"Your perversion is beyond my imagination, Kakashi!" Hikari teased with a completely straight face.
Kakashi: ???
'We're in the same boat here—you're the one with the perverted ability, and I haven't even called you out on it yet!'
'How the hell did you train that? Teach me, please! This ability of yours is way too enviable.'
"My technique is for self-improvement. Unlike you, who spends every day reading those little dirty books—your kidneys are probably hollowed out by now. By the way, what do you think of Shizune? Want me to put in a good word for you?"
Seeing Kakashi forced to rely only on his left and right hands for company every day, Hikari decided to be magnanimous and lend him a hand.
The Hatake clan's lineage couldn't be allowed to die out in Kakashi's generation.
"Uh... well, I..." Kakashi hesitated.
"Alright, alright, I understand!"
Seeing him like that, Hikari quickly turned around. "You go back to sleep. I'll head out first!"
"Hey, wait..."
Kakashi really wanted to say, I'm just playing hard to get—keep persuading me, and I'll give in.
Hikari turned and left the Hatake residence. In the next moment, he appeared at Maito Gai's place in the back mountains.
Because of his training needs and poor living conditions, Gai had lived on the village's outskirts since childhood. His most common food was animals hunted from the Forest of Death, while ordinary staples like flour-based foods were rarer for him.
There was no help for it—he was poor.
For a taijutsu-focused shinobi, maintaining physical health consumed most of one's income. On top of that, Gai had his student Lee. Training together as master and disciple really put a strain on him.
Today was a rare day when Gai wasn't training. Hikari stood by his bed and observed him for a moment.
Unlike with Kakashi, Hikari had no intention of disturbing Gai's sleep. But just as he was about to leave, Gai suddenly leaped up from the bed, warily scanning the room.
"Who's there?"
Though his eyes couldn't see, his beast-like instincts told him someone was nearby.
"It's me!"
Hikari had originally planned to slip away, but since Gai had noticed him, he couldn't just vanish. For a single-minded guy like Gai, if he didn't explain, the man probably wouldn't sleep for days.
Hearing the familiar voice, Gai immediately recognized its owner.
But...
Where was the person?
"No need to look. I'm standing right in front of you—you just can't see me with your physical eyes."
As soon as Hikari said that, Gai believed him without question. Simple-minded people really were easy to deal with sometimes.
"Hikari, why are you here?"
"And what ninjutsu are you using right now?"
"If it's inconvenient, you don't have to tell me."
Gai fired off three sentences in rapid succession—curiosity first, then trust.
The trust of a comrade.
"I'm cultivating the Spirit Transformation Technique. Right now, I'm in a state of soul projection. It's been a few days since I last saw you, so I took the opportunity to check in. I didn't expect your senses to be this sharp."
"Heh heh, I've just got good instincts, that's all."
Since it was Hikari, Gai dropped his guard entirely and lay back down. "If there's nothing else, Hikari, you should head back. I need to rest. We can talk about anything tomorrow."
"Got it."
Hikari acknowledged with a sound, then his figure flashed and vanished from the spot.
Gai glanced around. His instincts told him no one was there anymore, so Konoha's Blue Beast closed his eyes and fell asleep.
---
"Hikari-senpai!"
Just as Hikari was about to head home, Yakumo's voice suddenly rang out, drawing his attention...
Yuhi residence, third floor.
Hikari stood there, carefully examining his surroundings. Seeing the style so starkly different from the floors below, he grew curious.
"Is this a genjutsu?"
Yakumo was lying lazily on the large bed, gazing at him.
"This is a genjutsu space I created. Everything here is under my control. Hikari-senpai, you came here—aren't you worried I might trap you so you can never leave?"
Worry?
The emotion flickered briefly in Hikari's mind before disappearing.
"If you wanted to harm me, Yakumo, you wouldn't have explained all this. Now I'm really curious—how did you create this genjutsu?"
After all, Hikari was currently in soul form, yet Yakumo could construct a room capable of containing him. That struck him as very strange.
In the realm of genjutsu—or rather, the mental domain—Yakumo had already far surpassed him.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're currently in a state of mental—no, soul independence." Yakumo studied Hikari with equal curiosity, her expression suggesting she truly wanted to dissect him for research.
"In my view, your current state is still a form of mental existence. Genjutsu works by influencing the mind. The physical world can't affect your soul state, but a genjutsu space that interferes with the mind can."
"So that's how it works!" Hikari suddenly understood.
He had always treated the soul as something beyond mere mental state, forgetting that its essence was still a manifestation of spiritual energy. His own application of spiritual aspects was quite crude—like a child wielding adult strength in front of Yakumo, a genjutsu grandmaster.
"In my opinion, genjutsu falls into two categories: one that influences the mind, and another that influences reality. Ordinary people hearing this would assume affecting reality is harder than affecting the mind. But that view overlooks genjutsu's essence—it's still achieved through spiritual energy."
"Whether through chakra influence or Sharingan influence, no matter the method, vast spiritual power is the true foundation of genjutsu."
At this point, Yakumo looked at Hikari with envy.
"If I had spiritual power as immense as yours, my mastery of genjutsu would have reached even greater heights long ago."
"You're still young. Spiritual power is far harder to grow than physical strength. You can't rush it, Yakumo." Hikari advised her. Most of his current achievements came from his system, while Yakumo had relied almost entirely on herself. Her learning ability was truly terrifying.
"Mm, I'm not rushing. But I'm currently researching a concept for a genjutsu space. Hikari-senpai, since you're in spiritual form right now, why not help me test it?" Yakumo said excitedly.
"There won't be any danger, right?" Acting cautiously, Hikari asked carefully.
"Don't worry, it's not dangerous. In fact, it'll feel really good." Yakumo grinned at him mischievously. With a wave of her right hand, the previously wide-open doors and windows slammed shut.
The next moment, Hikari found himself right in front of Yakumo.
Wait!
Hikari sensed it—he hadn't moved; Yakumo's position had changed. For her, shifting locations in this genjutsu space was a matter of mere thought.
"What are you planning to do?"
"I've already experienced physical sensations. Now I want to know what mental pleasure feels like. I'm sure you're curious too, Hikari-senpai..."