"Cute girl… so why does her inner demon look like something out of a nightmare?"
Akio sidestepped a blast of scorching flame, frowning at the grotesque creature in front of him two horns, twisted features, and a face only a horror story could love.
When the flames failed, the monster switched tactics, spewing out a cloud of pale purple mist while ranting nonstop.
"Die… die… just die already!"
"…Poison gas?" Akio inhaled deeply, puffed out his cheeks, and blew the mist straight back at it. "And you never shut up either. Quiet down."
Crimson chakra chains burst out around him, wrapping tightly around the creature known as Ido. Bound like a tailed beast and choking on its own poison, the monster struggled violently.
"This reminds me a bit of Mōryō… If you ever took over the host completely, you might've turned into something just as hard to kill."
He smirked.
"But that's not happening today."
The creature wasn't stupid, it tried begging, then threatening when that failed.
Akio ignored all of it.
"Sixty-Four Seal Lock!"
A dense sealing array spread from his palm, wrapping around the monster layer after layer., inside and out. It took a full five minutes before the technique finally settled.
Silence.
The chatterbox demon couldn't make a sound anymore.
"Can't destroy you outright," Akio muttered, "but this is close enough."
He dusted off his hands.
"Now it's up to the girl to face what's left of you. Without you interfering, Kurenai should be able to help her sort things out."
With that, he withdrew from the mental world.
The moment his consciousness returned
A notification flashed through his mind.
Witnessed and significantly altered a side storyline: Yakumo Kurama.
Reward: 10 points.
Akio's face lit up.
Not a huge reward… but still satisfying.
"Did it work?" Kurenai Yuhi asked.
Akio pulled his hand away from Yakumo's forehead. "The problem's contained. Once she wakes up, help her work through the rest."
Kurenai smiled with relief. "That's… the best outcome we could hope for."
Akio nodded, then sighed.
"She's got real talent. Train her properly. The Kurama clan's genjutsu is exceptional, especially for someone with her level of kekkei genkai."
He paused, a bit sentimental.
"She might be one of the last of that old bloodline…"
Kurenai blinked.
"…Not really. There are still over a dozen members. A few are even her age."
Akio stiffened.
…Well, that was awkward.
Kurenai sighed softly. "Her standing within the clan is… complicated."
Akio waved it off. "Doesn't matter. If they don't appreciate her, she can come work under me."
He grinned slightly.
"With her potential, if her body weren't so frail, she'd catch up to you in a couple of years."
Kurenai chuckled, glancing down at Yakumo's now peaceful face. "I'll take care of her."
Akio nodded, then asked, "Do you know how her clan trains their abilities?"
Kurenai shook her head. "Nothing special. Yakumo uses painting, she can turn what she draws into reality."
Akio tilted his head toward the next room.
"That her studio?"
After getting confirmation, he turned to leave.
"She'll be out for a while. Stay here, I'll go take a look."
Inside the studio
Akio examined over a dozen watercolor paintings.
"Not bad," he muttered. "Maybe I'll have her paint me someday."
He focused on one piece, letting his awareness sink into it.
"…Just like I thought. Her power is embedded in the artwork, turning imagination into reality through mental projection."
He paused.
"…Wait. Did I just activate something?"
His expression changed.
"This painting…"
Half of it was engulfed in roaring flames.
At the center
The Hokage building.
"…That's not good."
At that exact moment
Inside the Hokage's office
Asuma Sarutobi sighed, a bit uneasy. Kurenai had disappeared with Akio, and he had no idea where.
With no one around to stop him, he slipped a cigarette into his mouth.
Before he could light it
He froze.
"…Is someone else smoking?"
Might Guy sniffed the air. "Asuma, giving in to temptation again?"
"It's not me"
Kakashi Hatake suddenly looked up.
"…That's heat."
A split second later
"Fire! The Hokage building's on fire!"
Obito Uchiha snapped his attention away from the crystal ball.
"…What?!"
By evening
Akio stood outside the charred remains of the building, looking mildly troubled.
"Obito… I suppose I'll take responsibility for this incident."
Obito stared at him, deadpan. "Why did you burn down my office?"
Akio glanced at him. "You've been working too hard. Think of it as… forced vacation while they rebuild."
Obito scratched his head.
…Not convinced.
Akio sighed.
He was easier to fool as a kid.
Still, a smile crept onto his face.
The five-sense manipulation he'd gained from Yakumo's ability
That was worth it.
"Time to test it out."
Night fell over the Forest of Death.
Team 7 looked frustrated.
It was absurd.
Dozens of teams had entered this relatively small forest…
And after an entire day
They hadn't run into a single one.
Sasuke frowned. "If we don't find anyone tomorrow, we head straight to the central tower the day after. We'll intercept teams there."
Naruto scratched his head. "Why not go tomorrow?"
Then his gaze drifted toward a nearby tree.
"…Hey, Sasuke. I'm gonna step over there for a second."
"Remember the code?" Sasuke replied instantly.
Naruto's eyes darted. "Yeah, yeah."
Sasuke smirked. "Sure you do."
After Naruto left, Sakura's face turned slightly red.
"Sasuke… I need to go too."
He nodded. "Go ahead."
"Don't peek! And keep an eye on Naruto!"
She hurried off into the bushes.
Sasuke sighed.
"…Now I kind of need to go too."
Meanwhile
Naruto was relieving himself behind a tree.
Midway through
He suddenly felt a finger poke him from behind.
He jolted violently, nearly losing control.
"HEY! Sasuke, cut it out!"
---
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