Troublemaker * Shikigami

After asking all the most important questions, everyone relaxed.

Then they discovered that Mokushō and Tsukimiyo seemed to actually know each other.

After explaining, Mokushō Zheng pointed at Tsukimiyo. The meaning of that gesture was clear to everyone: You wait.

Tsukimiyo had lost his initial shyness. He slightly raised his chin, and the red light behind his mask flashed, revealing an undisguised smugness.

Madara finally realized that Tsukimiyo might not actually be that kind of shy person; her timid demeanor just now was most likely an act.

The purpose was to make Mokushō honestly explain everything clearly and not try to evade the issue.

As for why...

If he had ulterior motives and wanted them to suspect Mokushō... then his actions had actually failed.

After all, they've spent so much time with Mokushō.

If there's a problem, he can still have a legitimate reason, and maybe he can even use the pretext of uncovering the truth to get closer to them. But if there's no problem, then he'll have to bear the responsibility of stirring up trouble.

But what if he really is Minami Uchiha...?

Ban's expression was strange.

His behavior just now was to set up Izuna and make that ambiguous guy, Mokushō, pay the price.

Hmm... I don't know if it's really Brother Nan, but well done.

As Izuna watched this scene, he had a strange sense of déjà vu.

It feels like watching a classic Uchiha and Senju clash and sabotage each other.

But just now, Mokushō said that the Senju Clan are tanuki (raccoon dogs), and he also calls himself a wood spirit. His words also have a strange feeling of being an "outsider".

So Izuna became a little curious about what Mokushō's surname was.

"Speaking of which, Mokushō, what was your original ethnic group?"

I have no ethnic group.

These words were spoken with absolute certainty and swiftness, almost without thinking, leaving Izuna momentarily stunned.

Izuna said "Oh" and didn't ask any further questions.

Ban's eyes narrowed.

That guy answered way too fast.

So fast it was like he was answering a question in front of everyone. If he really didn't belong to any tribe, it shouldn't be like this... almost like...

Aversion to... this question.

Just as Madara was about to ask another question, Tsukimiyo suddenly swayed to the side, leaning against the cabinet door and speaking frailly, "Uh... Izuna... find me a new medium. I wasted so much energy trying to find you... and then I broke away from my old medium... I really need to rest now..."

He had freckles and looked troubled.

Who could understand the feeling of seeing someone who exudes "I am evil" acting so weak?

How strange, let me take another look.

Izuna quickly took a step forward. "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing... I'm just a little tired." Tsukimiyo's voice was weak, and her fingers, which were gripping the cabinet, trembled slightly.

Izuna scratched his head. "But I don't have any of those vintage items right now. Where can I find a new medium?"

"Anything is fine..." Tsukimiyo said, then suddenly seemed to remember something, turned her head, and looked past Izuna, landing on Hashirama.

Mokushō's eyes widened. No way! You bastard!

Hashirama saw him looking over, he assumed a listening posture.

Then Tsukimiyo spoke up, "Hashirama, could you give your necklace to Izuna?"

Hashirama paused for a moment, then looked down at the necklace hanging around his neck. It was a deep green string of beads, the knot worn smooth and shiny.

"This?" He raised his hand and touched the necklace, looking somewhat surprised, then frowned in embarrassment.

"But this was given to me by Mito..."

Tsukimiyo's body swayed slightly.

His posture was already unsteady; he had just managed to stand upright by leaning against the cabinet, but now, as if those words had pulled away his last support, he swayed to the side, the light on his clothes and cuffs flickering before the edges began to blur again.

"Ah... I can't take it anymore..."

Hashirama's eyes widened. "Hey, hey, hey, don't fall! Izuna, catch me!"

He took off the necklace, which drew an arc in the air before falling towards Izuna.

Izuna instinctively reached out and caught it.

Madara stood to the side, watching Tsukimiyo's swaying figure and then at Hashirama's flustered reaction, raising an eyebrow.

Although there was no evidence, he inexplicably felt that this guy was Hashirama.

Izuna had intended to return the necklace when he heard Hashirama say, "This was given to me by Mito." But the moment the necklace touched his palm, he felt a warm sensation creeping into his hand.

This feeling... could it be Chakra Crystals?

He turned his palm over and examined the dark green beads closely.

