章 154: Chapter 152: Yakumo Kurama
Several months later, in dead of night.
A lone figure was blending in the shadows.
Who was the lurker, well… a boy perhaps too mature for his own good and ambitions too convoluted to put into words.
But he couldn't back out, he had been planning this for over 3 years now and he had only last month managed to acquire the final piece to his plan.
After, witnessing the power of the nine tails firsthand, he couldn't stop shacking in fear.
He would try to gain as much power as he could, that much was something that would never change but if he wanted to achieve his goals, he had to go above and beyond, make a few sacrifices.
Thus, he could no longer, tonight he would put a plan he had been delaying in action.
He feared the retaliation that would occur if it would fail but he had been staking the area he was in and knew it like the back of his hand.
Homura was on a secret mission, dressed in his usual ninja attire to keep himself well-hidden in the shadows.
He wore a long dark coat and clothes to blend into the night, with a mask covering part of his face to keep his identity concealed.
He had mastered the transformation jutsu, which allowed him to change his appearance and size, making him appear larger and more intimidating than he truly was.
For the past week, Homura had been carefully observing Yakumo Kurama's residence.
Yakumo was a young girl from the Kurama clan who rarely left her home, and her parents were already deceased.
The only chakra signature he saw inside the house belonged to a caretaker, a woman in her 50s.
It was abnormal for a young girl to be left alone in such a big house by herself, but so was Yakumo. She wasn't an ordinary child but a member of the Kurama clan.
More than that, as per tradition, she would be the clan next head.
Even if she was a child as the next head of the Kurama clan her position was somewhat important.
The Kurma clan, a previously great shinobi clan within Konohagakure that used to produce quite a few elite shinobi, but in recent years the clan has been in decline..
A rather steadfast decline
Few members nowadays even have the potential to become ninjas, let alone elite in anything related to shinobi matters.
The same was true for Yakumo, who lacks the physical strength to undergo the arduous training that cadets like Homura have to go through every day.
Even though she was someone from the Kurama clan, which is a clan in possession of a kekkei genkai that was indeed powerful, but it lacked utility if the person in question did not have the physical ability to keep up with her teammates in the first place.
So now, the young heiress of the Kurama clan spent most of her days mostly by herself, either she stared at the scenery outside her window or staying inside her room.
If she had been allowed to live by herself in such a big residence, was probably due to the clan's decision.
That fact would be pretty much understood by anyone since she had a personal caretaker to take care of her.
The clan was certainly not swimming in money, especially considering their decline.
It was a small but nonetheless positive outcome, that indicated that she had not been completely abandoned by her clan, but it also meant that they also wanted to keep her at bay.
After all, according to Homura's memories, her parents' deaths was her fault.
Somewhat.
Though, not many even in the Kurama clan should be aware of that fact.
It was the dirty secret that only those who were present at that time, should be aware of.
Shinobi culture was nothing if not secretive, parents would keep secrets from their children and the opposite was true; so it was the norm for family members to not ask for anything related to work from one another, if they were still on active duty.
So the entire case of Yakumo was slightly confusing for the public at large.
What had been reported was that a fire break out, but the fact that Yakumo was the sole survivor was quite suspicious since she was the only one to survive.
Someone that was not even a cadet.
Most people probably thought she was saved by her parent, but the people of the clan probably saw it in another light.
In fact, Homura thought it was odd as to how no one was ever coming to visit her, she had no friends since she could not attend the academy, but not even the members of her rather small clan did.
Rather, they tended to avoid even talking to the young girl or feigned paying their respects to her due to her position as the daughter of the now deceased clan head.
It was as if they knew something or rather suspected something, after all the older generation may remember similar people within their clan with similar abilities in the past, but that was far beyond Homura's scope.
Most of his knowledge came from the anime, and that might not have happened in the way it was depicted there as well, but Homura was almost certain that Yakumo's did play a part in her parents' deaths. Since their deaths was also caused by some sort of fire as well.
