"Hehehe... Mangekyō Sharingan!"
"Heheheh... Uchiha Itachi, you've finally fallen to me!"
"Tsunade, Jiraiya—you're no match for me! Only science is absolute!"
...
Outside the window, Hikari watched Orochimaru mumbling to himself, then turned to look at Yakumo beside him, her face flushed with pride.
"You've almost turned him into an idiot, haven't you?"
Other than the lack of drooling, Orochimaru looked no different from a babbling fool right now.
"I'm just fulfilling his little fantasy," Yakumo said softly. "By the way, this is an illusion I developed based on Tsukuyomi. It lets him live the life he wants inside the illusion, doing whatever he desires. Don't glare at me. I've optimized it this time—even if you went in, you wouldn't notice a single flaw."
Recognizing her own shortcomings, she kept refining her techniques. She always aimed for perfection.
And Orochimaru was proof of her progress.
After all, this guy was a Kage-level shinobi. Even if his soul was somewhat damaged, his resistance to genjutsu should still be around the level of an average jōnin. Yet here he was—completely trapped in Yakumo's illusion.
"You're amazing," Hikari said, giving her a thumbs-up. "But now this guy's a problem. If he's useless to you, just toss him somewhere outside Konoha."
Yakumo shook her head. "That won't do. He's my research material. Without him, what else can I experiment on—Konoha shinobi? Besides, he's strong, and his low genjutsu resistance makes him a rare specimen. I'm not letting go of such a perfect test subject."
Hikari shrugged.
If she didn't want to, then fine.
"If you're keeping him for experiments, I won't interfere." Hikari said. "But he's got the Three-Tails' chakra in him—that might attract Akatsuki's attention. For now, at least, I'd prefer the shinobi world to stay peaceful. You understand what I mean, right?"
Yakumo glanced at Orochimaru like one might look at a pet, letting Hikari's words drift past her ears. After thinking for a bit, she asked,
"Hikari-senpai, I really don't get it. With your strength, there's hardly anyone in the shinobi world who could be your enemy. And even if someone could challenge you, you've still got me, haven't you? Together, we could sweep across the entire world—unmatched, unstoppable. Isn't that right?"
Hikari could only smile wryly and ruffle her hair.
"Yakumo, the shinobi world runs deep. Your genjutsu is powerful, yes, but there are some old foxes out there who are not so easily fooled. Unless I take another step forward in power, I'm not planning to draw too much attention."
"You're strong now, sure—but only in the sense of what mortals can achieve. Unless you can defeat me, you'd better stay safely in Konoha."
As a transmigrator, Hikari knew his biggest advantage—aside from his "cheats"—was that he already knew the future plot.
Still, compared to the future Six Paths Madara, he was far from that level. To truly move freely in the shinobi world, he'd need to reach the power of the Sage of Six Paths himself. Only then could he rest easy—confident that even if Kaguya revived, he could just shove her right back into the moon where she belonged.
As for what to do once he reached that level?
Hikari hadn't really thought about it.
Maybe he'd start a harem and enjoy life, having children everywhere.
Or maybe he'd leave the shinobi world entirely—to explore the stars and search for the origins of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
Either way, power came first.
Countless transmigrators before him had already proven with their lives: without strength, don't act reckless.
"Alright, alright. You're my man—I'll obey." Yakumo's eyes gleamed mischievously. "Just promise me this: if you ever fancy another woman, tell me. I'm generous, you know. I'd never make things difficult for you~"
Hikari instinctively took a step back, eyeing Yakumo suspiciously. There was something unnervingly chill about how casually she said that.
"Don't worry." Yakumo added sweetly. "If you find a girl who's... resistant, just say the word. My illusions can make her adore you—obsessively. Wouldn't that solve everything?"
Uh...
That sounded nice, but Hikari decided to politely decline.
Using genjutsu to alter someone's mind to fulfill his desires? He'd rather just use his hands.
Besides, he wasn't some insatiable playboy.
He already had his hands full with the women in his life—any more, and he'd probably collapse from exhaustion.
Women were important, sure—but so was staying alive.
"Let's just talk about Orochimaru for now." he said, trying to redirect the conversation.
"Oh? If it's him you like, senpai, I can always change him into a woman for you." Yakumo offered helpfully, oblivious to the sheer horror of her words.
"Wait—what?! You can turn Orochimaru into a woman?!"
Hikari stared at her, jaw nearly dropping.
Yakumo nodded earnestly. "Is that so strange?"
"For normal people, it's a bit tricky," she continued matter-of-factly. "I'd have to use genjutsu to alter their subconscious mind—make them truly believe they're a woman. Once that happens, their chakra adjusts according to that belief, and their body slowly transforms to match. For ordinary people, this might just mess with their behavior. But shinobi are different."
"When the mind changes, chakra follows. And chakra affects the body. Of course, I'd need to maintain the genjutsu to speed up the process. I wouldn't want you to get impatient, Hikari-senpai!"
"Impatient... for what?!"
Hikari nearly choked.
Who the hell likes Orochimaru?!
In one swift motion, he yanked Yakumo over his knee and—
*Whack! Whack! Whack!*
A series of firm smacks later, Yakumo sat up, rubbing her reddened backside with a disgruntled pout.
"It was just a joke! Did you really have to hit that hard?"
"Small trees need pruning to grow straight," Hikari scolded. "If you ever joke like that again, I swear I'll make sure you can't leave the bed for a week!"
Really—she was unbelievable.
Didn't she realize she'd almost pushed him down a very dangerous path?
"Can't get out of bed, huh? Sounds like you're pretty confident in your skills, Hikari-senpai!" Yakumo teased, her eyes glinting mischievously, her cheeks slightly flushed. "But from what I saw just now, you didn't seem that impressive."
Her tone was bold, her gaze sultry—but Hikari refused to take the bait.
Mainly because...
Yakumo's physique had improved drastically. What used to be an easy victory for Hikari had now turned into a barely-even struggle.
He still hadn't completely recovered from his last "encounter".
"Nice try, but that kind of taunt won't work on me," he said, sighing. "If you've got the guts, we'll see next time."
"Next time? Sure thing!" Yakumo grinned mischievously. "How about tomorrow? ...Hey, don't run away! The day after works too!"
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