"Ugh, this is kinda gross!"
Looking at the jar in Kamizuki Hikari's hands containing Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan, Yakumo couldn't help but blurt it out.
Hikari sighed. "If Danzō heard you say that, he'd probably come back to life out of anger. And if Shisui heard it, he might crawl out of the Pure Land to haunt you."
"I didn't say I don't want it!"
Yakumo reached out, taking the jar carefully. She leaned in to study the Sharingan inside, curiosity lighting up her eyes.
"Um, can I take it out and have a look?" she asked, eager to examine it up close. After all, something this valuable deserved hands-on research.
That made Hikari hesitate.
"If you take it out, it'll easily lose its vitality. If you—"
"Relax, did you forget about my ability?" Yakumo extended her hand lightly. The Mangekyō Sharingan, symbol of Uchiha pride, floated straight out of the jar and landed in her palm.
"The essence of genjutsu is deception—making the false seem real. I can deceive people, animals... even plants. Now I've created an illusory nutrient space for this eye. It won't deteriorate."
Yakumo's confidence when talking about genjutsu was almost radiant.
The Mangekyō Sharingan that once bore three tomoe began to spin wildly in her hand. The tomoe merged into the distinct pattern of the Mangekyō.
"Hikari-senpai, want to give it a try?" Yakumo held up the Sharingan like a child showing off a precious toy.
"No thanks. That's the kind of good thing I'll gladly let you enjoy alone."
Genjutsu wasn't Hikari's specialty, and he had no desire to directly face Shisui's Kotoamatsukami. Even if Yakumo was the one casting it, the effect could still be terrifying.
"How boring!" Yakumo pouted softly, then raised the Sharingan to her own eye.
"Kotoamatsukami... activate!"
She blinked once, then placed the Sharingan back into the jar and slowly closed her eyes.
Watching her like that, Hikari grew concerned.
"Are you okay?"
No response. Yakumo sat there, eyes shut, like she had fallen asleep.
Alarmed, Hikari quickly got up and moved to her side. He checked her breathing and pulse—steady. Her body showed no irregularities, which eased him a little.
'Kotoamatsukami is a genjutsu that targets the soul...'
Thinking that, Hikari placed his right hand gently on Yakumo's head, trying to sense her chakra flow.
Then Yakumo suddenly opened her eyes and said, disappointedly, "A beautiful girl like me is sitting right in front of you, letting you do whatever you want, and you don't even react?"
Her expression seemed to say: "Are you even a man?"
"I was worried about you! The ocular power contained in that eye is Kotoamatsukami!" Hikari replied helplessly.
He was only worried about her health—why did it sound like he was the bad guy here?
"Looks like you still don't trust my genjutsu skills."
Yakumo smiled faintly and pointed toward a vase of flowers nearby. "Tell me, how long do you think those flowers have been sitting there?"
Hikari turned and saw the flowers—fresh, vibrant, as if they'd just been picked.
"Hate to break it to you," Yakumo said proudly, "but they've been there for half a month. As long as I will it, those flowers still think they're alive and growing from their roots.
As for this Kotoamatsukami, it's impressive, sure, but compared to me, it's just a tiny bit lacking!"
"Really?" Hikari wasn't entirely convinced.
This was the legendary genjutsu, hailed as the strongest in the series, and Yakumo had neutralized it just like that?
"Of course it's true!"
Seeing Hikari's skepticism, Yakumo decided to explain properly—to make him understand how far her power had evolved.
"When I used that eye just now, I cast the genjutsu on myself. I could feel a foreign spiritual force trying to rewrite my subconscious.
Unfortunately for it, my research into genjutsu started with the subconscious. You think the first person I experimented on was Kurenai-sensei?"
Yakumo smiled—a smile that, to Hikari, carried both madness and pain.
"It was myself."
"Back then, in that little courtyard, I studied the true essence of genjutsu. I realized that genjutsu isn't reality. But if you rewrite the subconscious, you can make others believe it is.
So I began altering my own subconscious—and I succeeded.
Heaven gave me a frail body, but also a powerful spirit. With it, I could weave illusions. I used genjutsu to make people buy me things, to make Kurenai-sensei my plaything."
"Then you appeared, Hikari-senpai. That's when I realized... there are still interesting people in this world. So I changed my goal—I wanted to make you mine."
Hearing such a confession from a beautiful girl made Hikari's cheeks burn.
But Yakumo showed no embarrassment. She continued:
"Later, I researched the body. I found that spiritual stimulation can cause physical changes. There's an organ in the brain that releases certain chemicals, creating feelings of pleasure. When I stimulated it, it felt like... being in love."
"When Asuma was still around, I used his love for Kurenai-sensei to make him... 'befriend' a female monkey." Her smile turned wicked. "During that process, I noticed his brain secreted more of that chemicals. So I amplified the effect with genjutsu—pushing his pleasure to the extreme."
"...Ah, I digress. Back to Kotoamatsukami."
"There are countless kinds of genjutsu, but at their core, they all do the same thing: use chakra to influence spiritual energy, sending false information to the target's senses.
Kotoamatsukami works the same way.
Its mechanism is nearly identical to my own research into spiritual hypnosis and memory-replacement genjutsu. The only difference is that its method of rewriting the mind is more direct—less delicate than mine."
"Still, it's not without value. Now that I've fully analyzed Kotoamatsukami, Hikari-senpai... want to test it out?"
Hikari immediately shook his head. "No!"
"Aw, don't say no so fast!" Yakumo said playfully. "All I want is for you to love me once—from the bottom of your heart."
With a flick of her fingers, a gentle breeze swept through the room, closing the windows and drawing the curtains.
"Yakumo, calm down. You can't alter someone's feelings like that. Otherwise, how will you ever know if what you get is real or fake?"
Yakumo winked mischievously.
"Don't be so stubborn, Hikari-senpai. People often can't see themselves clearly—and are easily deceived by what they perceive. So why not let me have this one small wish? It won't hurt anyone."
"It's getting late. I'll be going now!" Hikari said quickly, standing up.
But in an instant, Yakumo was in front of him, blocking his way.
"I told you, I'm not the same as before. This room... is my domain now. You've already entered it—how could I not treat my guest properly?"
"Chotto matte! Please, spare me!"
"Haha! Go ahead and resist! The more you fight back, the more I'll enjoy it!"
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