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"How is it?" Karin asked nervously. Connecting a seal directly to the brain was an extremely dangerous process, especially since Idou was a spiritual entity created entirely through Yin Release. No one could be certain what kind of seal would allow for safe extraction of its power.
The Great Five Elements Seal had taken them a long time to develop. They had studied the methods used to seal tailed beasts and improved upon them, completely suppressing Idou's individual consciousness and turning it into nothing more than a "battery" that provided power.
The theory behind it was sound, but there was still some uncertainty about how effective it would be in practice.
Mujin silently felt the flow of energy beginning to circulate within his body, then smiled. "Good. Everything is proceeding as we expected."
With that, he extended his right hand and began channeling the Yin Release power of Idou's Eye. Instantly, countless tiny runes appeared out of thin air. These runes converged, linking together until they slowly formed a jet-black staff composed entirely of intricate patterns in his hand.
Idou's Eye, or rather, the power of Yin Release, had the ability to create objects from nothing. This meant that Mujin no longer needed to prepare in advance when casting large-scale barriers or complex seals. The Yin Release could instantly materialize any array he required, allowing him to use techniques in battle that were previously impossible. This was a significant boost to his strength, as the more powerful the barrier or seal, the more complicated its execution usually was.
Seeing Mujin's satisfied expression, Karin let out a sigh of relief. She had been somewhat opposed to this plan, given that there was no precedent like with jinchūriki. However, everything seemed to be going smoothly so far. With Idou's personal consciousness suppressed, it wouldn't cause trouble for its host like a tailed beast might.
"Do you need to rest?" Karin asked.
Mujin shook his head. "No. Maintaining Idou's Eye consumes an enormous amount of chakra. Even with the Uzumaki clan's endurance, I can't sustain it for long. Let's head to the Hokage Tower first, and then move on to extract Shukaku from Gaara!"
Objects created using Yin Release required a constant supply of chakra to maintain their existence. Once the chakra flow stopped, the created object would vanish.
The Sage of Six Paths had been able to create the moon not only through the creative power of Yin Release but also by imbuing it with life using Yang Release. This made the false moon a real and self-sustaining entity, no longer requiring external energy to exist.
"Understood," Karin replied, then turned her attention to the now-empty shell that was Yamanaka Kurenai, ready to eliminate her once and for all since she had already chosen her path to death.
But just at that moment—
Several sharp whistling sounds cut through the air. Reacting quickly, Karin leapt backward, narrowly avoiding several kunai that embedded themselves where she had stood moments before.
A sudden gust of wind blew, and a stern-faced beauty stepped forward, shielding Kurenai behind her. It was none other than Yuhi Kurenai, the newly promoted elite jōnin of Konoha!
"Kurenai!" Kurenai quickly checked the girl's condition but received no response. Instead, when she saw the black pupil on Mujin's forehead, a chilling sensation washed over her—the same presence she had felt earlier emanating from Kurenai: the aura of Idou, the demon spirit!
"What have you done to Kurenai?!" Kurenai immediately went on high alert.
Long ago, Konoha had discovered that Yamanaka Kurenai possessed immense but uncontrollable powers, so they assigned Yuhi Kurenai, who was also proficient in genjutsu, to teach her how to control her abilities. However, Kurenai harbored resentment toward the village, believing they were responsible for her parents' deaths. As a result, she grew increasingly distant from Kurenai and ignored her teachings.
Still, perhaps because both shared similar backgrounds—coming from illustrious clans known for genjutsu and losing their families at a young age—Yuhi Kurenai had developed deep feelings for the girl.
Mujin looked at Yuhi Kurenai, worry etched across her face, and an idea suddenly struck him. He held back Karin, who was about to attack, and said, "Yuhi Kurenai, pitiable genjutsu user. As an ordinary person, even if you've honed your genjutsu skills to the utmost limit, you'll never match the innate power of a child born with strong bloodline abilities."
