Chapter 34: Ryūjin Jakka
The sparring match between Anko and Itachi ended with Itachi's flawless victory. Once he gently helped her down from the tree branch, Anko, clearly unwilling to accept defeat, charged at him again, determined to redeem herself.
Itachi remained calm, his Sharingan activating once more. With his right hand, he brought two fingers together in front of his chest, forming a seal.
"Genjutsu: Illusion Field."
This was a powerful genjutsu technique unique to Itachi, requiring the Sharingan to cast. It could trap the target's mind within a deeply ingrained memory—either pleasant or traumatic—making it nearly impossible to escape the illusion.
From the perspectives of Yusuke and Kurama Kyoko, Anko had simply frozen mid-charge.
But from Anko's point of view, everything suddenly went white—and the next moment, she was hanging from the tree branch again.
"What the hell? I just came down, didn't I?!"
Utterly baffled, Anko looked around in confusion, unable to make sense of her situation.
Seeing Anko under the influence of genjutsu, Kurama Kyoko quickly formed a hand seal.
"Release!"
With a flicker, the illusion shattered, and Anko found herself back in reality.
Realizing she had fallen prey to Itachi's genjutsu twice in a row, Anko finally gave up trying to win. Embarrassed, she huffed and muttered, "You've got some real skill, kid. Fine, I admit defeat."
Itachi bowed politely. "Thank you for the match, Anko-senpai."
He then turned to Kurama Kyoko. "Senpai, I'm impressed. You dispelled my Genjutsu: Illusion Field so quickly. Your genjutsu skills are remarkable."
Itachi was confident in the strength of his genjutsu. As far as he was concerned, only a skilled chunin well-versed in illusion techniques could possibly break it.
Kurama Kyoko stammered modestly, "I-I only know a little. I'm pretty average in taijutsu and ninjutsu. Please take care of me from now on."
After witnessing Anko's sparring with Itachi and Kyoko's ability to break genjutsu, the team had a clearer understanding of each other's capabilities.
Yusuke offered a few suggestions for their future training and led the team through some basic squad coordination drills. Afterward, he called it a day.
With their mission to Sunagakure just two days away, Yusuke didn't want the team worn out from overtraining, so he gave them a full day to rest and recover.
Back at his clan's residence, Yusuke began his own preparations. Though the mission was to supervise the chunin exams as a jōnin instructor, he had his own goals in mind.
Ever since his battle with Shisui, where he used the Yin-natured chakra sealed from the Nine-Tails, Yusuke realized just how much his strength depended on this energy. A bold idea had since taken root—what if he could gather the Yin chakra of other tailed beasts?
This mission to Sunagakure offered just the opportunity: a chance to get close to Shukaku, the One-Tail.
After the death of Bunpuku, Sunagakure's first jinchūriki, Shukaku had been sealed into a vessel known as the "Shukaku Jar."
Multiple attempts were made to turn other ninja into its next jinchūriki, but none could withstand Shukaku's violent temperament—all succumbed to madness and died.
Eventually, Shukaku broke free, escaping into the Nara Desert near the village. With no suitable host in sight, the Third and Fourth Kazekage chose to leave the beast alone for a time.
But Yusuke knew what would happen next. As Gaara grew older, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, would decide to make him the next jinchūriki. He would personally hunt Shukaku down in the desert and reseal it—an impressive feat by any standard.
Though Shukaku's chakra couldn't match the immense reserves of the Nine-Tails, it was still a tailed beast—its chakra stood at the same tier of power. Even the Third Hokage had been nearly helpless during the Nine-Tails' rampage, relying on Minato and Kushina to save the day.
That Rasa could subdue a tailed beast solo spoke volumes about his true strength. Though he was casually assassinated by Orochimaru in the original story, there must have been more to it than met the eye.
Yusuke finished preparing the sealing scrolls he would need and activated his Sharingan, entering a state of spiritual introspection.
In this state, time in the outside world stood still—but within his mind, every moment consumed his ocular power. If he exhausted his eye power, he would be forcibly ejected from the mental plane.
