New Motivation

Seeing that she could not catch Black Zetsu, Senju Arashi hurried back in front of Qiancao and Wuming to block the furious Senju ninja. She stretched out her hands in a pushing gesture and said:

"Oh, oh, everyone, don't be so impatient! They are both my friends; we can discuss whatever the matter is slowly."

The Senju ninja remained incensed, pointing at Qiancao one after another:

"You naturally evil Uchiha brat, did you use genjutsu to control Lady Arashi? Release her at once!"

Qiancao had just forcibly broken through his own chakra seal to activate his Mangekyo Sharingan, which had placed a significant burden on his body.

Coupled with a group of wounded men suddenly rushing forward, the smell of medicine mixed with the stench of sweat hit him, causing Qiancao's vision to go black as he tipped to the side, saved only by Wuming, who was standing next to him.

Seeing her friend feeling unwell, the usually smiling Senju Arashi wiped away all expression and barked, "Enough!"

A terrifying aura erupted from Senju Arashi, instantly rendering the Senju ninja before her speechless.

Even Qiancao and Wuming, standing behind her, felt the weight of Senju Arashi's pressure.

"I will say this again: these two are my friends." Although the content of her words remained the same, the change in her tone left everyone too afraid to make a sound.

"My father let you follow me to protect my safety, not to hinder me from making friends!"

After finishing, Senju Arashi swept her gaze over the crowd once more, then, together with Wuming, supported the weak Qiancao on either side and headed outside for some fresh air.

The Senju ninja watched their young lady leaning against the Uchiha man, their hearts filled with agony. However, having witnessed Senju Arashi's temper before, they could only remain silent as cicadas in winter and retreat dejectedly to lie down.

The three of them walked to the other side of the sea of flowers, where the Aburame Clan had fashioned tables and chairs out of wooden stakes. Because it was far from the beehives and free from the buzzing of the jade bees, it was an excellent place to rest.

Aburame Kei brought over a few bottles of Jade Bee Jelly and placed them on the table. Senju Arashi picked up one of the bottles and personally fed it to Qiancao.

Qiancao felt a cool, sweet liquid slide down his throat, followed by a refreshing sensation that spread throughout his entire body, as comfortable as drinking an ice-cold soda in the middle of summer.

His vision, which had been blurred with double images from overusing his eyes, cleared up, and the first thing he saw were two worried, pretty faces.

"Why the long faces?" Qiancao asked with a smile. "Wasn't our plan particularly successful?"

Wuming smiled along with Qiancao, secretly reaching out her small hand to try and hold his under the table.

But the moment her hand touched his, she shyly retracted it, leaving behind only the soft sensation of her touch.

On the other side, Senju Arashi blamed herself: "It's all my fault. Why did you have to risk your body to test them? We should have just tied them up and dragged them back."

It turned out that on the way here, Qiancao had thought it over and decided to reveal all the information about Black Zetsu, specifically emphasizing that it was highly likely he had possessed one of the wounded Senju.

After discussing it, they decided that Qiancao would be the one to test them, as he had a way to distinguish Black Zetsu's true form.

What Senju Arashi hadn't expected was that Qiancao's method would involve forcibly using the power of his Mangekyo Sharingan through his seal.

Qiancao, however, said optimistically, "It's fine. Didn't we leave behind half of Black Zetsu's body? No matter how miraculous a creature is, it's hard to stir up trouble in the short term after losing half of one's body."

Touched by Qiancao's gentleness, Senju Arashi grew even fonder of him, but seeing Wuming nearby, she forcibly suppressed her inner feelings and said to Aburame Kei:

"When we return, take that half of Black Zetsu's body with you. It's the first time I've seen such a miraculous creature."

Aburame Kei nodded in acknowledgment, turned, and left the three of them alone to go deal with the remains of Black Zetsu.

Once Aburame Kei was far away, Senju Arashi said to Qiancao, "Don't expose the power of your Mangekyo Sharingan so easily in the future."

Having never received ninja training, Qiancao naturally hadn't placed much importance on the significance of intelligence, leading to this oversight.

Looking at the expressions of Wuming and Senju Arashi, Qiancao comforted them: "I trust you both, don't I? Besides, Black Zetsu has caused us so much misery; if we have a chance to catch him, we naturally have to give it our all."

What he didn't tell them was that if they truly caught Black Zetsu, it would remove a ticking time bomb from the relationship between the Uchiha and the Senju, ensuring that many fewer people would die in the future.

Senju Arashi said seriously, "Even if we don't speak of it, what if we encounter some ninjutsu that can pry into the mind and cause us to accidentally reveal your secrets?"

"Wouldn't your trust then lead us into a position of injustice?" Wuming, standing to the side, nodded in agreement.

Qiancao had no choice but to promise them that he would take intelligence seriously in the future, which finally put Senju Arashi's mind at ease.

Just then, Aburame Kei came running back, panting, and said to Senju Arashi, "Lady Arashi, the brown war hawk summoned by Lady Shiri has disappeared."

Upon hearing this, Senju Arashi couldn't help but show joy, though it eventually turned into worry for Shiri. She wondered if Lady Shiri would be discovered by her clan for having revealed this information.

Only then did Qiancao truly breathe a sigh of relief. Since his transmigration, he hadn't encountered a single good thing, constantly pushed forward by various emergencies.

If he hadn't accidentally met Wuming, he would have already had his Mangekyo Sharingan gouged out and would just be waiting to transmigrate again.

Thinking of this, Qiancao felt an unprecedented thirst for power. Relying on the yet-to-be-born Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara—heaven only knew when this chaotic era would end.

The thirst for power stimulated Qiancao's Mangekyo Sharingan. Without him even knowing it, the Seven Generation God responded to his wish, secretly and continuously improving his body with ocular power.

Because Qiancao had forcibly used his Mangekyo Sharingan, and it was unclear what impact it would have on his body, Senju Arashi decided to rest at the Aburame Clan's base for a few more days.

During this time, Aburame Kei and Aburame Den conducted a detailed examination of Qiancao and Wuming, thoroughly proving that there were no traces of poison left in their systems.

Qiancao felt as if an invisible shackle on his body had been unlocked, and even his gait felt much lighter.

Wuming felt the same way, becoming uncharacteristically frank, and spent her time wandering the sea of flowers at the Aburame base, cuddling and holding hands with Qiancao, enjoying themselves immensely.

When he wasn't with Wuming, Qiancao would follow Aburame Den to tour the entire experimental base.

In addition to the jade bees, they also kept many rare insect samples from Mount Hakkoda.

With the intention of accumulating hypnotic material for his Mangekyo Sharingan, Qiancao accepted all the knowledge the Aburame Clan had to offer regarding insects, which deeply moved Aburame Kei.

Usually, because the Aburame Clan studied Kikaichu, their reputation in the outside world was strange and terrifying, and very few people were interested in their insect-related work.

Qiancao's earnest listening led Aburame Kei to regard him as a soulmate, and the relationship between the two grew much closer.