"Phew…"
Ruo Feng exhaled slowly, staring at the crystal before him. The scarlet in his eyes gradually faded, returning to their original black.
He shook his head.
"I can control them… but only three times."
His voice was calm, yet there was unmistakable relief in it.
His father had left him something dangerous — but undeniably valuable.
Originally, the three ocular techniques sealed within his eyes were meant to activate automatically upon seeing a three-tomoe Sharingan. Yet today, when he encountered a one-tomoe Sharingan from Uchiha Fugaku, the seal had already stirred, nearly unleashing itself.
Fortunately, nothing happened.
And now, Ruo Feng had taken control of them.
Perhaps his father's mastery over the Sharingan had been incomplete. With his death, the control he had placed over those sealed techniques had weakened. Now, the three ocular techniques were like sealed scrolls stored inside Ruo Feng's eyes — scrolls containing Mangekyō-level attacks that he could consciously release.
He looked into the crystal again at his now normal black pupils.
"Annoying… but three Mangekyō techniques for free? That's three ultimate killing moves."
He understood very clearly.
Those were three life-saving trump cards.
After steadying himself, he glanced around the vast hall. Not a single dog was present.
"Forget it. I'll come back tonight."
With that thought, he reversed the Summoning Jutsu and vanished from Beast King Mountain.
⸻
"Bang!"
A puff of white smoke filled the empty dance classroom as Ruo Feng reappeared.
"I'm back. Good thing nothing blew up."
He dusted off his clothes and headed back toward his classroom.
When he stepped inside, he found it strangely quiet.
"Where is everyone?"
Only Uchiha Mikoto and Uzumaki Kushina remained.
Kushina quickly walked over, studying him carefully before nodding.
"Looks fine now. Guess you really just needed sleep."
Ruo Feng smiled awkwardly. She had completely believed his excuse.
Mikoto still looked at him with faint suspicion but explained, "It's outdoor training period. Everyone else went outside. We stayed to wait for you."
"I'm fine," Ruo Feng replied gently. "No need to worry. Since it's outdoor class, let's go enjoy it too."
The three of them walked out together.
But the moment they stepped out of the teaching building, they ran straight into a dust-covered Senju Nawaki.
Nawaki was covered in dirt and minor injuries, yet he was grinning proudly.
"Brother! What a pity you came out late. You missed the show — I just beat the hell out of Fugaku!"
His tone was unbearably smug.
Ruo Feng chuckled. "You beat him up? Impressive. But if Sister Tsunade finds out, you're dead."
After spending the past few days around Nawaki, Ruo Feng had learned quite a bit about Tsunade. She strongly opposed Nawaki being violent and constantly lectured him about being polite and refined — a proper young gentleman.
The irony almost made him laugh every time.
Tsunade, of all people, preaching elegance.
Thinking of her, Ruo Feng's eyes flickered with resentment.
She still hadn't returned his Kirin Blood Wood.
⸻
While Ruo Feng was thinking about Tsunade—
Tsunade herself was thinking about him.
Deep within a silent cave, Tsunade suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, despair flashing across her face.
"It's useless… Ōnoki is too strong. We're no match for him!"
Jiraiya leaned against the wall, breathing heavily, his body covered in wounds.
"Ōnoki has already left, but we're badly injured. How are we supposed to escape?"
Orochimaru shook his head calmly, though his pale face betrayed exhaustion.
"Difficult. We infiltrated deep into the Land of Earth. To escape, we must break through layers of Iwa pursuit forces. If we were at full strength, perhaps… but Tsunade's condition…"
His words trailed off.
Tsunade's abdomen had been pierced clean through. Blood continued to flow.
If not for the vitality of the Senju lineage, she would already be dead.
She forced a faint smile.
"You two should leave. While I can still move, I'll hold them off. Take the intel back to the village."
Orochimaru's expression remained cold, but there was unmistakable reluctance in his eyes. At this point in time, he had not yet severed himself from emotion.
Jiraiya's eyes turned red.
"No. We live together — or we die together."
Just then, the cave trembled violently.
Explosions roared outside as massive rocks crashed against the entrance.
Orochimaru's small snake scout returned to his sleeve.
"We're surrounded. Around three hundred Iwa ninja. Mostly chūnin. Three jōnin. In our current state, breaking through is nearly impossible. Especially with Tsunade injured."
Tsunade's gaze dimmed.
"Perhaps this is really the end… If you make it back, take care of my little brother."
She had already prepared herself for death.
But Jiraiya suddenly said, "Tsunade… try it. Try that medicine Ruo Feng gave you. If it works, we might survive."
Orochimaru frowned.
"That kid's medicine? Her abdomen has been pierced. No matter how potent it is—"
Tsunade let out a weak laugh.
"Let's try it. That brat treasures this thing like his life. Said I'd owe him forever if I used it."
Her eyes gleamed faintly.
"If we survive… then I'll just owe him a lifetime."
She reached into her pack, took out the Kirin Blood Wood, and swallowed it slowly.
To Read advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon
patreon.com/Verse_domain