Though it was weird that the fire did not spread too far or too much from the fact almost nothing else besides the residence of the former patriarch was engulfed in flames, which made Homura almost certain that it was the root cause of people suspecting something was amiss.
Which caused them to take a more careful stance toward Yakumo.
Not at the level of being ostracized but clearly not too far off.
Once again Homura was reminded that those who are different cannot hope to form bonds with those who aren't.
In this world, if you are different people will always look at you like a monster or be apprehensive about your existence.
It didn't matter if you were weak or strong, as long as you cannot fit within their definition of normal, you are nothing more than an abnormal monster.
A danger to those around you.
Which wasn't exactly wrong, but it didn't make him feel any better since he was also one of those monsters.
But he was a rather weak monster; which was far scarier for him.
Which is why Homura has always been careful to not fully show all of his abilities.
But now seeing the same thing happening to Yakumo, even within her own family, was slightly hard for him to stomach.
Homura:…"Now should be the perfect time to strike," Thought Homura as he put some kind of object inside his mouth to prevent him from letting out any kind of noise intentionally or not.
As that was done, Homura once again prepared himself to act.
As the night grew darker, Homura, found himself standing outside Yakumo's residence once again. His heart pounded inside his chest, a mix of excitement and fear coursing through him. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes; he had to be cautious and careful.
He threw a rock towards her quite massive backyard expecting some kind of reaction but either due to no one carefully watching the house or a trap being potentially crafted especially for him, Homura, waited for a bit before deciding to proceed nonetheless with his crazy plan.
Time was of the essence, and he had spent too long already not acting. He could not let things continue like they had.
With a skilled display of technique, Homura began to harness his chakra by swiftly executing a sequence of hand seals. First, the boar hand seal was effortlessly formed, followed gracefully by the horse hand seal. Finally, Homura completed the process with an authoritative clap before intertwining his fingers with those of the opposite hand. Such mastery and precision in his actions showcased his expertise in channeling his inner power in an instant.
Homura: "Swift release shadowless flight!" He said inwardly.
In a breathtaking instant, his figure transformed into a mesmerizing blur, vanishing before our very eyes. It was as if time itself froze in awe of his inexplicable disappearance.
Homura's incredible speed was mind-boggling, making it challenging for his own thoughts to keep up with his swift movements. With the technique aptly named "No Shadowless flight," he moved at such a rapid pace that tracking him became an impossible task, since his shadow could not even be perceived as if it was nonexistent as he moved at full speed.
His velocity was so exceptional that it seemed as though a straight line had abruptly materialized before the eyes of anyone who happened to glance in his direction. Witnessing the lightning-fast movements of Homura is a mind-boggling experience. Even if someone were to catch a glimpse of him, their brain would struggle to comprehend the sheer impossibility of his speed. In an instant, he effortlessly zips through unimaginable paths, effortlessly arriving in Yakumo's backyard as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
However, the strain that it took on his body was evident as he soon dropped on one knee as he tried to catch his breath.
Homura: "Huff, Huff, Huff…"
The strain of moving at such speeds was so great that Homura felt like he would be throwing up everything he ate the last 2 days, as his muscles began to feel the strain he felt from the backlash.
Everything from his heart rate to his brain felt as if it was going on overdrive.
He had managed to successfully use his swift release in a real and potentially non-combat situation after years of training and even found out the proper way to do it by weaving his chakra and adding a few hand seals to make the molding of his chakra better but even that could not properly prepare him from what he felt as soon as the jutsu ended.
It took Homura almost 5 minutes to recover his strength and for his body to more or less move at its normal setting once again.
But the experience of what had just happened a few minutes ago was vividly remembered, he should not move that fast for speeds over 30 meters with his current body, swift release was proving itself to be quite different than simply using one's chakra to augment one's physical abilities in order to move faster, but instead something closer to using a barrier of chakra as he would move to protect himself from friction, similar to lightning release chakra mode.
However, Homura was not exactly privy to how either technique worked or even what exactly happened when he used swift release completely.
