With the Rinnegan activated, Kagetsu gathered chakra in his palm. Guided by the eye's power, pitch-black rods quickly formed in his hand.
"Crack!"
The rods snapped free on their own, dropping neatly into his grasp, while the remaining chakra dissipated into nothingness.
These black rods were manifestations of Yin-Yang Release,a power derived from the Six Paths.
Aside from awakening the Rinnegan, this was the second ability Kagetsu had obtained after gaining Six Paths power.
In theory, both the Rinnegan and Yin–Yang Release could be used independently. But in practice, he found that this ability seemed forcibly tied to his dōjutsu,without activating the Rinnegan, he couldn't condense these rods at all.
Probably because I've only just awakened it… he thought. Once I'm more proficient, I should be able to use Yin–Yang Release freely,even without opening my eyes.
"Kagetsu, what is this?" Kikyo asked as she stepped closer, curiosity in her gaze. She reached out, lightly touching the rod. It was cold,unnaturally so,and hard as iron.
"It's a medium created by the Rinnegan," he replied, snapping out of his thoughts. "A vessel for Six Paths power."
Kikyo studied his eyes again, her voice soft with faint wonder. "Even the second time, those purple eyes of yours still look… strange."
"I can't argue with that," Kagetsu said with a wry smile.
Power aside, the Sharingan was far more pleasing to look at. The Rinnegan's ripple-patterned violet irises hardly resembled human eyes at all.
Without further comment, he crouched beside Midoriko's clay body and carefully inserted a black rod into her back.
To avoid excessive damage, he used only one primary rod. Then, channeling Yin–Yang Release, he caused it to branch out inside her hollow body,thin extensions spreading like veins, forming a complete network for chakra transmission.
"Alright… let's see if this works."
He adjusted her robes to conceal the rod, then closed his eyes and began channeling chakra and ocular power into the body through the Six Paths Technique.
A moment later,
Midoriko's fingertips twitched.
Then, slowly, she pushed herself upright and sat up.
Kikyo's breath caught, her eyes widening slightly as she watched.
What startled her even more was when Midoriko opened her eyes.
Gone was the lifeless emptiness,replaced instead by the same pale violet ripples as Kagetsu's own. The Rinnegan stared back, deep and imposing, radiating an overwhelming presence.
At that same moment, Kagetsu experienced something even stranger.
His vision split.
From his own body, he saw Midoriko sitting before him.
From her perspective, he saw Kikyo standing nearby, her expression filled with shock.
Yet there was no confusion,no disorientation. It felt as natural as moving both hands at once.
This was nothing like a shadow clone. A clone's memories returned only after dispersal,but this puppet was linked to him in real time, completely synchronized with his consciousness.
"Kagetsu… what is this?" Kikyo stepped closer, astonishment written across her face. "Why do her eyes look just like yours?"
"Because she's now a puppet controlled by my Rinnegan," Midoriko's body answered.
The voice was calm and distant,but unmistakably his.
"The Rinnegan's projection alters her eyes. Once I withdraw my power, they'll return to normal."
"Kagetsu… is that you?" Kikyo's eyes widened. Even though the voice was different, the tone was unmistakable.
She hesitated for a moment,then reached out and poked Midoriko's cheek.
Cool. Smooth. Almost lifelike.
Not surprising,her own body had once been much the same.
"…So now you've turned into a girl?" she said lightly.
"…What do you mean 'turned into a girl'? I'm still me. This is just a puppet," Kagetsu replied, exasperated.
Through Midoriko's body, he caught her wandering hand. "And stop touching me so casually."
"From now on, we're sisters," Kikyo said with a faint smile, leaning in and pressing her cheek against the cool surface of Midoriko's face, amusement flickering in her eyes.
"Sisters, huh…"
Kagetsu paused,then suddenly smiled, something mischievous flashing across his expression.
"I could always find you a real one."
Kikyo blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Secret," he said, grin widening. "You'll see later."
In truth, he was already planning ahead.
He remembered a certain existence,a copy of Kikyo created from her blood. If he could capture it and turn it into another Six Paths puppet, he wouldn't need to keep using Midoriko's body.
Just imagining Kikyo's reaction to seeing an identical version of herself…
He almost laughed.
"You're thinking something strange again," Kikyo said, narrowing her eyes as she studied him. "That look on your face is suspicious."
"I'm not. You're imagining things," Kagetsu replied immediately.
"Very suspicious."
Seeing her refuse to let it go, he quickly took her hand and changed the subject.
"Kikyo, I want you to teach me how to use spiritual power."
That did it.
Her attention shifted instantly. "Spiritual power?" she repeated, frowning slightly. "You've cultivated some before, during your sage training,but you never focused on it. Why now?"
"I have my reasons," he said with a smile.
Kikyo considered for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. But the spiritual power in your own body is quite weak. At most, it could deal with minor demons."
"That's true," Kagetsu admitted. "But…"
Before he could continue, Midoriko spoke again from the side.
"We once placed a fragment of Midoriko's soul into this body. Even if incomplete, it still carries a portion of her power. As a great shrine maiden, the spiritual power within her far surpasses my own."
Kikyo's eyes sharpened as realization dawned.
"So that's why you had me gather her soul fragments before…" she said. "You planned this from the start."
"Exactly."
Kagetsu looked at the standing puppet with satisfaction.
"This body now possesses both the Rinnegan's power and Midoriko's spiritual strength. As long as I learn to control spiritual power, I can draw on it fully."
Kikyo nodded slowly. "Then I'll teach you."
She turned to Yuzuki, who had been standing quietly nearby the entire time.
"Perfect timing," Kikyo said with a gentle smile. "You can learn together with Yuzuki."