Mutual Scheming * Shikigami

Upon hearing Tsukimiyo's words, Mokushō almost lost his composure.

The expression behind the mask was utterly tragic; his lips twitched twice, and he barely managed to swallow back the laugh. Afraid that he would actually laugh out loud, he turned his head and tried hard to look closely at the Ukiyo-e on the wall.

Madara, Hashirama, and Tobirama, however, had very serious expressions.

Madara stared at Tsukimiyo, his gaze sharp as a knife. "You said you're my and Izuna's brother?"

Tsukimiyo nodded. "Mm."

My brother's name isn't Tsukimiyo.

Tsukimiyo's fingers began to tap the back of her hand again. "I heard it from my Madara. Actually, I'm not really sure if it's me or not."

"What do you mean?" Ban's brows furrowed even more.

"Because Shikigami cannot be called by their real names," Tsukimiyo's voice lowered, "Once Shikigami learns its name from its previous life, it will Demonization due to the memories of its past suffering."

"Demonization?"

Ban's pupils contracted slightly.

Remembering what Hashirama had mentioned about the price, he pressed further, "What consequences will Demonization lead to?"

Tsukimiyo thought for a moment and replied, "Hmm, it would cause it to lose its mind and become Demon that only spreads despair..."

"Demons?!" Madara's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

Izuna's eyes widened. "Eh?!"

Hashirama asked seriously, "Being transformed into Demon can be exorcised, is that right?"

Tsukimiyo seemed startled, her shoulders shrank slightly. "Y-yes."

Madara abruptly turned to look at Mokushō: "How could you hide such an important matter! What if Izuna Demonization?!"

Mokushō was taken aback by his shout, "Eh, no..."

"You say Tsukimiyo has ulterior motives? I think you're the one with ulterior motives!"

Tsukimiyo quickly tried to smooth things over. "It's not that easy! People who Demonization are usually Demon who have completely lost hope in the world!"

Madara didn't look at him; his gaze remained fixed on Mokushō: "But he did try to hide it!"

Izuna frowned and pondered for a moment, genuinely not feeling any sense of crisis. "Madara-nii, I don't think there's a big problem. I've been Tengu for so long and haven't encountered any issues..."

"This concerns your safety," Ban turned his head, his tone leaving no room for argument, "Mokushō, you must explain this to me clearly!"

Mokushō glared at Tsukimiyo Ye.

Tsukimiyo! You tricked me as soon as you appeared, didn't you?! I thought you were out of your mind to start causing trouble right away, but it turns out you were just waiting for me here!

Tsukimiyo simply stood there, wearing the mask that emanated an ominous black aura, her expression unreadable.

But Mokushō knew perfectly well that this guy was gloating.

Mokushō took a deep breath and helplessly shrugged. "I was just afraid you'd overreact. I did mention the consequences, but I didn't make them sound as serious as they seem."

Ban sneered, "I've been meaning to say you've been hiding too much. Now that your kind are here, let's see how you're going to keep it a secret."

Tsukimiyo seemed confused. He looked at Mokushō, then at Madara, his tone hesitant. "Madara, Mokushō do something wrong?"

Madara looked at him, "And you. Since you have the audacity to say that you are me and Izuna, you must have prepared your explanation."

"What are you talking about... Izuna, what's going on?"

Izuna blinked and pointed to himself. "Huh? You're asking me?"

Izuna's expression showed no surprise, no confusion, and not even much curiosity about this "older brother."

It's like this has nothing to do with him.

Ban noticed this, and his brow furrowed even deeper.

Tsukimiyo also noticed it.

His shoulders slumped slowly, his clasping stopped, and his hands hung at his sides, his fingers slightly curled.

Looking at his appearance, Ban felt a surge of inexplicable irritation.

Madara Uchiha did indeed have an older Big Brother who died young.

Madara Uchiha originally had five children, but the other children had already died in dangerous Ninja missions, leaving only Madara and Izuna.

Ban wasn't the oldest one.

The eldest brother... his name is Minami Uchiha. Minami means the opposite of North, and it symbolizes victory.

Nan was five years younger than him; Nan died on the battlefield when he was eight.

His memory of his Big Brother had long since become blurred, leaving only an outline and a few fragmented old stories. Moreover, the time they spent together was too short, and he had no idea what kind of personality his Big Brother truly had.

But no matter what, it shouldn't be this indecisive.

Ban turned her face away.

After all, the Uchiha Clan is known for its pride.

Mokushō sighed, "Sigh... Alright then, what do you want to know?"

Madara stared at him for two seconds, making sure he wasn't just giving a perfunctory answer, before speaking, "Who are you? Where did you come from? What is your purpose in approaching Izuna?"

