The Blushing Maiden

"It's okay, Mom doesn't blame you..."

Tears streamed from Kurama Yakumo's eyes.

However, the Illusionary Realm did not end.

Her younger self, no longer standing gently on flames, suddenly moved.

She lunged forward, her movements as swift as a ghost. Attack after attack landed on Yakumo.

Each touch brought pain, not from ninjutsu or genjutsu, but an extremely real pain.

"Ngh... Ah!"

Kurama Yakumo cried out, her body violently thrown to the ground. Her collar slipped, revealing a bloody gash on her collarbone. She struggled to get up, but could barely breathe.

"You shouldn't have lived at all."

"It's all your fault they died."

The younger "her" whispered in her ear, her voice soft and tender.

Yakumo's breathing was ragged, cold sweat trickled down her forehead, her body unresponsive, her voice trembling.

Just as she was about to despair.

A familiar voice broke into the Illusionary Realm.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Yakumo's eyes widened. The voice was like a faint light piercing the darkness.

She slowly looked up and saw the familiar figure.

The man wore a mask. He walked towards her.

"Since you like fire, then I'll use fire to send you to the Yellow Springs."

The next moment, he formed a hand seal with a single touch of his fingertip.

Flames ignited from within the younger her.

In the fire, she continuously shifted forms, sometimes a monster, sometimes herself, her eyes vacant.

"Ahhhhhh--!!!"

"Why are you still alive!"

"How dare you still be here!"

The young girl twisted and struggled in the flames, crying out in pain. Her voice overlapped between reality and illusion, finally dissolving into nothingness with a scream that tore through her soul.

Everything returned to silence.

Yakumo collapsed onto the ground, her clothes disheveled, her forehead damp, and her lips pale. Her body was still trembling, as if she had just experienced a terrible nightmare.

The man slowly approached and crouched down, placing a hand gently on her shoulder.

At that moment, she could even feel the warmth of his palm through her shoulder, reaching straight to her heart. She looked up at him, her voice barely audible, "Thank you..."

"After you know the truth, what do you want to do?"

His voice was devoid of warmth, yet it felt very secure.

"I... I want to become a ninja and revitalize the Kurama Clan."

Rei chuckled lightly, his fingertips gently moving away from her shoulder. The movement was neither fast nor slow. "If you want to become a ninja, you'll have to wait. In three days, I'll help you, if you can wait."

Yakumo bit her lip, trying to calm her racing heart. She straightened up, but didn't notice that her collar had shifted, revealing a patch of fair skin.

Uchiha Rei's gaze swept over it, as if present yet not, then turned away.

"However," Rei said lazily, "you're the only one left in the Kurama Clan now. How do you plan to revitalize it? Like the Kaguya? By... procreation?"

"W-what!" Yakumo's face instantly turned crimson. She hastily pulled her collar together, stammering, "No... it's not that kind of way!"

The man found her flustered state somewhat amusing.

"I... I heard there are still some clan members living outside, scattered around. Although their strength isn't great, they still carry the Kurama bloodline."

"I-if you are willing, sir, I can summon them here now."

"Very well." He stood up. "My time is precious, and I don't like to wait."

Yakumo nodded and took out a sealing scroll from her person, unrolling it gently.

"Whoosh--"

The scroll spun and rose, a blue flame flashed, and the light dissipated.

"It's the young lady, summoning us?"

"What young lady? She's just a cripple. She's not even a ninja, why should we listen to her?"

"Why so late? What happened?"

Soon, the wandering ninjas outside received the message.

They began to rush towards Kurama Yakumo's private manor.

Time passed quickly. The Anbu and Chunin guarding Kurama Yakumo had already fallen victim to genjutsu and were taken down.

The Kurama Clan, wandering ninjas, quickly entered the main hall of the private manor.

In the shadows, Uchiha Rei quietly surveyed everything. Beneath his mask, his eyes held a chilling coldness.

"Too weak..." he whispered.

Most of these people were no more than Genin. The strongest were merely two individuals.

One was a purple-haired girl, her eyes clear and cold, her features soft, bearing a slight resemblance to Yakumo. Her name was Kurama Yui, Yakumo's clan elder.

The other was a white-haired old man named Kurama Kotaro. It was said he was a genius in his youth, but alas, he was old now, at most an elite Chunin.

In the main hall, Kurama Yakumo began conversing with everyone, speaking of her intention to rebuild the Kurama Clan.

The crowd buzzed with discussion, and soon their gazes fell upon the two strongest individuals among them.

"We agree. If we delay any longer, we'll lose even the Kurama clan name." Yui's voice was clear yet tinged with stubbornness, her gaze towards Yakumo complex.

"Without a family, we are like water without roots."

Kotaro sighed, leaning on his cane, "I also agree to support Lady Yakumo in rebuilding the clan... but—who will be in charge?"

"Of course, it will be Lord Yakumo."

As the words fell, everyone turned their attention to Yakumo.

"I also agree with Lord Yakumo, but the problem is, she isn't a ninja yet."

Someone whispered a reminder, causing a brief silence.

"It's not too late to rebuild the clan after she becomes a ninja."

"Damn it! You know her physical condition!"

"She is precisely who I am considering..."

Just then, a voice filled with a sense of security sounded softly behind Yakumo.

"You go deal with Yui and Kurama Kotaro."

"I will help you... temporarily restore your ninjutsu."

Yakumo was slightly stunned, but the next moment, her eyes snapped open.

