July 12th, 7:50 PM.
Akira -returned to the inn where they were staying.
Hikari was already waiting in the entryway. She took the coat he handed her, lifted it to her face, and inhaled deeply.
"…Wife, what are you doing?"
"Nothing. Just smelling the scent of the man I love~"
Akira -thought: If you want my scent, you can just smell me directly.
Hikari thought: Hmph~ Haki-Akira, you pass the test. Ever since Jinghua's sixteenth birthday, you haven't bathed with her again.
She placed his coat in the laundry basket.
"The bathwater's ready. Go wash up and then we'll eat."
"Not joining me?" Akira -asked hopefully.
Hikari placed a hand over her lower abdomen and sighed.
"I'd love to, but it's that time."
Her cycle usually came mid-month, always precise. This time it was three days early.
Akira -immediately grew serious.
"Is it because you've been overworking lately?"
"It's fine. This happens sometimes. Samui and Sister Konan are way less regular than I am."
Other women, I don't care about…
But my woman, I'll take care of.
Akira - thought: I was planning to move the family to the house in the Land of Water after this trip. Maybe we should postpone that.
"Tomorrow morning, I'll have Konan apply to Kakuzu for a residence. Let's stop staying at the inn and settle in An-Yin for a while."
They hadn't lived in An-Yin before for two reasons.
First, Xiaoyue was still young. Akira - wanted her to see more of the outside world, just like Yuki once did, before enrolling in An-Yin's ninja academy at six.
Second, for convenience. Frequent travel meant frequent use of the Peach Haven gate, which could be troublesome.
"Then it's settled~ I'm going to bathe."
Akira - took the towel from Hikari and headed into the bathroom.
Hikari carried the basket to the washroom and began hand-washing his ceremonial robe.
Have I been pushing myself too hard in secret training lately? she wondered. (Just normal training—she's not mining.)
I made him worry…
8:00 PM. An-Yin, North Mountain Shrine.
Jinghua, dressed in a blue ceremonial robe, sat on the stone steps beneath a crimson torii gate.
Sumire wore her light-purple outfit from earlier, now with a custom An-Yin forehead protector Konan had prepared for her.
"Sumire, how does your first day in An-Yin feel?"
Faced with the woman who had saved her life and given her a new path, Sumire answered honestly.
"It truly is a paradise."
"If I used the Ox-Head King here, I doubt I'd collect even a trace of negative chakra. The people here genuinely feel happy with their lives…"
Her voice carried a faint loneliness.
Only through comparison did she realize something.
Without coming here, she might never have understood—
Konoha's happiness wasn't as high as people believed.
Otherwise, how could she have gathered so much negativity before?
"Miss Jinghua… I'm worried about the person who attacked me with that fishing hook."
"Will he continue targeting Konoha's ninja? The Five Kage hadn't returned at the time…"
"Could we perhaps send an anonymous warning to Konoha?"
Even though she had switched sides, Sumire wasn't heartless enough to stop caring entirely.
"You don't need to worry. The Five Kage have already returned."
"They have? That's… that's good…"
Her shoulders relaxed instantly.
Jinghua changed the topic.
"Is your residence comfortable?"
"Yes. More than comfortable."
"But it feels overwhelming. I've just arrived, yet I was given a house, supplies, everything…"
Jinghua smiled.
"That's An-Yin's tradition."
"You don't earn your living through missions."
"From the day you become a ninja, all reasonable necessities are provided by the village."
"And you receive a monthly salary."
Sumire clasped her knees.
"I've heard about An-Yin's benfits but… I've contributed nothing yet."
"The Angel told me to follow your orders."
"So… Miss Jinghua."
"Please give me something to do."
"There is something," Jinghua said, standing.
"Sumire, I want you to become my assistant."
"…Assistant? For what?"
"The Shikigami Project."
Clap!
Jinghua brought her palms together.
Boom! Boom!
Behind her, two massive divine silhouettes materialized—one white, one crimson.
"To my left, the Reaper of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal."
"To my right, the Evil God of Death Possession."
"Given your father's background in Root, you should recognize both."
"Yes."
"The Reaper sealed the Hokage."
"The Evil God's ritual was used by Hidan of the Akatsuki to kill Asuma Sarutobi."
"Good. That makes things easier."
"The Reaper and the Evil God are what I call Shikigami."
"Shikigami…?"
"My definition. Simply put—"
"Gods born from jutsu formulas."
The silhouettes faded.
"Since graduating from An-Yin's academy at twelve, I've studied the Uzumaki clan's sealing texts and the Evil God cult's records."
"At thirteen, I attempted to create my own Shikigami."
A sphere of blue wind energy appeared behind her.
"Shikigami: Fūunno."
"A deity I cultivated from Wind Release."
"My first creation."
"Compared to traditional ninjutsu, Shikigami-enhanced techniques have three advantages."
"First: Greater efficiency."
"Same chakra, stronger output. And free control over form."
"Second: Range—virtually unrestricted within perception."
"Within perception…?"
Jinghua raised her hand.
"Fūunno — Gale Break!"
Far in the distance, a violent storm erupted, flattening trees.
"…Incredible."
"Traditional wind bullets travel visibly."
"With Shikigami, it becomes a fixed-point strike."
"Last night, I used Fūunno to save you from twenty kilometers away."
"…So that was you."
"Third—"
"Shikigami-based techniques are akin to natural phenomena."
"They bypass absorption and manipulation abilities."
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Lightning, earth, fire, and water manifestations appeared behind her.
"Thunder Shikigami: Moga-wakare."
"Earth Shikigami: Kahaeshi."
"Fire Shikigami: Hoshuseri."
"Water Shikigami: Agunuma."
"All follow the same three principles."
In her heart, Jinghua reflected:
Only I, with a divine constitution, can create and wield Shikigami.
Of course, Brother can sync with me via Twin Blossom and use it too.
Giving him another powerful card against godlike enemies—
That's the purpose of this project.
"Next…"
She formed another seal.
Boom!
A shrine rose behind her.
The doors opened.
Inside burned black flames.
"This is my sister-in-law Uchiha Hikari's Amaterasu."
"I intend to enshrine it."
"And forge it into—"
"Because its foundation differs from standard jutsu, creating this Shikigami will be more difficult than any before."
"Sumire."
"I need someone with similar aptitude to mine."
"I need your help."
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