To Marcus Dammin, no Genshin Crossover for this fanfiction.

When Shirou awoke, he found himself staring up at a cold dark ceiling.

It took him a few minutes to slowly recover his cognitive facilities, and soon, he slowly started taking in his surroundings.

There wasn't anything much to figure out. The four grey walls stared back at him the moment Shirou observed them.

Obviously, there must've been people behind those one-way mirrors watching his every move.

They didn't hold back on the preventive measures, judging from the mind-boggling number of seals on his white garb, along with the manacles limiting him to the vicinity of the table.

Shirou was worried.

Sure, there were times someone locked away his ability to use magecraft, but not to the point that he couldn't even feel his prana circuits. Normally, he should've at least been able to feel an undercurrent going through them.

I've been drugged.

It wasn't obvious, but subtle signs in his mind pointed to that conclusion. It was as if his mind was thinking slower than it normally did, triggering warning signs for him.

With no way of dealing with the problem, Shirou returned to sleep.

…

Only to awaken a few hours later as someone entered the chamber.

The man had spiky gray hair, a headband covering one eye, and a professional air around him.

Shirou slowly absorbed the details of his guest, along with the object they carried.

Icha Icha Paradise Volume 13.

God forbid Shirou ever state the name of another book from that series ever again.

Even worse, it was the one volume he randomly picked to include in his letter.

"I see that you recognize the book." The Copycat Nin, Kakashi Hatake stated.

"It was necessary." Shirou replied, remembering the horrifying days when he kept it a secret from the girls.

Heinrich would've been disappointed, but what scared Shirou more was what Eugen would do, and how he would explain it to Lunea.

The ANBU commander quietly closed the book, locking his eye on him. Shirou stared back, fully knowing that Kakashi needed his Sharingan uncovered in order for it to produce an effect.

A few moments passed by. Shirou sat, waiting for the shinobi to ask questions.

"Why?"

It was a simple question, but proving the answer would be difficult, even for Shirou.

He was a criminal with a fairly sizeable bounty on his head, significantly ahead of other A-ranks in the Bingo Book. Most of his bounty was inflated by his connection to the infamous organization. Said organization being the Akatsuki, an elite band of mercenaries that stood amongst the very top of the criminal underworld.

Even worse, his organization just unleashed a devastating attack on the village, not only attacking the Hokage, but also causing widespread destruction, loss of life, and crippling the economy momentarily.

He had two choices here.

His answer…

Or Pein's plan.

It would be more likely for them to believe him if he used Pein's plan to build from.

He only knew the bare minimum, but with enough guesswork and examination of the events prior to Konoha's assault, Shirou could cobble just enough to make the Konoha ninja believe him.

Or so he hoped. Shirou was used to winging situations, but getting captured was a first, even for him.

His distrust of magi and the risk of his reality marble made sure that Shirou worked equally on both the practical and theoretical application of his magecraft, up to and including the ability to exert traces of his prana, nearly a trickle, enough to help him bypass even Rin's best efforts during their training.

That was with Zelretch's support, who gave her access to all the Clocktower's sealing arrays and other similar tools.

Which meant Shirou never got captured in his previous life, except for the events during the Holy Grail War. But that was against servants of an impossible caliber.

"Because I wanted to leave. Being part of Akatsuki is a life sentence. Leaving wasn't a choice."

Shirou hardened his gaze at the ANBU commander.

"At least this way, I have a better chance of saving us than getting killed once they begin phase three."

"Us?"

"Me and Lunea weren't originally members, Akatsuki kidnapped us after learning of our capabilities."

Kakashi betrayed no emotion, mentally cataloging the information. He stared impassively as he continued. "What is Phase Three?"

"The Gedo Mazo's preparation by gathering the nine Bijuu for revival. Akatsuki intends to collect all Jinchuuriki and reform that monster." Shirou gritted through his teeth, real emotion showing through his eyes.

"If I can get my friend away from them, I will be free to make an attempt on the Gedo Mazo, destroying the abomination before it could start reviving."

