Concern * Curses

Kyōnosuke begins to intentionally or unintentionally contact Izuna.

He asked casually, "Young friend Izuna, so it was you who told Enma about this? Do you have any other thoughts on this matter?"

Just as Izuna was about to reply, Hashirama suddenly spoke up.

"My Lord," Hashirama said calmly, "I would like to confirm a few more details with you regarding the trade agreement between the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Fire."

Kyōnosuke tilted his head to look at him, raising an eyebrow.

Hashirama remained unfazed, looking back at him with an open and honest gaze.

"A trade agreement? I remember it was confirmed last month, right?"

"Because Konoha has some new ideas regarding the route selection," Madara interjected, "I think this matter needs to Discussion Discussion."

Kyōnosuke looked at Madara.

Yes, blatant hostility.

Interesting.

Throughout the rest of the conversation, whenever Kyōnosuke tried to steer the conversation towards Izuna, Hashirama and Madara would immediately deflect it with official business.

Sometimes they even play the good cop and the bad cop, cooperating flawlessly.

Occasionally, Izuna would try to say something, but Tobirama would always chime in at just the right moment and shut him up.

Enma sat in the corner and explained the Barrier plan from beginning to end. Kyōnosuke tried to speak several times, but Enma cut him off with "Lord, this place is very important."

Izuna himself didn't seem to feel anything.

He sat there, listening quietly, occasionally looking bewildered when Hashirama blocked him, wondering why he couldn't even speak.

Several times he opened his mouth to say something, but a glance from Tobirama made him obediently close his mouth again.

By the time the discussion was finished, it was completely dark.

The maids lit the Stone Lanterns in the courtyard, and the dim light leaked out from the paper covers, falling on the old pine tree in the courtyard, casting long, thin shadows of the pine needles.

"Then we'll take our leave," Hashirama said politely. "Your Majesty, there's no need for you to see us off."

"Alright, I'll stop here then. See you next time," said Kyōnosuke. "Oh, by the way, the Clan Head chief asked me to pass on a message to you."

Hashirama paused, "Old Man Ashina? What did you say?"

Kyōnosuke took a deep breath, then sneered and glared angrily, "You brat, you better take good care of Mito and my grandson! Otherwise, I'll haunt you like a ghost even if I die!"

After saying that, Kyōnosuke returned to his usual calm expression. "That's right."

Hashirama amused and exasperated. "You're really still going strong for your age. I understand, I'll tell Ashina- sensei I will."

Kyōnosuke saw them to the door and watched the four of them leave, his face full of regret.

Enma stood beside Kyōnosuke, his eyes slightly lowered.

"Sigh..." Kyōnosuke gazed at the empty alleyway, his voice filled with genuine regret, "Why couldn't you let me talk to my friend Izuna?"

Enma glanced at him. "Because I always feel like you're going to do something to him."

"How could that be?" Kyōnosuke turned to look at him innocently. "I was just curious, I'm not going to eat him."

Enma didn't speak, she just looked at him.

Do you think I'd believe that? I understand now why you kept me here; you probably wanted to use me to talk to Izuna, right?

That's alright, Izuna's abilities are more than enough to handle a normal conversation, but you'll definitely try to ramble on and on with platitudes! He just can't handle that!

Isn't it inappropriate to do this to someone you've just met, Your Kyōnosuke?

Kyōnosuke raised an eyebrow. It seemed the child had misunderstood something, but that was fine; knowing too early wouldn't be a good thing for him.

Beside him, Genichi and the host emerged from the shadows and looked at him.

The host asked, "Your Majesty, since you are interested in Uchiha Izuna, would you like me to follow him and gather information?"

Kyōnosuke waved his hand, "Don't meddle. Those four are not people we can afford to mess with."

"Yes."

Looking at the deserted end of the road in the distance, Kyōnosuke sighed, "My brother-in-law's Strength is becoming more and more terrifying."

Several times he felt an overwhelming pressure; the mere aura was so astonishing. What would it be like if he went all out?

"Then, it's time for me to leave, Your Majesty," Enma said meekly. "I'll take Yuansheng and Hideki with me."

"Okay, go ahead." Kyōnosuke turned and went back into the house. "Prepare some tea and snacks; I need to start working."

"Yes."

On the other side, on the road leading to the inn.

A night breeze blew in from the sea, carrying a salty, damp scent, causing the roadside lanterns to sway gently. The stone path was bathed in moonlight, and a few people walked on it, their footsteps echoing in a rhythmic pattern.

