"Yakumo, here are the dango you wanted." Kurenai had just returned from outside when she noticed Yakumo stepping out of the bathroom. She couldn’t help but feel slightly curious. "Didn’t you just take a bath this morning? Why are you bathing again?" "It’s nothing... maybe I just have a bit of a cleanliness obsession!" Yakumo picked up a towel to wipe the water from her hair, then glanced apologetically at Kurenai. "Sorry to trouble you, Kurenai-sensei, for making this trip for me!" "Don’t be so polite. I happened to be free since Team 8 is training nearby. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even have time to accompany you!" Kurenai glanced at the sky outside. "It’s already past midday. I’ll head to the training field and see if they’re slacking off. Yakumo, be careful while staying here alone." "Don’t worry, Kurenai-sensei. What could possibly happen inside your house?" "Alright, then it’s settled. Let me know if you want me to bring anything back for dinner!" "No, I’m fine for now. I think these dango are more than enough." "Fine, we’ll talk about it tonight then." Kurenai didn’t nag further. After giving a few reminders, she left. Yakumo carried the bag in one hand, towel in the other, and walked back to her room. There, she saw Kamizuki Hikari lounging comfortably. She went straight over and sat beside him. "Help me dry my hair. I want to eat." "So you’re treating me like a servant now, huh?" Hikari took the towel and turned, carefully drying her hair. His technique wasn’t very polished, but Yakumo didn’t seem to mind. "Mmm, delicious! The sweet ones really are the best. Hikari-senpai, want a bite?" Yakumo stretched out the skewer toward him, offering a half-bitten red bean dango. "No thanks. I’ll pass." "You really have no taste!" "I think sweet ones are the worst. Dango taste best with a bit of salt, five-spice ones work too!" "Get out, you heretic! Anyone outside the sweet faction is a heretic!" "Alright, I’m leaving then!" Hikari said, pretending to set down the towel. Yakumo quickly grabbed his sleeve. "You’re not allowed to leave. Didn’t you come here because you had something to discuss? Spit it out already!" "Right, I almost forgot! If you hadn’t reminded me..." Hikari’s tone shifted slightly. "On my last mission in the Land of Snow, I killed a member of the Akatsuki. Now, someone from the organization is coming to Konoha looking for me. I wanted to ask you to engage them in a genjutsu—just restrain them, nothing more." "You got yourself in trouble?" Yakumo was puzzled. "Who could possibly make you cautious enough to avoid killing them right away? If they’re an enemy, isn’t death the simplest solution?" Admittedly, that was a valid idea. But what about afterward? One Uchiha Obito was merely a nuisance. Without him to keep Nagato in check, preventing him from focusing entirely on his plans, Hikari might face an even more terrifying threat. Keeping Obito alive meant keeping the enemy where he could still be controlled. Killing him might twist the shinobi world’s path into something Hikari couldn’t even predict. "No, this guy can’t be killed yet." Although Obito’s Mangekyō Sharingan, Kamui, was formidable, Hikari also understood space-time ninjutsu. In that area, Obito held no overwhelming advantage. Hikari only wanted two more years—time to truly refine his power. When that day came, he would reveal his hand. For now, leaving Obito alive served two purposes: drawing Black Zetsu’s attention, and keeping him and Nagato locked in a tug-of-war. Yakumo frowned. "Since you came to me and not Kurenai-sensei, that means this person must have extraordinary mental strength and some knowledge of genjutsu. Controlling someone like that... even I can’t guarantee success." "It’s fine. Just try. If you can control him, that’s ideal. If not, I’ll just confront him openly." Hikari wasn’t relying solely on Yakumo. Even if her five-senses manipulation was powerful, genjutsu still relied on chakra. And with Obito’s Mangekyō granting heightened mental resistance, Hikari only considered this approach in hopes of buying time—time to grow stronger. "So that’s it... You’re just using me as a backup plan!" Yakumo pouted, setting down her dango. "Now I don’t feel like eating at all!" Hikari glanced at the empty bag in her hand, speechless. "You’ve already eaten everything but the last one, and now you say you’ve lost your appetite?" "Shut up!" Yakumo glared at him, eyes fierce yet adorably stubborn. "Men like you are the worst." "Yes, yes, you’re right, Yakumo-sama. Guys like me are totally the worst!" Hikari nodded along. "You’re not allowed to say it yourself!" "Alright, I won’t say it." "Clumsy! You can’t even dry hair properly!" Yakumo shoved him, stood up, and looked into the mirror. With a small wave of her hand, a white mist drifted from her hair, leaving it perfectly dry. Hikari stared, dumbfounded. Sure, he could force out chakra to evaporate water on his body. But casually drying hair as effortlessly as Yakumo had just done? That was something else. Not because he lacked ability—but because chakra was inherently more offensive. Aside from Yang Release, few techniques strengthened the body itself. "Surprised? I used genjutsu to trick the water clinging to my hair into believing it evaporated. So it did." Yakumo explained happily, delighted by Hikari’s astonishment. But Hikari’s heart wavered—not just impressed, but uneasy. Kurama Yakumo’s abilities were frighteningly beyond his understanding. ’Isn’t the Kurama clan’s bloodline limit supposed to manipulate a person’s five senses? How can it deceive the environment itself?’ Latest content publıshed on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽 Hikari specialized in Yin Release—mostly sealing techniques—and while his genjutsu was potent due to his sheer mental strength, it paled next to Yakumo’s abilities. Yakumo’s genjutsu didn’t just manipulate senses—it could alter the very perception of reality itself. That was what made it so terrifying. Then again, in the original story, Yakumo’s debut had her casting genjutsu that produced lightning, striking the Hokage’s office. Perhaps it wasn’t so surprising after all... or maybe it was. "Hikari-senpai, if you keep staring at me like that, I’ll get embarrassed~" Yakumo tugged at her collar—not to cover up, but to pull it wider. Read 40+ advanced Chapters on my P@treon. [email protected]/KakuzuTL