"Then wouldn't attacking Konoha just make it difficult later? Was pushing ROOT and Danzo out of Amegakure that important? After that day, you've all been ranked at the top of the bounty list. Every village will be keeping an eye on Akatsuki now."

Shirou hummed. So, they were now considered the most dangerous threat around? That brought its own pros and cons. For one, it would make the Bijuu collection harder, only helping him and Pein. But on the other hand, it meant putting his friends at risk. Lunea and the sisters would be in more danger.

"Knowing Pein, I doubt he wanted to assault Konoha. Tobi must've forced the issue…but what for…" Shirou considered the possibilities, but he didn't have a clue about Tobi's other goals.

"Tobi. So that was the name of the man who attempted to release the Kyuubi on Konoha years ago. How is he able to force your leader to follow his idea?" Kakashi pushed the issue. He needed to know more, and the teenage Akatsuki member was a veritable treasure trove of information that nobody else had.

"Because he was the last founding member of Akatsuki. It was him who came to Pein with the proposal to make an S-ranked organization to fulfill their plans. Pein wanted Amegakure, Tobi wanted to revive the Gedo Mazo."

Kakashi's eyes furrowed. The first time Shirou caught an expression from the stoic captain.

"I shall visit you at a later time to discuss more. Don't attempt to escape or else we will strike you down."

Kakashi stood in the backroom, watching the other people discuss the new revelations.

Only a select few remained, those with the approval of the Hokage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Itachi Uchiha.

Shikaku Nara.

Even Danzo Shimura was there, brought by Hiruzen.

The only person missing was Jiraiya, but that was because he was busy scouting out Amegakure. He had been sent a message by Minato about the Akatsuki member's awakening via toad summons and should be on his way back now.

"It matches Jiraiya's findings."

Kakashi looked over at his former jounin-sensei. He knew what Minato was talking about. One week after the Konoha assault, Jiraiya left to track down the coordinates that Pein sent him. Upon returning, the master spy shared the information.

The message he found carried little information, mostly Pein's willingness to help the recovery of Konoha after dealing with "problems" on his side. He explained that it was a cover, so that the other faction would be kept in the dark. No other information was shared, except for a warning to protect Konoha's jinchuuriki.

It was simple to connect Shirou's answer with the information they had. Pein suggested an internal conflict, and his desire to assist Konoha afterwards. From the looks of things, there was an ongoing rift in the organization, one that Pein wanted to handle alone. Shirou's words only reinforced this fact, introducing the perpetrator of the idea to assault Konoha, the very same man who tried to unleash the Kyuubi on them. The fact that Shirou knew his leader was forced, and that the jinchuuriki were targets for an even more dangerous threat, only solidified his position as their sole source of information about the real situation behind Akatsuki.

Jiraiya needed to hear this, and fast.

"So, it was true. Jiraiya said that he taught his students the way of the leaf. To think they were dealing with a threat as dangerous as the masked man." Shikaku uttered.

"Itachi, you say that this man was interested in you and Shisui correct?" Hiruzen asked the ANBU's second-in-command.

"I have not met him yet, but Shisui says that he is keeping an eye on us for our similarities which could only mean that he has a vested interest in the Mangekyou Sharingan. He also mentions that this Tobi finds Shisui and his Mangekyou rather weak compared to mine and his."

"Your opinion, Danzo? This is your specialty, and your chance to contribute to the damages ROOT has brought on Konoha." Hiruzen turned to his old companion. The man's organization was the reason behind the attack on Konoha, and wanted him to take part in the efforts to recover.

"Tobi is easily the most dangerous member in Akatsuki, forcing even Jiraiya's students to follow his plan. The rest of the organization are clearly just following Pein, or are underneath Tobi's faction, judging from what we know." Danzo quickly summarized his thoughts.

"The other hidden villages are watching us. They smell weakness. We need to attack Akatsuki if we want to salvage the situation."

"You know that's not possible at the current state the village is in, and that we've signed a non-aggression pact with Akatsuki." Minato answered.

A puff of smoke appeared beside Minato, followed by a medium-sized toad. The toad widened its mouth, spitting out Jiraiya.

"I came as soon as I got your message Minato. Is the kid really awake?"

