The white radiance continued to glow around her, though its strength was clearly fading.
Juno's transforming body slowly pushed upward from the height of a small child… only to halt stubbornly at around 148 centimeters.
The light flickered several times before finally dissipating—revealing her new form.
"MY long legs—my perfect figure—my glorious curves—! They're all gone! ALL GONE!"
Standing in the center of the array was a slender, petite golden-haired cat-eared young woman.
Her hair shimmered softly like strands of silk, catching the light with a warm golden sheen.
Her features were exquisitely delicate—almost doll-like—but still unmistakably those of a young adult rather than a child.
Her proportions were lean, elegant, and softly sculpted; her fair skin seemed almost luminous.
Only her ears and tail—drooping in misery—betrayed how devastated she felt.
"Master Soren! Am I… am I not pretty anymore…?"
Juno's eyes brimmed with helplessness and wounded pride. She looked as though the faintest breeze might make her cry.
For a moment, Soren genuinely felt the urge to scoop her into his arms and reassure her on the spot—
"Darling, do not even think about it."
Kaori stepped sharply in front of his line of sight.
Her voice was low and clipped, and she shot a look toward Minako.
"Minako—please take Juno to the rest chamber and get her something to wear."
"No problem."
Minako kept a gentle smile, though a flicker of dissatisfaction flashed beneath it.
Even as Soren's secret lover, she hardly wished to see yet another beautiful girl orbiting his life.
The more women there were, the less time she would get.
With brisk efficiency, she guided the dejected new cat-girl toward the rest chamber.
Left alone, Soren exhaled softly.
The Mirror-Shift Technique truly was a remarkable thing.
(If Kaori, Minako, Zhili, and even Aki could master a technique like this… the possibilities would be amazing.)
The thought stirred a very normal sort of male fantasy, which Kaori recognized instantly.
Her white-knuckled little fist hovered right in front of his nose.
"Darling… that smile of yours is the kind that only appears when you're thinking something indecent."
"You know me too well."
Kaori's fingers relaxed, and with elegant slowness, she traced down from the tip of his nose to rest over his heart.
"Then tell me—what exactly were you thinking of?"
"Wanting everyone to reach their perfect forms," Soren replied with a careless chuckle, gently capturing her hand.
"With the path you walk, Kaori, you're already drifting farther from ordinary humanity. Your beauty and presence keep evolving. Zhili can't keep up with you forever."
He pulled her lightly into his arms. A soft ripple of chakra and space peeled open around them, and in the next instant, they were seated in the quiet warmth of their bedroom.
"You and Hikari… you two are destined for the Six Paths level. Three or four years, at most. But Zhili…"
Soren's hand lifted to stroke Kaori's smooth cheek.
"Even with Madara's Eternal Mangekyō, her path is far more difficult."
Just like the ranks of his system:
81–100: Super Kage
101+: Six Paths Realm — the boundary between mortals and gods.
There were only two realistic methods forward:
The orthodox path — Hikari's Eight-Thousand Spears supplying Madara's ocular power to Zhili's Mangekyō.
Then grafting Hashirama's cells to fuse yin and yang and slowly awaken the Rinnegan.
But this required time… and a state between life and death, true enlightenment.
Madara himself had needed decades.
The shortcut — the method used by Naruto and Sasuke in the original history:
relying on Hagoromo's direct grant of yin–yang Six Paths power.
But if Hagoromo could grant it, he could remove it too.
Soren had no intention of letting the old sage meddle with his people.
Especially not when Hamura had already built an enormous golden Tenseigan on the moon.
Who knew what Hagoromo was plotting in the Pure Land?
(Meaning… I'm still not strong enough.)
He couldn't comfortably face Hagoromo, Hamura, or Kaguya until his own strength had surpassed all three.
That lingering insecurity made him reach—quite instinctively—for the comfort only Kaori provided.
"Darling… it's still work hours…"
"We can talk serious matters and relax at the same time."
"You relax far too easily," she muttered, cheeks warm.
"Women never understand the pressure men carry."
A few teasing exchanges later, Soren's earlier tension finally melted.
Kaori, flushed and breathless, reclined softly in his arms.
"Darling… with the Academy working day and night, Zhili's Six Paths path will be fine…"
She gasped a little as he shifted her lightly.
"The Academy isn't omnipotent," he murmured.
"If tracing bloodline origins were easy, then every Uchiha alive would awaken Mangekyō.
Every last one would wield the Rinnegan."
Kaori's gaze softened, her breath unsteady.
"Darling… you're being serious and teasing me at the same time…"
Soren only smiled, pulling her a little closer as the conversation—and their moment—continued.
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