Making Trouble! Time to Make Trouble

Daren Yi had never planned to step into the spotlight, but now that he had a Golden Finger—and Uchiha Izumi as a "revival coin supplier"—he was feeling somewhat inflated.

He began considering whether he should stir up some trouble. Especially since his girlfriend's entire family had just been killed; wouldn't it seem inappropriate if he did nothing at all?

"How did you escape the Uchiha compound?"

Uchiha Izumi looked a little embarrassed and muttered softly, "I wasn't at the compound tonight. I usually sneak out without telling my family and come near this street alone at night... just to look around!"

Daren Yi was speechless. Sure enough, that was very Uchiha. No wonder she had awakened the Mangekyō!

"The two Anbu ninja ambushed me first. I was injured and fled. Just as I was about to call for help, they said... they said the Uchiha's rebellion had failed, that the Anbu had wiped out the entire clan, and that I was the last one!"

Uchiha Izumi added, grief filling her face. Though she had long been mentally prepared for the changing situation, when it truly came to this, she still found it hard to accept. Konohagakure, her hometown that held all her memories, had suddenly become her enemy. It hurt too much for her to even summon the will to fight. All that remained in the girl's heart was confusion.

"Come on. It's not light yet. Let's go take a look at the Uchiha compound first."

With the beginnings of a plan in mind, Daren Yi took the initiative. He even faintly felt a sense of anticipation at the thought of causing trouble and then watching the show. Taking the girl's hand, he led her outside while explaining things to her as they walked.

Outside the Uchiha compound, the sealing barrier that had isolated it from the outside had already been removed. Buildings that had only been rebuilt a few years earlier were once again stained with blood. This time, it was not blood spilled in the turmoil caused by the Nine-Tails, but in the ruthless slaughter of fellow villagers, clansmen, and comrades.

"Lord Danzō, the area has been cleared. Other than Sasuke Uchiha and that Itachi Uchiha, the bodies of all other Uchiha Clan members have been recovered and identified. No one escaped."

"Very good. Well done!"

Leaning on his cane, Shimura Danzō was immensely pleased and excited. He had even given the rarest of praise to the "tools" under his command. Having exterminated the Uchiha, the threat closest to his heart, also proved from another angle that he had done better than "the monkey," Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Even Teacher Tobirama can't say I'm inferior to Hiruzen Sarutobi now, can he?

Not far away, over a hundred Root Ninja were sealing the recovered Uchiha Clan corpses into scrolls one by one. These were precious experimental materials and could not be wasted.

What they did not know was that the corpses they were sealing away had already been swapped for rocks, wooden boards, straw, and other debris. The one making the substitutions was even operating openly right before their eyes, yet they noticed nothing.

"Brother Yi, what kind of genjutsu is this? It's ridiculously powerful! Was this the genjutsu you used when you saved me just now?"

As Uchiha Izumi carefully collected the bodies of her clansmen, she could not help feeling sorrowful. At the same time, Daren Yi's mystery and strength filled her with curiosity and delight.

Daren Yi held his hand signs, Chakra surging through his body as the Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes slowly rotated, enhancing the genjutsu's power.

On the translucent Deep Blue Panel, the entries "Chakra Strength/Recovery Speed Increase: 370%" and "Yin Release Ninjutsu/Genjutsu Strength Increase: 370%" glimmered simultaneously.

The two enhancements multiplied together, bringing an unimaginable boost to an already powerful genjutsu. More than a hundred elite ninja at the scene were being toyed with in the palm of his hand. Every sense had been deceived, and all they saw was illusion.

It was as if the world had been divided into two separate dimensions: "reality" and "illusion." The inner and outer layers of the world were separated, close enough to touch and yet impossibly far apart.

"My mother left me an analysis of genjutsu principles and research notes recorded by Uchiha Juri, a senior member of our clan who awakened the Mangekyō. I drew a great deal of inspiration from it.

"Originally, I wanted to develop a powerful genjutsu called Mirror Flower, Water Moon, one that could permanently and absolutely control all of another person's senses. But later, I discovered that it was far too difficult. Even after giving it everything I had, I only developed a version that could barely control and affect another person's five senses for a short time. It was more similar to the Kurama Clan's Kekkei Genkai.

"Still unwilling to accept that, I drew inspiration from the Hell Viewing Technique, which allows people to see the things they fear most in their hearts. I added the ability to influence emotions, and the result was the genjutsu before you now. I call it—

"Seven Emotions and Six Desires, Five Aggregates Bewildering!"

"Legend says that the boundless mortal world of the Human World is the most poisonous thing of all. It can drown every immortal and god, drag them down into the mortal realm, make them suffer endless sorrow and pain, and leave them unable to transcend it.

"My ultimate ideal for this technique is exactly that. I hope it can evolve into my Domain of the Boundless Mortal World.

"Time, space, pure power, and the spirit and soul are all fields with limitless potential, capable of reaching the supreme realm.

"Once this technique is truly complete, even a powerhouse at the level of the Sage of Six Paths would have their mind clouded, their senses confused, and their memories sealed away.

"They would lose the ability to sense and control their own body and Chakra, tasting all the sorrow and suffering of the world beneath endless emotional assaults—until their mind descended into chaos, until their soul collapsed from pain."

Having bragged that far, Daren Yi lowered his head awkwardly and glanced at the hands he still needed to keep in hand signs just to maintain the genjutsu, trying hard to save face.

"That's only the ultimate fantasy. I'm still far from completing it. I need more techniques and information involving the spirit, soul, and emotions to supplement it."

"No, it's already absurdly powerful! Everything you described is basically just fantasy, isn't it?"

The girl could not help teasing him.

By then, Uchiha Izumi had sealed all the bodies of her clansmen into the large Sealing Scroll on her back. She rose and walked to a spot not far from Danzō, hatred flickering in her eyes as though she were eager to make a move.

