Within Reach! The Kurama Clan's Kekkai Genkai Genjutsu~

An inexplicable sense of guilt made Uchiha Yuan feel uncomfortable all over.

More importantly, in this bizarre state where his skin seemed to be breaking out in a cold sweat, Uchiha Yuan could feel an unusual change within his body.

A numb, itchy sensation.

Like countless seeds breaking through the earth and sprouting new buds.

The last time he had felt this way was after injecting the Golem Gene Serum.

That time, Uchiha Yuan had been unable to endure the pain of what felt like his body being reconstructed, and he had passed out.

But this time was different. His body did not hurt, yet he was unable to move normally for the moment.

He could only slump in his chair and let his body slowly change.

Could I have awakened the Kurama Clan's Kekkai Genkai Genjutsu?

Could genes fuse just by exchanging blood with their substitute teacher?

Feeling the gene-devouring ability within him showing signs of shutting down again after being used, Uchiha Yuan had a few guesses and ideas.

But with Hyuga Ryo and Scale Pill giving him strange looks, he had no mind to investigate further.

"Oh, I'm so sleepy! This snake is leaving first~"

The atmosphere was off. Even a cold-blooded creature like the Communication Snake could sense the subtle shift in the air's temperature.

"Uchiha Yuan, are you and the substitute teacher really that diligent? You came to the laboratory this late to conduct research?"

"Is that 'Possibilities and Preliminary Exploration of Life Replication Technology' really so important?"

Anko did not realize anything was amiss. The memory of the four members of Orochimaru Squad pulling an all-nighter in the laboratory not long ago was still fresh in her mind.

She had also been alone in the laboratory with Uchiha Yuan before.

All she could say was that, back then, she had been focused on surpassing that smug senior brother of hers, to the point that even her experimental efficiency had improved significantly.

"Hehe! Looks like the Uchiha Clan is also eager to expand its population!"

"Yuan-kun, you clearly received a gift from Teacher Orochimaru too. Are you doing this because you want to secretly take advantage of the substitute teacher?"

"That's far too sly!"

Hyuga Ryo's Byakugan had already sharply noticed the abnormal flow of Kurama Shion's Chakra.

She could roughly tell that their substitute teacher had encountered some trouble developing her Kekkai Genkai.

But Yuan-kun was the strange one, wasn't he? Why had he appeared here immediately?

When Scale Pill notified them, he had been shouting for Ryo to come save Uchiha Yuan.

Yet what she had seen in Laboratory Number Four... hehe.

Hyuga Rin quietly clenched her fists.

The substitute teacher had been lying in Yuan-kun's arms with blood at the corner of her mouth. Yuan-kun had surely noticed the bloodstain that had not been wiped clean from his own lips, too.

Two patches of loathsome crimson.

Hyuga Ryo bent down beside Uchiha Yuan's ear.

"Say, Yuan-kun! You and the substitute teacher were only discussing academics here, right?"

"I have a very good suggestion! How can the blood of the Kurama and Uchiha clans alone be enough?"

"If a child possesses the bloodline of both clans, they would certainly be qualified to serve as the subject for a 'replicated life-form,' right?"

"Tell me, Yuan-kun. What do you think of my suggestion?"

Hyuga Ryo's tone was calm, just as it was when they ate and joked around together.

Yet instinctively, Uchiha Yuan's Adam's apple bobbed, and he felt as if cold sweat were trickling down his forehead.

Although Ryo was leaning over him, and merely shifting his eyes would easily reveal a beautiful landscape of peaks and valleys before him—

Uchiha Yuan had no improper thoughts whatsoever.

His instincts told him that Ryo was angry, yet he could not think of anything to say in explanation.

More importantly, Ryo already roughly understood the situation. Any explanation would likely only make things worse.

"So, Yuan-kun, when do you plan to arrange your next meeting with the substitute teacher?"

Hyuga Ryo's voice turned sharp, and the pounding in his ears made Uchiha Yuan's head ache.

"Well. Forget it. We're adults, after all."

Like the most professional actress, Ryo instantly reined in her furious emotions, and her tone became light again.

She skillfully pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the bloodstain from the corner of Uchiha Yuan's mouth.