Hashirama walked at the front, his hands tucked into his sleeves, muttering to himself.

"Why are you calling me 'my little friend Izuna's so affectionately?" he muttered under his breath. "We've only just met, why are you acting all familiar?"

Ban stood beside him, his expression strange. Before he could even complain, this guy was already complaining.

"And what's with all this talk of 'curiosity'? What's there to be curious about?" Hashirama continued muttering, "What are you staring at my kid for?"

Ban squinted. "Your house?"

Hashirama shrank his neck slightly, then retorted, "What's wrong with talking about my family? Izuna calls me 'brother,' so of course I have to protect him."

"You bastard..."

"Izuna didn't object! Right, Izuna?"

Hashirama looked at Izuna.

Izuna: "... Uh."

Madara was shocked. "You actually... hesitated..." He took two steps back, exaggeratedly clutching his chest, "I'm your brother, Izuna..."

Izuna quickly went up to comfort him, "I object! I strongly object! Only Madara-nii can call me 'little brother'!"

Hashirama sank into a deep depression, "So I'm not your Hashirama- nii after all..."

Izuna quickly went to comfort him, "Of course! You're my idol!"

Hashirama froze instantly, while Madara chuckled sinisterly, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him away.

"Madara! Izuna actually idolizes me!"

"Shut up!"

"An idol~ She's an idol~ Hehe~"

"I'll beat you to a pulp!"

Izuna and Tobirama stood still, watching Hashirama the dense rain clouds, head towards the sea.

Tobirama was utterly speechless. "When will these two ever grow up?"

Izuna shrugged. "I think they'll be like this for the rest of their lives."

Tobirama looked at Izuna, "So, you lost your eyes when you were eight years old."

Izuna immediately looked away, regretting that he couldn't whistle; otherwise, he would definitely have whistled a couple of times to cover up his embarrassment.

Tobirama seemed oblivious to his embarrassment, lost in thought. "If it was when you were eight... that was the year you met Big Brother, so you said you lost your eyes that year? How did you lose them?"

Izuna thought to herself, "What a coincidence? Both are eight years old? Hmm... In the story, he died to protect you, but that's fictional, and if I say it out loud, people will definitely start imagining things... I'd better make up something else."

He was accidentally injured during a mission.

Tobirama frowned.

Lie.

Putting aside the coincidence of timing, even considering the suicide note, Izuna's loss of his eyes must be related to Tobirama.

If they weren't close friends, who would care about the eyes of an Uchiha?

Moreover, what Tobirama gave this person wasn't just ordinary eyes, but the Mangekyō Sharingan, which he almost couldn't understand how it was made.

Since it's related, what kind of accident could have driven Tobirama to such lengths?

Tobirama glanced at Izuna and noticed that Izuna's attention had already shifted to the Fire Fly that had emerged as night fell.

"They're Fire Fly! Wow!"

... Never mind, I probably won't get anything out of him.

"In that case, let's try catching Fire Fly!"

"Ugh!"

Suddenly, Mokushō appeared out of nowhere, startling Izuna into letting out a gorilla-like scream.

Tobirama thought to himself, "Why does it have to be that kind of sound..."

Mokushō openly and honestly complained, "What a strange sound."

Izuna snapped, "I was scared by you! Where did you even come from?"

"I was there from the beginning, I just didn't say anything."

"Then say something!"

"Hehe~"

"Heh heh heh." Izuna patted his heart. "Seriously, why can't I ever sense your presence?"

There's no marker for him on the Shitty Map, and Shikigami is just too much of a cheat!

Speaking of which... Izuna glanced to the side, thinking, "I couldn't figure out that king either."

In the past, the Shitty Map would show their basic information, but this time it only showed their name and a CG image, without mentioning their identity as the ruler.

Why is that?

While Mokushō was catching his breath, Izuna glanced back at the cabin hidden in the woods.

The Land of Whirlpools' Ruler... Uzumaki Kyōnosuke?

I see. It seems that without my interference, Kyōnosuke would indeed have taken that position.

"You just said you were trying to catch Fire Fly?" Tobirama interrupted his thoughts.

Mokushō immediately chimed in, "That's right. Since you can already see the Light Veins, you can start trying to use Word Spirit."

"Word Spirit?"

"That's right, the Word Spirit is the foundation of the Onmyōji system," Mokushō raised a finger, "I mentioned before that the simplest incantation is a name, so how do we make an incantation work?"

"Say it out loud?"

