The world around them dimmed until only faint streaks of light ran through the void of Kiyomi's mindscape.
The air felt thick, pulsing in waves that didn't belong to the physical world.
Ryusei's chakra seeped into that space slowly, threads of golden-white energy drifting outward until they intertwined with the crimson aura radiating from her own spirit.
He could feel her spirit's tension, resistance at first, then gradual acceptance as the resonance stabilized.
The procedure itself was silent and strange.
Their consciousness blurred as his presence merged into the core of her soul, his presence carefully stirring the boundaries between mind, spirit, and the eyes that reflected both.
He probed gently but thoroughly, weaving his own spirit through the intricate pathways, amplifying her chakra's resonance, looking for that one elusive spark.
For a while, the pressure built, her chakra swelled, her Sharingan flickered in and out, the air around them vibrating.
She felt his presence everywhere inside, a heat running through every layer of her being.
"Focus on your center," he said quietly. "Let the link pull naturally."
Kiyomi nodded, closing her eyes.
Her chakra flared, and for an instant, the Sharingan in this inner space glowed brighter than usual as their auras overlapped completely, more than ever, pulsing strongly together, and then the vibration inside the void rose to a steady hum that made the whole space tremble.
But then, just as something should've happened… everything stopped instead.
The glow in her eyes faded.
The resonance broke apart with a faint echo, leaving the world silent again.
Ryusei's partial presence was violently forced outward.
When they returned to the physical world, Kiyomi exhaled sharply, sweat sliding down her neck, her face faintly flushed.
Her eyes met his immediately.
She was generally alright and alive.
But the promised breakthrough didn't come.
She was breathing a little harder than usual.
"So that's it?" she said, still catching her breath. "Nothing happened?"
Ryusei frowned slightly, analyzing the residual pattern in her eyes, then traced it further, through her spiritual aura with his sensory mode, following the flow of her brainwaves and chakra pathways, using the single Byakugan concealed beneath his eyepatch.
"No… something definitely did happen. Just not the Mangekyō itself."
She tilted her head, smirking a little despite her exhaustion.
"So even you can fail. Good to know. Even you swing and miss. Maybe you're not as perfect as you think."
Ryusei didn't react to the jab. "Fail? Not exactly. Try and look at yourself."
She paused, then blinked once.
Her chakra still felt active, circulating deeper and faster than before, her vision clearer, her spirit… warmer somehow.
"My soul feels like it's burning," she admitted quietly. "But it's not painful. Just… intense. Different. Stronger, maybe."
Ryusei nodded once. "That's what I thought. The procedure didn't awaken the Mangekyō right away, but it heightened the sensitivity between your soul and your eyes somehow. The threshold's lower now. When the right emotional shock comes, the reaction will be instant."
She looked at him for a long moment.
"So I'm basically a half-step away now, and I owe it to you."
"Partially," he said calmly. "But it's also luck. Soul interference isn't an exact science. Even I can't fully predict how the spirit will react to stimulation like this. Sometimes the results only appear later."
Kiyomi didn't argue, but she did glance at him, face still faintly warm. "My whole soul feels hot, like you left something burning in there. I don't know if it's good or bad, but it's definitely different."
Ryusei shrugged, a bit more serious. "It's rare for any shinobi to let someone this deep into their mindscape, to trust anyone with their soul completely. If it were me, I wouldn't allow it at all."
She raised an eyebrow, her face froze a little, and she was still flushed but covering it with attitude.
Then she scoffed dismisively, looking away. "Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't do it because I trust you or want to impress you. It's just for the clan. I need to get stronger, that's all."
He didn't argue, only smirked, as if that answer was exactly what he expected.
He just gave her a faint, self-assured smile. "Whatever you say. But if it were my choice, no one would ever get that close. So, maybe you really like me, even more than you let on."
She looked away quickly, pretending indifference, but didn't argue, her silence saying more than any words could.
She didn't mind the honesty; actually found herself liking his self-centered bluntness.
Too much sentimentality would've put her off anyway. She felt like she would have no respect for such men anyway.
"Just make sure it works next time," she muttered eventually, still not meeting his eyes directly. "I want results."
Ryusei chuckled quietly. "Then give fate something to work with. It'll happen, and when it does, you'll know exactly why."
Kiyomi crossed her arms, still pretending indifference. "Also, the next time, if you end up recommending something crazy like this again, at least try not to almost melt my soul."
He smirked. "Don't sulk, you'll thank me later, when those eyes finally open."
She didn't reply, but the faintest smile curved her lips as she turned away.
The air between them still shimmered faintly with the residue of the ritual, tension fading into something quieter and charged.
Ryusei soon watched her go, expression calm but eyes sharp.
He knew he'd changed something deep inside her, even if she couldn't feel it yet.
The Mangekyō would come, maybe not today, maybe not soon, but it was only a matter of time.
The rest would be up to the world, and whatever future shock might finally set her eyes ablaze.
And when that time finally came, her future powerful self would know exactly who made it possible.
Not to mention that he already had further plans regarding her dojutsu, mirroring what Obito had done in the original series, using Hashirama's cells as the perfect alternative to the Eternal Mangekyō.
Their powerful yang properties could balance the Mangekyō's strain, removing the need for another relative's eyes entirely to close a loop.
Ryusei already possessed extensive knowledge of Hashirama's cells and findings about Shin's body, both from Orochimaru's research.
It was only a matter of time before he discovered a safe way to transplant them into her.