Upon seeing Hayate Gekko in danger, Yakumo didn't hesitate or waver. She immediately turned back to the battlefield.
Her return to face Hiruko wasn't just about refusing to let a comrade die—it was also driven by Izanami no Mikoto within her spiritual world.
In Yakumo's inner world, Izanami no Mikoto roared: "Yakumo, why run? Fight him! Who does he think he is, challenging me? I'll kill him, I'll kill him!"
Yakumo responded inwardly: "Calm down. I'm no match for him right now!"
"You can't beat him in taijutsu or ninjutsu, but we've got genjutsu!" Having lost the Koryugan and reverted to its demonic Prajna form, Izanami no Mikoto snarled: "Let this bastard see the Kurama clan's genjutsu! Show him what we're capable of!"
"Genjutsu…"
Yakumo's heart stirred.
Since gaining the Koryugan and mastering Wood Release, she had grown reliant on those powers, gradually neglecting the Kurama clan's pride—their genjutsu!
Only now, reminded by Izanami no Mikoto, did she realize that beyond taijutsu and ninjutsu, she still had the genjutsu that had always supported her!
Before being recognized by her leader or taken as Tsunade's disciple, she was the hope for her clan's revival, a genjutsu prodigy the Kurama had waited decades for!
Reclaiming herself, Yakumo met Hiruko's gaze resolutely: "Secret Technique: Five Senses Deprivation!"
Hiruko's expression shifted, anger flaring: "Fool!"
Since losing to Shinji in a genjutsu duel, he'd been particularly sensitive to it. Seeing Yakumo dare to cast genjutsu on him, he was furious, feeling underestimated!
But when he noticed his surroundings unchanged, a smirk curled his lips. His hands didn't slow, activating Steel Release and slashing a hand-knife at Yakumo.
Swish.
Yakumo's body shattered under the strike, but not a drop of blood spilled—it dissipated into the air.
Then, Yakumo reappeared at a distance, her eyes blazing as she stared at Hiruko.
"This—"
Hiruko's face changed, realizing he'd fallen into another genjutsu.
Frustrated, he tried to break free, but after several checks, he was shocked to find he didn't seem to be in a genjutsu. The ground, the trees—everything felt utterly real.
Hiruko panicked: "What kind of genjutsu is this?"
Yakumo declared: "This is the Kurama clan's Bloodline Limit!"
Hiruko, skeptical, retorted: "Why haven't I heard of it before?"
Yakumo naturally wouldn't admit that, before her, the Kurama clan hadn't awakened their Bloodline Limit in decades.
She raised her hand like a brush, pointing at Hiruko's leg from afar.
Boom.
Hiruko's leg, as if hit by an explosive tag, erupted in an instant explosion!
Blown backward, Hiruko's face was filled with disbelief.
Yakumo, using her hand as a brush again, tried to erase Hiruko entirely, but halfway through, blood seeped from her lips.
"It's not enough…"
Her expression dimmed.
Though she'd lost the Koryugan, the Ketsuryugan Shinji gave her was comparable to a tomoe Sharingan for genjutsu.
With the Ketsuryugan's dojutsu power and her Kurama Bloodline Limit, she had barely managed to deprive Hiruko, with his Mangekyo Sharingan, of his five senses.
But that was her limit. Directly killing Hiruko by manipulating his senses was beyond her reach!
Under Hiruko's fierce resistance, Yakumo was already suffering backlash.
Swallowing the blood rising in her throat, Yakumo endured the stabbing pain in her chest and, with another stroke of her hand, caused Hiruko's arm to twist and deform, emitting a crack of breaking bones.
"Go die!"
Hiruko, his arm broken remotely, hurled several kunai at Yakumo with his other hand.
The kunai struck Yakumo, but like before, she shed no blood, reappearing elsewhere.
Now it was a battle of dojutsu power!
…
In the sky.
Atop a fused beast, Kurosuki Raiga and Deidara overlooked the Hidden Leaf Village.
Compared to the brazen Hiruko, they were far more cautious, avoiding a ground invasion and instead harassing from the air.
"Hm?"
Raiga's back, where Ranmaru was perched, let out a soft exclamation.
Raiga asked: "What's up?"
Ranmaru, activating his Hogan, shook his head: "Hiruko's caught in genjutsu again!"
Raiga and Deidara turned to look at Hiruko on the ground, seeing him collapse, breaking his own arm. Both wore odd expressions.
Deidara, arms crossed and a hand propping his chin, said seriously: "Looks like genjutsu really is his weakness, hm! Last time he lost to an Uchiha kid, now to Kurama Yakumo."
Raiga was exasperated: "This isn't the time for that!"
Deidara shrugged: "He insisted on acting alone. What's that got to do with us?"
"If he dies here, this mission's a bust!" Raiga paused, then said: "I'll go support him. You keep watch from up here!"
Deidara sat cross-legged: "Do what you want, hm!"
Raiga, dual-wielding his thunder blades, ordered the fused beast to descend slightly before leaping off. Mid-air, he unleashed a ninjutsu: "Lightning Release: Thunder Fang!"
Boom.
Bolts of lightning rained down, targeting Yakumo, who was locked in a dojutsu duel with Hiruko.
Yakumo, focused entirely on Hiruko, didn't notice Raiga overhead. As the lightning closed in, she had no time to react.
Swish.
At the moment a bolt was about to strike, a figure flashed by, slicing through the lightning!
"Lightning Blade!"
Yakumo's eyes lit up!
The figure that cut the lightning landed steadily—it was none other than the Hidden Leaf's top technician, Kakashi Hatake!
Kakashi waved at Yakumo: "Yo, ran into a bit of trouble earlier. Sorry I'm late!"
Swish swish.
Two more figures landed on either side of Yakumo—Naruto and Sasuke, who had just freed Kakashi from his genjutsu: "And we're here too!!"
Across from them, Raiga landed, breaking Hiruko free from the genjutsu.