The next morning, Renji noticed Ayame looked a little dispirited. Concerned, he turned his focus inward, examining the replica of her braid formed by his [Demonic Energy Sense].
'The energy… it's recovering faster than before.'
'But her emotions are unusually quiet. Almost… silent.'
Renji's brow furrowed.
'Could this be because of last night's experiment? I rapidly grew her hair and cut away the old portion that held most of the energy, leaving only a trace in her new hair…'
He pulled up the description of the energy in his mind.
[Demonic Energy]
[Composition: A mixture of chakra, emotional energy, and yin source.]
[Note: Due to System modifications, this energy may now be used in place of the dark energy originally required.]
His expression tightened.
'Could it be… the depletion forced her hair to try recover more Demonic Energy than usual? And in doing so, it drew too heavily on her emotions—converting them into the "emotional energy" part of the mix?'
'Chakra can be drawn from the surroundings. The yin source… I can't explain that part yet, but it also doesn't sound like something she should lose too much.'
'Emotional energy… that can only come from her. The hair must be absorbing her emotions rapidly. That must be why her emotions feel so muted.'
The realization sank into him, and guilt twisted in his chest.
'That settles it. I should never experiment on her hair again. If I caused irreparable damage to her… I wouldn't be able to live with myself.'
Renji then focused on cheering Ayame up. He let her drag him into playing, doing whatever she wanted. After some time, he noticed the recovery of Demonic Energy in her braid slowing down—and with it, her emotions gradually returning.
Soon, Ayame was back to her lively self, running around and stirring up her usual happy chaos.
Renji exhaled in relief.
'So it really was the rapid regeneration after depletion that muted her emotions. Once the recovery slowed, she bounced back to normal.'
Teuchi also let out a quiet sigh of relief. He didn't know what had caused Ayame's sudden low mood, but he had been just as worried.
Renji, meanwhile, turned the lesson over carefully in his mind.
'It seems the side effects are gone—or at least the ones I can identify. In the future, I should wait a while after growing hair. Let enough of the Demonic Energy seep into the new hair before cutting the old off. That should prevent a situation like this.'
His gaze softened as Ayame laughed again.
'And no more tests on her hair. This time was mild, but future experiments could be dangerous. I need to prepare a proper test subject next time.'
After that incident, the morning passed quickly as they prepared for the day ahead. Today was no ordinary day—it was the funeral day for all those who had fallen during the Kyūbi attack.
They dressed in muted colors, simple and respectful. Even Ayame was sensible.
Renji paid special attention to his own attire. He slipped on a pair of wicker shoes—light, porous, and easy for hair to pass through. His pants were wide-legged and long enough to cover them completely.
He had no intention of attempting the heist today. But being prepared cost nothing.
Renji kept part of his attention anchored in his mind space. Countless head of hair flickered into view with every passing second, each one a copy of a different woman's hair.
Most were styled plainly—appropriate for the solemn occasion. Some among them shone with a brilliance that made them stand out immediately, the Demonic Energy in them betraying the power of their owners.
Renji made a rough calculation.
'If most of the civilian hair holds about one unit of energy… then many here have around ten units. A few dozen have up to fifty units. And a rare few… close to a hundred.'
He made the rough connection almost immediately.
'Ten units… genin. Fifty… chūnin. A hundred—jōnin.'
The realization made his gut tighten.
There are a lot of powerful kunoichi here. And if I consider the usual two-to-one boy-girl ratio in shinobi teams… then there are probably twice as many powerful male shinobi gathered as well.'
'Before I reach the grounds—where even more elite shinobi will be gathered—I should do a quick test. See if I can move hair without being noticed.'
With that thought, he focused on one of the heads of hair in his mind space. It pulsed with around a hundred units of energy—most likely a jōnin. It was a platinum blonde ponytail, shimmering in his perception and uncannily reminiscent of Ino's hair.
'Of course, she's probably not even born yet. So this must be a clan mate… someone from the Yamanaka.'
Holding the platinum ponytail in his mind space, Renji focused carefully, monitoring the woman's emotions. With precision, he snipped a single strand.
In the real world, that same strand cut loose, drifting silently to the ground.
He froze, waiting—watching the flow of her emotions. Nothing. No change, no flicker of suspicion.
Renji let out a quiet breath of relief. 'Good… she didn't notice.'
Encouraged, he pushed further. Selecting several strands scattered across the ponytail, he cut them one by one, careful to spread it out so the loss wouldn't be obvious.
Carefully watching—no surprise, no shift in her emotions.
'If even an elite kunoichi like her didn't notice her own hair being cut, then my actions should be secretive enough.'
Of course, he tempered the thought with caution.
'But if I cut a thick lock all at once, she'd probably notice the weight of her ponytail shift or if she tended to her hair later.'
Shaking his head, Renji refocused.
'Next step—make the hair come to me. Yesterday, Ayame's braid only had to slip through a door crack. This time, it needs to move through the ground.'
With that thought, he issued the command. Far away, the loose strands on the ground hardened under his will. Like needles, they pierced into the soil with ease.
Once inside, he adjusted their hardness again, letting them swim smoothly through the earth. The hairs tunneled rapidly toward him, cutting through the ground as though it were water.
He guided the strands carefully, even letting them pass beneath some of the powerful women he sensed. None of them reacted—not a flicker of awareness. Relief loosened the tension in his shoulders.
When the hairs finally reached the ground beneath his feet, they slipped through the soil, threaded into his wicker shoes, and brushed against his legs.
In that instant, he absorbed all the Demonic Energy within them. The strands crumbled and vanished without a trace.
The whole process was so seamless, he didn't even need to pause his stride.
He celebrated inwardly.
'Success.'
'With this, most of the prep work is done. All I need to do now is identify the most powerful fallen kunoichi in the cemetery today, then come back tomorrow for the heist.'
A quiet grin crept across his face as he continued walking, already planning his next move.