Jiraiya stared at the glowing red "Death" symbol before his eyes, his breath catching in his throat.
Instinctively, he jerked his head back, but the ominous symbol didn't vanish.
Instead, it grew larger, expanding until it felt as though it was burrowing into his pupils—and then, it was gone.
Jiraiya's surroundings remained unchanged, yet a strange unease settled in his chest.
"What... just happened?"
The moment the words left his mouth, the world began to shake.
The ground trembled violently beneath him, knocking him off balance.
"An illusion?"
Before he could react, the earth beneath him tilted sharply, flipping a full 90 degrees.
Jiraiya slammed into it, now clinging to the surface like a lizard stuck to a wall.
Then—
Just as suddenly as it began, the world stilled.
He exhaled in relief, thinking the nightmare had ended—
Until he noticed something off.
"Wait… why does it feel like I'm falling?"
His stomach dropped as he realized the ground and sky had reversed.
And just like that—
Jiraiya was plummeting into the sky.
Faster and faster, he tumbled upward, air resistance heating his body until flames licked at his skin.
"This is bad!"
He bit his thumb, forming hand signs mid-air.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Bang!
A massive cloud of smoke erupted, revealing Gamaken, the giant toad wielding a massive sasumata and carrying a shield on his back.
Jiraiya landed on Gamaken's head, his descent slowing.
But the sensation of falling didn't stop.
"Gamaken! Do you see anything strange?"
The toad blinked, confused.
"...Why am I in the air?"
"Good, so it's not just me," Jiraiya thought grimly.
"It's an illusion," he explained. "We've been trapped."
Gamaken's expression darkened.
"An illusion... that affects even a summoned creature? That's no ordinary genjutsu."
Jiraiya remained silent, standing on the toad's head, his mind racing for solutions.
"This feels… too real. If it were just an illusion, my chakra should've broken it."
Gamaken shifted nervously beneath him.
"Jiraiya… have you figured something out? Because I think we're in serious trouble."
Jiraiya looked down.
His pupils widened in shock.
Beneath them, stretching endlessly into the void—
Was the vastness of space.
A galaxy swirled below, stars blinking in the abyss.
Jiraiya's throat went dry.
"This... this is outside the world?"
Gamaken stiffened, sweat dripping from his brow.
"Jiraiya… are we sure we're falling?"
Jiraiya forced a stiff nod.
"I—I can't fly, so… yeah, we're definitely falling."
And then—
The mist and clouds around them vanished entirely.
They could now see the vast darkness of space, a galaxy of stars stretching endlessly before them.
But the most breathtaking sight was the massive sphere looming in the distance.
Jiraiya swallowed hard.
"That's... the moon, right? The one created by the Sage of Six Paths?"
Gamaken nodded, still in shock.
"Is this really an illusion? Can we even go back?"
For the first time, Jiraiya doubted himself.
"Could this really be just an illusion?"
As they continued falling, Jiraiya realized they were drifting toward the moon—
But not directly. They were off course.
"If we don't adjust our trajectory, we'll just drift into space."
Jiraiya gritted his teeth.
"No choice—we need to steer toward the moon and land there."
Gamaken hesitated.
"But… didn't you say this was just an illusion?"
Jiraiya frowned.
"I'm not so sure anymore. But either way, we need to move in that direction first."
Gamaken let out a deep breath.
"Got it."
Just as he shifted his body, preparing to move—
They both saw it.
A palace.
A massive structure, standing on the moon.
And more than that—
There were signs of life.
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed.
"There's... someone up there?"
That shouldn't be possible.
Was this really an illusion?
At this point, Jiraiya stopped caring. He needed to get there and see for himself.
"Gamaken! Let's use ninjutsu to push ourselves forward!"
"Understood!"
Gamaken began gathering chakra, while Jiraiya formed hand seals.
"I'll count down—on three, we launch ourselves forward!"
He focused, preparing.
"One!"
"Two!"
Gamaken braced himself—
But before Jiraiya could say "three"—
Everything changed.
The world around them flipped in an instant.
Without any warning, Jiraiya was back at the bathhouse.
The sensation was like falling endlessly in a dream—and then snapping awake.
Jiraiya gasped, his body jerking forward.
His hands were still locked in a seal, chakra still gathered.
But in front of him—
Was just the same old wooden bathhouse wall.
No stars.
No moon.
No Gamaken.
Jiraiya's breath came fast.
"What... just happened?"
Slowly, he unclenched his fingers, his voice hoarse.
"Was I… really just standing here the whole time?"
He looked around.
No Gamaken.
No sign of anything out of the ordinary.
It was as if none of it had ever happened.
Jiraiya let out a deep breath and dispersed his chakra, trying to steady himself.
"What the hell just happened? Who did that?"
"That would be me!"