Mokushō raised his head. "I am Mokushō, from the world of Izuna." He said, his tone more serious than before. "I was originally Madara Uchiha's Shikigami. I came here purely because Izuna and I were destined to meet, and he pulled me here."

Madara frowned. "My Shikigami?"

Another of my Shikigami, which means he knows the things...

Many questions flashed through his mind.

What kind of person was he in that world? What kind of person was Izuna in that world? What happened to his other self? These questions flooded his mind like a tide, but in the end, he only asked one question:

"Is my other self... still alive?"

Hashirama was also paying close attention; he stared intently at Mokushō's mask, his expression serious.

Mokushō stroked his chin, a subtle smile playing on his lips, "Hmm... he lived to be eighty."

Hashirama surprise, "Eighty years old! Such an advanced age!"

Ban quickly pressed, "Did he die of old age?"

"How could that be?" Mokushō said flatly. "Do you think you're the kind of person who would laze around at home waiting to die?"

Ban fell silent.

Hashirama stood to the side, contemplating the scene, and couldn't help but say, "I can't argue with that..."

Tobirama steered the conversation back on track. "So what exactly is the definition of Demonization? Madara Uchiha is definitely Great Yōkai you're talking about. If Madara Uchiha could live to be eighty years old, then Demonization must be a very serious matter, right?"

Mokushō shrugged. "It's quite serious, but it's not really that serious either."

He said, "When I taught you before, I said that people's language can influence people, and the influence specifically refers to people's inner world."

The degree of Demonization depends on whether one is obsessed with a certain thing.

"To put it simply, it's about whether a person has worries. If they have worries, they will naturally want to pursue power. And those who pursue power will naturally seek the power of nature to resolve their problems."

"And nature is generous." His tone fell silent. "In fact, it will give as much as people want. The price is being assimilated by nature while carrying that obsession—that's what Demonization is."

"Normally, people only want those things, and the part that is assimilated is actually very small. But there are things that people will do even if they lose their rationality and stop at nothing to achieve them."

"At this point, those who pursue such things will be completely assimilated by nature and become Demons."

"Demons can squander the power of nature at will, and get whatever they want with ease. But even if they achieve their goals, they are no longer human, but part of nature."

"They will lose their self-awareness, their future, and only the regret and despair of what they couldn't achieve before their Demonization will accompany them, as they wreak havoc on humanity along with nature. Moreover, this Demonization is, in a sense, irreversible."

Hashirama frowned. "Irreversible?"

"Yes, everyone has things they want to pursue in life, whether it's material things or principles. Once a person decides on a goal to pursue in their life, that person will awaken."

Mokushō looked at Madara: "I told you before that the Uchiha awakened to the Tengu form along with the Sharingan; that's what I really meant."

Madara seemed thoughtful. "I see..."

The Sharingan of the Uchiha usually awakens after experiencing a shocking event. People are indeed more likely to establish their goals or principles after experiencing a major event.

"Awakening means making Contract with nature and being able to use the power of nature to strengthen oneself."

"But if an awakened person wants to receive nature's help, then for the rest of their life they must strive with all their might to fulfill the vows they made at the time of awakening."

Mokushō said, "If a person cannot fulfill or breaks the vows they have made, they will fall into despair and transform into Demon, seeking revenge on everyone."

Ban remained silent for a long time.

Hashirama stood beside him, scratching his head. "Uh... sounds alright? Aren't all people like that? Some people, if they can't achieve their wishes or uphold their beliefs, will give up on themselves or go to extremes. Demons might be a bit more extreme, though?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Mokushō nodded.

Madara turned his head and looked at Izuna.

Izuna was looking at the Ukiyo-e on the screen, completely ignoring this scene, appearing nonchalant and indifferent.

"Izuna," Madara asked, "What were you thinking when you awakened your Sharingan?"

Izuna snapped out of her daze and turned to look at him, her expression one of genuine bewilderment.

"What?"

What were you thinking when you Sharingan?

"I wasn't thinking about anything," he said. "I don't even know how I opened my eyes."

Ban looked at him and sighed.

Little brother, although I'm happy that you can easily feel joy, you should still be a little more mindful at times like this.

"The explanation of Demonization is finished," Mokushō glanced around, hands on his hips, "Any more questions?"

Tobirama asked again, "Did you come from the future?"

Mokushō hadn't expected him to ask this, and after a moment of hesitation, he replied, "Probably? But don't expect to learn anything from me. Perhaps due to the time jump, I have absolutely no memory of the future."

Madara frowned. "You don't remember anything at all?"