It came to him somewhat naturally and his memories of the only user of swift release did help a lot.
Moving at such speeds was not exactly a pleasant speed and he often had to make mental notes on where he planned to go ahead of time, nor did the movie it was shown in, go into detail a lot about either technique and their drawbacks; as it stood Homura could only count and adapt to his experiences.
Homura: "Finally, I don't feel so numb anymore…I think I need to increase my physical regimen once again…but if I do I will only be able to sleep 5 hours a day…No, I don't have time to think about that right now… " He thought to himself as he looked at a second-floor window up ahead of him.
As he caught his breath, he peered through the bushes and trees, making sure no one had noticed his sudden appearance. The darkness of the night enveloped him, providing the perfect cover for his stealthy mission. He knew he had to be careful and avoid any unnecessary attention. The last thing he wanted was to attract the wrong kind of notice while attempting to collect Yakumo's blood, skin and hair samples.
He had to have different samples in order to be sure of Yakumo's abilities, she wasn't a run of the mill kekkei genkai user.
Homura had been stalking Yakumo's residence for a week straight before embarking on this plan, but it had been years since he had been stalking the entire clan, Meticulously observing her routines and the comings and goings around the house. He had learned that there was only one caretaker woman who attended to Yakumo, and the young girl rarely left her home.
Her parents had tragically passed away, leaving her in the care of the Kurama clan.
Or rather her uncle, which view her somewhat unfavorably as well.
Tonight seemed to be the perfect opportunity to proceed with his plan. With only Yakumo's chakra color signature detected in the upper floor of the house, he knew the time was right to strike. His skills and control over chakra had vastly improved, allowing him to move with incredible speed and precision.
Still, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of nervousness. This was the first time he was attempting something of this nature, and he understood the potential risks involved. If caught, it could mean severe consequences not just for himself but also for his reputation as a cadet.
This was not the first crime he was committing but it was the first that could not be entirely justified, even if overall it was a relatively harmless crime.
Shaking off his doubts, Homura reminded himself of his objective – to obtain Yakumo's blood for research purposes. He believed that understanding the genetic makeup of the Kurama clan would provide valuable insights and help him grow stronger.
Taking a deep breath, Homura slowly made his way closer to the house. Every step was calculated, every movement intentional. He had learned to control his footsteps better, leaving barely any trace of his presence. This level of finesse was something he could only dream of achieving years ago.
He had gained a lot of practice in sneaking inside at the academy since it was part of their curriculum, not the academy part but sneaking in general, but he never expected to use those skills so soon.
Nonetheless, he applied everything he was taught and more to erase his presence and avoid any potential traps, and so far no one seemed to be watching him otherwise he would have tried to escape already. The entire area was being marked with an odorless perfume combined with Homura's cells in order to let him know if someone else would be taking his back, by C. It was an improved version of the one he created last year.
With Homura's improved knowledge of medicine and plants, he made several formulas that improved the range of his scope and only lasted for a short while or longer depending on his needs, but since DNA was hard to be destroyed on a molecular level, it was an endeavor that was quite easy, so only needed to corrupt it so that he would leave no traces of himself behind.
Once he reached the back entrance, he paused for a moment, listening for any sounds inside the house. Satisfied that the coast was clear, he silently slipped inside, moving with the grace and precision of a seasoned ninja.
The inside of Yakumo's house was dimly lit, and he moved like a ghost, navigating through the halls with ease. He felt a rush of adrenaline and excitement coursing through him, knowing that he was finally putting his training and skills to the test.
He thought of searching for Kurama clan secrets or even genjutsu techniques, but he soon killed any thought of doing that.
Since he could not be sidetracked, Yakumo's DNA was the only thing that was truly valuable to him, anything else was simply a waste of time; so he pressed on uninterrupted.
Watching every minute detail with his sharingan in order to spot a potential trap, but so far there was nothing abnormal, it was a big house common, a bit on the larger side but it was a rather common house although it was mostly empty. It seemed to only have the bare minimum, there were no pictures or objects to give it any special feel or differentiate it from other people's houses if not for the Kurama clan's logo on the living room of an artistic-looking feather.
