Man, Naruto fanfics with mind control elements? That's a deep rabbit hole—some are pure guilty pleasures, others shockingly well-written. I stumbled onto 'Puppet Strings' last year, where Shikamaru's shadow possession evolves into full-on psychological manipulation. The author nails his tactical genius while exploring how he'd abuse that power subtly. Then there's 'Hollow Eyes,' a dark AU where the Yamanaka clan runs a secret interrogation branch—Ino's moral decay as she digs into prisoners' minds is chilling.
For something less grim, 'Mirror, Mirror' flips the script: Naruto gets controlled by a genjutsu variant, but his sheer unpredictability makes him a nightmare 'puppet.' The humor when villains realize they can't steer him right is gold. Bonus rec: 'Strings of Konoha,' where Danzo's Root experiments create sleeper agents among the Rookie 9. The tension when characters almost discover their friends are compromised? Chef's kiss.