"Yes, and more importantly, he has crucial information about the state of affairs inside Akatsuki."

When food arrived a few hours later, it came with company.

Shirou's eyes darted up as an opening appeared, and a large hairy man entered carrying a bowl of…

Ramen?

A steaming hot bowl of ramen was placed beside him while the man in question moved back a few steps. Taking the offered food, Shirou looked at it suspiciously.

"I hope you're not planning to poison me."

"It wouldn't help anybody if you died on us."

Shirou gave his thanks and picked up the food, digging into the meal.

"So, what do we need to secure your cooperation?"

Shirou paused, looking up at him. The man known as the Great Toad Sannin, Jiraiya, was giving him an offer.

"I'm surprised you didn't choose to interrogate me, considering we attacked Konoha."

"For one, we find cooperation better than forcing the issue. You were pretty straightforward with your messages, and we believe an agreement could be hashed out."

How very kind of them. Konoha's reputation for being soft had reached his ears at one point, but Shirou doubted those claims.

"Two, you weren't attempting to assault Konoha, you were just part of the group tasked with attacking ROOT. In fact, your intention to abandon Akatsuki was rather bold, despite knowing you'd fight your own members."

Jiraiya took a deep breath and huffed.

"Three, you're a child. My conscience wouldn't let me live it down if someone as young as my godson gets tortured or killed for trying to do what is right."

Shirou furrowed his eyebrows. Sometimes, he really forgot that he was a child. Everyone in Akatsuki had treated him and Lunea like adults, including the sisters, probably because they didn't know how to act around children either.

"What are you going to do with the information? I have warned you about the Gedo Mazo, and that Pein isn't your enemy. Giving you more information could change Konoha's decisions, which would tip off Tobi and Akatsuki."

Jiraiya sighed. "I'm afraid we cannot reach a decision until we have more information."

"I have given you too much information as it is, providing more is dangerous unless I have assurance that you won't hinder Akatsuki's operations." Shirou returned to finishing the ramen.

He still needed information on the events that transpired after the assault. But the only way for that was to either ask them, or find a way to break out. Both were equally difficult options. Trading information with Konoha was a losing game, and giving more would risk Tobi becoming suspicious if Konoha started making moves on them. As for breaking out? Shirou had prepared for the strongest sealing arrays he found on the market but those seals fell short of the quality produced by seal masters the level of Jiraiya and Minato. Not to mention other possible factors like Kushina and Hiruzen of all things.

He didn't have enough time for that, having been busy the past few months scouting and preparing for the assault itself.

Shirou's best chance at destroying the Gedo Mazo involved Tobi being distracted. If Tobi was busy helping Akatsuki's faction in Amegakure, then Shirou could slip into the Gedo Mazo cave and destroy the abomination. But if Konoha started moving behind the scenes, Tobi would become suspicious. Which meant it would be nigh impossible to sneak past him.

"How about an update then? So that you could get your bearings and reconsider your options. Of course, this will be free, to partly repay the information you gave about the Gedo Mazo."

Shirou narrowed his eyes. Information was the highest priority on his mind right now, and if Konoha was willing to give it away, then he would gladly take it. So far, they've been proving themselves to be more lenient than he supposed.

"I will consider the idea after I've learned of the situation." He answered, putting down the empty bowl of ramen.

Jiraiya rubbed his chin while nodding. "First of all, it has been a month since your assault. Konoha is still in the early stages of recovery, and we have hashed a non-aggression pact with Akatsuki in the aftermath."

Inside Shirou's mind the sound of shattering glass could be heard.

One month.

He had been unconscious for one month.

Shirou continued to show an impassive facade as he scrambled to reassess his predictions. If he was correct, then the war against Hanzo would've started by now, plunging his friends into the middle of a warzone.

Jiraiya's next words just confirmed his fears.

"A week after the Konoha invasion, a civil war began in Amegakure. The last news heard from the nation was that Akatsuki was leading the uprising. After that, information slowed to a trickle as most hidden villages pulled their connections from Amegakure. The only interactions left are the border deals with both sides purchasing weapon supplies."

