Naraka of This Realm

Demonic Illusion: This Place Is Not Technique was a very ordinary C-rank genjutsu. It covered everything within one's sight with a layer of illusory skin, making the target believe that what they saw was actually something else. Demonic Illusion: This Place Is Not Technique itself had no offensive power whatsoever and was only used to visually mislead enemies, so it was easily seen through. Its advantage, however, was that it could be cast over a large area, causing many people to hallucinate at once.

Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique was an even simpler D-rank genjutsu. Everyone had fears in their hearts; as the saying went, the more one feared something, the more likely it was to come. The Hell Viewing Technique manifested the enemy's inner fears, making them believe they were real in order to crush their morale.

Unlike This Place Is Not Technique, the Hell Viewing Technique was a single-target genjutsu that took effect at close range. It did not merely mislead the visual senses, but also sounds, smells, and every other human sense. Moreover, because everyone's fears were different, what enemies saw after the genjutsu took effect also varied. This point was especially important.

One C-rank genjutsu and one D-rank genjutsu—these formed the inspiration behind the S-rank difficulty genjutsu Ning Qi had developed through his analysis ability: the This-Realm Naraku Technique.

Ning Qi's attainments in genjutsu could only be considered above average, but with the analysis ability at his side, even Itachi Uchiha, a genjutsu prodigy, paled before Ning Qi when it came to the speed of developing and learning genjutsu.

The This-Realm Naraku Technique combined the shared traits of those two basic genjutsu—it possessed no offensive power at all and was, overall, merely a support-type genjutsu. Its sole purpose was to "modify," to a certain extent, the reality perceived by every living being within its range.

It was simply that the effect of that "modification" was somewhat too astonishing.

Before making a move against the Hyuga Main Family, Ning Qi had sparred with several genjutsu masters in Konoha, including Itachi Uchiha and Kurenai Yuhi. When even they could not see through the disguise of the This-Realm Naraku Technique, Ning Qi knew the technique had succeeded.

The This-Realm Naraku Technique could present everything creatures within a certain range saw, heard, and felt in a manner that conformed to the victim's habitual way of thinking. Just as the Hell Viewing Technique reflected the fears in the victim's heart, the This-Realm Naraku Technique "modified" what lay before them into the form they found most natural—the form of "this is simply how things should be."

Making objective things conform as much as possible to the victim's subjective thoughts—this was the fundamental reason the This-Realm Naraku Technique was so difficult to see through.

For example, it could mislead someone into seeing the burial of corpses as tree planting. It could "modify" an actual corpse into a tree stump. It could twist an old friend's hysterical warning of "Run!" into a smiling "Long time no see" delivered into the victim's ears.

The This-Realm Naraku Technique concealed concrete reality, reversed right and wrong, and changed truth into falsehood. It carried on the shared advantages of This Place Is Not Technique and the Hell Viewing Technique—wide range, powerful deception, high adaptability, and long duration. It also did not require harsh learning prerequisites such as a Kekkei Genkai. Other than its excessive difficulty to learn and the large amount of chakra required to cast it, it was practically the strongest genjutsu an ordinary ninja without a genjutsu bloodline like Ning Qi could learn and master.

For example, right now, Hyuga Hikari sat upright and watched as Clan Head Hiashi and Ning Qi Hyuga heatedly argued over an almost laughable issue in the solemn hall:

"You have to add sugar to red bean soup!"

"Impossible. Adding salt is the authentic way!"

Clan Head Hiashi looked thoroughly enraged, as though he desperately wanted to rise to his feet. Yet in the end, he restrained himself. Leaning against the desk, he turned and looked at her.

"Hikari, tell me. What do you think should be added to red bean soup?!"

Though she felt that discussing this topic now might not be entirely appropriate, since the clan head had asked, Hyuga Hikari seriously considered it before answering:

It was still the dilapidated room that had not been cleaned in a long time. Hiashi and Ning Qi were locked in a fierce confrontation.

The longer someone was controlled by the This-Realm Naraku Technique, the more easily they lost the ability to act. This was a kind of functional degeneration caused when a living consciousness became accustomed for too long to the logic of reality being "simply how things should be," and ceased to think.

There were many servants from the branch family throughout the Hyuga Clan Head's Estate, such as Natsu Hyuga and Hyuga Senma.

When the This-Realm Naraku Technique had first been cast, people like them had still possessed considerable awareness. But as time slowly passed, they became increasingly dull. At first, they could still think and understand. Later, they could only instinctively obey the "reality" presented to them by the genjutsu. By now, even the genjutsu could no longer drive them. They had finally become trees, losing the ability to think, then were chopped into eighteen pieces like stumps by servants who could still move and buried in the soil.

