Susanoo

It was just past six in the evening, and darkness had already fallen.

The streets of Hidden Leaf Village glowed with lights, and the bustle infected everyone with excitement.

After Nine-Tails Night, the villagers' passion for life had instead grown even stronger.

Kurama Shion was happy as well.

As a substitute teacher, she was several years older than the three members of Orochimaru Squad.

Yet only when she played around with them did Kurama Shion truly feel how wonderful it was to be young.

Especially when she stuffed a ball of snow down Uchiha Yuan's collar and saw him grimace in embarrassment.

Kurama Shion clutched her stomach and laughed happily.

How could there be such an idiot? Doesn't he know how to use the Body Flicker Technique to dodge?

"Ah! You look so happy. I'm so jealous~ I'm all alone in this cold place, and it's truly pitiful. Could you let them come keep me company?"

A cold, mournful voice rang illusorily beside her ear.

This was not the first time Kurama Shion had heard it.

When she had returned from Sea Country and been admitted to Konoha Hospital, she had heard it once before.

That voice was incredibly irritating.

So, as a joke, Kurama Shion had turned baby Sasuke's little brother into a little sister.

Normally, someone as quiet and gentle as her would never have made such a malicious joke.

"We're going back to that horrible place again. Even the streets are happier than that place. Stop! Stop right now!"

Ignoring the illusory voice at her ear, Kurama Shion stopped before her home.

She smoothed away the curve of her smile, then entered the house with a calm expression and went to the study.

"I heard Orochimaru has left Hidden Leaf Village?"

Kurama Hotaro was copying a famous painting. He was the head of the Kurama Clan.

"Yes, Father. This is something my teacher gave me. Please take a look."

After presenting her father with the scroll containing Possibilities and Preliminary Exploration of Life Replication Technology, Kurama Shion glanced around the study.

The walls displayed all kinds of framed masterpieces, while the bookshelves were packed with magazines and novels about fantasy and strange tales. In one corner sat boxes filled with videotapes.

Her rigid, stern father, along with these materials for training genjutsu, had been the nightmare of her childhood.

"Hm?"

"What is this nonsense? Life replication can solve the problem of our clan's small population? Is this how Orochimaru intends to fob off the Kurama Clan?"

The Hidden Leaf Village's bloodline ninja clans had also expected returns from their political investments in Orochimaru.

Since he had failed to become Hokage, he naturally had to offer something else.

"What a foolish old fool! Your genjutsu and knowledge are both stronger than his. Why listen to his nonsense?"

Ignoring the voice at her ear, Kurama Shion did her best to explain life replication technology to her father.

"Jōnin Orochimaru has never been quite right in the head, Shion! Don't tell me you've gone mad too?"

"The old fool is yelling at you. Why don't you dare kill him?"

"He's nothing but a rigid piece of trash. Kill him, and you'll be free. No one will dare control you again."

"Kill him!"

"Shion! Stop working under Orochimaru. The clan has other arrangements for you."

"Kill him!"

"Orochimaru is not a ninja worth following."

"Kill him!"

"You should also keep less contact with those students you substitute for. Especially the Uchiha."

"Kill him!"

"Shut up!"

The illusory voices at her ear were denser than falling snow.

In her panic, Kurama Shion could no longer tell whether it was her father lecturing her or that strange voice chattering away.

But after shouting, she felt much better, panting for breath.

"Shion, what did you just say?"

Before her, Kurama Hotaro approached step by step with a ruler in hand. Kurama Shion's hands trembled instinctively.

Even though she had become a jōnin, she still could not completely escape the nightmare of her childhood.

"Shion, wake up! Your Genjutsu Bloodline has awakened further! Calm down first!"

She had no idea what the words reaching her ears meant.

Overwhelming terror and pressure descended upon her, and Kurama Shion's consciousness vanished.

Inside the study of the Kurama main family residence, clan head Kurama Hotaro calmly bent over his desk, copying a painting.

Drawn over by a scream, Kurama Murakumo hurried over, then left quietly after glancing into the study.