Shirou knew that Hanzo and his Amegakure didn't stand a chance to hold back Akatsuki and the rebels. As the war dragged on, Hanzo would be grinded down from each battle with Akatsuki, while the group could simply rotate out their members each time. Especially when Pein, Esdeath, and Tatsumi could easily pressure Hanzo at any point.

Two precious weeks of his little window were already gone. In three to four months, the war would be over. By that time, Tobi would've returned to focusing on the Gedo Mazo.

Shirou needed to act now. The longer he stayed here, the less time he had.

Throwing caution into the wind, Shirou made his demand.

"Get me an audience with your leaders and shinobi council, then I'll give you everything you want. Of course, I'll also be discussing my release."

Jiraiya caught on to the sudden change in Shirou's tone, which only worried him. Tsunade's review of his condition showed that the kid was still in the early recovery phase. But that did not bother him. Not to mention the idea that he insisted on being released at all was both naive. It was not like the council would agree to his demand that easily.

Unless he could make them consider the option at all. But that was nigh impossible due to his inherent value as a captured member of Akatsuki, and the information he carried.

"Lunea, would you like some?" Eugen offered the gloomy phantasmal beast across her.

The wolf girl didn't answer, opting to stare out at the night sky from their hideout.

The war had started two weeks prior, and the battlelines had been quickly drawn as the rebellion jumped on the unsuspecting Amegakure forces loyal to Hanzo. Now, combat had entered a somewhat stable period as the loyalists had finally recovered enough to stop the haphazard attacks from the revolutionaries.

The revolutionaries consisted mainly of half-baked volunteers and a sizeable number of former Amegakure ninja, but the better prepared loyalists still had the stronger army. So it was up to Akatsuki to reinforce the frontlines.

Heinrich, Eugen, and Lunea were dispatched as a group to hold one such flank. Currently, they were staying near one of the hastily constructed bunkers at the frontline, watching the loyalist faction's general location a few hundred meters ahead.

Hanzo had plunged Amegakure into darkness, completely shutting down the electrical grid to tip the scales, using his more capable army to edge out an advantage against the less optimized revolutionaries.

The moon floated slowly in the sky, basking the entire city in calm ethereal light, matching the quiet and peaceful atmosphere. But in the shadows behind buildings and streets, shinobi and civillians fought, bodies falling silently in the night. Sometimes, a fight reached an intense peak, sounds of explosions and screams echoing in the city.

Tonight was the first lull in the action for the trio, and they took the opportunity to camp and rest. The past few days had been filled with battles, dozens of shinobi dying underneath their hands as they protected their weaker allies.

Eugen put down the can of beans of offered beans. Lunea had carried this heavy atmosphere since the news of Shirou's death. A few days before the Konoha-Akatsuki deal, the hidden village claimed the bounty on his head, providing body parts of the dead teen and claiming millions from the clients. Akatsuki took a day off to mourn for their lost comrade, Lunea being comforted by the sisters and Tatsumi.

Even Pein offered a small parting ceremony for her partner, attended by the rest of Akatsuki.

In truth, none except Pein and Tobi had an idea how he died. Pein believed that it was Tobi's machinations, judging from the heavy wounds the man received upon returning. But attacking at that moment was all but impossible, especially with Esdeath and Tatsumi watching. Pein assumed that he could handle Zetsu relatively well, even with some of the mysterious man's abilities tucked away. The problem was facing Esdeath and Tatsumi on the spot. Even with the support of the others, he couldn't separate the two SS-ranks and Zetsu away from Tobi to kill him.

Should he attempt and fail, Tatsumi, Esdeath, and Zetsu would simply flee the scene, leaving his rebellion in shambles with nearly half of Akatsuki disappearing. Worse, was that the Gedo Mazo would be relocated away from him, and losing track of the dangerous weapon was the worst scenario in mind.

Playing it safe for now and waiting for an opportunity would be his best move, especially after losing an ally. Pein still cared about Shirou, and hated himself for being responsible for his death.

