Chapter 147: Strange Illusory Realm (Bonus Chapter)

Chapter 147: Strange Illusory Realm (Bonus Chapter)

After being hit by the attack, Ishiro immediately fell into a trance, his consciousness drifting into an unfamiliar space.

After a long while, Ishiro slowly felt his awareness return. Looking around, he realized he was no longer in the underground chamber from earlier but in an obviously illusory space.

"This... is kind of like the genjutsu I used on Kawakita."

"Wait, no—my genjutsu mimicked Uchiha Itachi's Tsukuyomi. Could this be something like a Tsukuyomi-style illusion space? If so, this is bad. In the original, even someone like Kakashi with Sharingan-enhanced elite jonin strength couldn't escape and was tortured into a cripple. Can I really escape?"

"Wait... this Tsukuyomi-like space doesn't seem to have a controller. Could this be the Evil God's doing? Then where is the Evil God?"

What Ishiro didn't know was that this illusionary space was indeed a power of the Evil God, triggered by the cult priest's invocation. The priest could initially control the space to some extent. But Ishiro's water clone had beheaded the priest after slicing him in half with Water Cutting Blade. This priest wasn't on the level of Hidan yet—he died instantly once his head was destroyed.

Unfortunately, Ishiro's clone didn't know the real body had been pulled into an illusion, so it could do nothing to help.

Inside the illusion, Ishiro quickly realized that, while he was trapped, no one was actually torturing him. That was a relief. The question now was how to get out.

He scanned his surroundings and realized they resembled the academy genjutsu-breaking exam scene from when he enrolled.

Just as he had this thought, the surroundings changed and he really was back at his entrance exam.

He was startled—then thoughtful. Could it be that, because no one was controlling this illusion, he could manipulate it himself? A system loophole?

Ishiro tried conjuring different scenarios: working in the Barrier Corps, carrying out missions with Kitsuchi, even memories from his past life. All worked.

"Whoa... what kind of ability is this?"

Then he had a sudden inspiration. If he could recreate vivid memories—what about training?

He replayed his recent chakra fusion training. Now, from a dual perspective—both participant and observer—he could see flaws in his technique, the proportions, and the fusion process. It was eye-opening.

He couldn't tell how much time passed, but he felt he gained a lot.

What a place…

Unfortunately, his foundation in chakra fusion was still thin, so the effect was limited. If only he could go back, train more, and return here again…

He shook off the fantasy and decided to review all his jutsu—basic techniques, C to S-rank ninjutsu, including the original ones he created. He gained insights into all of them.

Then he turned to elemental affinities: fire, shadow (Yin), and especially lightning. Sadly, his lightning foundation was so weak that the progress, though visible, remained small.

Then he remembered—natural energy. He had obtained the Nature Energy Seal and recently spent time observing dango's training, but his thoughts were always scattered, and nature energy avoided him. At this rate, he might never learn Sage Mode.

Maybe this space was a turning point.

He calmed his breath, closed his eyes, and recalled a recent moment of watching dango sleep during nature energy sensing.

Then—he felt it. That faint motion of nature energy, which he had never sensed before.

His affinity with nature energy grew rapidly. At the same time, the illusion space began to destabilize. First trembling, then cracking, then shattering with a boom.

Ishiro snapped out of the trance.

An overwhelming fatigue rushed in. With his last strength, he stuffed a soldier pill into his mouth before blacking out.

...

Who knows how much time passed before Ishiro slowly woke up.

He was still exhausted, couldn't move his arms, and had no chakra left.

Just then, a small hand reached over, holding a soldier pill. From the angle, he couldn't see who it was, but he knew the intent. With great effort, he opened his mouth, and the pill was fed to him. He fell back into a light rest.

Some time later, he felt a bit stronger and struggled to sit up.

He was still in the same underground chamber. The one who helped him—unsurprisingly—was the little girl. The cult members he'd slain were still around, and his water clone had vanished.

He turned toward the passage—there was a sealing barrier there. He realized the clone must've set it before disappearing.

He finally let out a sigh of relief.

He looked at the girl. She was cute, but her face was blank and lifeless—likely traumatized by the recent events. She held a few more soldier pills—clearly given by the water clone.

"Man, what a considerate clone," Ishiro chuckled inwardly. "Not like those silly clones in some transmigration novels."

After recovering a bit more, he tried talking to her:

"Hey little one, what's your name?"

"Do you have any family besides your parents?"

She remained silent through every question.

He scratched his head. His three disciples were all mature, he'd never taken care of a kid like this before.

He gave up for now and focused on reviewing what he gained from the illusion.

Despite the huge energy drain, he had learned much:

— Every jutsu had been revisited, with reduced hand seals and lower chakra consumption. — His elemental affinities had deepened, especially Yin Release. — Chakra fusion had improved; he estimated the fusion rate could now match the dissipation rate. — Most importantly, he had finally touched natural energy. That alone might've broken the illusion.

After about an hour and more pills, he finally regained some stamina and chakra.

He picked up the girl, cast Light-Weight Boulder, removed the seal, and flew away from Three-Eyes Town.

Still weak, he flew directly back to the Eastern Division base.

Seeing him return battered and spent, Kitsuchi was stunned. "Didn't you get mummified last time you left? Now you look worse!"

He wasn't wrong—Ishiro looked like he was half-dead.

Shiden immediately summoned the medics. Ishiro handed off the girl and underwent examination.

The diagnosis: no injuries—just extreme chakra and energy depletion. The treatment: rest and tonics.

Kitsuchi relaxed a little, then asked about the girl.

Given that it was wartime, even someone like Ishiro couldn't bring strangers to camp without scrutiny.

Ishiro answered, "It's a long story. Just let her stay for now. Once I'm better, I'll take her to the village and let Lord Tsuchikage decide."

That convinced Kitsuchi. If Ishiro said the Tsuchikage would handle it, then the girl wasn't ordinary.

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We've hit 200 Power Stones goal As promised This week, here's the bonus chapter. Thank you for your support—please keep it coming!