The bead's surface was smooth, yet a faint light seemed to flow slowly within, as if something was sealed inside, glowing quietly and silently.

Although it's a little different from the one in the original story—different in shape and darker in color—it should be the same thing.

Madara recognized it too.

He met her once, shortly after Hashirama and Mito's marriage.

At the time, Madara and Hashirama were still enemies, but Hashirama still showed him his marriage and told him about it. Madara then offered a dry and perfunctory congratulations.

Then they continued fighting, and because he couldn't stand the unconsciously happy expression on Hashirama's face, he specifically targeted Hashirama's face, leaving him with a bruised and swollen face.

Madara hadn't seen the necklace up close at the time, and never imagined it was Chakra Crystal.

It's amazing that Tsukimiyo knew these details, even though he himself wasn't entirely aware of them.

Madara looked at Tsukimiyo, his gaze now more scrutinizing.

"Previously, Mokushō said the medium had to be an ancient item," Madara said. "Chakra Crystals don't count as ancient, do they?"

"There's a very gentle power here that can nourish the soul," Tsukimiyo said weakly. "After possessing someone, it shouldn't cause too much damage if I want to leave. Anyway, let me stay here for a while."

Madara didn't reply immediately, but instead glanced at Hashirama.

Hashirama stood to the side, his mouth moving as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just stared at the necklace in Izuna's hand, his expression carrying an indescribable subtlety.

After all, it was something Mito gave him. Although it was just a necklace, it was made by his wife herself, and to him it was a token of their love.

Are we really going to give it away like this...? But Tsukimiyo looks so weak...

Madara noticed Hashirama's hesitant expression, then looked at Tsukimiyo with a subtle aura.

That guy, Tsukimiyo, is definitely following Hashirama's Hashirama.

This guy who claimed to be his Big Brother didn't seem as weak as he appeared.

Hashirama eventually agreed.

Izuna pulled out the log from the last mission and read the words aloud.

The Mokushō in place, its body stiff and unyielding.

Although he couldn't see the man's face, Tobirama inexplicably felt that the curses he was using were very vulgar.

If you agree with this principle and are willing to uphold this will, then let it resonate in the void!

This commotion was just as big as the one involving Mokushō.

However, the strange phenomena triggered by the Tsukimiyo were completely opposite to those of the Mokushō.

After the Light Vein burst forth, flames ignited in mid-air, followed by a burst of intense light that was almost impossible to look at directly.

Then, a short, strange sound rang out, low and monotonous, like a group of people chanting scriptures in the distance.

After a while, the Light Vein dissipated, and the Chakra Crystal in Izuna's hand changed from dark green to bright red.

Tsukimiyo's voice came from inside, muffled, as if through water. "Thank you."

Then it fell silent.

Izuna looked down at the crystal in her palm, blinked, and turned to look at Hashirama.

"Um... Hashirama- kun? This..."

Hashirama waved his hand and laughed heartily, "Since I've given it to you, just wear it. Mito won't mind."

Tobirama stood to the side, expressionless, and said, "Mito will tear you apart, Big Brother."

Hashirama's smile froze for a moment, then he chuckled dryly, "It's alright, it's alright. Mito will understand if you explain it properly."

Tobirama glanced at him.

Understanding doesn't mean you can accept it, Big Brother.

That was a token of love made by someone else, and you just gave it to someone else. Even if it was to save someone, no matter how mild- Mito is, this matter won't be so easy to let go of.

Hashirama clasped his hands together and pleaded with Tobirama, "Tobirama! Please, I beg you, to explain this to Mito properly!"

"You're thinking that if you tell Mito now, she'll calm down when we get back, right?"

"Yes, yes!" Hashirama nodded vigorously. "Please, please!"

Tobirama, with Dead-Fish Eyes, said, "Fine."

Ban watched the farce unfold from the sidelines, his lips twitching slightly, but he remained silent.

Izuna put the necklace around her neck.

The red beads clung to my collarbone, warm to the touch, like a small ball of fire being held and warmed.

Madara looked at the red crystal on Izuna's neck. "Judging from this, Tsukimiyo won't be out anytime soon."

Mokushō's voice was filled with resentment. "Yeah, that kid is really shameless. He dumped all the mess on me and then went off to sleep in."

