After completing the deal with Sara, Hikaru considered one part of his Loulan plan officially done.
With the Queen's cooperation, he no longer had to worry about burning through supplies too quickly during this period.
And with Sara watching the Dragon Vein for him, Hikaru could spend more time on what actually mattered—
especially the thing he'd promised her:
treating her illness.
Medical ninjutsu, however, was a blind spot for him.
Even though his physique allowed him to recover quickly after injuries, he'd never received formal medical training, and he'd barely studied that field at all.
But Hikaru had dared to make that promise for a reason.
He had an idea—more accurately, a targeted experiment with huge potential value.
His Senju secret art allowed him to extract a tree's essence and life force, condensing it into seeds.
So he wondered:
If he extracted that life force without forming a seed—using it purely as raw vitality—
could he use it like medical ninjutsu?
Could he directly inject that life force into another person's body to heal them?
He'd actually had that idea for a long time, and it wasn't the only one.
For example:
Could he give the fruits he grew—but didn't need—to other people?
And if they ate them, how could he ensure they wouldn't become a threat?
If the fruit contained his chakra, could he use that chakra to restrain them later?
Those were all things he'd considered.
But before he had other methods, that was the best direction he could think of.
Still, giving fruits to others was only a fantasy for now.
He couldn't even run that experiment.
The reason was simple:
His own chakra was already tight. How could he waste it growing "spare" fruits just to hand out?
But extracting life force and testing it?
That was something he could do.
The cost was low.
"And if I succeed…" Hikaru thought, "then I'll be holding another trump card."
A power like that—whether used to save others or save himself—was priceless.
His natural recovery was strong, sure.
But compared to directly pouring life into someone?
It didn't even come close.
And now he had the perfect test subject available.
If he didn't take the opportunity, he'd be a fool.
So in the days that followed, Hikaru's life settled into a strict rhythm.
Sara, to her credit, understood reality.
And because Hikaru's promises gave her hope, she did her part:
Every day, she carefully monitored the Dragon Vein's fluctuations, then sent word to him by messenger hawk.
That meant Hikaru didn't need to keep his eyes on Loulan at all times.
He could focus on the two trees, and on his experiments with life force extraction.
Unfortunately…
That meant the animals in the oasis suffered.
Before using anything on a human, he needed animal trials.
He wasn't insane enough to start grabbing random people for experimentation.
(If they were enemies, he wouldn't feel that way—but he was hiding too well. No enemies showed up in the area.)
"Sometimes running too cleanly… isn't actually a good thing," he mocked himself.
And the results?
Honestly, they weren't good.
He could extract a tree's life force without forming a seed.
And he could control that power and pour it into injured animals.
But the problem was—
he couldn't control it precisely.
And inside the life force he extracted, there seemed to be something else mixed in.
Something… wrong.
The result was horrifying.
Any animal injected with that power—
almost none survived a day.
They started to sprout.
Yes.
Sprout.
Even Hikaru was shaken by what he saw.
And because he could understand animals, their agonized screams made his blood run cold.
At first, they'd even looked like they were enjoying it.
Two days later, those animals turned into solid wood.
"Fully wooden…" Hikaru muttered, staring at the remains. "Can't even eat them."
For a moment, he wondered if he'd somehow extracted natural energy.
Or if trees contained some uncertain yet incredibly pure "Senju Hashirama-like" force.
He didn't know.
He tried to analyze the extracted life force—
but failed.
He could sense something inside it that wasn't suitable for living bodies, yet he couldn't separate it out.
"At least… not right now."
Hikaru sighed.
A full week passed, and he still couldn't find a solution.
He had a feeling this was tied to his bloodline development.
Maybe his "beginner" level could only extract life force—
but couldn't "return" it safely.
If that was true, then he'd have to break his promise.
Because if he used that power on Sara, he was certain her fate wouldn't be much better than the animals'.
That wasn't what he wanted.
It left him frustrated beyond words.
"Is there really no way?"
He wrestled with the question for an entire day.
And after watching a wild boar turn into a wooden husk…
he finally accepted it.
He probably couldn't solve it.
That realization made him miserable.
He still considered himself a man with a moral bottom line—
even if that bottom line was… flexible.
But once promises and interests were involved, he still tried to keep his word—
unless he never intended to fulfill it from the start.
Now he was stuck.
Two weeks in the oasis, and no solution.
