Nao lay quietly on Kyusei's back, clearly satisfied with his answer.
She would wait three years. In three years, he would come of age and go to the Hyuga clan to formally propose.
By then, she would already be twenty-five. But if a woman three years older was like holding a gold brick… then five years older—
That would be one and a half bricks~~
By now, the two had already passed through the Earth–Moon passage and returned to Earth, heading straight back to Konoha.
With Hamura's help, Nao was currently in a critical stage of awakening the Tenseigan. Kyusei didn't dare be careless in the slightest.
Instead of sending her back to the Hyuga clan, he brought her directly home. In his eyes, nowhere was safer than by his side.
Seeing the lights still on inside the house, Kyusei gently set Nao down. Holding her hand, he guided her forward.
He opened the door.
Warm light greeted them.
The moment they stepped inside, a figure appeared.
"Kyusei, you're back~"
"And Nao-nee too~"
The blonde girl smiled, her expression calm and unchanged.
"Kaoru, long time no see~~"
Nao smiled as she greeted her, though her blindness made her slightly unsure of direction.
"Huh?"
"Nao-nee… your eyes…"
Kaoru froze slightly at the sight of Nao's closed eyes.
"Ah, this…"
As Nao explained, everything that had happened over the past few days unfolded in detail.
From noticing the secrets of the Caged Bird Seal four years ago, to the events involving Otsutsuki Hamura, to the sealed Otsutsuki Kaguya on the moon—she held nothing back.
Listening quietly, Kaoru showed a look of understanding. Some of this, Kyusei had already told her before.
But she hadn't expected that there were beings on the moon sharing the same origin as the Hyuga clan.
Holding Nao's hand, Kaoru guided her to the sofa. With her sharp intuition, she immediately grasped how important Nao now was.
Kaguya was still a distant threat.
But Akatsuki was imminent.
Kaoru had just begun to master the Tandem Paper Bomb technique. Once Nao fully awakened the Tenseigan, their chances of crushing Akatsuki would increase dramatically.
Add Kyusei and Menma—both Nine-Tails jinchūriki—and Uchiha Sasuke, who had always kept his strength hidden…
Unless something unexpected happened, victory was almost guaranteed.
Even against Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan—they now had Nao.
"What's Akatsuki been doing these days?" Kyusei asked.
Ever since he and Kaoru had been forced to retreat before, he had been busy strengthening her, then Tsunade's wedding, Hiruzen's funeral, and the trip to the moon. He hadn't had time to focus on this.
Kaoru frowned slightly.
"They've sealed off the Land of Wind. Our spies can't get in. Anyone who approaches gets detected immediately."
"We've already lost several people."
Although Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were currently in charge, Hiruzen's will had effectively named Kaoru as the Fourth Hokage.
If she wanted to act, she could.
Even in death, Hiruzen's influence still protected her.
"…Then stop the reconnaissance for now," Kyusei said with a sigh.
He already knew the reason.
White Zetsu.
Weak individually, but exceptional for reconnaissance—and there were countless of them.
In the original timeline, there were a hundred thousand during the Fourth War.
Even now, there had to be a large number.
The situation was simple: weak shinobi couldn't get in, and strong ones might not come back out.
And with Sakura there…
If he were Uchiha Hikaru or Nagato, and discovered that the Dragon Vein could connect to other worlds, he wouldn't ignore it.
They were likely already exploring other worlds—or parallel timelines.
"Once Nao's Tenseigan fully awakens, we move," Kyusei said.
Kaoru nodded.
Nao, however, felt the weight of it all.
Hamura's expectations.
Kyusei and Kaoru's trust.
Even in darkness, the pressure felt overwhelming.
She took a quiet breath.
Come on, Nao. Didn't you want to become stronger?
Now that you have this power, you have to bear its responsibility.
No hesitation.
No retreat.
No matter who stands in your way—
Crush them.
As she was steeling herself, a hand suddenly grasped hers.
