"Her?"
Temari looked at Uchiha Hikari—who had suddenly deactivated her Sharingan and switched from 'crazy' to 'gentle flower' in a literal second—then turned to Makoto with a look of pure confusion.
Although a lifetime of trauma had been unpacked in the Tsukuyomi Space, only an instant had passed in the real world.
To Temari and Gaara, it looked like Hikari had glitched out, flipping a switch from "I will burn this world" to "I am at peace" faster than a mood-swinging teenager.
It was giving split personality disorder.
"Yeah, we talked it out in the Tsukuyomi genjutsu. She's our friend now," Makoto nodded, looking pleased with himself.
"She is dedicated to building a world where people like her and Gaara won't become weapons who lose their names and emotions."
"That's... great..." Gaara smiled in relief.
Besides Naruto, he had gained another companion... well, maybe not quite a companion yet, but definitely a fellow trauma-buddy.
"And incidentally," Makoto added casually, "we'll gonna beat up those overly intimate male couples to prevent them from corrupting the Shinobi World's morals."
"..."
Gaara's smile froze on his face.
'Wait.'
He wondered... did his relationship with Naruto count as "overly intimate" in Makoto's book?
They were just close friends!
Sure, Naruto was his only close friend, and sure, Gaara thought about him constantly... but he wasn't Naruto's only friend!
Thinking of this, Gaara felt a sudden wave of insecurity.
Was he the side-friend?
"What does that expression mean?" Hikari narrowed her eyes at Gaara. "Don't tell me you... you're also in a three-person team with two boys and one girl?"
She changed her wording halfway through to be tactful, but the disgust was palpable.
"Huh? Yes," Gaara snapped out of his internal crisis, confused why the team composition mattered.
"Ew. Gross."
Uchiha Hikari took two deliberate steps back, putting physical distance between herself and Gaara as if he were a pile of shit.
She huddled closer to Makoto.
"?"
Gaara was baffled.
Was his newly-made friend, who supposedly shared his suffering, already loook down on him?
In the past, he would have crushed her with a Sand Coffin for her disrespect, but now he was just hurt.
"Relax. Gaara's three-person team consists of his brother Kankuro and his sister Temari, who is standing right here," Makoto explained, gesturing to the blonde.
"Oh." Hikari nodded, looking somewhat embarrassed. "My bad."
"But you're not wrong to be suspicious of him," Makoto whispered loudly. "He does share a deep bond with a Konoha ninja... a blond boy who could be considered the spiritual reincarnation of Hashirama Senju."
"..."
Hikari was just about to apologize to Gaara, but upon hearing the words "Reincarnation of Hashirama," she instantly swallowed her apology and looked at Gaara with renewed judgment.
"?"
Gaara grew even more puzzled.
He did share a deep bond with Naruto, but why was she looking at him like he was a trash? Did she have a beef with Konoha? Or Naruto specifically?
After wrestling with the thought, Gaara decided to let it go.
If she hated Naruto, she could stay over there; there was absolutely no way he would abandon his bond with Naruto for a new friend, even if she had cool eyes.
After successfully recruiting the former Legendary Pokémon "Uchiha Hikari," Makoto and his party set off once again.
Their destination: The Dragon Vein, buried deep within the ancient ruins of Rouran.
...
As the only strategist who had successfully persuaded an Uchiha, Makoto understood perfectly well that Hikari's simple agreement to help carried a heavy price tag.
As a human weapon from the Warring States period, Hikari was undoubtedly aware that the Mangekyo Sharingan would gradually deteriorate with each use, eventually leading to permanent blindness.
Even if no one told her, years of being used as a weapon would have made the side effects obvious.
Her casual promise to help was basically a pledge to go blind for the cause.
As the saying goes: With an Uchiha, don't listen to what they say—watch their eyes.
For Makoto, however, this wasn't an issue.
He decided to address the elephant in the room.
"You... you know about the blindness?" Hikari asked, surprised he brought it up.
"Of course I do. That toxic ex-boyfriend I told you about—Uchiha Madara? He transplanted his younger brother's eyes to unlock the 'Eternal Mangekyo' and cure the blindness."
"But I don't have any siblings..." Hikari looked down, her expression tragic.
"I know."
A faint, knowing smile touched Makoto's lips.
"Actually, there's a very simple method right now that would allow you to use your Mangekyo abilities freely without worrying about blindness. We just need to transplant some Hashirama Senju cells into you."
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!"
Hikari had been listening intently, but upon hearing the proposed cure, she recoiled like a cat that had been dunked in a bathtub.
Makoto turned to look at her.
Hikari was clenching her fists, practically hissing at him!
"I'd rather go blind! I'd rather die! I am not putting his meat inside my body!"
The most despised Senju clan? Plus that detestable Hashirama? Asking her to transplant his cells was a fate worse than death.
"Alright, alright, calm down. Then don't recklessly waste your Eye Power, just leave the small fry to us..."
As Makoto spoke, his gaze shifted to Temari.
Temari had been side-eyeing him ever since Hikari's sudden scream of "Absolutely not!".
She was definitely wondering if Makoto had suggested something perverted again.
"Earlier, when you used your ability on me, it granted me a little power-up. If we encounter enemies later, it'll be the perfect opportunity to test it out."
"Huh?" Hikari tilted her head.
....
The Ruins of Roulan.
The group continued through the dunes.
The Dragon Vein was buried beneath shifting sands, relatively well-hidden from the average traveler.
But with Makoto's foreknowledge, the four of them eventually reached the site.
However, the ruins of Roulan were unexpectedly crowded.
"That's the Daimyo! And his Guardian Ninjas... the rest look like hired rogue mercenaries. Why are there so many people?"
Temari immediately recognized the figure sitting in an ornate chair on the perimeter, shaded by two ninjas holding a parasol while he sipped a cold drink.
"Oh, no wonder the Wind Country Daimyo keeps cutting your village funding—he's blowing the budget on a desert vacation."
Unlike Temari, Makoto focused on the man bowing before the Daimyo.
It was Mukade.
The villain from The Lost Tower movie.
But instead of activating the Dragon Vein to travel back in time, he had summoned the Daimyo here.
What was he planning?
"See that suck-up? My guess is he wants to use the Dragon Vein's massive Chakra to build a puppet army, intending to gain the Daimyo's support to completely abolish your Village and replace it with his own forces."
Makoto offered his speculation.
As for why Mukade didn't activate the Dragon Vein for time travel - it was likely time travel was no longer possible.
"Damn it, they've spotted us!" Temari cursed.
The desert offers zero cover; if you can see them, they can definitely see you.
Ninjas in the distance were already turning their heads, weapons drawn.
"I'll handle this." Gaara stepped forward, his expression cold as the sand around him began to swirl and hiss.
"Hold on."
Makoto placed a hand on Gaara's shoulder, stopping him.
"Have you truly made your decision? Are you ready to take control of the Wind Country by physically eliminating the Daimyo and becoming the Kazekage?"
Makoto's heavy question hung in the dry air, making Gaara's sand hesitate mid-strike.
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