The conversation between the two continued late into the night. They talked about many experiences they had shared in the past, and before they realized it, time had quietly slipped away.
Early the next morning, the sun slowly rose.
Asuka slowly opened his eyes, and a head of long black hair came into view.
At some point, Minazuki Murasaki had leaned into his arms and fallen fast asleep. Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, Asuka couldn't bear to wake her. He shifted slightly to make her position more comfortable.
After a while, Minazuki Murasaki slowly opened her eyes in Asuka's arms. She looked around in confusion, and when she realized she was lying against him, she jumped up instantly like a startled rabbit.
Her face flushed bright red as she stammered, "Asu… Lord Asuka, I… how could I…"
Asuka smiled at her. Just as he was about to say something, the breakfast whistle sounded throughout the camp.
Hearing the whistle, Asuka swallowed the words he had been about to say and instead said, "Breakfast is ready. Let's go eat first."
After speaking, he stood up and walked back toward the camp.
---
When they returned, the members of the Fourth Squad were already awake and lining up for breakfast.
Seeing Asuka return, the always bold Hōzuki Mangetsu immediately began teasing him.
"Yo, Boss Asuka! Why are you only getting back now? You weren't in camp all night. What were you up to?"
Ignoring Mangetsu's antics, Asuka asked the rest of the squad, "How did everyone sleep last night?"
"Way better than sleeping out in the wild. I haven't rested this comfortably in ages."
"Yeah, it feels great to sleep in an actual bed."
"If I wasn't so hungry, I'd want to sleep another whole day," someone laughed.
The group responded one after another. After a full night's rest, everyone's spirits had clearly improved.
After hearing their replies, Asuka smiled.
"It seems everyone rested well. I have some good news—over the next few days, you won't need to participate in patrol missions. Take this time to recover properly."
His words immediately triggered cheers from the group.
---
After breakfast, Asuka went to an open area to begin his daily training.
He examined the condition of his body and discovered several gray spots on his spine. These were the results of his years of cultivation.
Asuka had long suspected that the Kaguya Clan might actually be descendants of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
This theory could be inferred from Ōtsutsuki Kaguya herself. During the final battle of the Fourth Shinobi War, when Naruto and Sasuke fought against her, her All-Killing Ash Bones technique caused them enormous trouble.
Although that technique was more likely a manifestation of Kekkei Mōra, Asuka still speculated that the ultimate form of the Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku might produce a similar effect.
A power capable of killing with a single touch was something Asuka found extremely tempting.
However, no ninja in the history of the Kaguya Clan had ever reached that level.
Asuka believed this might be related to the Kaguya Clan's kekkei disease. Among those who awakened the Shikotsumyaku, the more talented they were, the more likely they were to suffer from the illness.
This might be because their extraordinary talent caused their bloodline to undergo atavism, drawing them closer to their ancestral origins.
But while their bloodline advanced, their physical bodies could not keep up with the change. As a result, these geniuses would contract the kekkei disease and die shortly after displaying their incredible talent.
To verify this theory, Asuka constantly explored the potential of his Shikotsumyaku.
Eventually, as he expected, his bloodline began to change.
Compared to ordinary members of the Kaguya Clan, his bones had become significantly harder and regenerated faster.
Most importantly, several gray spots had appeared on his spine.
This discovery excited him greatly, and he intensified his efforts to develop the Shikotsumyaku.
However, despite pouring large amounts of chakra into the process, the gray spots showed no signs of growing.
Through repeated experimentation, Asuka gradually realized that these gray spots represented the limit of the Shikotsumyaku.
No matter how much effort he put in, the progress would not increase.
After examining himself again and confirming that the gray spots had not increased, Asuka rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"It seems this really is the limit of the Shikotsumyaku…"
"No matter how hard I try, the progress won't increase."
"But studying Shikotsumyaku reminds me of something."
"When the Sage Body of the Senju and the Sage Eyes of the Uchiha are combined, they undergo a major evolution…"
"So if the Kaguya Clan's 'Sage Bones' were combined with Sage Eyes… would they also evolve?"
In Asuka's memory, there was a Byakugan from the Hyuga Clan currently inside the Hidden Mist Village.
It belonged to the jōnin Ao.
Right now, both of Ao's eyes were still normal. It seemed he would only obtain that Byakugan later during the Third Shinobi War.
"It seems I'll need to pay more attention to Ao… and find a way to intercept that Byakugan."
After checking the progress of his Shikotsumyaku, Asuka refined more chakra and injected it into a newly selected gene group.
---
While Asuka was training, Mei Terumī approached Minazuki Murasaki in the camp.
"Murasaki-senpai, how is your recovery?" Mei asked with a bright smile.
"Thank you for your concern, Miss Terumī. I've mostly recovered," Murasaki replied politely.
"That's good. Thanks to you in this battle, our losses weren't even worse."
"I only did what I should have done."
"Please don't say that. Both Asuka-kun and I are very grateful to you."
When Mei mentioned Asuka, Minazuki Murasaki narrowed her eyes slightly.
"It sounds like Captain Asuka and Miss Terumī are very close."
"Of course," Mei said with a soft laugh. "Asuka-kun and I grew up together. You could say we're childhood friends."
Several members of the Fourth Squad who were secretly listening immediately gasped.
Hōzuki Mangetsu even exaggeratedly covered his mouth in shock.
As teammates, they had long noticed Minazuki Murasaki's feelings toward their captain. Even though she had never said anything openly, it was obvious from her behavior.
Now that a childhood friend of Captain Asuka had suddenly appeared, the tension between the two women was obvious.
The atmosphere gradually became strange.
It almost felt as if dark smoke were rising behind them while sparks flew from their eyes.
None of the onlookers even dared to breathe loudly.
"Is that so?" Murasaki said softly. "Now that you mention it, I think Captain Asuka has mentioned you before. Every time we go on missions, he often shares his experiences with me."
"Oh?" Mei tilted her head. "Asuka-kun always shares his experiences with you?"
"Yes. After all, we often face life-and-death situations together. It helps us understand each other better and coordinate our teamwork."
The two women continued speaking with gentle smiles, but their words clashed like invisible blades.
The spectators were terrified.
Since when did Captain Asuka share his experiences with anyone? they wondered.
But at the same time, they couldn't help enjoying the drama.
---
When Asuka finished his training and returned to camp, he saw a strange scene.
Minazuki Murasaki and Mei Terumī were chatting with bright smiles on their faces.
Meanwhile, the members of the Fourth Squad were scattered around them, all wearing extremely serious expressions.
The atmosphere was incredibly eerie.
Asuka walked over and said casually,
"What's going on here? A tea party? Mind if I join?"
The moment he approached, the tense atmosphere between the two women instantly disappeared.
They both answered at the same time.
"Nothing. We were just chatting! Right, everyone?"
As they spoke, both women turned their heads toward the members of the Fourth Squad, who had somehow gathered together.
Under those two terrifying gazes, the squad members felt as if icy killing intent had locked onto them.
They hurriedly spoke up.
"That's right! Just chatting!"
"Yeah, yeah—just idle conversation!"
"Exactly! We were just discussing what to have for dinner!"
Watching the strange group, Asuka shook his head helplessly and returned to his tent to rest.