Naruto: Kakashi of the spider sage

The chase didn't last long before Kakashi and Shisui caught up to the person spying on them. The figure appeared to be an ordinary civilian, but Kakashi, being the faster of the two, tackled him to the ground with ease. Pinning the man down, Kakashi spoke in a calm yet commanding voice.

"Alright, let's make this easy for both of us. You're going to talk, or we're going to make you," Kakashi said, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

The captive, however, remained silent, his expression unreadable. Kakashi frowned, activating his Sharingan to force an interrogation, only to be met with an all-too-familiar sight— a curse mark on the man's tongue. His eyes narrowed. There was no mistaking it; this man was a Root operative.

"Tch, this just got more complicated," Kakashi muttered, realizing that standard interrogation techniques wouldn't work. The curse mark meant that any attempt to extract classified information would render the Root member mute or worse.

He sighed and raised a kunai, preparing to finish the man off before he could become a liability. Just then, Shisui intervened.

"Senpai, let me try something," he said confidently.

Kakashi, always open-minded when it came to Shisui's unique abilities, stepped aside to let him work. Shisui crouched down, bringing his face closer to the Root agent's.

"Look at me," he commanded. The captive struggled, but Shisui forcefully locked eyes with him.

The moment their gazes met, Shisui's Sharingan started to spin, forming a distinct pattern—one that had never been seen before by anyone in their generation. His voice became soft yet hypnotic as he spoke.

"We are your friends. When we ask you something, the information you give is not secret. You don't need to worry about the seal—it won't activate. Just talk like you normally would, like when you tell your mother you love her, when you curse your friend, or when you have an everyday conversation. What we ask will feel just as natural. No need to resist."

The Root member's eyes became unfocused as his body relaxed.

"Alright, Senpai. You can ask him now," Shisui said with a small smile.

Kakashi, though uncertain of what had just happened, trusted Shisui. He turned back to the Root agent. "Why are you in the capital?"

"Lord Danzo has had Root members stationed in the capital for as long as I can remember," the man responded without hesitation. "We are responsible for eliminating spies and anyone who disrupts the flow of things. If we have even the slightest doubt that someone is acting against the stability of the capital, we eliminate them."

Kakashi listened carefully. The Root agent continued.

"There is another reason we are here. Lord Danzo wanted to keep the Daimyo in check for the day he became Hokage. If the Daimyo didn't support him, he would be eliminated, just like the others."

Hearing this, Kakashi began piecing things together. The Root operative then dropped a bombshell.

"Two months ago, we received word that Danzo-sama had been killed. More and more Root members were sent to confirm what had happened, but none ever returned. Our operations began to fail, and many of the people we kept in check started slipping from our grasp, leading to the current situation. When I saw you arrive here, I assumed you were sent to eliminate the remaining Root members, so I fled. But who knew… we were friends all along."

Kakashi felt a chill run down his spine. Whatever genjutsu Shisui had used was beyond anything he had seen before.

"Can you summarize the overall situation?" Kakashi asked, keeping his tone neutral.

"In one word? Screwed," the Root agent replied bluntly.

"Care to elaborate?"

"For starters, my information is a month old. I couldn't take risks while I was alone, so I don't know what's happening now. Initially, we believed that the noble faction and Kaizo were supporting each other. But after further investigation, we realized they were backed by different factions. Kaizo received his support from the Land of Iron, but the noble faction… their backing remains unknown. However, we do know it has something to do with a rogue Kaguya who has been massacring villages."

Shisui's eyes widened in realization. "I knew it! I know where I saw that map before!"

He quickly rummaged through the documents of his cover mission, pulling out a map of the villages that had been attacked.

"Senpai, look at this!" He handed it to Kakashi.

Kakashi examined it closely. Something clicked in his mind. "Wait…" He took out the tunnel map he had drawn. "They match. Excluding any minor errors in my drawing, they are nearly identical. The four villages that were attacked are all along the tunnel's path."

"That's progress," Shisui said, nodding.

Kakashi turned back to the Root agent. "Anything else?"

"Regarding Kaizo, we confirmed that he has a contact in the capital. We don't know their identity, but we do know that every Thursday, when Kaizo visits the park with his guards, that's when the exchange happens. After that, all his movements change."

Kakashi filed this information away in his mind. "Anything else?"

The Root agent shook his head. Judging by his injuries, he wouldn't last more than a few minutes—an hour at most. Kakashi sighed, took out his kunai, and ended it quickly.

He exhaled deeply and turned to Shisui. "By the way, what was that?"

Shisui scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Oh, that was my Mangekyō Sharingan ability—Limited Kotoamatsukami. It's the ability of my left eye. It can temporarily alter a person's will. He would have returned to normal in a day or two."

Kakashi hummed in thought. "So, the Mangekyō Sharingan, huh? You said that was your left eye's ability. That means your right eye has a different one. Let me guess—you called it 'Limited' Kotoamatsukami, which means the other isn't limited, is it?"

Shisui chuckled nervously. "As expected of you, Senpai. Your observation skills are too sharp."

"Well, whatever you do, just don't try it on me," Kakashi said jockingly. "You seem to want to keep it a secret, so don't worry—I won't tell anyone."

Shisui smiled. "Thank you, Senpai."

Returning to the mission, Kakashi handed Shisui the map. "It's obvious that this tunnel leads to the Land of Fields. They're probably massacring villages to cover its construction. Use the map to predict the next attack and gather information before taking them down. I'll focus on uncovering Kaizo's contact in the capital."

"Understood, Senpai," Shisui said with a nod.

With that, both shinobi flickered away, each heading toward their next objective in unraveling the conspiracy that threatened the Land of Fire.