Chapter 149: Manual-Version Izanami
Clap. Clap.
Shiromo applauded.
"Hm?"
Uchiha Hikari looked over in confusion.
"Very creative. Impressive, Hikari." Shiromo praised.
"It's nothing, really. I actually got the idea from you." Hikari said shyly after being complimented.
"No, I'm being serious."
"Back in the Warring States Period, there was a female ninja of the Uchiha clan who developed a dōjutsu that allowed people to rediscover their true selves within genjutsu."
"It was also a form of psychological-treatment genjutsu. But that technique, called Izanami, required permanently sacrificing the light of one eye."
"And what did you get in return? Just full automation, plus the ability to cast the genjutsu without visual contact."
"Strictly speaking, even that 'full automation' isn't really an advantage."
"It forces the 'patient' to heal themselves. If they can't, they simply can't leave."
"And if the 'patient' completely breaks down mentally or gives up on thinking before achieving self-realization, it backfires instead."
"But what you just did, using Tsukuyomi to actively design the scenario and treat Kurama Yakumo's psychological illness, is completely different."
"When you actively plan the narrative, the treatment efficiency is naturally countless levels higher than an automated process."
"And just like Izanami, if the person fails to face their true self, they still can't leave the illusion."
"But the key difference is control."
"If you notice that the 'patient' is on the verge of a mental breakdown, the genjutsu can be actively dispelled to prevent the condition from worsening."
Shiromo's explanation made Uchiha Hikari fall into thought.
It was clear that Hikari was not the "innately evil Uchiha" that the Second Hokage always talked about. On the contrary, just like her name, her nature was filled with light.
As long as Shiromo didn't die, she wouldn't put the pursuit of power above everything else. She wouldn't go around burning every dog she passed with Amaterasu just for fun.
At this stage, Uchiha Hikari could be described as "innately kind".
So when she heard Shiromo say that Tsukuyomi could be used to treat psychological illnesses, she felt genuinely happy.
"Damn… Tsukuyomi actually counts as a medical ninjutsu now." Tsunade muttered quietly from the side.
"Excellent. The Senju handle physical healing, the Uchiha heal the mind, 'this' is how the ninja world should be! Such harmony! I'm so moved, sniff, sniff…"
Senju Hashirama spoke as he wiped away tears, looking utterly shameless.
Of course, no matter what he said, Uchiha Hikari wouldn't pay him any attention. Hashirama had long since been blocked and muted in her mind.
Still, Hashirama's words reminded Hikari of something. She turned to Tsunade.
"If I remember correctly, you have hemophobia, don't you? Senju Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage."
Gulp.
Being stared at like that by Hikari, Tsunade instantly realized what she was getting at. She hurriedly shut her eyes.
"No need! This minor issue is something I can deal with myself!"
Tsunade didn't yet know where this young Uchiha girl had come from, but just from the fact that she had called her by that surname, one that no one had used in ages, she could tell this girl was a "traditionalist" and definitely not friendly toward the Senju.
There was no doubt that Tsunade's surname was Senju.
There was no need to speculate about things like her mother being a Senju and her father an outsider.
Even if that were the case, Tsunade would still bear the Senju name.
Just think about what Inojin's surname is in the Boruto era and it becomes obvious.
Even if her mother was a Senju, marrying into the Senju clan, especially as the First Hokage's daughter, wouldn't give the father the right to pass on his surname.
Unless the father's family were on par with the Senju, like the Uchiha.
But that was clearly impossible.
In short, Tsunade's surname being Senju was unquestionable. As for why it was almost never used, that could only be attributed to the First Hokage's policies.
The Senju clan removed the emphasis on surnames, no longer organizing themselves as a clan, and instead devoted themselves entirely to the village as a collective.
The Senju clan still existed, of course.
For example, when Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino were preparing wedding gifts, they were told that the Senju clan had a tradition of giving mead(honey wine), and were directed to a mysterious beekeeper.
….
"Alright, Hikari. Since Yakumo's psychological issue has been handled, let's focus on the real business first."
Shiromo placed a hand on Hikari's shoulder.
"Okayyy." Hikari obediently withdrew her gaze from Tsunade.
Actually, to deal with Ido, the composite inner demon inside Kurama Yakumo, Shiromo could have simply used [White Snake] to directly extract Ido and turn it into a data disk.
However, Ido was essentially a part of Yakumo herself.
Removing it outright would be equivalent to weakening Kurama Yakumo's power.
That wouldn't be beneficial for the plans ahead.
The best approach was for Kurama Yakumo to defeat Ido herself, take control of that power, and in doing so not only avoid weakening but become even stronger.
Right now, Yakumo hasn't fully resolved Ido.
Ido had merely been tortured into temporary dormancy by Hikari's Tsukuyomi, unable to manifest for the time being.
When Tsunade heard Shiromo stop Hikari, she slowly opened her eyes. While she felt relieved, she also felt a bit disappointed.
Given how things had gone before, Shiromo should have said something like "don't avoid treatment out of fear," then forcibly dragged her into Tsukuyomi and tormented her for a while.
So his attitude really had changed?
Looks like she could only honestly grind her way back up the favor meter.
Tsunade temporarily gave up.
"Wait, Yakumo's body won't be able to handle it!"
Yūhi Kurenai was still standing protectively in front of Kurama Yakumo.
"Kurenai-sensei…"
After having her personality "corrected" by the manual Izanami, 'Hikari-style Tsukuyomi Therapy', Kurama Yakumo was deeply moved by this scene.
"Don't worry. We understand her physical condition. We're not asking her to go all the way in one step."
"First, we'll conduct a test to see whether this method is actually viable."
"This test doesn't require much power and won't put much strain on her."
Shiromo explained calmly, allowing Kurenai to relax a little.
"And it's not just that her body can't handle it, Hikari's body can't either."
Shiromo added another sentence.
"Eh?"
Hikari froze.
She hadn't considered that at all. She'd only been thinking about giving it her all to help Shiromo achieve his goal.
"So not only does Yakumo need to restore her physical condition, Hikari also needs to master the amplification from my natural energy."
"Only then can we ensure everyone's safety."
"This isn't something that can be done overnight. So, let's start with a test."
"If the test fails, then it means the underlying logic of this method doesn't apply, and we'll look for another approach."
Shiromo was well aware of the limits of Uchiha Hikari's Mangekyō.
In the original storyline, she had transferred the massive amount of chakra collected by Yachihoko to Boruto, and died from overload as a result.
That was why he never planned to do everything in one go.
"A test? How do we test it?"
"Very simple."
Shiromo looked at Tsunade.
"Can you call Kakashi over?"
"Mm…ah? Oh. Yes, I can."
Tsunade hadn't expected Shiromo to suddenly speak to her. She snapped out of her wandering thoughts.
"Shizune, help out."
"..."
Shizune looked like she was on the verge of tears.
Tsunade-sama-sama… What exactly am I to you, anyway?
(End of this chapter)