"He is a shinobi. I suppose he asks for your permission?"

Kouji looks sheepish. “I asked him to...he had permission when he used it on me, we just talked inside it with time dilation on to be efficient. Nothing to be worried about.”

"It's strange," she says softly, "How the young always think they're smarter than the old."

Mikoto was pretty young, Kouji might even be older than her if he counted his previous life as well. As far as he knew there really wasn’t anything to be worried about with Shisui using genjutsu on him. “What? are there side effects to using genjutsu like that I didn’t know about? I’ve read as much about the subject as I can but obviously I cant read everything.”

"Oh, not much. Changing goals and personalities, for only the most powerful, but a lingering sense of unreality tends to be the worst that happens with weaker genjutsu. Of course, a weak genjutsu isn't what Shisui used on my husband, is it?"

Kouji is very very still. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” Oh shit oh fuck she knows.

"I think you do, Kouji."

“Nope, no idea what that could mean” Very purposefully not meeting her gaze.

"You've been conspiring with my son and his cousin. I am well aware of Shisui's powers. I do not think it's to your advantage to try and pretend you don't know."

“Even if I did know anything, and I don’t. I wouldn’t be much of a ninja if I just told someone some supposed secret when they just asked me.” Very very pointedly not meeting her red eyed gaze. He is 7 and she wouldn’t do anything too bad to make him talk, right?.

She crouches down next to him. "Kouji... I can help you," she says, softly. "I want what's best for my family, and for my nation."

“Yup I have those exact same priorities so nothing to worry about at all whatsoever, If I do any conspiring it will be with those goals in mind. But I can honestly say I have not been involved in planning any conspiracies involving using genjutsu on your husband.” Technically true, the plan was made long before he came along, all he did was make sure it didn’t fail due to Shisui dying.

”So I do not know what you are talking about ma’am.”

She sighs. "I'd rather you not make me read your mind, you know."

“Mind reading isn’t a thing! Otherwise why would torture and interrogation be a whole division! Mind reading cannot be a thing!” Otherwise he already fucked and all his security precautions are totally useless and Zetsu could have read his mind at any time and still be able to re-awaken Kaguya by taking away Koujis advantage of suprise and undoing his plans. Kouji was starting to visibly panic even as he tries to mentally dismiss that claim.

“Look I also want whats best for the village and your family so can’t you just drop it? Reading my mind is really really bad for everyone.” So he starts thinking of things that couln’t possible have any use to anyone in this world from his past life, old movies and videogames and dinners with Luca’s family after a succesful job. Just in case the mind reading really exists and can only read currently thought memories.

"Do not underestimate techniques. Do not underestimate me. You see a house-wife when you look at me, don't you? You three children, who have no idea what forces you're playing with."

“You don’t know what YOU are dealing with! The information inside my head cannot get out! And it has nothing to do with anything Shisui has planned!” He shouldn’t have revealed any of that, but sometimes he just feels 7 and overwhelmed.

”If there is some secret information that Itachi or Shisui knows that you should know they would have told you! But It looks like youve already deduced the small time plot you are worried about so why ask me? Agghhh!”

"I love Itachi but he's a stubborn idiot. And - if there's something bigger than this, then more people than one should know. Three's not a secret, but one's a risk of being lost."

“Intel being lost is better than it being known in this case. I had to trust Shisui because I had no choice, ask him to come on board if you want and he can tell you what he knows, but I do not know you at all well enough to trust you. If you think what a child like me knows can be Important and you trust your son enough that him taking it seriously makes it serious enough for you to also take it seriously then no mindreading!

You obviously already know whats happened to your husband so fine yes that happened, to stop the coup that would have ended badly for everyone. Happy now? So back off from what else is in my head.”

Aggghhh this was too much to deal with! Too many people knew something was up now! He hoped being sasuke’s friend would be enough cover to meet with Shisui and Itachi but apparently not. “I really hope the mindreading is a your ability only kind of thing or I may as well fire a rock into my brain to stop anyone from knowing.”

It is the literal end of the world at stake here, and the safety of everyone he cares about. They cannot be made targets of because of their closeness to him if Zetsu or Akatsuki found out about what he knew somehow.

"Mind reading techniques exist," she says, voice almost gentle. "The ANBU have a room which can reveal a target's memories. The Yamanaka can stride through your mind. It's possible to build barriers, to seal away knowledge, which can only slowly be weakened - and that's something I know how to do. Let me help."

“You couldn’t  just point me to a primer in the library? I told you ask Shisui or Sasuke if you want in, I’ll trust their decision if they want to let you in, but for all I know you could be a sleeper agent for....a certain organization. They know you much better than I do.” Oops he almost said Root out loud to someone he didn’t know if they already knew about it.

”Look you already got what you wanted when you cornered me, why your husband was Genjutsu’d. Isn”t that enough?.”

"There are no primers in the library. But I suppose we can wait for Sasuke to return with Itachi, then. My son is a fool at times, but he'll see sense eventually. And, no. I don't appreciate being treated like I'm no one of concern."

Well Kouji will wait super awkwardly with Mikoto then for Itachi and sasuke to come back then.

This was the worst. He should have just denied and not let anything at all slip or told her what she wanted to know first, it’s not like her knowing about the coup prevention mattered in the large scale.

Itachi pauses, eyeing his mother a bit warily, when Sasuke leads him in.

Kouji looks incredibly guilty and does not meet Itachi's eyes at all as he walks in, he gave way too much away.

Sasuke's shooed off to go do homework quickly enough. 

Itachi seems tense - and not like he's going to be the one to start this conversation.