Nonetheless, besides that, it was an empty house as Homura carefully analyzed every room he passed by in order to identify possible threats and routes to escape.
He had now a better layout of the house than in the almost two years he spent staking the house but now he had a much better understanding.
As he reached the upper floor, he spotted a faint glow of chakra emanating from one of the rooms. It had to be Yakumo.
Homura: "Maybe I should just turn back," he thought, hesitating at the door to Yakumo's room. "There has to be another way…But I've already come this far."
He wasn't the same naive child as before who could do almost anything without an ounce of shame. It was strange how Homura thought it was so easy to get things done in the past.
He was a brat that had memories from a previous past life but he was still a brat that ultimately had a not-so-very-strong moral compass or was entirely sure of the scope of his actions.
Now he doesn't fully get it either but he also realizes that what he is doing is not entirely right even if his mind keeps reassuring him that it was for the best.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he approached the door quietly and peered inside.
Carefully checking the room for any traps and conversing with C about any changes, Homura, delicately opened the door to the girl's room. Making sure to avoid the door from making any sound.
Homura: "Kurama…Yakumo?" thought Homura as he caught a glance of a girl sleeping.
Unsure if it wasn't a trap, he then stopped moving slightly.
Appearances could be faked a and much more.
But if anyone had been aware of Homura's plans, there was no need to let him get this far, the moment he stepped inside the house was enough.
So the girl sleeping could only be Yakumo.
There she was in front of him, laying on her bed.
A somewhat sickly looking young girl.
Fast asleep. She seemed a tad younger from the depiction in his memories and from watching her from a distance but she did match the mental profile Homura had of her.
Homura's heart softened for a moment, seeing her vulnerable and peaceful. But he quickly shook off any sympathy, reminding himself of his mission.
He was taught to compartmentalize during his training, but emotions were hard to predict, much less control but he nonetheless was able to achieve some sort of inner peace.
As he silently entered the large room he saw many things on display, ranging from ninja tools, scrolls, paintings, materials related to painting, and several other things.
It was quite weird, besides the materials related to painting it seemed to be a room of someone aiming to become a shinobi, but Yakumo by now should have abandoned any idea of becoming a shinobi.
It wasn't that she was too old, but if she grew up in the village like most of the other children, she should be already be close to graduating from any thoughts about becoming a ninja.
Ninja training doesn't take as long as one may think, it depends on the person's capabilities more than simply a vague notion of time.
Homura only needed 3 years to grasp the essence of things, and after that, it was more or less about learning new things and polishing areas that he lacked.
However, Yakumo's routine didn't seem that she was doing any sort of training as far as Homura could tell, and it didn't seem like she was training with Kurenai Yuhi either.
The latter was a jonin, and was only available for short time periods.
If Homura had noticed she was training with someone of that caliber he would have immediately given up and made other plans.
But that wasn't the case, even if Homura could only observe Yakumo for short bursts of time. He would have discovered something related to her training in other ninja arts that require time and space but so far, nothing indicated anything of the sort.
Though he couldn't really tell what she was doing within her room, it didn't seem that it was any sort of physical training otherwise her chakra would give indication of that, though she could be a genius.
Especially within clans, there is always a genius that seems to defy conventions.
But even if Yakumo was somewhat adept in taijutsu, this didn't change anything.
Homura: "I'm sorry, Yakumo," he whispered, his voice filled with remorse. "I don't want to do this, but I feel like I have no other choice."
With determination, he unveiled an almost odorless gas that he concocted that was supposed to make people fall asleep based on several plants he learned about and as he waited a few minutes for the gas to take its effect he extended his hand towards her, preparing to collect a small sample of her blood.
It was a risky move since even though the gas was mostly odorless and quite strong, it only truly worked for a few minutes fully, pain could easily wake up one from it and it left traces inside one's system.
