You, Want to Try Dying Once?

In the ninja world, there are perhaps many ways to harm Yura.

For example, the most typical method is sealing jutsu.

Yura's soul resides within the body of a blade. While sealing jutsu is an effective way to attack the blade itself, it is worth noting that destroying the blade does not mean the destruction of Yura's soul. For instance, when Inuyasha defeated Yura, it appeared as though Kagome had manually shattered Yura's main body with an arrow, but in reality, Kagome's spiritual power of purification had directly cleansed Yura's soul.

Damage to the vessel—the blade—merely means that Yura is temporarily unable to move.

Just as when Yura was first resurrected, dragging a heavy, agonizing, and dead body to transfer her soul into the blade.

Another way to harm Yura is to attack her soul directly.

Soul-absorbing techniques, the Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals, the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, the Spirit Transformation Technique, the Totsuka Blade, the Kusanagi Sword Onikiri capable of severing spiritual bodies, and the Kekkei Mōra Truth-Seeking Orb.

In a ninja world without her natural enemies, the priestesses Kagome and Kikyo, Yura's immortal body—while not on par with Kaguya—is undeniably powerful due to its very mechanics.

As Huan sent out the contact message, time quietly slipped into the night. Near ten o'clock, a decadent man in his thirties arrived at Yura's lair.

"Lord Gen!" Huan greeted him excitedly.

Mochizuki Gen.

Yura sat upon her black nest, looking him up and down.

He was lean and tall, with soft white hair draped over his shoulders, and it had to be said, he was a handsome man.

Yura felt he looked somewhat familiar, though she couldn't recall where she had seen him; in her memories from before she died, she had only encountered him once.

"Where is she?" Although he appeared somewhat decadent, he could not hide the elegance in his bones, belonging to the type of intellectual who clearly possessed great insight.

Furthermore, he was strong!

Since her resurrection, this was the first time Yura had encountered a ninja who gave her a faint sense of danger. Hashirama did not count; before she died, Yura hadn't even realized the danger posed by that grinning fellow.

"Eh?" Huan looked at Mochizuki Gen, who was surveying his surroundings, a flash of surprise crossing her mind.

Wasn't Yura sitting right there in mid-air?

Even if Yura could fly, surely he couldn't be blind?

"Isn't she right here?"

Can... can he not see her?

Realizing this, Huan once again confirmed the extent of Yura's power and danger.

Is she here?

Mochizuki Gen frowned, stealthily scanning his surroundings. He swept his gaze over Yura several times, subconsciously ignoring her every time, yet his mind keenly sensed something amiss. Every corner of this place exuded a strange sense of dissonance. His instincts told him that a dangerous and lethal hunter was hiding nearby; just standing here made the hair on his arms stand on end.

Genjutsu? No...

A special Kekkei Genkai?

No...

Mochizuki Gen did not speak, pushing his sensory perception to the limit. Although he was not a sensory-type ninja, the intuition honed between life and death was somewhat effective.

Clearly, this was a show of force. If he could not discover her, he would have no right to converse with her.

She had intended to test the man's caliber, but she hadn't expected to be the one being weighed instead.

Resting her chin on her hands, Yura looked at the man with interest, her cold gaze sweeping intentionally or otherwise over his neck, heart, abdomen, and other human weak points.

It was quite interesting. With her yokai vision, which allowed her to see clearly even at night, Yura could see the muscles tighten and the hair stand up on the spots where her gaze fell.

Yura had recognized him. She almost didn't recognize him because he had changed his hair color. He was the Human Path of the Six Paths of Pain, that teacher-ninja from the Hidden Waterfall. Calculating the years, at this time, he should be the father or grandfather of the Human Path.

Come to think of it, when the Human Path traveled the ninja world, he still had the leisure to concern himself with world peace. It was truly because the Hidden Waterfall was too peaceful and well-fed, leaving him with nothing better to do.