"Hey, Ryo? It's one thing for the substitute teacher to secretly discuss something with Uchiha Yuan without bringing us along."

"Now you're whispering to this guy too, excluding me?"

After failing to dispel the substitute teacher's genjutsu, Anko turned around and saw that Ryo's and that smug senior brother's faces were practically pressed together.

Most importantly, they were whispering, and she could not hear a thing.

So irritating!

"No, it wasn't whispering. I was merely giving Yuan-kun a few suggestions."

"Come on, Anko! Let's hurry and take the substitute teacher to the hospital above the laboratory."

Hyuga Ryo familiarly pulled out a stretcher.

In the past, the laboratory stretchers had been used to carry experimental materials—that is, corpses.

The brand-new one in her hands clearly had never been used.

Perhaps Hyuga Ryo would not mind using this stretcher next time to carry that "bad woman" of a substitute teacher.

"Heave-ho. What about Uchiha Yuan? He looks pretty bad too! I can carry one more."

After lifting the stretcher, Anko looked worriedly at the senior brother who always picked on her.

"I checked. Yuan-kun is fine. Let him stay here alone and reflect properly."

"Reflect? Did he do something wrong?"

Anko was confused.

"Huh? Did I say 'reflect'? You must have heard wrong, Anko~"

Bang!

Only after the laboratory door slammed shut did Uchiha Yuan blink innocently.

This gene-fusion process was taking even longer than he had imagined.

Being abandoned in the quiet laboratory might have been the best option.

After his body recovered, Uchiha Yuan had intended to visit the substitute teacher.

And while he was at it, he needed to put Ryo in her place for her awful attitude toward him earlier.

Otherwise, his standing in Orochimaru Squad would drop by one.

Uchiha Yuan felt that when Hyuga Ryo had observed him with her Byakugan, she might have discovered something.

Though everyone had their own secrets as shinobi, Ryo's attitude left Uchiha Yuan uneasy.

But unexpectedly, Konoha Hospital had no solution for the substitute teacher's deep coma.

Fortunately, Kurama Hotaro soon arrived at Konoha Hospital and took his daughter, Kurama Shion, away.

While Uchiha Yuan felt much more relieved, he also learned that Ryo and Anko had gone home early.

In the middle of the night, he could not exactly barge into the Hyuga Clan Grounds to confront Ryo...

On his way home, he ran into Shisui, as expected.

"The Kurama Clan's head seems to hold quite a grudge against the Police Force. We clearly helped him and his son escape the genjutsu, yet he insists that our Police Force knowingly broke the law by trespassing into a private residence."

Shisui repeated Kurama Hotaro's words in full. Uchiha Yuan was not surprised by them.

From now on, the Police Force's duties in Konoha would only become increasingly difficult.

After all, the Nine-Tails Attack had truly happened. The crisis of trust among the villagers and even the shinobi clans weighed almost as heavily as the destruction represented by the Nine-Tails.

Shisui was disheartened by this.

During the Third Shinobi World War, the Uchiha Clan had also fought and bled for the villagers and Hidden Leaf Village.

To have inexplicably ended up in such a position now, it was only natural for the clan members to feel disillusioned.

By the time he parted ways with Shisui and returned home, it was already midnight. Obito's grandmother and the newly arrived Uchiha Izumi had long since gone to sleep.

After washing up and lying in bed, Uchiha Yuan could not calm his mind for a long time.

Softly humming a low melody, he soon entered his own Illusion Space.

This was the unique manifestation of genjutsu after awakening the Kurama Clan's Genjutsu Bloodline.

Since it was his first time entering it, the space was quite barren.

The ground beneath his feet was muddy earth strewn with jagged rocks, while a massive crystal wall rose in the distance.

Beyond the crystal wall, Uchiha Yuan saw a gigantic golden skeleton—Susanoo.

Looking down, he saw a three-meter-tall monster with a dragon's head, a bull's body, and a dragon's tail repeatedly ramming the crystal wall, causing fine cracks to spread densely across it.

Uchiha Yuan raised an eyebrow.

He had indeed awakened the Kurama Clan's Kekkai Genkai. And judging by this situation—

Once the monster shattered the crystal wall, could it possibly bypass the Tomoe Sharingan and directly awaken the Mangekyo?