The servants were being slowly killed by the genjutsu, which was also why the entire Hyuga Clan Head's Estate was rapidly becoming filthy and decrepit.

Fortunately, the omnipotent This-Realm Naraku Technique automatically "modified" this reality, which outsiders would very likely notice as suspicious, using illusions to cover its rotten surface with gold and jade.

"I won't agree to it... Cough, cough. Go kill your younger brother." With his hair hanging loose, Hiashi rejected Ning Qi's proposal to exchange the lives of the clan elders for the lives of younger members such as Neji and Hinata.

"As appreciation for your attitude, tomorrow I'll place Hinata's head on Clan Head's desk." Ning Qi was not polite in the slightest.

The This-Realm Naraku Technique had an extremely obvious flaw: once someone saw through it, there was almost no chance it could take effect on them a second time. The This-Realm Naraku Technique would forever lose its effect on that person.

Unfortunately, Hyuga Hiashi was indeed worthy of being the head of the Hyuga clan. During the earlier period of weakness when Ning Qi's eyes had advanced from the second stage to the third stage, he had noticed that something was wrong with his situation. For realistic genjutsu, once suspicion arose, the verdict was already passed. The key to the This-Realm Naraku Technique was that it was too "natural," while reality was often unreasonable.

Hiashi soon broke free from the This-Realm Naraku Technique's control. If Ning Qi had not been prepared and nailed him inside this main hall, Ning Qi would likely have already been forced to flee Konoha in disgrace.

"Heh. Go ahead and chop off Hikari's head first. Let's see whether I blink." Hiashi glanced at Hyuga Hikari and sneered.

"I think red bean soup should have soy sauce added to it." Hyuga Hikari answered, looking at them expectantly and hoping they would approve of her taste.

Ning Qi rested his chin on his hand and glanced at Hyuga Hikari. Since it was Clan Head's request, then... He nodded and drew the short blade at his waist.

Hiashi's expression gradually tightened, and the corners of his mouth trembled faintly.

Ning Qi's expression remained calm, but his words were almost teasing:

"Red bean soup."

"Of course it should have salt."

"You heretic who adds soy sauce..."

—Die!

The next moment, the short blade swung.

"Wait—" The chains rattled as Hiashi let out a roar, his long-neglected beard and hair bristling across his face.

"Too late."

A head flew high into the air.

Even in death, Hyuga Hikari still wore a reserved smile.

[Essence collected: 7.1%]

Blood splattered everywhere, and crimson bubbles continued to gush from the smooth neck.

"Hikari accidentally spilled paint on the floor. Come clean it up." Ning Qi called Natsu Hyuga over from outside the study, where she was mopping the floor.

"Hikari accidentally spilled paint on the floor. I'm cleaning it up," Natsu Hyuga murmured. Though her eyes had been gouged out, under the control of the This-Realm Naraku Technique, illusions could be generated directly in her mind. Thus, she could still "see" and move like a normal person.

Natsu Hyuga swiftly carried away Hyuga Hikari's corpse.

The deaths of Main Family members were not easy to handle. Their numbers were pitifully small compared to the branch family, and every one of them was someone known by name. Any accident could easily draw the focused attention of the Hyuga clan and Konoha's upper ranks. After all, only the Main Family could be considered the true inheritors of the Hyuga clan's power.

But for Ning Qi, who planned to catch all the Hyuga clan's survivors in one net next week, such long-term trouble was no longer really trouble.

Ning Qi wiped the blood from his face and spoke blandly.

"Tomorrow, I'll reunite you and your daughter."

This time, Hiashi did not curse at all. He lowered his head, shadows covering his face, but his faintly trembling body showed Ning Qi that he was not as calm as he appeared.

Ning Qi left.

Hiashi slowly raised his head, his expression somewhat blank. He opened his mouth slightly, wanting to stop him, but no sound came out.

Ning Qi's faithfulness to his word placed tremendous pressure on Hiashi.

That man was so cold-blooded that he did not seem human.

...I'm sorry, my daughter.

Hiashi faintly closed his eyes.

He vaguely seemed to see that shy, adorable daughter with the bobbed hair begging him, "Save me." His heart twisted like a knife.

However...

He could not.

He truly could not.

Hiashi did not believe Ning Qi would keep his promise and truly spare Hinata and the others. Compared to his daughter, the Main Family's remaining branch lines led by the few surviving Hyuga elders were the Hyuga clan's final hope.