Heinrich picked up the can and split its contents between hers and Eugen's. She knew Lunea could survive on ambient mana alone, and wasting the food was not ideal. Once they had a real break from the frontline, she and Eugen would cook as much food as possible and store them in their spatial rings for future consumption. Their last batch didn't last one week straight, and the sisters had to resort to the supplies from the revolutionaries.

The group stayed silent for a time, the sisters finishing up their food.

After eating, Heinrich left for the nearby revolutionary bunker to ask for an update on the situation. Eugen stayed to comfort the girl. White eyes flickered in her direction as the warship sat beside the beast. For a few moments, Lunea continued to stare up at the moon, using the familiar and calming companion to drown the sadness.

"If it helps get the pain off, you can talk more about him."

The beast girl looked at Eugen to her side. "You know him just as well as I do. What is there for me to talk about?"

"Talking about him will ease the pain better than keeping it all in. That's what we did to relieve the grief when we lost many of our sisters."

Lunea shuffled her seating position to face the older girl. She knew little about the sisters' past, except for the fact that Heinrich and Eugen served in a world war prior to their travels.

"But I don't have much to talk about, and you already know our history…Shirou being a simple boy from a distant village, and me being a phantasmal beast born just a few years ago."

"Mmhmm. Just your average boy out in the sticks, partnered up with a phantasmal beast. Sounds just about as normal as it can get."

Lunea frowned. "We aren't as special as you and sister Heinrich."

"That's not true. You and Shirou are more interesting than us. Thinking about it, our group is just as weird as that dragon and half ice demon couple." Eugen tilted her head as she considered the amalgamation of teams in Akatsuki.

Even Zetsu and Tobi didn't come close to how unusual the other two groups were. The idea that the founding trio of Pein, Yahiko, and Konan was the most normal out of everyone sounded funny.

If you counted the wielder of the legendary Rinnegan as a normal human that was.

"Then what can I talk about? He's dead now, and I'm never going to see my best friend ever again…" Lunea whispered, pulling her knees up and covering her face with them. Eugen placed a hand on her back and rubbed, attempting to comfort the young girl.

Despite her faster than average maturity, behind the façade was a little girl who had just lost her friend. One she practically had known her entire life up until that point.

"Just because someone is dead doesn't mean you have to be sad. If anything, they would want you to continue to live happily. They are still here, alive in your memories. Just like all the other sisters I've had, I continue to live for them, remembering them, because it is through me that they continue to live, that their memory lives on."

Eugen pulled Lunea into her embrace, hugging the crying girl. "I had a little sister once, and you reminded me so much of her. If you want, I can tell you stories about her."

Lunea looked up with tears in her eyes. "What would it even do to help me?" She hiccuped.

Eugen smilled softly. "She's not in this world anymore…but she would still put a smile on your face. Just like she does for me, and maybe Shirou could do the same to you one day."

During that peaceful night, Eugen told stories of her sister, reminiscing about the days of their war, and talking about the happy memories she had. For the first time since Shirou's death, Lunea found herself gently succumbing to sleep in the warm embrace of the homunculous.

A few days after Shirou's proposition, he was granted permission to meet the rest of the council.

Shirou was brought to a large room, surrounded by glass on all sides. The glass itself was filled with more seals, no doubt the work of Jiraiya and the others. Behind the glass sat a fair number of people that Shirou recognized. He had studied about them during the preparations for the assault on Konoha.

The heads of each major clan in Konoha.

A few other important people were also in attendance. Hiruzen Sarutobi and his advisors sat on the side, followed by other department heads. The three Sannin stood at the corner of the room, along with respective summons sititng on their shoulders.

It seemed that Minato gathered more than just the clan heads for this meeting.

After all, Konoha was a village formed by clans of shinobi, it was later that the civillians joined them.

Any issue that concerned the safety of Konoha was handled by the shinobi.

For example…an Akatsuki member.

Shirou was surprised that they agreed to his proposal this fast. He assumed that the meeting would take place later. Had the meeting taken place later, Shirou could've hashed out a better breakout plan.

As it was, he was banking on the Konoha shinobi to slip up, giving him one little opportunity to use his tracing ability. Projecting a sword in their midst would surprise them, seeing as Shirou had kept that ability secret for years from everyone. Not even Akatsuki knew of that skill.

