The sensation of soul communion was far more sensitive and intoxicating than that of physical interaction.
In the midst of their interaction, countless fragments of memories naturally flowed back and forth.
This wasn't seizure—it was the mutual exchange inherent in spiritual communion. Yakumo's memory fragments were seen by Hikari, and gradually, Hikari's memory fragments were also perceived by Yakumo.
It was a bidirectional interaction.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but when Hikari and Yakumo's souls finally separated, Hikari felt a significant difference in his spirit compared to before.
He could now see through Yakumo's illusions. Outside, a vivid red glow appeared on the horizon—the sign that the sun was about to rise.
"I feel like if we do this a few more times, my spirit will double in strength from what it was before!" Yakumo waved her pale hand, and the house formed from her illusion vanished. She stood directly in front of Hikari.
The Spirit Transformation Technique, or one could call it soul projection.
Except...
Hikari glanced around and saw the Yakumo on the second floor opening her eyes, standing at the window and looking toward the rooftop.
"Strange, right?"
"This isn't like your soul projection. It's a spiritual clone I've created by combining it with genjutsu."
Hikari looked at the two Yakumos, genuinely impressed. When it came to talent in genjutsu, Yakumo had clearly maxed it out. The spiritual clone she created possessed soul-like properties in certain aspects—it was hard to detect and even had the ability to invade others.
"It's another fine day today!"
"Now that I have this additional spiritual clone, I can watch you at all times. Don't think I didn't see what you did at the izakaya that day."
Izakaya.
Hearing those words, Hikari's mouth twitched involuntarily. He certainly hadn't intended to hide the incident from Yakumo, but he hadn't expected her to bring it up herself. That made things awkward.
"Fine, I won't blame you. In my eyes, our Tsunade-sama is just an ordinary woman. Even if you help her again, the likelihood of her ultimately walking the same path as you is very low. Fighting over who comes first doesn't mean much. If I'm going to do something, I'll do it perfectly."
Hikari looked up at the rising sun in the east and said softly, "Do you know what I truly want?"
"The Six Paths?" Yakumo blinked. "I don't know the specifics about the Sage of Six Paths, but I know his wife certainly didn't reach that level. If you want someone to accompany you for a long time, then the most suitable person is me."
This was something Hikari had always been reluctant to face.
According to his calculations, once he entered the Six Paths level, his lifespan would leap dramatically—he could easily live three to five hundred years. In that case, if he wanted to go further, he would need to leave the shinobi world.
"I'll head back first. You should get some rest too."
In the next second, Hikari vanished from the spot.
Yakumo wasn't discouraged. She simply gazed in the direction of Hikari's home, her eyes exceptionally bright.
A fish that has never seen the ocean might be content playing in rivers and streams. But once it has glimpsed the vast sky beyond, could it still willingly remain in the enclosed pit that is the shinobi world?
Yakumo was unwilling.
She wanted to leave the shinobi world and see the sky outside. She didn't know how far she could go—perhaps she would die out there.
But she wasn't afraid!
---
This time, Hikari didn't immediately return his soul to his body. He noticed that while his soul was outside, he no longer felt the burning sensation from last time.
If the absence of it at night could still be explained, the fact that he felt nothing now, in the daylight, was quite strange.
As the sun rose in the east, warm and gentle sunlight bathed his body, yet Hikari still felt no discomfort in his soul. It was as if he were standing in lukewarm water.
'What's going on? Last time, when I first used the Spirit Transformation Technique, the sun outside clearly felt scorching. Why is it like this today?'
'In those old xianxia novels I read, souls were probably in a Yin Spirit state—easily affected by external wind, temperature, and sunlight. Now, my soul has gained some additional Yin Release energy compared to last time. Could that be the reason?'
Hikari had never cultivated immortality; he'd only read those wildly imaginative xianxia stories.
One of them described a school focused on cultivating the soul—Yang Spirit—which he found somewhat reference-worthy.
From the moment he started practicing the Spirit Transformation Technique, it had already diverged greatly from the technique's original description. The Spirit Transformation Technique was only meant to quickly project one's soul out and enter another's body. Yet Hikari's soul had remained outside from yesterday until now—something the technique couldn't achieve.
"Hmm..."
As the sun climbed higher, a slight burning discomfort finally emerged. Looking up at the sky, Hikari knew he could endure it, but doing so would damage his soul.
'It seems I'm still not a Yang Spirit. Based on those cultivation stories, I should be at the peak of Yin Spirit, transitioning toward Yang Spirit!'
Thinking about the xianxia novels, where Yin Spirits could cast all sorts of spells, Hikari's own "Yin Spirit" could only leave the body. As for other abilities... did possession count?
Soul return.
His previously lying body suddenly opened its eyes, startling Mitarashi Anko, who had been... exploring Hikari's body with her hands.
"What are you doing?" Hikari glanced at Anko, then instinctively checked his clothes. Fortunately, they hadn't been disturbed—his virtue was safe.
"I was checking if you were dead! I kept calling you with no response—I thought you'd kicked the bucket!"
Anko would never admit she'd just had the urge to take liberties with Hikari's unconscious body.
As a bold woman, she was curious about matters between men and women. But she didn't want to give herself away to just anyone, so Hikari had become her backup option.
"Oh, I see. I was training. If you accidentally disturb me, be careful, I might really die in minutes."
Hikari, of course, had no idea what Anko was thinking. In soul state, he hadn't sensed anything unusual. But the moment his soul returned to his body, he felt as if something was restricting him. Beyond that, there were other sensations.
"Got it... well, I'll be going then!"
Anko left somewhat reluctantly, leaving Hikari alone in the room once more.
Casually sealing the door, Hikari waved his right hand, and a black staff appeared.
He lightly swung the staff, and his brows furrowed slightly.
The Yin-Yang ratio was off.
According to the standard configuration of Truth-Seeking Balls, the Yin-Yang ratio should be fifty-fifty.
Now, based on his previous mastery, the Yin-Yang ratio had a discrepancy. It should now be Yin six, Yang four. Comparing it to the Yin Release chakra within his body, Hikari felt both joy and sorrow.
The joy was that he now had a way to accelerate his Yin Release chakra training. The sorrow was that continuing like this would create a significant imbalance in the Yin-Yang ratio.
Should he keep going, or wait until he adjusted the Yin-Yang balance before continuing cultivation?
What a delightful dilemma!