The moment the monster struggled out, the faces of Hoshiyomi and the others changed. The worst scenario they had imagined became a reality—the third split personality, the so-called "inner demon," was born.
"Pull yourself together, Kuugetsu! We're all waiting for you!"
Dan shouted toward Kuugetsu, but it was useless. At this moment, Kuugetsu could not hear the outside world at all. In her ears there was only a voice full of temptation:
"Do you feel lost? Do you feel pain?"
Kuugetsu Jiuyue clutched her head and sobbed, saying:
"I killed her… she was my mother."
"It wasn't your fault. Why feel guilty? That woman deserved to die. What crime have you committed? It wasn't you who was wrong—it was the Uchiha Clan and Konoha. If not for their power struggles, your father wouldn't have suffered so much. That woman wouldn't have abandoned you, and you wouldn't have endured all this pain."
Hearing these words, Kuugetsu froze. She looked at her own hands and murmured:
"What… what should I do?"
Behind her, the fanged, blue-faced demon grew more solid, as if peeling itself free from her trembling body. Leaning close to her ear, it whispered:
"Pick up the blade in your hand. If you slaughter everything, you will no longer suffer. Kill them all, and the pain will vanish."
"Kill them all…"
Kuugetsu repeated the words. The Sharingan gradually formed in her eyes. At some point, a sword had appeared in her hand—the Kusanagi Sword: Chokutō that Hoshiyomi had previously found for her.
Gripping the Kusanagi Sword tightly, Kuugetsu felt a surge of power coursing through her body. This overwhelming sensation momentarily made her forget her pain. She stood up with the sword in hand, but she hesitated, unsure of where to strike.
"Look, that woman is right in front of you. Remember how disgusting she looked when she abandoned you? What should we do now?"
Kuugetsu froze. She looked up and saw her mother's face, twisted with disdain, the same expression from when she abandoned her. Kuugetsu's delicate features twisted with rage as she swung her sword, slicing the woman in half with one stroke.
As Kuugetsu gazed at the blood-soaked corpse on the ground, an indescribable sense of satisfaction surged through her heart.
On the second-floor space, Dan and Inner Kuugetsu were shocked when they saw Kuugetsu 's actions. Inner Kuugetsu shouted loudly:
"Kuugetsu! Wake up! Don't lose yourself any further!"
Perhaps because Kuugetsu and Inner Kuugetsu shared the same origin, Kuugetsu, even in this state, could faintly hear Inner Kuugetsu's words.
"Who… who is speaking? Did I do something wrong?"
The inner demon heard Inner Kuugetsu's voice and turned to look, its eyes filled with killing intent. Another personality dared to interfere?
At first, it had thought to spare her life since they were all split personalities of the same self. But now—it no longer saw any need.
The inner demon continued to murmur in Kuugetsu's ear:
"On our path to erasing pain, there will always be people like this—people who jump out and call us wrong, call us foolish, yet they never care about what we've been through. What should we do with people like that?"
Kuugetsu, now fully consumed by madness, instinctively responded to the inner demon's words:
"Kill her."
"Hahahaha, you truly are my good child. Go on."
With a flick of its finger, the inner demon made the scene before Kuugetsu vanish, revealing Inner Kuugetsu and Dan not far away.
When Kuugetsu saw the two of them, she hesitated for a moment. They seemed familiar to her, but the endless whispers in her ears left no room for thought. Completely controlled by the inner demon, she mechanically charged toward Inner Kuugetsu and Dan.
The Kusanagi Sword in Kuugetsu's hand slashed mercilessly, startling the two who could only frantically dodge. Inner Kuugetsu gritted her teeth in frustration after narrowly avoiding the attack.
She reached out, trying to form a sword within her own space to counter Kuugetsu, but to her surprise, she found herself unable to even form a weapon.
"This is impossible! Even if my power can't interfere with the main personality, it shouldn't have weakened to this extent!"
Behind Kuugetsu, the inner demon grew even stronger. Now, only its legs remained incomplete. Once its legs fully materialized, it would completely separate from Kuugetsu.
The inner demon laughed maniacally as it observed the weakened Inner Kuugetsu.
"You know that spiritual energy is limited, yet you didn't realize that with my presence, I've taken a portion of that power?
I might as well tell you, the spiritual energy I possess now is the greatest among the three of us. Once I kill you and devour Kuugetsu, this body will be entirely mine!"
Inner Kuugetsu clenched her teeth upon hearing this. She charged forward to attack the inner demon, but Kuugetsu didn't give her the chance. Kuugetsu raised the Kusanagi Sword in her hand, preparing to thrust it toward Inner Kuugetsu.
Inner Kuugetsu leaned back to avoid the thrust, but unexpectedly, Kuugetsu quickly changed the strike in mid-air, turning it into a slash. Although Inner Kuugetsu dodged quickly, the blade still managed to graze her, leaving a wound.
A gash appeared on her waist, but instead of blood, a large amount of pale blue energy leaked out. Inner Kuugetsu's face changed as she felt her power drain further.
Meanwhile, the inner demon laughed greedily, opening its mouth wide to devour the pale blue energy. As it absorbed the energy, its legs successfully materialized, and the inner demon finally split completely from Kuugetsu.
Seeing this development, Inner Kuugetsu's face went pale. She had no weapon, and now her waist was injured. In this state, she had no chance of winning.
Just as Inner Kuugetsu was about to despair, a voice came from behind her:
"Don't underestimate me, I'm a Konoha Jonin, and it's not time to give up yet."
Inner Kuugetsu was startled by the voice and turned around to see Dan smiling at her. His hand was resting on Kuugetsu's shoulder without her noticing.
The moment their two spiritual forms made contact, Dan's face visibly turned paler, and the wound on Inner Kuugetsu's waist quickly healed. In her hand, a ninja blade appeared.
"This is the limit of chakra I can give you. From here on, it's up to you. This chakra should last for about five minutes, so make good use of it.
Oh, and Hoshyomi left me with a message for you: 'Remember what he told you before.'"
With that, Dan floated into the air, signaling that he was about to return to his own body. His remaining chakra would only allow him to stay in Kuugetsu's mindscape for a few more minutes.
Inner Kuugetsu glanced at the ninja blade in her hand, murmured Hoshiyomi's teachings, and then smiled up at Dan in the air:
"Thank you, Mr. Dan. Leave the rest to me."
With that, Inner Kuugetsu charged at Kuugetsu, the ninja blade in her hand clashing heavily with Kuugetsu's Kusanagi Sword, producing a loud clang.
With the boost from Dan's chakra, Inner Kuugetsu's strength had recovered significantly, and she was no longer as passive as before.
As the swords collided, Kuugetsu and Inner Kuugetsu locked eyes. Seeing Kuugetsu's somewhat grim expression, Inner Kuugetsu suddenly smiled and said:
"Kuugetsu, do you remember Hoshiyomi-sensei's teachings? 'The blade cuts the flesh, the heart cuts the spirit."