Escaping after that would be as simple as one, two, three.

All he needed was to trace the Hokage's special weapon and he would be gone to the wind. He would use the teleportation ability to flash outside the village, and run. The only problem was if the Yondaime could somehow track the use of the Hiraishin seal, but Shirou was prepared to flash in random patterns to lose the S-ranked Kage.

The plan was all but perfect, except for step one.

Shirou needed a chance to slip from the seals locked on him.

He had spent the past few days pouring through them, looking for weaknesses. So far, his lack of knowledge in sealing ultimately kept him from figuring it out. There was only so much you could study from purchased books on the market.

Cursing himself, Shirou made sure to spend more time preparing in the future.

"Everyone, I'd like to have your attention." The Yondaime asked, silencing the few ongoing conversations between the shinobi heads. "I will keep it simple. I've gathered you all here for Shirou's proposal. He wants to discuss terms for his release, and is willing to divulge information about Akatsuki for it."

"You know that information on Akatsuki is not enough for his release. In fact, releasing him at all shouldn't even be an option."

Minato looked at Danzo. "Your opinion is duly noted. As for the rest of you, what are your thoughts?"

"We have already claimed the bounty on his head. Releasing him would mean returning all those funds. Instead, we could lock him up and use it to repair the village." One council member said, a few heads nodded at those words.

Shirou could see that a few had their minds set, which meant convincing the others to hear him out. Seeing as he could hear them, then he should be able to communicate through the glass at least.

"If it was not for me, none of you would've known about the Gedo Mazo. I can give you information no one else knows. Even information Tobi wouldn't have." Shirou needed to gain their interest, and leaking some information about the statue could help him secure their cooperation.

"Nonsense. From what the council has been informed of, Tobi has control of the statue. So I highly doubt that you have more information than he does."

Once again, it was Danzo who was showing his disagreement. Providing good reasons that were clear to the minds in the audience.

"And if I could prove it to you? Would you reconsider?"

Those words began a round of whispers among the clan heads to Shirou's delight. They were finally listening to him.

"If you let me use magic to prove it, I can show you far more than you thought was possible."

"If we even release the seal for a tiny sliver, you would attempt to make a run for it." Danzo argued, still determined to shut down any of his efforts to discuss with the council.

But his words held less influence now, more clan heads discussing between them about his evidence.

"I think we should see this proof first. If he does try to run, he will be facing all of us."

Shirou glanced at the man who said those words. The head of the intelligence department and one of the Yondaime's advisors, Shikaku Nara. So far, it had only been the Sandaime's advisor who had been voicing his opinion.

Good, he was making progress.

"Is anyone in disagreement? This way we can finish faster." The Nara clan headyawned.

With no reply from the rest, Jiraiya moved from his position to the sealed glass and began stroking a pattern on the array. For a brief moment, the seal disappeared and Jiraiya opened one panel to enter. He returned the glass panel back and the sealing array returned to its original state.

"If you try to escape, I can assure you that the council won't let you see the light of day for years."

Shirou didn't reply.

Jiraiya worked on the seals on the manacles and clothes, weakening them enough for Shirou to finally feel a small drop of his prana pass through his circuits. The sage retreated to the opposite wall from the council, making sure that Shirou couldn't see him unless he turned around.

Shirou didn't need to turn around. Not after using his weakly reinforced eyes to trace the Hiraishin kunai already placed at the room's corner. The Yondaime must've placed it there as a precaution for emergencies.

Time to put on a show.

"As you all know, I'm not a ninja. I'm closer to what you refer to as a mage." Shirou still stuck to the belief that he was a magus, despite the clear difference between his old and new worlds. But this way, they would understand him better.

"One of my abilities…is to analyze objects. I am able to analyze objects to a dangerous degree, more than what most can do. For example…"

Shirou knelt on the floor, holding a hand to the floor.

"Trace On."

Glowing blue lines appeared, spreading quickly on the floor. Shirou extended his prana into the floor below him, scanning not only the floor but also the room around him. The seals on him only allowed a small portion of his prana pass through, limiting the ability's output. Of course, Shirou had no intention of sharing the true extent of his capabilities, but only briefly showing that he was able to do such feats.