Mokushō gave Tobirama a thumbs-up. "You understand so quickly! That's it!"

Tobirama frowned. "But if it's just a matter of speaking, then aren't all the words we utter every day curses?"

Mokushō looked at him in surprise, "How did you understand so quickly? No wonder you're a researcher, most people wouldn't even ask that."

Tobirama raised an eyebrow, Mokushō as a compliment.

"You're right, the words we utter every day are actually a kind of curse."

"What normal people say can actually affect others, and even nature," Mokushō said, raising a finger, his tone unusually serious, "But only in a very small way."

"Kind words can't persuade a good-for-nothing, and harsh words can't hurt a fair-minded person. You've all heard this saying, haven't you?"

Tobirama nodded.

"The power of words is immense; they can influence a person to reform, or mislead them astray; they can kill silently, or save someone from dire straits. This is the power of language."

Izuna tilted his head. "So, Word Spirit is about amplifying this kind of power?"

"Right." Mokushō snapped his fingers. "The so-called 'Word Spirit' is actually about enhancing the power of language by radiating Mental Power through nature. Simply put, it's about transmitting your Mental Power through your voice, giving your spoken words 'power'."

Tobirama seemed to be deep in thought, "So what you just said, 'the simplest incantation is a name,' is because a name itself is a kind of Word Spirit?"

"That's right." Mokushō nodded. "Ordinary People can react just by calling their names, but people like us who can see Light Veins can amplify this power through cultivation, making someone do what we want just by calling their name."

Tobirama immediately frowned. "So strong?"

Mokushō waved his hand, "You can't do it yet. Only Great Onmyōji, or a Kage Level- level expert like you, could do something like that. A novice like you shouldn't even think about it."

Tobirama. Even so, it was still incredibly powerful. If one could truly achieve that, wouldn't it mean that anyone could die at will?

Tobirama looked at Mokushō. This guy's Strength shouldn't be weak, right? Inari God is so famous, there's no reason for Strength to be weak. Could he really do that?

"Curses can also be used like your Ninja Chakra, for example, 'fire'." Mokushō raised his hand, and a ball of fire appeared out of thin air in his hand.

"Water." Ripples appeared, hovering silently beside the flames.

"And wind, earth, and thunder." Several attributes appeared one after another, and Mokushō's hand, like a small compass, steadily supported them.

Tobirama watched this scene with a look of shock. Five attributes could be used freely? Was this what Onmyōji was all about?

Izuna, however, was pondering something else, "If I don't recite, can I still activate Word Spirit? Like... I flew up without using my wings before."

"Of course." Mokushō shrugged. "Not speaking is also possible, but that's more difficult and energy-consuming. Tengu naturally drawn to wind, fire, and thunder. Your body is already used to subconscious actions. Most people still use their voices to cast Word Spirit, after all, speaking is the most natural way to output."

Tobirama narrowed his eyes. "So you're going to teach us how to catch Fire Fly now? How? Can we just call them Fire Fly?"

"No, it is to use techniques to bind them."

Mokushō withdrew the five elements from his hand and clapped his hands.

"The so-called art is a system of spells based on 'names'."

Izuna tilted his head. "Based on 'name'?"

"Yes." Mokushō held up one finger. "Its core principle is to achieve effects such as immobilization and concealment by knowing and binding the opponent's 'name'."

Tobirama frowned slightly. "Knowing a name can bind you?"

"That's right. A name is the shortest spell. Knowing someone's name is like grasping a thread connecting them to your existence. Through this thread, you can exert influence."

Mokushō said, "Of course, the more powerful the being, the harder it is to bind, and the 'weight' of its name also varies. For example, if you want to use a technique to bind Tailed Beast, simply calling its name is not enough; you also need to use stronger Spell Runes and Formations."

He pointed to the Fire Fly floating in the grass not far away, those tiny specks of light flickering in the night.

"Small creatures like Fire Fly, with their low profile and faint glow, don't need to be known by name; they're perfect for practicing magic."

Tobirama glanced at the points of light. "So?"

Mokushō raised his hand, put two fingers together, and gently pointed at the nearest Fire Fly.

"Bound."

The Fire Fly's light suddenly stopped.

It then gently fell to the ground, and the other Fire Fly, unaware of its presence, continued to wander among the grass.

Izuna's eyes widened. "Oh, oh."

Tobirama's eyes widened as well.

He stared at the frozen Fire Fly, his pupils slightly contracting.

This technique.

He had seen it before.

This was used by Izuna.