Amidst the swirling pink petals and dancing foxfire, Black Zetsu narrowed his eyes. He spotted something glistening—a small, crystalline object hanging from the woman's ear.
"That woman... I understand now. So it's her. It's that organization..."
"Who? You know her identity?" Obito Uchiha immediately turned to his shadow-like companion. He was currently on high alert regarding this mysterious woman; knowing her origin would be a massive advantage.
Black Zetsu nodded slowly. "You remember Nagato, not long ago. When he went to Konoha to capture the Nine-Tails, he was on the verge of success. But he encountered a mysterious man who appeared out of nowhere. That man used no ninjutsu, yet his strength was transcendent. He defeated the wielder of the Rinnegan with ease."
He continued, "Not only that, but our entire plan almost fell through. If White Zetsu hadn't tracked Nagato's trail, we wouldn't have even recovered the eyes. Unfortunately, Konan vanished and remains missing to this day..."
"How can you be sure this woman is connected to the man who beat Nagato?" Obito countered. "Their powers seem entirely different. According to our intel, that man used earth-based forces—not ninjutsu, but something far more refined."
Obito found it frustrating. He prided himself on controlling every variable from the shadows, yet he couldn't find a trace of this organization's hideout or their true objective.
Black Zetsu pointed toward the violet gem on Yae Miko's earring. "Look at that. She carries a lightning-themed mark. The man from before carried a similar mark, but his was for earth. It's a Vision."
Following his gaze, Obito saw the God's Eye. Though the setting was different, the design was identical to the one Zhongli and Beidou possessed.
"Once this battle ends, prepare to capture her," Obito decided, his voice dropping into a cold, dark tone.
"Are you sure? Her strength is no joke, and Kakashi's team is right there," Black Zetsu reminded him.
Obito's gaze lingered on his old friend, Kakashi. "We have to try. Sasuke won't let his hatred be stolen by a fox demon, and I need answers."
[On the Bridge]
The battle raged on. After being blown back by Yae Miko's shockwave, a fox spirit descended upon Danzō Shimura, snaring another of his lives. As his body flickered back into existence, another Sharingan on his arm went blind.
"What... what is happening?" Karin gasped in horror. "He was pierced through the heart! Why is he still there?"
"It is Izanagi," Sasuke said, his voice dripping with venom. "A forbidden jutsu of my clan... used like a cheap tool by that coward. Who knows how many eyes he has stolen to fuel this?"
The thought of his kin being slaughtered just to provide Danzō with "extra lives" fueled Sasuke's rage. His chakra began to surge, his Mangekyō spinning violently.
Yae Miko, watching Danzō reappear, decided she was done playing. She gripped her Kagura bell and whispered:
"Hakushin Secret Art: Moonlit Waltz!"
The daylight vanished. In an instant, the sky was replaced by a deep, purple moonlit night. Miko's silhouette dissolved into silver light, vanishing from the perception of everyone on the bridge.
Danzō panicked. He tried to weave signs for a summoning, but a silver palm thrust through his back before he could finish. Another life gone.
"Getting close to me... was your mistake!" Danzō roared as he reappeared, detonating a cluster of explosive tags. But the figure he struck turned into a mist of light.
"Genjutsu?" Danzō hissed. He frantically cycled through his stolen eyes, even using Shisui Uchiha's eye to search for a break in the illusion. But he saw nothing.
The scenery around him became unrecognizable—a shifting forest of phantoms. High-pressure wind blades tore at his clothes and skin from directions he couldn't see. Even the Sharingan couldn't track her.
"Summoning Jutsu: Baku!"
Danzō tried to summon his nightmare-devouring beast to break the illusion, but nothing happened. Was this a dream? Was it reality? He felt a searing pain as another life was snuffed out.
When he "woke" again, he was under the same moonlit trees. He saw a figure walking toward him—the footsteps sounded terrifyingly real. To avoid falling further into the trap, he successfully summoned his Baku. But then, his heart stopped.
Standing before him was the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
"Danzō... you really are inferior to Hiruzen. You've failed my trust."
"Illusions won't trick me! Attack!" Danzō commanded. The Baku began to inhale with massive force, pulling the Second Hokage in. Danzō lunged with a vacuum blade, piercing Tobirama's chest.
But the pain he felt was his own. He realized too late—the illusion had manipulated his five senses so perfectly that he had commanded his Baku to attack him. He had cut his own body.
He realized he had to escape this mist. He ran, but no matter how far he sprinted, the darkness was endless. He tried the "Release" sign, but the mist remained.
This is like the Kurama Clan's power... Danzō thought, sweating. Manipulating the five senses to make illusions real. I'm in trouble.
[The Jade Chamber]
In the living room, Su Han was broadcasting the mission live for everyone who wasn't in the group. Raiden Ei sat beside him, nibbling on a dango and watching the "movie."
"That technique... it's a secret art of the Hakushin lineage. It manipulates perception. Miko has really mastered it," Ei noted.
"Is it just genjutsu, Hanachirusato?" Su Han asked the "fox" beside him, who was currently on her tenth popsicle of the day.
Hanachirusato turned with a smile. "It is, but the little girl is clever. She added her own understanding. Our clan's illusions usually target desire or hatred, but she added 'Ghost Walls' and sealing arrays. It's a trinity of genjutsu, formations, and fox spirits. She's essentially playing with him in a pocket dimension of her own making."
[The Interference]
Just as Yae Miko was about to take Danzō's final life, the "Second Son" (Sasuke) grew impatient.
"This man... dies by my hand alone!"
Sasuke summoned the skeletal ribs of Susanoo, swinging a massive blade of purple chakra that cleaved through Miko's formation. Simultaneously, Obito and Black Zetsu moved.
The three of them surrounded Yae Miko in an instant.
"Become our prisoner, lady..." Obito rumbled.
Miko's expression went cold. "It seems you truly cannot endure loneliness. Very well... let this Guuji show you what it means to touch a forbidden taboo."
She gripped her blade, Hakuhime. The steel erupted in a blinding violet radiance.
"Bankai!"
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