After accepting the mission, Fujimoto Tōma began thinking about how to approach it.
If he went straight to Yūhi Kurenai, things would likely stall. Back then, she had deliberately chosen not to tell Kurama Yakumo the truth. There was no guarantee she would suddenly agree now.
That meant he needed the Kurama clan's approval first. Fortunately, that part wouldn't be difficult.
According to the report, the current clan head had already sensed the "other will" lurking inside Yakumo. Years ago, he had even gone so far as to request that the Third Hokage eliminate Yakumo entirely to prevent future disaster.
Under normal circumstances, Tōma would have visited Kurama Unkai first, then spoken to Kurenai afterward.
But now, he had a better option.
Tōma drew out a large amount of chakra and formed seals.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
A clone appeared before him. Without pause, he continued forming hand signs.
"Spirit Projection Technique."
A second soul slipped smoothly into the shadow clone's body. The two Tōmas looked at each other.
The sensation was… strange.
Two bodies, yet one connected awareness. Each could act independently, but every thought passed instantly between them, like mirrored water ripples.
This wasn't multitasking. It was more like running two parallel streams of thought at once.
As long as they stayed within range, neither could hide anything from the other. Distance didn't seem to be an issue either. He'd once tested it by teleporting to Mount Myōboku. The link had remained intact.
If the limit even existed, it was far beyond normal use.
Even so, the shadow clone's weakness remained. It still couldn't take much punishment.
Tōma and his projected clone sighed at the same time, then split up to handle their respective tasks.
The Kurama clan received Tōma with formal courtesy that bordered on reverence, which made him slightly uncomfortable.
Once he explained his purpose, Kurama Unkai grew serious. He didn't refuse, but he insisted on testing Tōma's resistance to genjutsu first.
In his view, ninjutsu and genjutsu were entirely different disciplines. Raw combat strength meant nothing if someone failed inside an illusion. If anything went wrong, the Kurama clan would bear the blame.
Tōma understood the caution and agreed readily. He was fairly confident in his resistance. He might not withstand something like Itachi's Tsukuyomi, but ordinary genjutsu wasn't a concern.
Besides, this was only a shadow clone.
"Then please be careful, Lord Tōma," Unkai said, forming seals.
Tōma watched closely.
…Nothing happened.
He felt no disorientation. No distortion. No shift in perception.
For a moment, his expression turned strange.
"Did you already cast it?" Tōma asked.
Unkai hesitated. His genjutsu had definitely activated. Yet Tōma's gaze remained clear and focused, as if nothing had touched him.
"Well… I believe so?" Unkai replied, suddenly uncertain.
"Oh, you did," Tōma said after checking his chakra. "There was interference."
Silence fell.
Unkai felt his illusion dissolve without resistance, as though it had never existed.
He froze.
This wasn't normal. People had broken his genjutsu before, but never like this.
Understanding dawned slowly.
So this was what a prospective Sixth Hokage was like.
Unkai's expression changed abruptly. He dropped to one knee.
"I apologize, Lord Tōma. I should not have doubted your ability."
"…Please stand up," Tōma said, equally baffled.
From the chakra disruption alone, Unkai's genjutsu was solid. High jōnin-level at least. By all logic, Tōma should have felt something.
But the interference vanished the instant he noticed it.
No counter-technique. No manual dispelling.
It simply… failed.
Tōma didn't push Unkai for answers. He wouldn't have any.
Instead, the insight was already flowing back to the original body through their shared awareness.
"Why do you suddenly want me to use my strongest genjutsu on you?" Yūhi Kurenai asked, clearly puzzled.
"I discovered something and need to confirm it," Tōma said seriously. "Please."
Kurenai hesitated, then nodded. "Alright."
She formed seals.
This time, Tōma didn't resist at all.
His chakra was disturbed. The illusion activated.
Yet when he looked at Kurenai, he was certain of one thing.
That was her real body.
Kurenai frowned slightly. The genjutsu should have taken effect.
Tōma casually dispelled it and fell into thought.
Back when he trained with Kurenai, this had never happened. The key difference now was obvious.
The spirit-projected clone.
Their consciousness was shared. If one body was affected while the other remained unaffected, the "normal state" was immediately synchronized back.
To be certain, he needed more data.
He asked both Kurenai and Kurama Unkai to assist.
They complied.
When they cast different genjutsu simultaneously, Tōma was briefly affected but recovered almost instantly.
When they used the same genjutsu, it finally took hold.
Conclusion confirmed.
For genjutsu to truly affect him, both souls had to be struck by the same illusion at the same time.
Different genjutsu produced weak, unstable effects.
One soul alone?
Meaningless.
That said, one possibility remained untested.
If a genjutsu were overwhelmingly powerful, could it drag both souls down at once?
The answer likely depended on his own resistance.
Given that even Kurenai's strongest illusions barely worked, his baseline resistance was already high.
Whether he could withstand Tsukuyomi was another matter entirely.
That test… was not happening.
After the experiments, Tōma thanked Kurenai and informed her that the Kurama clan had agreed to a permanent solution rather than continued sealing.
"Do you really want Yakumo to stay frozen on the day her parents died?" Tōma asked calmly. "Trapped in resentment forever?"
"She needs to move forward. To step outside that estate and see the world again."
Kurenai fell silent.
She had wanted to protect Yakumo by hiding the truth, but this was also her chance at freedom.
And with the Kurama clan's approval, what right did Kurenai have to insist otherwise?
In the end, she nodded.
She agreed.