Homura was smart and knowledgeable but he still had much to learn, he wanted to make the perfect tool to take someone out but he lacked the overall knowledge needed and the infrastructure and materials for all of it, so he had to contend with anything he could and test on anything he could.
Which was mostly animals, he had no idea if the effect would be the same on a person, especially someone who was already asleep, and he couldn't test on himself since he was quite resistant to poison.
But with the right amount and Yakumo's body size, this should in theory nonetheless work, after all, it worked on a pig he was keeping.
So as finished taking skin samples, hair, and her blood samples and blood samples.
A sight relief was felt in Homura's movements.
He then proceeded to put things back in order and as he managed to do so, he turned his back on Yakumo, undoing his sharingan since he believed everything was over.
More than that walking around with a sharingan active was both a waste of chakra and having his eyesight pick up every minute detail he happened to slightly focus on was tiring on a mental level.
Homura: "I hope this is worth it," he thought, his mind filled with uncertainty. "But with this step complete I will be…Huh?"
As he was about to head for the door, Homura looked at a painting on his left side.
It was odd since he didn't remember seeing it prior to this moment.
Homura's eyes fixated on the painting hanging on the wall. It was an image that seemed so familiar, yet he couldn't recall ever seeing it before.
In the painting, he saw an upper-floor room of the academy, a place he had spent countless hours training and studying. The room offered an open view of the village, and the depiction was so vivid that it felt like he could step right into the scene. The village sprawled beneath a bright blue sky, and the image tugged at his memories.
"Wait... was this painting always here?" Homura wondered, his mind racing with conflicting thoughts. He had been stalking Yakumo's residence for days, meticulously observing every detail, and he was sure there was no painting before. How could he have missed it?
In a sudden twist of fate, a gentle gust of wind elegantly whisked by his side, swaying the leaves in its path that suddenly crossed his path.
Homura: " Leaves? A blue sky? So it is already daytime, huh?… !!!" he thought to himself as he realized how odd it all was a second later of thinking that it was already daytime.
He immediately turned back and saw an empty room, the room at the academy dedicated to sparing and training.
He had no doubt it was the same room he was in only a few days prior at the academy, though this time no one was inside.
And worse he was nowhere near Yakumo's bedroom.
Such a seeming change of scenario cannot happen in real life, no ninjutsu in the world could forcefully both time and space to such a degree in no time at all, so what Homura was experiencing could only be described as not real.
In other words, an illusion.
Homura: "G-genjutsu?"
It wasn't the first time Homura experienced being caught in a genjutsu.
But it was the first time, he was not even aware that it had happened whatsoever.
The level of realism in the genjutsu was truly incredible. He could even feel the gentle breeze that had brushed past him moments earlier. If it weren't for the room he was now in and the vibrant blue sky above, he could've easily mistaken it for reality. Such convincing illusions can truly blur the lines between what is real and what is not.
Homura: "C!"
C:"Yes Host."
Homura: "Where am I? What am I currently looking at?"
C: "Answer: Host is currently within the room of Yakumo Kurama."
Homura:"Sh*t! Has anyone entered?"
C: "Answer: Negative. Currently only host and "Yakumo Kurama" are present."
Homura turned back once again and saw the back of the same familiar room at the academy once again.
Homura: "C, what am I looking towards?
C: "Answer: Wall, bed, sheets, Yakumo Kurama."
Homura: "!!!"
C's answer immediately made Homura turn off his sharingan and tried to undo the genjutsu he was under.
Homura: "No," he told himself firmly. "This isn't real. I need to break free. Release!" Homura shouted in his mind as he tried to disrupt his own chakra flow to break free by performing the proper hand seal but nothing happened.
Homura's heart pounded in his chest as he realized he had fallen victim to a genjutsu. He knew that he had been careful, using his Sharingan to detect any traces of chakra that might indicate a trap or a genjutsu. But somehow, he had still been ensnared.
Homura: "Clever," he muttered to himself, trying to remain calm and focused.