"Your floor is made of Hinoki wood, grown using chakra two days ago. They are also the primary foundation of the seal array that supports the glass divider between us."

Shirou purposely limited the effect to one object. Not only that, but he made it seem like physical contact was needed for him to deduce information.

The less the council knew, the better.

Their reaction was quick, suddenly bursting into mumbles and whispers as they devolved into discussion about the spell.

"I am aware that there are limits to this technique, but I have yet to find any." He continued. "Using this technique, I analyzed the statue Akatsuki had been meeting on for the past few years, and found out about its true form."

Jiraiya frowned behind him. Something was missing. His ability was impressive, but not enough to warrant Akatsuki's attention. Shirou didn't mention who kidnapped him, but if it was Tobi…

No. Tobi brought the Gedo Mazo to Akatsuki with a clear intention in mind. Which meant he already knew the statue's true capabilities. So, it meant that Shirou's ability wasn't needed.

Shirou was hiding something.

"All the more reason we should keep you here. Such an ability would be more efficient in our hands."

Jiraiya's eyes flickered to the head of ROOT. While the man's idea sounded better practically, his sense of righteousness wouldn't let him agree.

"I have seen many unique abilities, but this is the first I've seen that allows someone to even learn the history of an object. Yet I don't see much use of it outside of specific circumstances. Wouldn't it be better to release him and owe us a favor?" Shikaku replied, already leaning back into his chair tiredly. "We already have the Yamanaka clan who can read minds, so having someone read objects sounds redundant."

Shirou continued to let them argue. The longer he had access to his prana circuits, the more energy he could store. It didn't matter whether they agreed to release him or not, once he was returned to his cell, he would trace the Yondaime's tri-pronged kunai and be on his way.

But if he was to fool them, he needed to put more effort in.

"They wanted me not for that, but for this."

Drawing a little more energy from the pool he was forming, Shirou began going through the steps of his first spell.

"Judging the concept of creation."

Little information entered his mind, the wood itself being a relatively new object.

"Hypothesizing the basic structure."

Now, the clamor quietened down, the council of shinobi watching Shirou's demonstration.

"Duplicating the composition material."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. He had seen many mages in his travels, Nihonn having a large number of them. In fact, they were far more numerous than the shinobi. From what he knew, they genrally needed a catalyst to use spells, with a few exceptions. Wands, staff, even artifacts. Seeing Shirou cast a spell without having any of them, while also being weakened by the seals only made him raise the teenager's threat level.

"Imitating the skill of its making."

Imitating? Was Shirou going to start using Wood Release? While mages could somehow manipulate the material, the real Mokuton Bloodline could achieve far stronger results that even mages could not replicate. Mostly due to its nature being closer to the concept of wood than regular mana.

Jiraiya continued to list in his notebook about the possible abilities the young kid had.

"Sympathizing with the experience of its growth."

Shirou focused on the chakra used to create the wood, briefly studying the basic magical signature of the Mokuton user in the form of chakra, and using it as a template.

"Reproducing the accumulated years."

Using that template, Shirou replicated the progression which the original material underwent. Extending it to the soon-to-be produced modification.

"Excelling every manufacturing process."

There was nothing to improve, not without eating more of the precious prana he was saving.

Normally, the chant for his unique method of Tracing would end here. But this wasn't his usual method of Tracing. This was a modified form, requiring an addition to the original structure to accommodate his intention.

"Modifying the foundation."

Shirou needed to make them understand that his magic was dangerous, and that against normal means, was practically impossible to stop.

After all, how could anyone stop a spell that changed the object you touched, affecting everything that was bound to it?

"Implementing alteration."

Only Lunulupae knew of the true extent of his tracing ability, even helping him develop it. Copying an object and producing it was one thing, but changing an object was easier.

Shirou knew that Tracing and his swords wouldn't be enough, not in a world where magic lived.

So, he created this deviation as an indirect method to undermine magical constructs. Unlike the way he brute forced the sealing array of the sisters, this technique relied on attacking in a roundabout manner, focusing not on the spell, but the object it was founded on.

