Genjutsu

The Three-Legged Crow's strange grin faded. Its scarlet eyes darkened as it stared at Manji, whose body was enveloped in waves of illusion.

Its Yatagarasu Illusion was unlike ordinary genjutsu. It had no fixed form and couldn't be controlled; even the crow itself couldn't peer into the consciousness of someone caught in it.

It simply drew on the deepest fear in its victim's heart, conjuring the most harrowing scenes all on its own.

"Pity I can't see what's happening inside the illusion. I'd love to know what the invincible Sage of Six Paths fears most..."

The Yatagarasu murmured under its breath, its voice tinged with curiosity and unease. Its flapping wings slowed.

Within the sea of illusion

"It doesn't seem like much."

As soon as Manji finished speaking, the scene around him changed in an instant!

!!!!!!

When Manji opened his eyes again, he found himself back in the Bamboo Forest where he and Kaguya had defeated Isshiki all those years ago.

A bone-chilling pressure tightened around his neck.

Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's sneer sounded beside his ear. Those sinister eyes were only inches away.

"Hehehe. You insignificant human. You fell for the genjutsu of the Ōtsutsuki Clan and didn't even notice."

Manji glanced to the side. Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was pinned to the ground by Black Receivers.

The White Ape King lay motionless on the ground, devoid of life.

Even the Phantom Sound Toads had all perished.

"Genjutsu!? When did I fall under it!?"

Manji's pupils contracted. A storm suddenly surged in his heart.

Isshiki's grip tightened, his mocking laughter growing louder.

Manji's mind reeled as a terrifying thought abruptly sprang into his head—

Could all these centuries of wandering the human world, his time with the White Ape King, the Senjutsu powers he had acquired, and even his lessons to Hagoromo and Hamura—all of it have been nothing but an illusion, as fleeting as a reflection in water?

Could the real him have been trapped in a genjutsu ever since his life-or-death battle with Isshiki all those years ago, never once waking up?

The moment the thought arose, Manji forced it down.

The corner of his mouth curled slightly. Understanding flickered in his eyes as he murmured, "An illusion? That's rather interesting."

The next instant, the world around him shattered with a roar!

Everything spun!

Manji felt a sharp pain in his back. A gray-white All-Killing Ash Bone pierced straight through his chest!

The familiar pain washed over him, so real it felt just like it had all those years ago.

Manji paused for a moment.

When he looked up, he was suspended high in the air, with the shattered earth beneath him.

The familiar battlefield lay before him—the very place where he had joined forces with Hagoromo and Hamura to hunt down Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.

"Teacher! Why didn't you dodge!?"

Hagoromo's voice rang out, frantic and terrified, as he rushed toward him.

"Sage Manji, why didn't you evade?"

Hamura frowned, his eyes full of confusion.

Not far away, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya stood suspended in the air. Her red lips curved in a cold smile as she watched him with amusement.

Manji lowered his gaze.

"It changed again..."

He looked at the All-Killing Ash Bone in his chest, then slowly reached up and pulled it out. Faint beads of blood clung to the bone, but he didn't seem to care. He flung it backhanded, sending it straight toward Hagoromo!

The scene twisted once more, illusion layered upon illusion.

This time,

Manji's point of view abruptly shifted to a third-person perspective.

He saw himself bound like a mummy, caught in the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Ōtsutsuki Kaguya floated in the air, her gaze calm, touched by a hint of indescribable sorrow. "Manji, this is the Infinite Tsukuyomi I made for you. In this illusion, you'll have a happy ending."

Her words exploded in Manji's heart like a thunderclap.

Could all of this be fake?

Was there no resurrection after death, no killing Isshiki with his own hands, no sealing Kaguya, no taking Hagoromo and Hamura as students, and no title of Sage of Six Paths?

Could the real him have been trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi from the very moment it descended, with centuries of memories nothing more than a beautiful dream spun by an illusion?

Was that possible?

It really was!

His life had gone far too smoothly, so wonderful it felt just like the Infinite Tsukuyomi!

The moment turmoil stirred in his heart, the composure he had cultivated over centuries smoothed it away completely.

Everything else could be false, but the strength of character he had forged over the centuries was real!

Illusory scenes could never overcome the truth of his state of mind.

Almost simultaneously, the layers of genjutsu shattered like glass, dissolving piece by piece.

Inside the barrier in the Withered Wood Forest, the Yatagarasu stared at Manji, its scarlet eyes brimming with shock!

It could clearly sense that the illusion still surrounded him. Yet his expression remained calm, and his aura was as still as a lake. There wasn't the slightest hint of madness or doubt!!!