They had already sunk into the world of genjutsu and could no longer notice their daughter and sister.

Kurama Shion's lips curled upward into a chilling smile.

At the moment her emotions collapsed under all those factors, the monster hidden within her Genjutsu Bloodline completely took control of her.

"Just now, you got angry because I mentioned the Uchiha, right?"

"Kill him, and Shion will notice me and be willing to keep me company."

'Kurama Shion' smiled sinisterly as she formed the summoning hand signs.

The lazy little snake did not even have time to complain before eagerly saying,

"An Uchiha? I know who that is. I'll deliver the message right away."

By the time Uchiha Yuan hurried to Konoha Hospital, it was already seven in the evening.

Something was wrong with Scale Pill when it delivered the message. The snake might be lazy, but it had never proactively asked him for jerky before.

Sure enough, after he dispelled the genjutsu on Scale Pill, the Communication Snake could not remember anything that had happened.

Uchiha Yuan immediately understood that something had happened to the substitute teacher.

After asking Shisui to lead the Police Force to the Kurama main family residence, he rushed to Konoha Hospital.

As Hidden Leaf Village's officially accredited medical and ninjutsu research institution, even Orochimaru, who collaborated with Danzo and researched forbidden arts, needed to hold a position at Konoha Hospital.

Laboratory Number Four was located beneath Konoha Hospital. It was one of the few laboratories under Orochimaru's name whose methods and procedures were fully compliant.

Throughout the Third Shinobi World War, Orochimaru Squad had completed its primary experimental tasks here.

After showing his credentials to the ninja guarding the exit, Uchiha Yuan headed all the way down and arrived outside the laboratory.

"Teacher, what are you doing?"

Kurama Shion's long brown hair had turned snow-white. With her head lowered and her back to Uchiha Yuan, she walked deeper into the laboratory.

Empty footsteps echoed densely through the dark laboratory, while snowy static flickered across the electronic displays of the experimental equipment.

Uchiha Yuan followed close behind. He could be certain that he had already fallen under a genjutsu.

The Kurama Clan's Kekkai Genkai Genjutsu became extraordinarily overbearing when developed to its depths. The monster hidden within the bloodline could influence the caster's personality.

Most terrifyingly, injuries suffered by a victim within the genjutsu would manifest on their physical body in reality.

And the rules of the genjutsu world were entirely set by the caster.

Uchiha Yuan understood that the key now was to find her personality incarnation without either himself or Kurama Shion getting hurt.

But the Kurama Shion before him exuded a cold, chilling aura. More importantly, no matter how he chased after her—

Uchiha Yuan could only watch 'Kurama Shion' sway her hips as she walked ahead of him.

So he simply turned around and strode away.

When he turned back again, he came face-to-face with the snow-haired, expressionless 'Kurama Shion.'

"Ah! You're that Uchiha!"

"As long as I kill you, she'll completely break down, and she'll be mine!"

"But why didn't you follow me?"

An utterly inhuman smile sat on 'Kurama Shion's' twisted face.

As her eyeballs bulged and blood vessels burst across them—

A massive pool of magma suddenly appeared behind 'Kurama Shion.' A gale thick with the stench of sulfur pushed Uchiha Yuan closer to it, inch by inch.

Just a little closer. Just a little closer, and I can kill you!

Within this unique Illusion Space, the rules were entirely determined by the caster.

Forget Uchiha Yuan being unable to use genjutsu or ninjutsu.

Even if he could use them, he could not rashly attack 'Kurama Shion.'

Still, as he was blown toward the magma pool, Uchiha Yuan was not particularly alarmed.

He turned to look at the crystal wall beside him.

Beyond the bright yellow ore, a vague, enormous golden skeleton was hidden behind it. It held a Tachi, had a long pointed nose, and burned from head to toe with raging flames.

Uchiha Yuan's powerful soul and his mastery of Kurama Clan genjutsu resonated with the Illusion Space here.

Without activating his Sharingan, he saw the ultimate power dwelling within the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Susanoo!