Perhaps he was also influenced by his family upbringing.

In summary, he was likely a good man.

Five seconds passed—enough time for Yura to have hacked him into mincemeat.

At this moment, Mochizuki Gen finally locked his gaze onto Yura. At first, his intuition had been focused there, but his vision had shown nothing. The moment he realized someone was there, Yura's figure abruptly and naturally manifested before his eyes.

His heart chilled. Mochizuki Gen stared at Yura sitting in mid-air, but his muscles finally relaxed.

"Let me introduce myself. A rogue ninja, Yura," Yura said with a faint smile.

Eh? Huan looked at Yura, who had changed her name, thought for a moment, and swallowed her questions.

"Koga..." After a moment of silence, Gen said, "This Humble One is a Hidden Waterfall jonin, Mochizuki Gen."

Yura nodded and asked, "How did you find me?"

"A formidable concealment technique," Mochizuki Gen said. "It is like a stone or wild grass by the roadside. Even if one sees it, one often subconsciously ignores it, turning a blind eye. Some strange power is quietly and subtly twisting the mind and brain, causing visual obstruction and altering cognition, so that even if others see it, they will not notice its existence at all."

"Simply put..."

Mochizuki Gen lowered his head slightly, avoiding eye contact with Yura.

"It is that my own instincts did not want to see you; my brain was deceiving itself."

Yura clapped her hands and smiled faintly, "Impressive. But it is just a small trick; once it is realized, it is easily seen through."

Mochizuki Gen shook his head and said, "If this counts as a mere trick, then there are no formidable techniques left in this world. If This Humble One were not also proficient in this path, I fear I would not even know how I died."

"You seem to have mastered some interesting techniques," Yura said. "Let me guess—is it a secret art of the mental variety?"

Yura could sense that the other party had just unleashed a certain secret art to lock onto her position.

"A mere trifle, not worth mentioning."

"You are avoiding eye contact with me..." Yura laughed. "Do you think my technique is activated through the eyes? Or perhaps your own technique requires a gaze to trigger, or maybe you have some psychological trauma regarding eye contact? Tell me, have you witnessed the Eternal Mangekyō of Uchiha Madara before..."

Uchiha Madara!

"What is it? Does seeing these red eyes of mine bring back some unpleasant memories?"

The moment that name was mentioned, Mochizuki Gen's hand trembled slightly, though the massive waves rising in his heart were quelled in the blink of an eye.

A formidable level of psychological self-control.

"To have escaped with your life from the hands of Senju Hashirama, This Humble One acknowledges your strength," Mochizuki Gen said. "Now, let us formally discuss our cooperation and the division of heads."

"Wait..." Yura rose in mid-air, walking through the void as if descending a staircase. She stepped upon strands of hair, hovering a foot above the ground—since her height was lacking, she made up for it with her positioning—and looked down at him, saying, "Let me witness your strength."

If it were a power Yura already understood, she would have had no interest in testing it.

The man before her was a living existence in the ninja world, and everything about him was an unknown to Yura; therefore, she was deeply intrigued.

Moreover, this fellow was stronger than Yura had anticipated, and to avoid complications later on, it was necessary to establish who held the dominant position.

"I have no interest in cooperating with the weak."

Huan watched the development of the situation, her expression stiffening. How did it suddenly come to fighting? Aren't we on the same side?

This Yura, is her personality really this belligerent?

Mochizuki Gen looked up, staring directly into Yura's eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Junior, you are too arrogant."

"Senior, do you... want to try dying once?" Yura smiled faintly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear while watching him with a dangerous gaze.

The air shifted abruptly, becoming heavy and murderous.

Exhaling a breath, Mochizuki Gen said in a low voice, "Since that is the case, then bring it on, Junior."

"Then be careful, Senior." Yura lowered her hand, and behind her, strands of hair surged wildly. In the blink of an eye, sixteen pitch-black spiral spears manifested around her.