A Feast for the Head, a Dog for the Taking

He was caught in an illusion from the very beginning.

There were no signs, it wasn't a Sharingan, not even a ripple of chakra.

A chilling sensation, accompanied by unknown fear, was slowly consuming Aburame Ryoma's sanity.

No. This guy is definitely not an ordinary Jonin!

He had to pass this information on, Uchiha Sōgetsu. He was deliberately hiding his strength and must be plotting something sinister!

Without the slightest hesitation, Aburame Ryoma made a decisive move, abandoning the pursuit mission and fleeing with all his might. As long as he could escape the Forest of Death, no matter how powerful Uchiha Sōgetsu was, he wouldn't dare to kill an Anbu member on the street. Otherwise, he would be no different from a rogue ninja!

"Running away, that's really the style of an Anbu," Sōgetsu said, resting his right hand on his forehead and sighing, "Really, can't you just stay put?"

Madness!

As Aburame Ryoma fled, he instantly felt a bomb explode inside his head.

"Ah--" Aburame Ryoma screamed, falling from the tree while clutching his head, crashing heavily onto the ground.

Pain!

Excruciating pain!

It felt like every nerve was being gnawed by ants.

Terrifying pain, accompanied by maddening whispers, continuously eroded Aburame Ryoma's mental world, causing him immense suffering. Blood poured from his seven orifices, making him look like a madman.

"Uchiha Sōgetsu. What exactly. Did you do to me?!" He clutched his head and writhed in the mud, his eyes bloodshot, his cries growing more miserable, veins bulging on his face, looking terrifying, like a demon.

"Nothing, as everyone knows, I'm a psychologist," Sōgetsu said, shrugging his shoulders. "I just 'detonated' your mind just now."

'Madness' is a skill of Sequence 7, the Psychologist, from the Spectator pathway.

It causes the target to fall into madness and suffer severe mental damage by detonating their emotions or psychological state.

Hiss.

Sōgetsu's brow twitched violently, accompanied by a burning sting in his nerves, and his focus began to scatter.

"This isn't good, using extraordinary abilities continuously in a short period has caused my Spirituality to be consumed too much." He rubbed his brow, withdrew from the Spiritual Vision, took a deep breath, and suppressed the restless Potion within him. "I must be careful, I don't want to lose control this early."

The Potion System of Lord of the Mysteries is like a double-edged sword.

While it allows mortals to step into the realm of gods, it also comes with madness and loss of control. A slight misstep can turn one into a pile of 'materials.'

Sōgetsu slowly walked towards Aburame Ryoma, intending to bring this matter to a perfect conclusion.

Deterrence!

"No, don't!" Aburame Ryoma, who had been suffering from mental torment, saw Sōgetsu approaching him and felt as if he had seen something terrifying. His face was filled with horror, and he retreated backward using all fours, screaming and waving his hands frantically, trying to get away from the man: "Don't come near me--Uchiha Sōgetsu!"

In that very instant, he thought he saw... a giant dragon?

Its huge, pale golden vertical pupils were like scorching stars, burning his spirit and soul, while its scales, inscribed with mysterious runes, were like invisible giant hands, crushing and twisting his sanity.

Uchiha Sōgetsu. Is this guy really 'human'?!

"Are you afraid? Aburame Ryoma."

Sōgetsu's voice was low, but it didn't feel distant. Instead, it was like greeting a long-lost friend.

"Don't. Don't come near me!" Aburame Ryoma's back hit the trunk of a tree, leaving him nowhere to retreat. His face remained filled with terror. "What are you? Uchiha Sōgetsu!"

"Human? Monster? Whatever you think I am."

Sōgetsu approached him step by step, his shadow behind him stretching into a long line under the dappled sunlight.

But in Aburame Ryoma's eyes, that shadow was writhing, like a ferocious beast ready to devour.

Unease and fear, like a nightmare, clung to the depths of his mind. The whispers in his ears grew closer, the noisy, sharp sounds almost driving him insane.

"No, don't come near me, please don't come near me!" Aburame Ryoma, a member of the elite Anbu, was now weeping bitterly, begging Uchiha Sōgetsu humbly: "Please, please, please."

The incessant, whispering screams were driving him mad.

The giant dragon that appeared in his illusion just now was also becoming clearer in his mind. Those twisted, chaotic runes felt like they were about to burst his brain.

"Aburame Ryoma, have you ever thought about why people live?" Sōgetsu stopped, his back to the sun, and asked.

Dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting shadows forward from behind him.

From Aburame Ryoma's perspective, Sōgetsu stood bathed in sunlight, like a holy angel, radiating a divine aura.

The mad whispers gradually faded away.

The distorted world and chaotic runes before him vanished like a nightmare.

The radiance emanating from him, like a savior, pulled Ryoma out of the abyss of madness and insanity, like driftwood for a drowning man.

His mind had never been so calm.

"I don't know," Aburame Ryoma subconsciously lowered his head and answered his question.

Perhaps, even he hadn't realized it himself, but in that very moment, a sliver of awe had arisen in his heart towards Uchiha Sōgetsu.

"I think it's a sense of security,"

Sōgetsu said calmly.

"A sense of security?"

Aburame Ryoma's face showed a hint of bewilderment.

"That's right, a 'sense of security,' Ryoma."

Sōgetsu spread his hands, a gentle smile on his lips, and explained, "Everyone lives to overcome unease and fear, to find a sense of security!"

He paced slowly, like a priest answering the doubts in the hearts of praying believers, and said gradually:

"Gaining a prominent reputation, dominating others; or acquiring immense wealth, all are done to find a sense of security!"

"Getting married and making friends is also for security!"

"Devoting oneself to others, pursuing love and peace, all are merely to find a sense of security!"

"In the final analysis, living is pursuing a 'sense of security'!"

A sense of security. The simplest three words, yet they struck Aburame Ryoma's heart like a heavy hammer, causing him to fall into thought involuntarily.

"The reason people feel fear lies in 'unease'."

Sōgetsu's gaze seemed to pierce through people's hearts.

The deep vortex hidden within his eyes seemed to be about to suck Aburame Ryoma in.

The unease disappeared.

All this time, while under Danzo's command, that sense of unease and fear that had always lingered deep within his heart vanished at this moment, like snow melting in spring.

With just a look, he felt an unparalleled sense of security.

It was as if he were an infant enveloped in amniotic fluid, inside his mother's womb, a comfortable sense of security surrounded him, immersing Ryoma's soul within it, unwilling to leave.

"You are uneasy, and you are also in pain."

"Since that's the case, why not choose to pledge allegiance to me? Aburame Ryoma." At this moment, Sōgetsu paced behind Aburame Ryoma, bent down slightly, placed his hands gently on his shoulders, slowly brought his lips close to his ear, and whispered, "Is there anything wrong with wanting to pursue security?"

That's right...

The reason people live is to pursue security.

Since he couldn't get 'security' from Danzo, was there anything wrong with submitting to someone who could give him 'security'?

"Lord Sōgetsu."

Aburame Ryoma lowered his head, obedient and respectful.

"Very good, Ryoma."

Sōgetsu smiled and reached out to stroke Ryoma's head. "I will grant you what you desire. Security!"

Feeling the warmth of that hand, Aburame Ryoma felt a peace he had never experienced before.

That's right, this was the security he pursued, a person truly worthy of dedicating everything to, not that 'rat' hiding in the dark corners!

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