Kyusei looked at her calmly.
"Don't burden yourself too much. Even if things go wrong, you still have me and Kaoru."
"Aren't we family?"
Kaoru's face flushed slightly.
Even though she had accepted Nao, hearing him say it so openly still made her a little shy.
Nao smiled faintly, feeling the warmth in both hands.
She wasn't alone.
—
As time passed, night fell.
Kaoru stood up, preparing to leave.
Kyusei moved as well—
But a slender finger pressed against his forehead.
"Nao-nee can't see right now. You should stay and take care of her," Kaoru said matter-of-factly.
Kyusei blinked, unsure what she meant.
Kaoru pouted.
"Idiot."
They were family.
Why would she be petty?
Right now, Nao needed him more.
With a soft snort, she vanished.
After tidying up and helping Nao wash, Kyusei planned to let her rest in the bedroom while he took the sofa.
The guest room was occupied by Menma, and Kaoru's house had Kushina. There was nowhere else.
Just as he turned to leave—
Nao grabbed his wrist.
"…Are you going to sleep on the sofa?"
Her face turned slightly red.
"Actually… sleeping together… I… wouldn't mind…"
Her voice faded into a whisper.
Kyusei didn't hesitate.
He turned back, shut the door, and stared at her with burning eyes.
He wasn't a saint.
And Nao—was someone Kaoru had accepted.
"What… what are you doing…"
"I just…"
Before she could finish, he pushed her onto the bed.
Nao turned her head away, face burning.
"…Not now…"
"We have to… wait until marriage…"
Kyusei wasn't surprised.
Nao wasn't naive. She could choose him, even give him her affection—but as the heir of a major clan, some rules were ingrained in her.
Kyusei respected that.
But sharing a bed?
He wasn't about to act like a saint.
He leaned closer, his breath brushing her skin.
Nao's heart raced.
Did she make a mistake?
Maybe…
Maybe she should just give herself to him?
Their lips met in the darkness.
She responded instinctively, torn between stopping and continuing.
Her vision was gone.
All she could do was surrender.
Kyusei tasted her sweetness, his hands wandering freely. This time, she had no strength to resist.
She felt like a small boat in a vast sea.
Completely at his mercy.
Hearing her soft breathing, seeing her vulnerable expression, Kyusei smiled slightly.
It was the first time he had seen her like this.
"D-don't…"
Her voice trembled as his hand moved higher.
But eventually, he stopped.
He had no intention of forcing her.
Feeling him pull away, Nao sat up, flushed.
Even without sight, she could imagine his teasing smile.
But at the same time—
She felt a strange sense of loss.
…He actually stopped?
Am I not attractive enough???
—
The next morning.
Kyusei sat alone in his study, sketching complex sealing arrays.
If Nao could see, she would immediately recognize the resemblance to the artificial sun on the moon.
Kyusei wasn't trying to replicate it exactly.
With Hamura's knowledge, he wanted to adapt it into a combat-ready sealing technique.
This was his path to becoming stronger.
Akatsuki was only the beginning.
There would be Isshiki. Momoshiki. Urashiki.
Maybe even something worse.
Against enemies like that, Nine-Tails Mode and Sage Mode wouldn't be enough.
Sealing techniques were essential.
But the workload was massive.
He couldn't do it alone.
Fortunately—
Menma.
Karin.
Kushina.
Kaoru.
All of them were experts.
Just as he was thinking of gathering them—
A figure entered.
"You're here?" Kyusei said.
Menma sat down across from him without ceremony.
"Who's that blind woman outside?"
"Watch your attitude," Kyusei replied calmly. "She's our future comrade."
"Try talking like that again, and she'll beat you senseless."
"She can beat me?" Menma scoffed.
"Don't joke."
Kyusei pushed the blueprint toward him.
"If you don't believe me, try later."
"Just don't cry when it happens."
Menma glanced at the diagram.
"…What is this?"
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