"?!"
Uchiha Hikari's eyelid twitched.
Across from her, Kikyo paused briefly, noting Hikari's silence, then continued, "I can sense a great deal of malevolent energy surrounding you, especially around your eyes. It's even starting to erode your will, though you might not have noticed it yourself…"
"Is it *that* serious?"
"Very serious."
As she spoke, Kikyo gestured for Hikari to sit, then took a blank talisman from her side. With spiritual energy gathered at her fingertips, she inscribed several runes on it before pressing it to Hikari's forehead.
When she pulled it back a few seconds later, the once snow-white talisman was stained with a thick, inky gray-black patch.
"This is the malevolent energy I'm talking about," Kikyo said, her voice calm and measured. "As long as someone is human, they harbor dark thoughts and desires, which give rise to yokai and vengeful spirits. And because these entities stem from the shadowy side of the human heart, they're experts at finding the cracks in a person's mind, using vile methods to corrupt their spirit…
That's how Onigumo became Naraku back then. The Shikon Jewel's creation followed the same principle."
"With the intensity of the malevolent energy around you, it's not just a matter of being influenced. Have you… ever tried absorbing the power of vengeful spirits?"
"…"
Hikari fell silent.
The air grew still for a moment.
Kikyo sat across from her, hands folded calmly in her lap, waiting patiently for Hikari to speak.
Finally…
Hikari let out a soft breath. "Miss Kikyo, you're right. I did absorb a lot of vengeful spirits in Miko's world, using these eyes called the Sharingan."
"Sharingan?"
Kikyo tilted her head slightly, her tone gentle. "Please, tell me more."
"In my world—and Nagato's—there's a cursed clan called the Uchiha. When they suffer a major emotional blow, their eyes undergo a transformation, awakening a power called a *dōjutsu*…"
"My *dōjutsu* awakened when my parents died. It's called *Yasakani*…"
—To be precise, it was her *previous self's* parents who died.
This was the first time Hikari had ever spoken of *Yasakani*'s abilities to anyone else.
She'd always kept this *dōjutsu* under wraps, using it sparingly. Its power was too predatory—no one would want to be around someone who could steal their strength or manipulate their mind at any moment. If this got out, even close friends might start to distrust her.
If she were facing the living Kikyo, Hikari might not have been so forthcoming.
But…
The Kikyo before her now was different.
Having died once, Kikyo existed in a clay body—a form her proud, pure self once scorned. To sustain her life, she had to collect dead souls, an act that, for a noble miko, bordered on humiliation.
And the resurrected Kikyo had even used dead soul insects to control ordinary humans.
In a way, they were kindred spirits. Hikari felt Kikyo could understand and empathize with her.
As expected, after hearing about the Mangekyo's formation, Kikyo's face softened with a look of compassion.
"I see…"
"Eyes that only awaken through the loss of loved ones… What a tragic story."
"So, Miss Hikari, you've been absorbing spirits to grow stronger, all to break this long-standing curse?"
"Something like that."
Hikari nodded slightly.
Her reasons for wanting to grow stronger went beyond that, but it was definitely part of it. From the moment she stepped in as the "grandmatriarch" of the Uchiha clan, she'd been sucked into this mess. If there was a way to fix the Mangekyo's "inherent evil," she was willing to put in the effort.
"I understand."
Kikyo closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again. "Then, please allow me to dispel this malevolent energy for you."
"Uh… maybe we can deal with it after Naraku's taken care of? Even if he tries some possession trick, I'm probably not *that* easy to take down, right?"
Hikari suggested tentatively.
"No, this isn't just about Naraku."
Kikyo's tone was firm. "The root of it all is the Shikon Jewel. It's a crystallization of souls, half its power coming from the miko Midoriko, the other half from countless yokai of the past. Naraku—or rather, the bandit Onigumo—was merely a pawn lured by it. He wasn't the first, and he won't be the last.
From what you've described, every Uchiha carries an unfillable void in their heart, which the Shikon Jewel can easily exploit, guiding you without you even realizing it. I can't let you bear that unnecessary risk.
Compared to sealing Naraku, dispelling the malevolent energy around you is far more urgent."
"…"
Under Kikyo's insistence, Hikari finally relented.
Kikyo began setting up the ritual.
Hikari watched as she drew intricate, arcane runes on the floor, forming a small barrier. Following instructions, Hikari sat inside, talismans placed on her forehead, neck, and shoulders.
Once everything was ready, Kikyo summoned a holy "light" at her fingertips and began the purification.
The process was far more complex than Hikari had expected.
And it drained both time and spiritual energy.
As the ritual progressed, Kikyo's face, initially fair, grew pale as paper. Sweat beaded at her temples, and her clay body seemed to waver, on the verge of collapse.
"Miss Kikyo…"
"Shh—"
Kikyo raised a hand to silence her. "Miss Hikari, please don't speak. We're at a critical moment in the purification. If we stop now, all our efforts will be wasted."
"…"
Hikari shut her mouth.
She wasn't unfamiliar with the "light" Kikyo was using.
It seemed to be a unique spell, one only Kikyo could wield in the original plot. Only this "light" could purify the Shikon Jewel's corruption and malevolence. But now, Kikyo wasn't just purging the malevolent energy Hikari had picked up in Miko's world—she was trying to cleanse the negative emotions that had built up ever since Hikari awakened her Mangekyo Sharingan!
Faintly, Hikari felt a warm current flow into her mind.
Her eyes tingled and itched, her vision growing sharper, as if some heavy shackle had loosened just a fraction.
"This is…"
Hikari's eyes snapped open, the black tomoe in her pupils surfacing, then spinning rapidly into the triangular pinwheel of the Mangekyo.
In the mirror across from her.
At the center of that triangular pinwheel, a tiny speck of new blackness appeared.
Just a speck.
But…
"The Eternal Mangekyo?!"
**(End of Chapter)**