It was through this development that he learned to transform objects with Tracing.

The effect was immediate.

Parts of the wooden floor raised in sections, breaking apart the smoothness of its surface, and by extension…

The sealing array that was placed on it.

The floor flickered and the glass barrier around him glowed before darkening, the chakra supply which was supplied from the floor's array disrupted. Seals appeared on the inert glass, the invisibility effect wearing off.

All the shinobi immediately stood on guard, staring at Shirou as he moved his arms above his head in a surrendering motion.

"My ability allows me to change an object. I disrupted the surface of your floor, breaking every seal you placed on it." Shirou nudged his head in the direction of the floor.

"Your floor was easy to change. It was only wood supplemented with a dose of a Mokuton user's chakra. The more complex an object and its conceptual value is, the harder it would be for me."

Eyes were widening now. Staring at Shirou as possibilities were realized.

"If I can somehow change the material composition of the Gedo Mazo…wouldn't the corpse become a regular statue?"

Shirou smiled.

That was only a lie. The truth was the conceptual value of the object would remain the same, and changing the material composition of the statue that large would probably be impossible for him at his current strength.

His best chance of dealing with the Gedo Mazo was to move it into his reality marble, locking it away from the rest of the world.

But what he needed right now was to convince the Konoha council that releasing him was better than keeping him. That he had a chance to actually deal with the threat.

"The Gedo Mazo isn't even a proven threat. We have no proof that your words are true. Pein's own message only confirms that there is a power struggle inside Akatsuki." Danzo interjected.

Shirou's message may have told them about the Gedo Mazo, but many individuals will naturally be skeptical. No sane person would believe a world-level threat could suddenly pop out of nowhere, especially in the hands of a criminal organization.

He couldn't prove to them the existence of the statue. To them, he was here to exchange information for his freedom. But that was looking harder and harder each moment.

"If it wasn't true, then I wouldn't have picked Konoha to escape from Akatsuki. I've been a member for years, so what good would it do for me to leave?"

Throughout the entire exchange, Minato kept silent, keeping his observations to himself.

While he hasn't seen proof of the statue, he was more than able to deduce that Shirou believed in the threat.

Still, for Shirou to show his spell, and a rather unique spell at that, it really wasn't enough to convince the rest of the council.

"If I tell you how the Rinnegan works, that would be more valuable to you than my ability."

Suddenly, chaos erupted. Left, right, and center, the clan heads caught off by Shirou's words.

Fugaku slammed his hand down, the loud sound drawing everyone's attention. "Nonsense. Even the Mangekyou Sharingan isn't completely understood by us, and that includes the texts we have from our ancestors. So how could you know about the Rinngegan's abilities?"

Shirou gritted his teeth. He would have to draw more from the precious little prana he was collecting for this demonstration.

"Would you believe me if I told you I managed to analyze one of Pein's chakra rods after his spar with Esdeath?"

Flicking his hand out, Shirou drew a substantial portion of his small pool of prana, and used the modified Tracing method to transform a piece of the floor. Then wood turned into a dark steel rod, which Shirou tossed at them.

"That is a replica of Pein's own chakra rods. Rods which he uses to control his other bodies."

The steel rod was eyed with suspicion by Hiashi Hyuga. "He is not lying. The chakra signature on the rod differs from what his body exuded during both demonstrations. So even his ability to change objects can extend to the chakra signature of people."

Shirou nodded. "As I said, I can replicate and change objects. While I cannot use Pein's abilities, I can still study how he is able to use them through this chakra rod. Only a handful of other people know about how strong he really is."

Fugaku frowned. "Danzo is right. Keeping you here is more important than releasing you. All that information, not to mention your abilities, are too valuable."

A Yamanaka could easily access Shirou's mind. But that sentence didn't need to be mentioned anymore.

Shirou was losing. But that was inevitable. He already considered the chance that exposing his ability and knowledge would mean increasing his value. He had information about Akatsuki, but so did Konoha. After all, they had faced off against all of Akatsuki, which meant a sizeable amount of data had been collected.

He would just have to prolong this meeting a little longer.