But the genjutsu held strong, and Homura felt himself getting lost in the illusion. The room around him seemed so real, with the familiar sights and sounds of the academy. He could even feel the warmth of the sun on his skin as he stood near the window, as he then proceeded to peak out at the village below.
It was so realistic that it felt that his senses were going haywire.
Drawing on his training and experience, Homura focused all his mental strength on dispelling the genjutsu. He tapped into the power of his Sharingan, using it to disrupt the flow of chakra in his body.
However, despite his efforts, the genjutsu seemed stubborn, clinging to his mind like a persistent shadow.
But it was pointless.
He could clearly see with the sharingan that this world was fake but Homura lacked the ability to do anything about it.
Thankfully he seemed to have control of his movements.
So from his coat, Homura took out a syringe.
Homura: "I didn't want to do this but… C show me a vision of the real world."
Soon a window appeared of the outside world.
He saw Yakumo on her bed with eyes locked on him and performing some type of hand seal.
As Homura observed Yakumo's pale face and distant gaze, it appeared as though she had been taken over by an unseen force. Despite having used a drug to induce sleep, Homura couldn't help but feel that what he was witnessing transcended scientific explanation. This mysterious phenomenon left him with little doubt that there was more at play than just the effects of the medication.
His back arched slightly as he began to sweat a little.
He planned to end this in a single moment since he was only a few feet away from Yakumo in the real world, but his perception was also being manipulated so a single mistake could be extremely costly.
As soon as he made a single motion to move forward, vines erupted from within the floors and immediately attached themselves to him, putting everything they had towards dragging him to the floor.
Homura: "What?!"
Homura was beyond surprised even with his sharingan it was too late to escape, he had been caught before he realized what was happening as he was busy focusing on the window that displayed the real world.
His mind raced with astonishment and disbelief as the vines sprouted from the floor without any warning or indication. He had meticulously scanned the room with his sharingan, searching for any signs of traps or genjutsu, but there had been nothing. It was as if the vines had materialized out of thin air.
Homura: "How... how is this possible?" he thought to himself, his heart pounding in his chest. "I should have detected any chakra signatures or disturbances before it got to this point. There was nothing that hinted at this kind of attack. Is she able to control the world she created to such a degree?"
The surprise attack had caught him completely off guard, leaving him struggling to defend himself against the unexpected assault. The vines had wrapped around him with surprising strength, and then the flames had erupted, engulfing him in searing pain. It was a level of genjutsu that he had never encountered before, and it left him feeling vulnerable and exposed.
Homura:"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Homura yelled like a madman as he felt his body being burned from inside out but no sound was heard from his mouth.
If he did not choose to seal his mouth with an object specially crafted for an eventuality like this one, things might have turned quite differently.
He could feel the burning sensation of the flames licking at his skin, causing him to wince in pain.
But soon a single rogue thought became more pronounced among the several layers of pain he was feeling.
Call it divine intervention or survivor's instinct but Homura somehow managed to regain a shred of his consciousness back among the sea of pain he felt at the moment.
Homura gritted his teeth in pain as the vines tightened their grip on him. The burning sensation intensified as the flames enveloped his body, threatening to consume him. Despite the excruciating pain, he refused to give in. He knew he had to stop Yakumo to break free from the genjutsu that had trapped him.
Homura: "I have to…"he thought as his mind kept coming and going "This is nothing…compared…compared to what he felt!"
With sheer determination, Homura summoned his remaining strength and focused on his objective. He clutched the syringe tightly, his hands trembling from both the pain and the effort it took to hold on. Each movement felt like an eternity as he struggled against the relentless vines and the searing flames.
Homura managed to push through, inching closer to Yakumo's bed. His mind was a whirlwind of agony and concentration, but he couldn't afford to lose focus now. With one final ounce of strength, he managed to inject Yakumo with the serum that would calm her uncontrolled abilities.
As the serum coursed through her veins, the room started to shift and distort. The vines and flames began to recede, losing their grip on Homura. His vision wavered, and he felt disoriented from the intense pain he had endured.
