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"So little energy?"

Inside the cave, Hyuga Qinglan frowned slightly.

The puppet had indeed been successfully activated.

However, the sensation it gave him was completely different from what he had experienced on the moon.

Logically, the reaction shouldn't have been this weak.

With a flicker of thought, he focused his entire consciousness onto the puppet.

It was a very strange sensation.

It felt as if a portion of his consciousness had been split off and cast directly into another body.

If he had to describe it, it was more like controlling a second body that was perfectly synchronized with his own.

As his attention shifted completely to the puppet, its movements became much more agile, and the previously stiff operation quickly smoothed out.

"Hiss..."

Without any warning, a sharp, stabbing pain suddenly exploded from the depths of his eyes!

Hyuga Qinglan's expression changed drastically; he instinctively raised his hands to cover his eyes and gasped in pain.

Cold sweat soaked his back in an instant.

The stinging pain came too suddenly, as if some force was being forcibly poured into his eyes along some invisible connection.

"This feeling..."

He endured the intense pain, barely managing to maintain control over the puppet, and looked at himself through the puppet's vision.

Deep within his flawless Byakugan, tiny veins were emerging, attempting to rewrite it from the very depths.

That vast, boundless pure white was even faintly beginning to shift toward a certain deep blue.

"So that's how it is..."

"Is it transmitting power to me by utilizing the connection between the puppet and the Tenseigan?"

If one were to view this puppet as a vehicle, then the power coming from the giant Tenseigan on the moon was the fuel.

And the Otsutsuki chakra within his body was like the ignition key.

It was precisely because of the existence of this puppet that a brief, extremely faint, yet real connection had been established between him and the giant Tenseigan on the moon.

And that moment of resonance just now had allowed that power to surge forcibly into his eyes along that connection.

The conditions—Hyuga Clan bloodline plus Otsutsuki chakra, plus the Tenseigan—had already been met.

But the pain came quickly and left just as fast.

Before long, the stinging sensation that had felt like it would tear his eyeballs apart receded like a tide.

Hyuga Qinglan blinked gently, looking somewhat dazed.

The signs of what felt like an impending transformation also fell completely silent as the power was cut off.

"Is it that my Byakugan... is not pure enough?"

He muttered to himself.

Afterward, he tried to control the puppet again, hoping to trigger the resonance once more through that connection.

But no matter how he tried, he could no longer find that feeling from before.

It was as if a highway that had been briefly opened had completely shut down after completing a single delivery.

"As expected, the problem still lies with the Byakugan..."

"But since the key has been turned, the rest shouldn't be difficult."

Hyuga Qinglan slowly stood up, raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his temples, and looked at the puppet standing quietly before him with a complex gaze tinged with a hint of nostalgia.

"Let's call you... Qing."

Hyuga Qinglan raised his hand and gently brushed across that face, which was so familiar it made him feel dazed.

"Death is not the end of life; being forgotten is..."

His voice was very soft, as if whispering to the puppet, or perhaps bidding farewell to his past self.

After a moment of silence, he withdrew his hand.

"But for now, stay here..."

Taking one last look at Qing, with whom he had re-established a connection, he slowly closed the stone wall, sealing everything within the cave.

Outside the cave, the sky remained clear for ten thousand miles.

The wind was light, and the light was bright.

And from the largest house in the center of the village, the faint sound of hushed voices and irrepressible excitement could still be heard.

Hyuga Qinglan raised his eyes and glanced in that direction.

The sense of discomfort that had bothered him earlier had long since faded away.

He remained silent for a moment, ultimately deciding not to dwell on it further.

It was time to return.

"Santian, are we really not going to give them anything to eat?"

"It's been a whole day."

Inside the room of a luxury inn, Akimichi Timon sat cross-legged on the floor, clutching a large bag of potato chips and munching away with a loud "crunch, crunch."

He looked up while chewing, glancing toward the iron cage at the far end of the room.

Inside the cage, Demayi sat on the left, dazed and foolish, while Shaziyi was bound tightly on the right.

"Timon, are you alright?"

Yamanaka Santian glanced back at him, his face full of disbelief.

He pointed at Shaziyi: "This woman slashed you several times. It's one thing that you don't hate her, but now you're actually starting to pity her?"

"I don't really feel much of anything."

Timon shook his head, continuing to munch on his chips with a "crunch, crunch," his tone surprisingly earnest.

"I just think that perhaps we should treat our prisoners a little better."

"Look at that guy... he's already been turned into a fool by you."

"..."

Yamanaka Santian's smile stiffened, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

What did he mean, he turned the guy into a fool?

It was clearly because the opponent's mental fortitude was too weak to withstand his secret technique, alright?!

"Ahem, enough fooling around. Timon, keep a close eye on this woman." He regained his serious expression and lowered his voice: "According to Dekai's memories, she is a squad leader and must know a lot of intelligence."

"Lu Yan will return to the capital with His Highness, and by then, we will escort her to the Torture and Interrogation Force along with Captain Qinglan..."

Speaking of this, Yamanaka Santian's mouth curled up bit by bit, revealing a standard villainous chuckle.

"Heh heh heh..."

A moment later, he regained his composure and left the room humming an off-key tune, leaving Timon alone to keep watch.

Timon lowered his head and grabbed another handful of chips to stuff into his mouth, but his gaze drifted involuntarily toward Shaziyi.

At this moment, Shaziyi's heart was already filled with despair.

The mission had failed, intelligence had been leaked, and her companions were either foolish or dead.

And she, a dignified Cloud Village jonin, had actually been captured alive by the Konoha Ino-Shika-Cho squad, tied up like cargo, unable to even resist.

If she could, she would rather die immediately.

Unfortunately, that was just a thought.

Shaziyi twisted her body slightly, trying to make her current uncomfortable position a little more bearable.

Just then, she suddenly noticed a gaze landing on her.

Looking up, she saw Akimichi Timon staring straight at the curves of her body outlined by the ropes while he chewed.

Shaziyi: "..."

This fat pig...

Could it be that he... has crooked thoughts?

The expression on her face shifted several times.

If that were truly the case...

Perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope.

She wasn't incapable of using a honey trap.

Although the target was a fat man, and an absurdly fat one at that, there was nothing left to be picky about at this point.

Thinking of this, Shaziyi gritted her teeth hard, suppressed her shame, and quickly formulated a battle plan in her mind.

The next second, she lifted her chin slightly, her eyes softening.

Those naturally alluring eyes curved slightly, casting a glance at Akimichi Timon that was part charming, part fragile, and part coy.

If it were any normal man, even if he didn't fall for it, he would at least be stunned for a moment.

As it turned out, Timon was indeed stunned for a moment.

Akimichi Timon blinked and stopped eating his chips.

"Do you want to talk?"

Shaziyi nodded quickly.

"Do you want something to eat?"

Shaziyi hesitated for a moment, then nodded vigorously again.

"No."

"?"