This was all for the continuation of the Hyuga clan. This was the responsibility he, Hyuga Hiashi, had to bear as the head of the Hyuga clan... He kept telling himself that.

"Oh, I remembered—you have another daughter. Her name is Hanabi, right? No wonder you're so heartless. So she's the one you love most. I heard Hanabi is next door right now, so let's not wait until tomorrow. I'll bring you her head now..." At some point, Ning Qi suddenly returned. Having learned this information from who knew where, he spoke excitedly to Hiashi through the window.

Judging from his portrayal in the original work, compared to his eldest daughter Hinata, Hiashi clearly preferred his second daughter Hanabi and had chosen her as the next head of the Hyuga Family. No wonder Hiashi did not care much about Hinata's life. It turned out he had long regarded her as a discarded pawn.

Ning Qi felt he had guessed the answer. Just as he turned around to act—

"Wait..."

Unlike his earlier silence, this time Hyuga Hiashi, no longer able to bear the torment in his heart, finally spoke.

"You... you demon... Spare them. Spare my two daughters, and I'll tell you everything you want to know..."

As he spoke, he covered his face with an arm, yet tears still poured forth uncontrollably. The intense guilt of betraying his clansmen for selfish reasons made it difficult for him to breathe.

"Heh."

"Sorry, you said it too late."

Huh?

Hiashi raised his head in shock, only to see Ning Qi looking at him regretfully.

"I've always kept my word. If I say I'll kill, I kill. You surrendered too late—but it's fine. You still have Hinata, so that's enough to continue the bloodline, right?"

Only after I came back did you think of surrendering?

How could there be such a good deal!

Ning Qi sneered and turned toward Hanabi's room, leaving Hiashi, whose expression instantly became despairing, to frantically struggle against the ropes binding him.

When Ning Qi returned, Hiashi smelled the suddenly stronger stench of blood on him and went mad for a long while. In a fierce and righteous tone, he swore that since his daughter Hanabi was already dead, he would never tell Ning Qi another piece of information. Yet when Ning Qi gradually became impatient and prepared to leave again, telling him to wait until tomorrow to touch his second daughter's head, Hiashi still surrendered.

After telling Ning Qi the information he wanted, Hiashi seemed to finally die. He slumped in his seat and did not move again for a long time.

Compared to being clan head, he still preferred being a father.

Moonlight spilled through the branches and leaves, scattering broken shadows across the ground.

Ning Qi looked back. A gigantic phantom Byakugan hovered over the Hyuga Clan Head's Estate. This was the sign that the This-Realm Naraku Technique had been activated. Similar to how the technique "modified" reality, in the eyes of outsiders, this phantom Byakugan would likely be "rationalized" as some sort of flag-like ornament standing on the roof.

At its core, the This-Realm Naraku Technique was not a genjutsu cast on people, but a genjutsu cast on space. Everything within its range could only perceive the reality "modified" by the genjutsu. But for people outside that range, this person-specific "modified" reality no longer held true. Real things remained what they were. This was also an obvious flaw of the technique.

Ning Qi's solution was simple: he only needed to keep everything on the surface of the Clan Head's Estate normal.

No one would know that Ning Qi had already turned the entire Clan Head's Estate into a gaping abyss, waiting for prey to walk willingly into its mouth.

Thinking of his "negotiation" with Hyuga Hiashi just now, Ning Qi frowned slightly. The This-Realm Naraku Technique was, after all, merely a genjutsu Ning Qi had created in rough form. The side effect of it becoming ineffective once someone saw through it was still far too fatal. The technique's greatest advantage was that it was extremely difficult to detect when activated, making it highly covert. But if even one person successfully escaped the This-Realm Naraku Technique's control and spread the news everywhere, then whether the technique could still function would become a huge question mark.

It was like the elephant in the room. As long as one person raised a doubt, everyone would realize it.

This was an important direction for improving the technique in the future.

It was already very late when Ning Qi returned home. The lights were still on. When he pushed the door open and entered, Neji, drowsy-eyed but stubbornly waiting for his brother to return, stared blankly for several seconds before suddenly widening his eyes, all sleep gone.

"Brother, did you bring a cat home?" He pointed at the little one in Ning Qi's arms.

Ning Qi then tossed Hyuga Hanabi, who was sleeping soundly in his arms, to Neji.

"You'll share a room with her tonight."

Huh?

"W-W-Wait, Brother." Neji held the girl, who was at most two years old, and looked completely at a loss.

What did this mean?

How had his brother gone out for so long and suddenly come home carrying a child?