Without the backing of a powerful bloodline, genjutsu was ultimately ineffective. Even Yuhi Kurenai, who had mastered the art to an extraordinary degree, found herself forced into retirement after becoming pregnant—a testament to how irrelevant her skills became in the face of escalating battles.
In this era, combat largely revolved around gathering intelligence on opponents. With Mujin's newfound Eye of Ido, Kurenai's illusions were rendered utterly useless against him.
Kurenai furrowed her brow and quickly abandoned any further attempts at genjutsu. In this outdated version of the ninja world, where power often stemmed from knowledge rather than brute force, Mujin clearly held the upper hand—he knew far too much about her already. She suspected he likely possessed countermeasures specifically designed to neutralize her abilities.
"Who exactly are you?" Kurenai demanded sharply. "Genin aren't capable of such feats. Are you simply opportunists taking advantage of the chaos, or are you directly involved in this invasion?"
Kurenai hoped to extract more information, but Mujin showed no interest in elaborating on her queries.
"Yuhi Kurenai," he began, a sly smile creeping across his face, "do you feel content with your life?"
"What…?" The abruptness of his question caught her off guard.
Mujin continued mercilessly. "Tell me—when did you first develop a drinking habit? When did phrases like 'ephemeral glory' and 'life is fleeting' start rolling off your tongue so casually? Your father once commanded all of Konoha's genin teams, overseeing nearly ten thousand shinobi. Yet when did the once-prosperous Yuhi clan begin its decline?"
"Who are you!?" Painful memories resurfaced, weighing heavily on Kurenai as her expression darkened.
Mujin ignored her outburst and pressed on. "After your father died serving Konoha, instead of protecting your clan, the village allowed other families to devour what remained of the Yuhi name. What's left of your clan now? Don't you harbor hatred toward the Third Hokage? Toward this very system that calls itself Konoha?"
"The Hokage..." Kurenai's resolve faltered momentarily, but she quickly tightened her grip on her kunai. Her voice steadied as she replied firmly, "The Yuhi clan has always been under the Hokage's care. It is because of him that we still..."
Mujin cut her off abruptly. "It was also because of his tacit approval that other clans targeted yours!"
Kurenai bit her lip. "This... it was all for the sake of the village..."
"And does this so-called 'village' include the Yuhi clan?"
Mujin's words struck deep. Kurenai's reliance on alcohol and her frequent musings about life's transience revealed the unresolved wounds buried within her heart. How could someone like her ever truly let go of these grievances?
After a prolonged silence, Kurenai finally spoke, her gaze locked onto Mujin's eyes. "What exactly do you want from me?"
Mujin smirked slightly. "Rest assured—I won't ask you to betray your village. I'm not naive enough to believe a few words can overturn decades of indoctrination. However..."
His tone softened into something almost playful. "Everyone shouts about sacrificing everything 'for the village.' But who exactly does this 'village' refer to? Yuhi Kurenai, wouldn't you like to test something one day? Instead of telling others, 'All this is for the village!' imagine standing proudly before them and declaring, 'Don't worry! The village will protect you!'"
Staring at Mujin in stunned silence, Kurenai watched as he and Karin turned to leave. Before departing, Mujin added casually over his shoulder, "We still have matters to attend to. As for our intentions, perhaps you'll understand soon enough. If clarity strikes you, come find us. Oh, and don't worry—the seal on Yamanaka Yakumo isn't fatal. Seek out the Sealing Corps; they'll be able to undo it with some effort."
He paused briefly, glancing back with a faint grin. "Go ahead—pursue power and status without restraint. You needn't betray anyone or sell out anything. Simply rise as high as you can. Someday, when you become 'Konoha' itself, maybe people like you won't have to sacrifice everything for the sake of this abstract idea called 'the village.'"
Kurenai stood frozen, watching their retreating figures disappear into the distance. Her trembling hands betrayed the turmoil brewing inside her—a struggle between loyalty and disillusionment, between duty and self-worth.