Chapter 164: The Tree, Wuwu
I can't move?
No—it's not that I can't move, it's that I've lost control of my body.
Who is it?
Cold sweat streamed down Fanma Renza's forehead as an indescribable fear engulfed him. His eyes could still move, but the rest of his body felt like stone—no longer his. His consciousness had become a mere observer.
Who is it?
What kind of jutsu is this?
He was a Special Jōnin!
And he'd fallen into enemy genjutsu without even noticing!
How could that be possible?
Who is it?
Fanma Renza screamed inwardly, his terrified eyes darting around the room in panic, searching for a third person besides himself and the girl.
"Mm...?"
Yuzu waited a while, but Fanma Renza didn't make another move. She opened her eyes in confusion—only to see him standing there motionless, sweat pouring from his head, eyes flitting about as if searching for someone.
What's going on?
Yuzu was completely baffled.
Suddenly, she realized she could move again. She yanked her arm free from Renza's grip, and he toppled backward like a puppet, crashing to the floor without any response.
"…"
Yuzu stared at her hands, then at Renza lying stiff on the ground, a flash of confusion crossing her gaze.
"I… no, wait!"
"Who's there?!"
Yuzu's mind was sharp. She quickly understood that someone must have acted on Renza—he wouldn't be in this state otherwise. She immediately scanned the room for an unknown presence.
Just because someone had helped her didn't necessarily mean they were friendly.
"Yuzu ?"
Suddenly, a surprised voice rang out in her mind. Yuzu froze and turned—only to see a semi-transparent figure phase through the door, looking at her with disbelief.
"U-Uncle?"
Yuzu squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again. She rubbed her eyes hard, unsure if she was hallucinating.
Was this really her uncle?
He looked very similar… but younger, about the same age as her.
She wasn't sure.
"It's me—Li Yao. Yuzu ." Li Yao smiled as he walked over, his eyes still filled with stunned disbelief.
How could this girl have changed so much?
Flat as a board a year ago, and now she was like a volleyball. Her height had shot up too—way too fast.
Girls really did transform with age.
Li Yao inwardly marveled at the drastic changes in Yuzu .
"It really is you, Uncle! Wuwu…"
Hearing his confirmation, Yuzu finally broke down. Before Li Yao could walk over, she cried out and jumped into his arms.
But she passed right through him—falling face-first onto the ground.
"U-Uncle…?"
She turned and looked at him with teary, confused eyes.
Li Yao turned and smiled. "This is my spirit body. My real body's still on the way."
His true body was currently flying toward her, carried by a shadow clone. This spiritual projection had arrived ahead of time to check on her safety.
Thankfully, he made it in time. Otherwise, Yuzu would've been violated.
"Spirit body…"
Yuzu's expression dimmed slightly upon hearing that. She stood up and glanced at Renza on the floor. Her face tensed in worry. "Uncle, if you're here, won't—"
"Don't worry." Li Yao smiled confidently. "From now on, even if all Five Kage teamed up again, they wouldn't be my match. No one will ever hurt you again."
Although Madara had planted a deadly curse seal in his body, Li Yao had since fused with White Zetsu's Wood Release cells. His chakra reserves were no longer a weakness.
In fact, his chakra could now only be described as vast.
If measured in chakra units—or "cards"—he now had several thousand.
Outside of the Tailed Beasts, who in the ninja world could compare?
As for jutsu—
Ōnoki's Dust Release hadn't killed him back then, and it never would again.
Because he had copied it.
For complex chakra-fusion techniques like Dust Release (a Kekkei Tōta) or Kekkei Genkai, once Li Yao copied the required chakra natures, he could cast the same jutsu.
If both he and Ōnoki could use Dust Release, then with his massive reserves, what could the old man possibly do?
Not to mention his genjutsu had reached new heights thanks to the Spirit Transformation Technique. Mass tactics were useless against him now.
Today, Li Yao could say with confidence:
Aside from Uchiha Madara, no one in the ninja world was his match. He could singlehandedly face them all.
Whew…
Feeling Li Yao's confidence, Yuzu breathed a long sigh. That long-lost sense of safety wrapped around her once more.
She clung instinctively to his spirit form, arms wrapped around his translucent figure.
"It's okay now."
Li Yao felt her press into his ghostly form and stiffened. Then, with a slight smile, he patted her back and said, "Once my real body arrives, we'll leave. Until then… do what you need to do."
Li Yao turned his gaze to the Kumogakure shinobi lying on the ground. There wasn't much hatred in his eyes—probably because all his hate was reserved for the Third Hokage. Even the other Kage who tried to kill him didn't stir much emotion.
But a lack of hatred didn't mean he wouldn't get revenge.
This "Red Lantern Valley" Kumo had built bore a disturbing resemblance to what he once planned to do to the women of the Sarutobi clan.
Hmm… worth studying.
Perhaps he could experiment with a few Kumo kunoichi himself.
He recalled how the Kumo women in the anime—especially those with fair skin—often had… explosive curves. Something to look forward to.
Step!
Step!
Yuzu passed through his spirit form and walked to stand over Fanma Renza. She looked down at him, memories of the past year flashing through her eyes.
Help me…
Someone help me!
Where's ANBU?
Where's the Dharma clan?
You useless fools—how could you let people infiltrate the village like this with no response?
As Yuzu's killing intent grew stronger, Fanma Renza's mind broke. He started ranting in helpless rage, cursing the world, unable to cope.
Just as Yuzu's killing intent peaked, she suddenly began to strip.
Her body was covered in scars.
So many, in fact, that not even the Uzumaki clan's legendary tenfold healing rate could hide them. They told the story of a year of torture—needles, drugs, and agony.
"Here."
A kunai made of ink floated over to her, controlled by Li Yao. He figured she might need a weapon in this moment.
At the same time, he restored Fanma Renza's pain receptors—allowing him to feel every cut, though his body still couldn't move.
Yuzu took the kunai, crouched, and looked into Renza's terrified eyes.
"You like defiling conscious bodies, right? Then I'll grant your wish."
She began slicing down from his chest, the kunai cutting a crimson line straight to his navel, the blood soaking everything.
Then she twisted the blade inside him before continuing.
Ssss…
She methodically etched bloody lines all over him. The pain contorted his face in agony.
But strangely… she felt no satisfaction.
No catharsis.
This pain—it wasn't enough.
It was nowhere near enough to repay the suffering she'd endured over the past year.
(END CHAPTER)
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