Noa POV
I was running away from Raika. She was very excited to talk to me. I understood how rare it was to find someone who could actually challenge you at the level we were on, but I was not interested and I had a lot of things to do. The faster my steps became, the faster hers did as well, which quickly turned into me almost sprinting across the arena floor like a criminal fleeing justice. At one point I nearly flickered out of pure panic before spotting Shisui ahead of me, standing there like a calm island in the middle of a disaster.
He looked at me, smiled, and gave me a thumbs up, clearly proud of my performance. I kept shaking my head side to side in growing desperation, trying to silently communicate that this was not a victory situation. A puzzled look appeared on his face. I tilted my head back and pointed behind me. At first he narrowed his eyes in confusion, but then he noticed Raika rushing toward us with the exact same expression Yura had whenever she locked him into her iron shoulder grip while they walked. His face changed immediately. The confusion vanished and was replaced by deep understanding. He nodded with sympathy that felt far too personal.
The moment I reached him, he placed his hands on my shoulders, and without a word we flickered away.
We appeared near the medical ward. I took a deep breath, feeling like I had narrowly escaped an S rank threat. "Thank you, sensei, for saving my life."
He nodded in full seriousness. "I am always here for my students. I have your back."
I smiled at him as we walked toward the area where Sena and Kaen were being treated, my body finally beginning to relax now that the danger had passed. I was already thinking about how I would avoid Raika for the rest of the tournament when Shisui suddenly froze.
His hand tensed slightly as he looked to the side. I was too tired to activate my chakra sense, but the moment I followed his gaze, I understood why.
Gaara was standing there, and beside him was the Sand shinobi who always guarded him and kept an eye on him. The man looked completely different from before. His uniform was still neat, but there was a dark line of sunburn around his neck, and his hands carried the same harsh tan, as if he had been forced to spend long hours exposed to the desert without rest. The skin around his wrists looked rough and irritated. His face was worse. Small bite marks covered it, some fresh, some already healing, as if something was biting his face. The look in his eyes was grim and miserable, the expression of someone who had learned a lesson in the most painful way possible. He did not blink or relax as he kept his gaze locked on Gaara with absolute focus.
Gaara moved toward me alone. As he approached, he was smiling. "You did amazing, Noa." I knelt down so we were at the same eye level and nodded, fighting the urge to pat his shoulder because ei like my arm. "Thank you. It is because of your encouragement that I made it to the finale, so look forward to my amazing victory." He nodded with a bright, almost innocent enthusiasm that felt completely out of place with everything I knew about him. His green eyes were full of excitement. "I will watch you." I smiled back. "Of course. I would have it no other way."
Behind me, I could feel Shisui's tension like a string pulled too tight. His legs shifted slightly, ready to move at any moment. It was strange. I had not seen him this distressed even when we were ambushed in a life or death situation. I spoke without looking back. "Sensei, go check on Sena and Kaen so we can go home directly. I will be there in a second." He narrowed his eyes toward me, clearly suspicious, but after a moment he nodded and moved very fast, not eager to spend an extra second next to a tactical nuke that could activate at any moment without warning.
The moment he disappeared, I glanced at the Sand shinobi. He was still watching Gaara like a hawk, every muscle in his body tight. I stepped closer to Gaara and lowered my voice to the lowest whisper possible. "The day before the final match, meet me at night in the place we first met." Then I straightened and spoke normally. "I will give you a thumbs up before the finale starts, so make sure to be there to return it." Gaara looked a bit puzzled but still nodded with surprising vigor. I waved at him casually and turned to leave. Behind me, the Sand shinobi spoke in a harsh voice. "Come on. I let you meet him. Now stay close." His tone made it clear that whatever punishment he had received for losing Gaara had been severe enough to carve fear directly into his bones.
I walked into the medical ward and found Kaen sleeping deeply, wrapped in bandages like a mummy. Even unconscious, his face looked tense, as if he was still fighting. Next to him, Shisui was speaking quietly with Sena. She looked far better than I expected, though her chakra was clearly depleted. When she saw me, she smiled. "Never doubted you winning." I grinned back and spoke arrogantly. "I know." Shisui looked toward Kaen and spoke in a calm, steady tone. "The medical-nin asked to keep Kaen here for observation. By tomorrow he should be released after a few more healing sessions, so I will stay here. You and Sena go to our flat and stay together there for today. I will come check on you later tonight and again tomorrow morning." We both nodded and left.
We enjoyed the long walk back through the golden streets of the Hidden Sand. The desert sun was softer now, turning the sandstone buildings warm and beautiful. Sena glanced at me. "How was your fight?" I replied with a single word. "Intense." She smiled. "More details?" I began describing the battle and everything that happened after, exaggerating some parts just enough to make the story more entertaining. By the time we reached our flat, I had managed to get several genuine laughs out of her, which felt more satisfying than the victory itself.
Once we arrived, I pointed at the empty rooms. "Feel free to take either of those. We do not use them." She nodded, and I returned to my own room. The moment I walked in, I linked my fingers and cracked them with satisfaction, a grin spreading across my face. "Now it is time to fix this."
A voice suddenly came from behind me. "Fix what?"
I jumped back with a very dignified and completely masculine scream before realizing it was Sena. I pointed at her accusingly. "We boys respect each other's privacy. Why did you sneak in?" She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "I did no such thing. You left the door open." I rolled my eyes and summoned multiple messy stacks of notes about the One Tail's seal, spreading them across the floor before sitting down.
Sena sat on my bed, watching with curiosity. "What is that?"
"The One Tail seal," I replied casually. "I am trying to find a way to fix it."
Her eyes widened. For once, the perfect, controlled Sena actually looked shocked. I grinned, pleased to see such a reaction. She lowered her voice. "Noa, this is extremely dangerous. You should never interfere with something like that. It could have catastrophic consequences."
I shrugged. "I will be careful. But I am not leaving that kid to suffer. You know me. If I care about someone, I do something about it." Her expression softened, though worry remained. She sighed. "I know there is no stopping you. But you do realize how dangerous he could become in the future." I shook my head. "Trust me. What I am doing here will most likely save us in the future."
She stayed silent after that, her thoughts moving with speed that almost looked like it was about to produce smoke out of her ears, absentmindedly watching me as I focused on the seal. Using my newfound understanding of layered seals, the advanced formations in Master Shuzo's scrolls began to make more sense. The more I studied it, the more the genius behind it revealed itself. I also saw the clear flows, and the malfunctioning sections of the One Tail's seal that allowed its emotions and negative chakra to influence the host in a way that created instability over time. Carefully, I began mapping possible augmentations, integrating Konoha's far more advanced seal formations and concepts to reinforce emotional regulation and chakra filtering. It was a ridiculous task, bordering on insanity. Fixing an ancient malfunctioning seal with knowledge from people far greater than me should have been impossible, but I love a challenge.