Chapter 88 – The Death of Ido and the Birth of a New Painter
Inside Yakumo's mindscape,
a pair of sky-blue six-magatama Rinnegan looked down like the eyes of heaven itself.
The trembling, kneeling Ido could only cower.
Outside,
freed from the monster's interference, the stabbing pain in Yakumo's head finally faded.
A realization dawned on her.
"So… there really was something living inside me."
She whispered, then straightened, eyes burning with determination.
"The truth… I want to know exactly what happened back then!"
"I accept the trade!"
Hook, line, and sinker. Another soul successfully reeled in.
Aike produced the prepared contract. Under the golden light of the Scales, both parties signed.
The moment the contract activated,
the entire Kurama bloodline limit poured into Aike.
Unlike Yakumo's fragile version,
his Six Paths-level foundation + Kyōka Suigetsu overlay instantly evolved the ability into another dimension.
The "illusion space" she could barely manage?
In his hands it became an "illusion world," tens to hundreds of times stronger.
If he felt like it, he could drag the entire shinobi world into it right now.
Infinite Tsukuyomi-lite, but infinitely worse.
Because anything that happened inside his illusion world could be converted into reality at will.
Literal wish-granting.
In terms of sheer value, this harvest rivaled the Indra and Asura chakra he took from Naruto and Sasuke.
After savoring the explosive power surge for a few seconds,
Aike kept his end of the bargain.
First, he used the new bloodline to yank Ido out of Yakumo's consciousness and pin it in place.
Then he bathed her body in Yang Release, flooding her with life force and erasing her chronic frailty at the cellular level.
Done.
He pointed at the snarling, bound monster.
"Kill it yourself, and you'll see everything."
Yakumo stared at the grotesque creature.
"So this… is the thing that lived inside me?"
Pure instinctual fear hit her.
Nami and Carina leaned in for a closer look.
"Eww~"
"This thing is ugly as sin."
They looked ready to stomp it flat.
Aike stopped them—he wanted Yakumo to do it herself.
Overcoming a heart demon personally was the fastest way to forge an unbreakable will.
Maximum profit.
While Yakumo hesitated, trembling paintbrush in hand,
"Kill it, Yakumo!"
Kurenai, freshly healed by Kaya and conscious again, saw the bound Ido and understood instantly.
She didn't waste the chance.
"Don't be afraid. Everyone has a beast called fear inside them."
"But we have to defeat it. It was born from you, so only you can end it!"
Kurenai's voice rang with encouragement.
"Teacher Kurenai…"
Yakumo's lips quivered.
She realized the truth might be uglier than she ever imagined.
But Kurenai's words lit a fire in her chest.
Fueled by the desperate need to know,
Yakumo gritted her teeth and drove the paintbrush straight into Ido's forehead.
Aike released the bindings at the exact same moment.
"Why…?"
"I did everything for you…!"
With a final wail, Ido dissolved into black mist.
At the same instant,
locked memories flooded back.
"So… that's what really happened."
"The fire that killed my parents… I started it."
Tears spilled down her cheeks.
Kurenai pulled her into a tight embrace.
"It's not your fault, Yakumo."
"No one could have predicted that fire. Don't carry it alone."
==============================================================
Support me and be 100 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/inkshield