"Should we kill him?"

Daren Yi walked over as well. His voice was gentle, as gentle as if he were asking whether she wanted breakfast or a drink of water.

"Not yet. According to your plan, Brother Yi, living will be worse for him than dying. I'll wait until he loses everything and falls into utter despair. Then, before everyone in Konohagakure, I'll kill him with my own hands.

"In the name of executing a Rogue Ninja!"

"Alright, your decision. Then I'll collect a little interest first..."

When Daren Yi entered within three meters of Shimura Danzō, Danzō finally sensed that something was wrong. A needle-like reaction from his nerves warned him of approaching danger, but at that distance, it was already too late.

By the time he reacted, the battle was over!

After repeatedly using the Body Flicker to escape more than a hundred meters away, his pain nerves finally caught up, making him realize what he had lost.

Danzō raised his only remaining left hand and touched the hollow where his right eye had been. His right arm was gone, and blood gushed violently from the severed limb.

"My apologies. It seems I was a little too rough, Lord Danzō!"

Daren Yi had altered his appearance with the Transformation Technique and wore a black robe and mask. Yet he did not pursue. He merely stood where he was, calmly sealing away the Sharingan and the Wood Style Arm. Then his voice changed, and his tone turned icy.

"Lord Danzō, are my eyes useful?"

"Shisui? How is that possible? Itachi Uchiha clearly said you were dead!"

Danzō's expression changed drastically. He knew that voice well, and coupled with the mention of "eyes," something very few people knew about... No, that was impossible.

"Stop playing tricks! Kill him!"

After quickly stopping the bleeding, Danzō's face became darker and more furious than ever. Protected by more than a hundred elite Root Ninja, he was practically carrying a ninja army with him. Yet while standing amid such forces, he had been instantly defeated?

Previously, ambushing Shisui Uchiha only to be cut down by his "one-eyed Susanoo" had already become the greatest shame of his life. And now this again?

Am I, Shimura Danzō, really this weak?

He could not understand it. His emotions were beginning to spiral out of control...

The Root Ninja who specialized in assassination did not have the habit of shouting out the names of their moves. They attacked silently, their coordination flawless.

A swarm of insects blotted out the sky. Blazing fireballs shot forward at terrifying speed. Whirling wind blades tore through the air. Spears of rock and earth stabbed up from beneath his feet. Unremarkable pitch-black shadows stretched out from the corners... every possible escape route in every direction was sealed off.

In theory, one could only try to defend, then be drawn into the enemy's attack rhythm, slowly edging toward death.

After all, prolonged defense inevitably led to mistakes, and most ninja were fragile glass cannons with high offense and low defense. Being hit by any ninjutsu could mean death. Even a single kunai could be fatal.

They were professionals, worthy of being called elites!

Unfortunately, today they had encountered someone beyond their level, especially one who had no intention of fighting them fairly head-on.

Daren Yi had never been someone who cared about fighting honorably. In his previous life, he had been clumsy with his hands. Whenever he played games, his reactions when using skills were always at least a beat too slow. Even when he panicked and flailed, he was constantly crushed by technical players and micro-management experts.

Because of that psychological shadow from his previous life, he had always doubted his own Battle Wisdom.

In this life, he had devoted himself to growing stronger. He had never even killed anyone, much less done the absurd things from the original anime—probing for information beyond ordinary limits, identifying weaknesses, formulating battle plans—

—or thinking through and adjusting plans amid fierce combat, adapting to every unexpected change, having sudden flashes of insight, striking at weaknesses, and defeating powerful enemies.

Just thinking about that whole string of outrageous maneuvers made his scalp tingle. That was a recipe for going bald!

Daren Yi refused to do that. He only wanted crushing victories. He only wanted to stack overwhelming raw stats and crush his opponents to death. He had no interest in those evenly matched, passionate, life-or-death battles where survival hung by a thread.

When faced with an opponent he could not overpower, he would only make a slight attempt if he had absolute confidence in his safety.

More likely, he would flee immediately to avoid disaster, wait until he had grown strong enough to crush that opponent, then come back to settle the score. He did not care in the slightest about any so-called dignity of the strong.

The genjutsu Seven Emotions and Six Desires, Five Aggregates Bewildering had been developed precisely for this!

It was both a divine technique for crushing weak opponents and a convenient means of escaping at any time if he sensed trouble.

And that was exactly what happened now. The black-robed, masked figure seemed like nothing more than a phantom. Every attack simply passed through him without leaving even the slightest mark.

"When did I ever give you the illusion that, after escaping an illusion once, you could not silently fall into one a second time?

"Everything you see, hear, and sense of me is merely an illusion I left behind for you!"

Daren Yi stepped past a Root Ninja, the katana he had just picked up slicing across the man's neck. A fountain of blood erupted, launching the freshly severed head into the air.

Then he lifted the blade and flicked its tip upward. Another Root Ninja, eyes vacant, charged in blindly and drove the sword straight through his own heart.

Mercilessly drawing and slashing—

The instant the blade pierced the chest of a third Root Ninja, the insect swarm erupted into chaos. Countless Kikaichū burst from his entire body, gathering into masses and streams as they engulfed everything around them.

"Aburame Clan? Not bad. You're quite capable!"

A cloud of smoke rose, and Daren Yi directly dispelled his Shadow Clone. The one who had entered the field to reap lives had only been a clone. Ryoma Aburame, briefly awakened from the illusion by the threat of death, stared at the scene in shock and despair.

Even with such an advantage, he's still this cautious?

What kind of person is he? Can't he show even a little of a ninja's resolve to risk his life in battle?

The next moment, his gaze became vacant once more, and no one knew what kind of illusion he had fallen into.