Izuna couldn't help but chuckle when he heard this.

"What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing," Izuna waved his hand, but a smile lingered on his lips. "I just think you two get along pretty well."

Mokushō shrugged.

They then questioned Mokushō about several things, but as he said, he knew nothing except for knowledge and some trivial matters.

Furthermore, Madara discovered that whenever he asked, Mokushō would answer, and all of them would be the truth.

Because even if he doesn't want to say something, he has to give an ambiguous answer.

If pressed further, Izuna will painfully step forward and call a halt.

"It hurts! Stop! Don't ask!"

Madara immediately turned to look at him. "Izuna? What's wrong?"

Izuna clutched the back of his neck, his brow furrowed, and hissed, "Anyway, don't ask anymore, ouch... it hurts..."

Madara's gaze immediately shifted to Mokushō, "What's going on?"

Mokushō shrugged. "Shikigami and their masters are connected. If I'm upset, Izuna will suffer too. Didn't we talk about this before?"

Madara frowned. He had forgotten about this incident. After all, Izuna hadn't been stabbed by Mokushō in the past few days, and he wasn't without his share of bad deeds that others might consider unethical.

Madara assumed this would only trigger a reaction if it involved betrayal or profound grief, but it turns out that something as simple as this would make Izuna upset...

"Is this one-way?"

"It's one-way," Mokushō nodded, "But there's a reason for that. Remember what I said about Demonization?"

"Um."

"Those who Demonization will gradually gravitate towards the direction of nature. Nature has no distinction between good and evil. Those who are assimilated by nature will gradually lose their sense of good and evil, become fearless, and act recklessly regardless of the will of others. Some people may still be able to maintain their original nature, but the vast majority will gradually lose their sense of being human."

"What does this have to do with you?"

"By the way, I didn't tell you where Shikigami actually come from, did I?"

Tsukimiyo claims to be their Big Brother, could it be...?

"You were once human beings?"

Hashirama and Tobirama had also thought of this, and they both frowned.

Mokushō immediately responded, "That's right."

"Some Shikigami are the will of heaven and earth, naturally existing Yōkai. Others, like myself and Tsukimiyo, are souls that were once human."

He paused.

"Generally speaking, Shikigami retain their appearance and personality traits from the time of their death. You could say they are the closest beings to humans."

Hashirama frowned and interjected, "So you all died when you were so young?"

Mokushō was stunned, then lowered his head slightly without answering.

Hashirama looked at his mask and couldn't help but sigh.

It seems that tragedy exists in every world...

After a moment of silence, Mokushō spoke again, "Shikigami are originally mortals."

"Humans make mistakes; they experience hatred, fear, jealousy, anxiety, sadness, and desire. Humans harbor all sorts of evil thoughts for various reasons, and these evil thoughts become sources of pain, wounding the Demonization Onmyōji and preventing them from straying from the path of humanity."

Izuna touched the back of his neck where he had been stabbed. "I see... So you can help Onmyōji determine whether they have done something wrong?"

"That's right. Of course, Shikigami themselves also experience all sorts of emotions," Mokushō tilted his head at Izuna, "You should have experienced that these past few days, right?"

Izuna chuckled as he recalled the various emotions he had received from Mokushō over the past few days.

"What?! I didn't stab you!"

Izuna hesitated, then said, "Sigh, never mind... Ugh!"

Mokushō clutched his heart. "I... I was actually rejected..."

"I don't dislike you, I don't dislike you!" Izuna winced in pain.

Madara looked at Mokushō, his gaze darkening. "So you confessed to having ulterior motives, is that it?"

"You could say that." Mokushō didn't evade the question; he stopped joking and looked directly into Madara's eyes. "But I never wanted to hurt Izuna. I'll answer your questions later, but not now, absolutely not."

He lowered his head slightly, as if recalling something unpleasant, "If I knew..."

Izuna suddenly let out another "uh," this time seemingly in greater pain, and leaned forward slightly.

Ban immediately reached out to support him, his brows furrowed.

He looked at Izuna's pained expression, then at Mokushō's silent mask, and remained silent for a moment.

Then he nodded.

"I'm sorry," Ban said, lowering his voice, "I won't ask any further questions."

Mokushō gave a slight bow.

"Thank you for your understanding, Lord Madara."