"Hmm, it's like it was cut off." Mokushō shrugged. "I only remember this much information, but I have no idea what specific events happened, so don't ask me about it."

Tobirama thought. Was Izuna in a similar situation?

Madara continued, "Since you are Madara's Shikigami, you should know Tsukimiyo. Who is he?"

Mokushō glanced at Tsukimiyo, his tone carrying an ambiguous meaning. "Oh, Izuna's initial Shikigami, his Big Brother."

Madara frowned. "Really?"

"It's probably true." Mokushō pursed his lips. "Izuna always cherished him a lot."

Tsukimiyo glanced at him.

Oh, why does that sound so sarcastic?

Madara asked in confusion, "But Izuna doesn't seem to know him. And you didn't seem familiar with him before either."

Mokushō shrugged. "He's changed all his media outlets, how could I possibly recognize him?"

"A medium?" Ban frowned. "You mean the fan that looks like you're possessing someone? You can switch possession items?"

"It can't be changed easily." Mokushō's tone became more serious. "When Shikigami becomes Tsukumogami by binding itself to a possessing object, a portion of its Spirit Base will be bound to the possessing object. Unless the bound person is changed or the possessing object is destroyed, it is not recommended to frequently change the possessing object. Otherwise, it will cause great damage to the Shikigami's soul."

After listening, a subtle sense of helplessness appeared on Ban's face. "Your world has so many rules..."

Hashirama, standing to the side, seemed quite philosophical about it. "After all, we're dealing with nature; it's always good to be meticulous."

"Since he is Izuna's Shikigami, can Izuna use him directly?"

Izuna tilted his head. "Hmm... I don't think I can."

"Don't you think so?" Ban tilted his head to look at him.

I can't sense what he's thinking.

"It's normal not to feel it," Madara and Izuna looked at him together, Tsukimiyo looked at Izuna, "Because the Link between us is currently broken."

Izuna said "Oh," and asked, "Then how do I connect?"

"Just call my name."

Mokushō couldn't help but glance at him. "You're not much better than a coin, are you?"

Ban frowned. "Broken? Why?"

But Izuna didn't think much of it and blurted out, "Tsukimiyo."

Ban suddenly raised his hand: "Wait--"

Before he could finish speaking, a burst of white light suddenly erupted between Izuna and Tsukimiyo.

In the light, three bright words appeared before Izuna: Tsukimiyo.

The characters are archaic, with a pale blue halo flowing between the strokes.

The three words hovered in mid-air for a moment, then seemed to be sucked in by something and disappeared into Tsukimiyo's body.

Then--

A sound like cotton being torn came.

Tsukimiyo let out a muffled groan, then fell forward, bracing herself with her hands on the beechwood cabinet, her knuckles turning white.

His figure became ethereal for a fleeting moment, like ink spreading in water, its edges blurring so much that it almost vanished.

And the Pentagram at Netsuke bottom of the root seemed to have been erased and disappeared.

The surface of the Black Peach Wood became clean, leaving only the wood grain itself.

Izuna then realized what was happening and took a step forward. "Who were you just now?!"

Tsukimiyo, leaning against the cabinet, slowly straightened up.

His figure was still somewhat ethereal, and the hem and cuffs of his clothes were slightly translucent, like ink that hadn't completely dried. The red light behind the mask shone again, but it was much dimmer than before.

"Only this way can I return to your side." His voice was weak, as if through a layer of water. "It's alright, I'll recover with time."

Izuna reached out to help him, but Tsukimiyo gently pushed her away.

"No need," Tsukimiyo said, "I can stand."

Madara slowly withdrew his hand, which he had just tried to use to stop him.

He looked at Tsukimiyo, who was leaning against the cabinet and barely managing to stand up, and then at Izuna's face, where he couldn't hide his eagerness.

Madara thought to himself that being willing to go to such lengths to return to Izuna's side, even at the cost of hurting himself, to reconnect with that broken Link, showed a level of dedication that didn't seem feigned.

This guy is probably really Izuna's Shikigami, and one that has been with him for many years.

However, whether he is the Big Brother still needs to be verified.

But he was already somewhat certain in his heart.

Because Izuna's reaction after finding the Netsuke was too strong.

Even though it was just taken away for testing, Izuna cried so much. After that, Izuna would carry that Netsuke with him wherever he went, and he would never leave it Netsuke even if he forgot his Ninja Tool Pouch.

In other words, this Netsuke, or rather, this Tsukimiyo, is most likely someone very important to Izuna.

Thinking of this, Madara's gaze fell on Tsukimiyo again.

However... his mask... and this dark aura...

Isn't that a bit too... um...