Jiraiya froze.
A burly woman stood in front of him, arms crossed, blocking the wooden wall. Around her, a group of middle-aged women glared at him.
The leader grinned.
"Hah! Pervert! I knew someone like you would fall for the trap!"
She turned to the others.
"Ladies, let's teach him a lesson!"
Jiraiya's face went pale. Cold sweat formed on his forehead.
"W-Wait! Let me explain—!"
But they weren't listening.
After all, what could he even say?
The beating began.
—
Meanwhile, inside the women's hot spring, Sakiya was still soaking peacefully, her cheeks flushed from the heat.
Then—
A man's scream echoed through the air.
Loud.
Repeated.
Miserable.
The women in the bathhouse paused for a moment.
Then—
They laughed.
"Haha, looks like another one got caught peeping!"
They didn't seem surprised.
After all, this wasn't the first time.
This bathhouse was famous for its anti-peeping measures.
There was a fake 'perfect spot' that seemed like an easy place to peek inside.
In reality?
It was always patrolled.
Anyone who fell for it—was instantly caught.
Sakiya, still relaxing in the warm water, recognized the voice.
Her right eye flashed red as she smirked.
"Hmph~ Serves you right, you old lecher!"
Humming a little tune, she leaned back, looking completely at ease.
"There's no way I'd let some pervert see my body!"
Her right eye glowed again, and she whispered to herself.
"The power of the Red Eye… maybe I was wrong. It's even stronger than the Eye of Death."
The Red Eye's abilities enhanced her power more than she had imagined.
Not just with augmented vision, but with other strange effects too.
The more it evolved, the closer it got to surpassing even death itself.
Sakiya's Red Eye had only recently awakened its full mental abilities.
The illusion just now? Not a mere projection.
It was a real spiritual world.
Just like the technique used to trap enemies on the moon, Sakiya could pull others into her own mental domain, controlling every aspect of it.
Simulating Jiraiya's nightmare scenario was effortless—far more effective than any basic illusion.
And honestly?
It was ridiculously overpowered.
Sakiya pouted.
"I'm already the strongest. This is just a bonus ability."
By merging her spiritual world with the real world, she could create seamless illusions, making it impossible for enemies to tell what was real and what wasn't.
"This feels like something a final boss in an anime would have."
She smirked to herself.
"But I'm not a villain. And besides, there's no one who can stand against the Death Eye anyway."
With that thought, she sank deeper into the hot spring, completely relaxed.
---
The Next Morning
At the agreed meeting time, Sakiya arrived first.
Then she saw Jiraiya.
And immediately paused.
His face was a mess.
Bruised, swollen, hilarious.
A massive bump on the left, a deep green mark on the right.
He looked ridiculous.
Jiraiya, knowing exactly how he looked, watched Sakiya carefully—waiting for her to laugh.
She didn't.
Instead, she asked calmly:
"Did an enemy attack you?"
Jiraiya blinked, a little surprised.
Then he chuckled, shaking his head.
"You didn't laugh. I thought you would."
Sakiya remained expressionless.
"There's nothing funny about this. I only care about the enemy."
Jiraiya stared at her serious face.
And suddenly found it hilarious.
A small, serious girl—completely deadpan—showing zero reaction to his messed-up face?
"This kid is unintentionally funny."
He smirked.
"There was no enemy. I, uh… tripped and fell."
Sakiya nodded slowly, her tone still flat.
"Oh. So, you fell. Many times."
Jiraiya froze.
Why… why did that sound so sarcastic?
It was like she was telling a dry joke with a completely straight face.
And it was killing him.
Jiraiya burst out laughing.
"Haha! Sakiya, your tone is weirdly funny!"
But what he didn't realize…
Was that Sakiya was trying not to laugh too.
Her blank expression?
It wasn't cold.
It was her holding in her amusement.
It was almost too powerful.
Jiraiya blinked, suddenly unsettled.
"Why does it feel like she's the serious one now?"
---
They continued walking.
After a while, Sakiya spoke again.
"Oh, by the way—while I was taking a holy bath, some perverted demon tried to peek at my sacred form. So, I punished him… by trapping him in a nightmare illusion."
She turned to Jiraiya.
"But I never figured out who he was possessing."
Jiraiya stiffened.
Sweat dripped down his face.
He kept his expression neutral.
The way she phrased it was… suspicious.
Did she know?
Did she already figure it out?
Jiraiya's fists clenched.
If she had proof, his reputation was doomed!
Trying to keep his voice steady, he challenged her.
"Sakiya… are you sure you found the perverted demon?"
Sakiya didn't blink.
Her expression didn't change at all.
"Not really," she said. "But I already punished him. So it doesn't matter anymore."
Then she turned away and kept walking.
Jiraiya let out the breath he had been holding.
"…That was too close."
___________
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