And according to Sara, the Dragon Vein was growing more active by the day.
Soon, he would be able to siphon the portion he wanted.
Time was tightening.
"Looks like the captain is in real trouble."
On the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Wind, Kakashi wandered through the city disguised as an ordinary traveler—wearing a black wig and no longer covering his face.
After separating from Hikaru, he'd brought Pakura here.
But this time, he hadn't fully followed orders.
He hadn't returned straight to Konoha.
Instead, he chose this crossroads—where people moving between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers were forced to pass.
He waited for Hikaru.
After what happened to Obito and Rin, Kakashi couldn't bear the thought of losing someone he acknowledged—and who acknowledged him—in the same way.
He wanted to go support Hikaru.
But he forced himself to restrain that impulse.
Hikaru had Flying Thunder God.
His solo escape ability was far better without Kakashi weighing him down.
And they'd captured a Suna kekkei genkai ninja—an enormous prize Hikaru would never abandon.
So Kakashi stayed put.
He didn't dare move recklessly.
This city's geography made it a perfect place to hear news from the Land of Wind.
That was why Kakashi stayed.
But the news he heard was never good.
Sunagakure was clearly hunting someone—and the intensity was extreme.
Even the border garrison units were mobilizing.
Kakashi didn't need to guess:
It was aimed at his captain.
And as he kept digging, he heard rumors that were unbelievable—yet strangely plausible.
Hikaru had faced Ebizō and, in a single clash, killed at least six of his subordinates.
Then, during the escape, he wiped out more than five squads?
And afterward, Suna personnel kept getting ambushed—one after another—sent straight to the Pure Land.
Kakashi couldn't tell how much was true.
Most of it was rumor.
But he remembered something Hikaru once said in casual conversation:
Only the rumors the Hokage's office refuses to deny… are worth believing.
Kakashi used to think it was a joke.
Now, he wasn't so sure.
These rumors had spread everywhere—yet Sunagakure still hadn't publicly refuted them.
Was that because it was true?
Or because Suna wanted to wait until they caught Hikaru… and then shape the narrative?
Kakashi sighed and returned to his rented room.
He greeted the neighbors politely, then went inside.
Looking at Pakura—still unconscious, tightly bound and unable to move—Kakashi's expression fell, and he let out another helpless breath.
If not for this man…
Kakashi would've already gone back into the Land of Wind to help his captain shoulder the pressure.
"Alright. You've passed inspection."
On the other side of the city, a Suna garrison shinobi stamped a permit and waved a group of "merchants" forward.
The border was under full lockdown now—crossing freely wasn't easy.
But their travel records were clean.
And the documents carried signatures from high-ranking Suna personnel, which reassured the garrison shinobi further.
"Thank you, sir," one merchant said with a smile. Then he hesitated. "But… why is the inspection so strict? Is it because of those rumors—"
"Rumors are just rumors." The garrison shinobi shot him a look, then shook his head. "This has nothing to do with you. Do your business. Don't ask questions. Understood?"
"Yes, yes, sir!" The merchant immediately looked panicked. "Understood!"
"Move." The garrison shinobi waved them off impatiently.
The merchant caravan cleared the checkpoint and officially entered the Land of Wind.
The "panicked" merchant kept his expression for a while.
But once they had walked far enough—
his face smoothed out completely, as if the earlier fear had never existed.
He glanced back at the checkpoint, and at the patrol squads faintly visible in the distance.
His brow furrowed.
"Director… it looks like the trouble Nightingale drew is bigger than we thought," he said quietly. "With security this strict, they clearly don't want him escaping—and they don't want outsiders entering to help him either."
"That has nothing to do with us," Murashima Takumi said, lowering the cloth that covered his face. His tone was cold and flat. "We have our mission. Nightingale has his mission. Understood?"
The checkpoint shinobi would never have imagined—
that among the "merchants" he had just inspected…
was the head of Konoha's ANBU.
Murashima Takumi remained calm, as if stepping into the Land of Wind stirred no emotion at all.
This operation came directly from the Third Hokage himself.
Hikaru had caused this much chaos inside the Land of Wind.
If Konoha didn't exploit it, that would be a waste.
But only Murashima Takumi knew the full details of the task.
Most of the accompanying shinobi didn't.
"Director… our mission is—"
"To help Nightingale leave," Murashima Takumi answered evenly. "But we help from the side."
His gaze sharpened.
"My target is Ebizō."
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