But slowly, the world around him settled back into its original form. The strange painting on the wall disappeared, and the room returned to the familiar upper-floor academy room. Homura's heart pounded in his chest, but he felt relief wash over him as he knew he had succeeded in breaking free from the genjutsu.
Gasping for breath, he collapsed to his knees beside Yakumo's bed. He could still feel the lingering pain from the burns, but he knew he had to ensure Yakumo was safe before attending to his own injuries.
He could not risk anything bad happening to her otherwise, the consequences were going to be disastrous for him.
Yakumo: Breathing normally
Seeing that the heiress of the Kurama clan was alive and stable Homura let out a brief sigh of relief.
Homura: "…No wonder, no one else is present in her house but her…genjutsu of that level…if she increases her range…We're all doomed, " Homura thought to himself as he remembered the nightmarish scenario
With a sigh, he withdrew his hand and retreated from Yakumo's room, leaving her undisturbed. As he made his way out of the house, he felt pain, confusion, and overall relief as he decided to use swift release one more time.
It took all he had just to move over less than 100 meters undetected using his swift-release shadowless flight, which after it was undone Homura returned to his normal appearance.
He then passed through a river which he used to drench himself in as he ran with all he had until he arrived at a cave with a small fire already lit and waiting for him.
Homura immediately removed all of his clothes and threw his clothes at the bright burning fire.
Homura: "What a monstrous power..." Homura said as he looked at his arms and all over his body.
He had third-degree burns around both arms and some other injuries that seemed slightly worse.
Unfortunately for Homura, he had not expected to be almost burned alive by a non-existent fire that was unable to be extinguished by normal means.
So he had nothing to treat burn injuries inside this cave that he found while exploring around Konohagkure a year ago.
But at the moment, even treating his injuries was not in Homura's mind.
Homura: "I…I need just a moment to gather my strength back," So thought Homura as his eyelids became heavier and heavier as his entire body seemingly began shutting down, he had no more strength left to use, he should be moving but he just didn't have the energy to do so.
He was tired.
He had never felt so helpless and at the mercy of someone.
If he had not used every ounce of willpower he could muster at the time.
He could have died.
If he had shared Yakumo's parents' fate that would not have only been a possibility but a certainty.
Just remembering the experience was extremely traumatizing.
Never in his entire life did he think that he would be subjected to being set on fire, and at the same time being strangled to death.
Those were experiences he couldn't even begin to fantasize about prior to a few hours ago.
But now they were ingrained in his memories.
As a child, he had no idea how to process it, but as an academy cadet, he could only hope the experience would make him somewhat stronger.
Though that also brought major doubts inside his mind, if people with kekkei genkai could render all of his training and abilities useless without proper training; then what did all of his efforts mean?
He only survived because he had supernatural ability, if it wasn't for that fact he would have died in agony.
Failing to accomplish anything.
He thought he had grown stronger only to be reminded that there was always going to be someone stronger than him.
All his efforts would be pointless if he did not continue to get stronger.
Unfortunately, in this world, and just like in most worlds, the barrier between natural abilities and hard work was almost insurmountable.
Homura doesn't believe that he could ever match Yakumo's proficiency with genjutsu.
After what he experienced he didn't think anyone could.
How could an academy reject even conjuring genjutsu so real that the victim that believes is so real that they are left injured in real life as well?
Would he have died if he was killed inside the genjutsu?
How could he ever break free from it?
If Yakumo was not in a semi-conscious state and was able to run away from him, he had no way of winning such a hopeless battle.
In any case, against a foe that could cast genjutsu on the level of Yakumo, only a vast amount of raw power and powerful abilities would even give him a chance to contend.
Nonetheless, now Homura could do nothing.
Resting peacefully in the solitude of a cave, his bare form enveloped by darkness, he found solace in that he could one day find solutions to his problems despite the pain coursing through his body.
He knew that there were other paths to achieve his goals, ones that didn't involve compromising his principles.
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