Once again, he stepped into the misty landscape of his spiritual world. Ryūjin Jakka, his zanpakutō, still stood tall amidst roaring flames. The massive Sharingan in the sky tracked his every move. And the Nine-Tails? It lay flat on the ground, face bruised and battered, not moving a muscle.
"Wait... something's not right. Why does the Nine-Tails look like it got beaten up? And why is it acting so docile?"
Yusuke raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
As he approached, the Nine-Tails shrieked in terror like an abused housewife:
"Ahh! Don't come any closer! I was wrong, okay?!"
A massive question mark formed in Yusuke's mind.
"What happened to you? Why are you all bruised up?" he asked.
The Nine-Tails backed away, whining, "You did this! What—are you gonna hit me again?! Please, I beg you, have mercy!"
Yusuke blinked. He had no memory of beating the beast, yet the fear in the Nine-Tails' eyes was very real. And those injuries...
"Tell me what happened, or I'll make you really regret it," Yusuke said coldly, his eyes flashing.
Though he was bluffing, it worked. The Nine-Tails shuddered violently and, grumbling bitterly, told him everything.
In the fox's mind, Yusuke was a violent maniac—he'd given it a savage beating, then made it recount the whole experience like some twisted punishment.
But as Yusuke listened, he began to frown in thought.
According to the Nine-Tails, he had been here recently. When the fox mouthed off, Yusuke had flown into a rage and left it bruised and broken. Even more shocking—it claimed the damage had manifested spiritually, lingering even now.
"…Could it be?" Yusuke slowly turned toward the blazing zanpakutō and called out:
"Ryūjin Jakka… was it you?"
A silhouette emerged from within the flames. Though its features were obscured, its piercing gaze burned through the fire like twin blades.
Under that gaze, Yusuke felt like he couldn't breathe—like he was standing before an unstoppable force.
The moment the Nine-Tails saw the figure, it scurried backward in terror.
"It's him! It's him! That's the look in his eyes—no wonder I felt something was off when I saw you earlier! You look the same, but your eyes were totally different!"
The figure stepped fully into view—identical in face and attire to Yusuke.
But the difference was clear in the eyes: Yusuke's gaze was calm, while the newcomer's was sharp and domineering.
"Yes. It was me."
Ryūjin Jakka stared directly at Yusuke, radiating a pressure that made even moving difficult.
"Is this… spiritual pressure?" Yusuke managed to croak.
Ryūjin Jakka withdrew the pressure and said slowly, "Not bad. You didn't completely break down. But you're still far from worthy of wielding me."
Yusuke frowned. He knew he hadn't fully tapped into Ryūjin Jakka's power, but he also hadn't found a clear path forward.
He'd tried channeling tailed beast Yin chakra into the blade, but something about it felt off, like he was forcing the wrong key into the lock.
"Zanpakutō are wielded by Shinigami, and Shinigami fight with spiritual energy," Ryūjin Jakka said.
"If your spiritual power is strong enough, even the weakest technique becomes devastating."
As he spoke, two swords identical to Ryūjin Jakka appeared in his hands. He tossed one to Yusuke.
"Ready yourself."
Yusuke braced, sensing this would be a lesson in the blade's true nature.
Ryūjin Jakka drew his sword with astonishing speed.
"Iai strike!"
Yusuke instinctively raised his sword to block. The next thing he knew, Ryūjin Jakka was behind him.
Clang! His blade split in two—the top half clattering to the ground.
He stared in stunned silence at the broken sword in his hand.
"…That pressure on your blade—it was spiritual energy, wasn't it?" he asked.
"Exactly," Ryūjin Jakka said. "You've been using the chakra of tailed beasts to empower me. But that's only quantity—a temporary fix. Even if you gather ten or a hundred beasts, your quality of power won't change."
"But if your spiritual strength reaches the next level, you can crush enemy's soul with pressure alone. You can erase them."
Yusuke's eyes sharpened.
"Then tell me—how do I transform my soul from the inside out?"
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