"I understand what Minato-senpai means. I didn't come here to blame anyone," Wen Lan said softly.
"Don't worry. I won't let something like this create a rift between us."
Hearing that, Kushina visibly relaxed.
Truthfully, she had been uneasy about this visit. But the fact that Wen Lan came at all meant there was still room for discussion.
What she feared most was tension between him and Minato.
That would be bad—not just for them personally, but for the entire village.
Wen Lan, however, had simply come to clarify his stance.
They chatted casually for a few more moments when—
BOOM!
A violent explosion erupted in the distance, rattling the windows.
Wen Lan shot to his feet almost instinctively, eyes locking onto the direction of the blast through the glass.
"Ahhh!"
Karin screamed, covering her ears and crouching down. Uzumaki Sī quickly pulled her into an embrace.
"Something happened!" Kushina said, face tightening.
Wen Lan handed Naruto back to her.
"I'll check it out."
He flung the window open and leapt outside.
The Burning Estate
By now, people across the village had turned toward the explosion site.
In the distance, a mansion was engulfed in roaring flames.
Fire surged skyward, thick smoke billowing into the air.
Dozens of ninja raced across rooftops.
ANBU were already among them.
Wen Lan's body transformed into a streak of golden lightning as he arrived at the scene.
The moment he got close, his expression sharpened.
"Such dense chakra…"
He had initially assumed an enemy village had detonated explosive tags.
But there was no scent of gunpowder.
He glanced up at the estate's signboard.
Kurama.
He didn't hesitate.
Launching himself high into the air, he drew the Kusanagi Sword in a flash.
"Wind Breathing — Third Form: Clear Storm Wind Tree!"
A massive emerald tornado erupted from the blade, spiraling upward like a towering tree.
The cyclone wrapped around the Kurama estate, spinning at tremendous speed and creating a vacuum zone.
Without oxygen—
The flames died instantly.
As the tornado dissipated, Wen Lan landed lightly on a scorched wall, still warm beneath his feet.
His eyes shifted into Sharingan.
Inside, human-shaped chakra signatures lay scattered across the ground.
Their chakra was leaking outward.
A sign of severe injury.
Several figures landed beside him.
"Assistant Hokage-sama!"
"Immediately notify the medical department," Wen Lan ordered.
"Send every available medic inside for rescue."
"Yes!"
The ninja dispersed at once.
The Abnormal Presence
Wen Lan continued scanning the estate.
Many rescuers had already entered.
Collapsed buildings had trapped victims beneath rubble, and the Kurama clan—despite being ninja—were known for their frail bodies.
Not a single person had escaped.
Then—
He found it.
A lone chakra figure deep within the innermost building.
Its arms hung limply.
Its upper body slumped forward like a walking corpse, arms swaying loosely as it moved.
Wen Lan's body flashed into golden lightning.
Crash!
He smashed through the wall and entered the room.
The Illusion Domain
The moment he stepped inside—
His pupils shrank.
The air felt heavy.
His movements slowed.
Even time seemed to freeze.
"Genjutsu?! No… this is an illusion domain."
His expression turned serious.
Normal genjutsu invades the mind.
But an illusion domain transforms the entire surrounding space into illusion.
Anyone who enters becomes trapped.
He turned toward the figure.
It resembled a grotesque ghost:
Long canine teeth stretching to the chin
Disheveled hair
Pink kimono
Twisted, eerie grin
Recognition struck instantly.
Ido.
The manifestation of Kurama Yakumo's inner psyche—
a monster born from years of pressure, guilt, and self-hatred.
Yakumo's Background
Kurama Yakumo was similar to Kimimaro in one way:
Both were cases of atavism.
But their regression manifested differently.
Kimimaro's was physical
Yakumo's was spiritual and talent-based
From birth, she displayed extraordinary genjutsu ability.
Her clan raised her under intense expectations, grooming her as their savior.
They hoped she would:
Enter the Ninja Academy
Become a powerful ninja
Restore the clan's glory
But everything collapsed because of her body.
The Kurama clan already had weak physiques.
Yakumo's was even worse.
She couldn't even run 800 meters.
Work for two minutes—
rest for two hours.
Eventually, her family concluded she was unfit to be a ninja and should live an ordinary life.
But after years of elite training, Yakumo couldn't accept that.
She pushed herself harder.
And the harder she tried—
The clearer she saw the gap between herself and others.
Her exceptional mental power, combined with crushing pressure and guilt, gave birth to a psychic entity.
Ido.
The Confrontation
Ido looked at Wen Lan and smiled chillingly.
"Well, well… if it isn't Lord Wen Lan."
"I never expected you to come see me personally…"
Wen Lan said nothing.
His Sharingan scanned the surroundings rapidly.
He needed to determine one thing:
Was this Ido separate from Yakumo—
or was this Yakumo herself?
Within seconds, he confirmed:
There was no other presence.
Ido was Yakumo.
Decision made.
His eyes shifted again—
into Mangekyō Sharingan.
He locked his gaze onto her.
"Tsukuyomi."
Ido's pupils contracted.
In the next instant—
Wen Lan invaded her mental world.
Tsukuyomi was terrifyingly absolute.
Anyone who met his gaze would be forced into its rules.
Inside Yakumo's Mind
Darkness.
A small room illuminated only by flashes of lightning outside.
Thunder rumbled continuously.
Wen Lan stood at the doorway.
In the corner sat a little girl, curled up and crying.
"Why… why can't I do it?" she sobbed.
"I've failed my parents… I've failed my clan… why… why…"
"Kurama Yakumo!"
His voice rang out sharply.
She froze.
Slowly, she turned her head.
Her small face was tear-streaked—adorable yet utterly broken.
"W-Wen Lan-sama…"
Her lips trembled.
She knew him.
In fact—
He was the person she admired most.
A prodigy who rose to power at a young age, earned great achievements in the Third Shinobi War, and later overwhelmed the Cloud delegation with overwhelming strength.
Wen Lan understood exactly why she had fallen into this state.
But emotional wounds must be healed from within.
He walked over and crouched beside her.
Then gently placed his hand on her head.
His voice softened.
"Whatever the problem is… wake up first."
—------------------------------
Pat reon Advance Chapters: patreon.com/YonkoSlayer