six Paths Sage. Once their power fully awakens, it's not something that can be easily caught up to.
"You all plan the route carefully and discuss it thoroughly with them. Good luck, you must deliver the jinchuriki to Masaki," Uchiha Kagami said, patting Hatake Sakumo's shoulder with earnest words.
"Yes," Hatake Sakumo replied.
At the same time, a letter from the Hidden Stone ninja was delivered to the Third Tsuchikage Onoki at the fastest speed. Onoki, upon seeing the letter, knocked over the teacup beside him, which shattered with a bang.
Afterward, everyone inside and outside the room heard Onoki's furious cursing. Everyone could understand Onoki's feelings; as a ninja village's weapon, the loss of a jinchuriki would have a huge impact on the village. Although the Hidden Stone Village had two, they couldn't afford such a loss.
"Give them orders! They are to reclaim the jinchuriki at all costs! Launch an attack in the shortest possible time! It will be troublesome if they transfer the Tailed Beast!" Onoki commanded.
Onoki's biggest worry was that the Hidden Leaf Village would transfer the Tailed Beast inside Roshi to someone else. Other ninja villages might have to carefully consider who is suitable to be a jinchuriki, but the Hidden Leaf Village has many Uzumaki clan members and no shortage of people with jinchuriki-like constitutions.
"Yes, yes." The ANBU received the order and, without the slightest delay, immediately rushed to deliver the letter to the camp there, instructing them to swiftly take action to reclaim the jinchuriki.
Onoki had originally wanted to go himself, but thinking of Fumori Masaki in the nearby camp, he felt a headache coming on. The other party had been pestering him these days, neither fighting him to a decisive victory nor letting him leave. He couldn't go, and the other party wasn't willing to settle the score, it was pure torment.
Just as Onoki was anxious, Fumori Masaki received the letter almost simultaneously and immediately broke into a smile. He had been waiting for good news. He didn't think Uchiha Kagami, who leaned towards genjutsu abilities, would fail to capture a jinchuriki. As he expected, Roshi was easily captured.
"So Sakumo's squad and Uchiha Ken's squad are bringing Roshi over. This team can be trusted." Fumori Masaki looked at Uchiha Kagami's personnel arrangements in the letter and nodded slightly. This concentrated the rising stars of the Hidden Leaf Village's younger generation, making the possibility of them being intercepted very low.
"However, still be careful. Next, we need to keep Onoki and them thoroughly entangled so they can't leave," Fumori Masaki whispered.