The hall suddenly trembled, and a massive tree erupted from the ground, vines lashing out, instantly trapping the two strongest individuals in the crowd.

"This, this is—!"

"Lady Yakumo's jutsu! She can use ninjutsu now!"

Vines coiled around Yui, fine red marks appearing, like dark snakes entwined around jade.

Yui's face flushed red, and she gritted her teeth, struggling, but only tightened the grip. Her purple hair fell messily, revealing her neck and collarbone, her skin slick with cold sweat and the tautness of trembling.

"That's enough," Yakumo said calmly, dispelling the jutsu.

The two fell to the ground. Yui's face was flushed, and she was still catching her breath. Kotaro, on the other hand, was filled with horror, looking at Yakumo with a newfound respect.

"This is the Kurama Clan, possessing a special Kekkei Genkai, Illusion Jutsu: True Illusion Combination," Kotaro said with a solemn expression. "Illusionary damage is real..."

"...My Lady!"

Everyone immediately knelt on one knee, their eyes shining with long-lost respect and hope.

The clan members, who had once wandered scattered, starving and cold, had finally found a home again.

No one wanted to be a rogue ninja. Clan ninjas were far stronger than rogue ninjas.

They had warm homes, wouldn't go hungry, and didn't have to worry about tomorrow.

Everyone saw hope.

"Yui, stay. The rest of you, withdraw for now," Yakumo said softly.

After everyone had dispersed, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

Uchiha Rei.

"Who are you!" Yui alertly drew her sword, her aura tensed, her stance low, her skin gleaming tautly under the moonlight.

"Stop, this is Senior!" Yakumo hurriedly explained, afraid Yui would attack rashly.

Yui coldly lowered her sword, still staring at Rei.

"I want to see Senior's strength," Yui said, raising her sword again.

"I also happen to want to see the resolve of your Kurama Clan," Rei said airily.

"Stop!" Yakumo stood between them. "Senior might accidentally kill you!"

Rei lightly raised a finger and flicked it.

"Your sword is nice."

As he spoke, the ninjatō in Yui's hand vanished without a trace.

She stiffened, instinctively taking a step back. Gritting her teeth, she formed hand seals, intending to use the Invisibility Jutsu, but in the next second, she was yanked out again, the hem of her clothes flying up and revealing a stretch of pale, smooth waist.

"You... used a genjutsu!" she gasped, her breath unsteady, sweat beading on her forehead.

Uchiha Rei approached slowly, his eyes beneath the mask possessing a sharpness that was hard to look at directly.

Yui tried to form hand seals again, only to find her body seemingly bound, unable to move.

On her skin, the whip marks from the previous battle remained, but under the genjutsu, they rapidly peeled away, revealing delicate, snow-white skin. The wounds seemed to be stripped away bit by bit, real in their pain and sensation.

Her injuries were slowly healing. Genjutsu could affect reality; this was the Kurama Clan's unique kekkei genkai.

Her knees buckled, and she instinctively knelt on the ground, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks, unsure if it was from shame, anger, or fear.

"Greetings, Lord," Yui lowered her head, a hint of forbearance and shyness in her voice.

"You believe me now," Rei smiled.

"Only you, Lord, can heal Yakumo-sama's injuries," Yui nodded, her tone gaining a touch of firmness, though she couldn't quite hide her slightly reddened ear tips.

"I have no intention of helping the current Kurama Clan," Rei's gaze swept over the two of them, his tone still indifferent. "You are too weak. However... I will give you an opportunity."

"What opportunity?" Yui's voice tightened, as if instinctively sensing something. Her eyes trembled slightly, her cheeks flushed, and she lowered her head, her voice so quiet it was as if she feared being heard, "Does the Kurama Clan... have anything that could catch Senior Lord's eye..." She bit her lip, her eyes flickering as if she had more to say.

"The Kurama Clan still has some ancestral assets that can be offered to you, Lord..." Yakumo quickly added, but her speech faltered slightly, as if sensing the atmosphere was a bit off. Her expression became a little constrained.

"I don't need your wealth," Rei suddenly paused, his voice slowly deepening by half, like a drumbeat falling upon their hearts. "I only need one person."

"One person?" Yakumo and Yui's expressions changed simultaneously. As their gazes met, a hint of unspeakable blush appeared on their faces.

"I'll give you two days," Rei said lightly.

"Two days... that's too fast..." Yakumo murmured softly, her voice trembling slightly. She lowered her head, her hair obscuring her flushed cheeks.

Yui's face, however, was red all the way to her earlobes. Her fingertips clenched within her sleeves, her throat moved, but she couldn't utter a word.

"I want you to find--Uchiha Itachi--within two days."

"Itachi?!" Yakumo and Yui looked up almost at the same instant, exclaiming in unison, their voices a mixture of disbelief and complex emotions.

"Did he... offend you, Lord?"

"Don't ask. The reward, or the punishment, depends entirely on how well you complete it."

As his words fell, Uchiha Rei's figure distorted in the air and he vanished rapidly.

Silence descended upon the room, with only Yui and Yakumo looking at each other.

"Senior Lord... has he really left?" Yui asked softly.

"He should have... left," Yakumo replied in a low voice, though her heart was still trembling.

"Prepare to gather the clan," Yakumo said slowly. "Within two days, we must find Uchiha Itachi."

Yui nodded, silently agreeing. But the moment she turned, her eyes lingered for a long time in the direction where Uchiha Rei had disappeared.