Anyone else would have been swallowed by their deepest fears the moment they encountered the Yatagarasu Illusion. They would have gone mad and lost their composure.

There had once been a human who wandered in by mistake. After falling under the illusion, all they did was repeat, "It worked, it worked," before losing their mind completely.

Yet the Sage of Six Paths before it didn't so much as move!

Manji's awareness returned to his own perspective.

Now he seemed to be standing on a cliff overlooking the sea.

A steep rock wall rose behind him, and churning waves surged ahead. The gale swept seawater against him, the icy spray splashing across his body.

But Manji's expression remained unchanged.

He had seen more than enough storms in his life...

The illusion's layers were only meant to unsettle him and stop him from cultivating the Yatagarasu Sage Art.

Besides, his killing intent perception hadn't stirred even once.

When Kaguya had stabbed him in the back, her bone-chilling killing intent had set his perception ablaze. But now, the world was utterly peaceful, without a trace of genuine murderous intent.

That was all he needed to know.

Manji closed his eyes, ignoring the raging waves around him.

He began to draw in the senjutsu energy of the Land of the Yatagarasu. Wisps of black Senjutsu Chakra streamed into his meridians like swimming dragons. Using the ordeal of the illusion to temper himself, he began cultivating the Yatagarasu Sage Art right there and then!

The next instant, the raging waves by the cliff vanished. In their place appeared a dense army of shinobi, surging toward him from every direction.

Countless All-Killing Ash Bones shot toward him like a volley of arrows!

Tailed Beast Bombs gathered in numbers beyond counting, then crashed down with world-destroying force!

Ninjutsu of every kind wove together into a vast net, countless deadly attacks bearing down on Manji!

Yet Manji remained seated cross-legged, eyes closed, his expression serene.

He knew it was all an illusion.

Sure enough, the moment those seemingly lethal attacks hit him, they all turned into a flurry of flower petals. Pink cherry blossoms drifted down, landing on his shoulders.

Meanwhile, the Yatagarasu had completely panicked!

It could clearly sense a surge of potent Yatagarasu Senjutsu Chakra rising slowly from Manji's body!

Even the sage markings of the Yatagarasu Sage Art began to appear on his face. Black patterns spread from the corners of his eyes, tracing crow-feather markings across his cheeks and radiating an imposing aura.

The power was even purer than its own!

The Sage of Six Paths had actually gained a basic mastery of the Yatagarasu Sage Art!

"How can the Sage of Six Paths be this powerful!?"

The Yatagarasu's voice trembled. Its scarlet eyes were filled with disbelief.

"That's impossible! How could he do it so quickly? No matter how gifted he is, there's no way he could master the Yatagarasu Sage Art in just an hour!"

What it didn't know was that Manji had lived for centuries. He had already mastered the sage arts of the Three Great Sage Regions—Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest—and learned the Monkey Demon Clan's sage techniques as well. He was thoroughly familiar with cultivating senjutsu and could easily apply what he knew to new techniques. The Yatagarasu Sage Art was unique, but it couldn't escape the fundamentals of senjutsu cultivation. For him, it was as easy as going with the flow.

Besides!

Manji had never been afraid of practicing senjutsu!

Bring on another one!

I've never been afraid of practicing senjutsu!

A fierce sense of indignation swept through the Yatagarasu as it watched Manji sit cross-legged, the senjutsu aura around him growing denser by the second.

A daring, almost insane thought suddenly sprang into its mind: Why not strike while he was still cultivating and kill him by surprise?

If it could slay the Sage of Six Paths, it would become the most powerful being in the world!

The moment the thought came, the Yatagarasu acted. A ruthless glint flashed in its eyes!

It flapped its wings. A long sword, black and red with a gourd-shaped hilt, suddenly appeared in its claws—the Totsuka Blade!

Suppressing its aura completely, it gave its wings a gentle beat and flew toward Manji!

The Totsuka Blade pointed straight at Manji's brow!

Just then, Manji slowly opened his eyes!

Their gazes met!

"What are you doing?"

Manji frowned slightly as he asked.

The Yatagarasu thought, This is bad! I'm done for!

But its mind raced, and it dropped to its knees at once!

Then it slid across the ground on its knees until it reached Manji!

"Sage of Six Paths! Congratulations on mastering the sage art!"

"This unworthy one humbly offers the two great treasures of the Land of the Yatagarasu Immortal, the Totsuka Blade and the Yata Mirror, to you!"

"I came to present you with a sword, Sage!"