Senju Arashi saw that she couldn't catch Black Zetsu, so she hurried back in front of Qiancao and Wuming to shield them from the furious Senju shinobi. She held out both hands and made a pushing motion.
"Now, now, everyone, don't get so worked up! They're both my friends. We can talk things over."
The Senju shinobi were still seething with anger, and they pointed at Qiancao.
"You naturally evil little Uchiha brat! Did you use genjutsu to control Lady Arashi? Undo it at once!"
Qiancao had just forcibly broken through the chakra seal on his body to activate his Mangekyo Sharingan, placing considerable strain on himself.
On top of that, a crowd of wounded people had suddenly rushed forward. The stench of medicine mixed with sweat hit him, making his vision go black. He began to topple sideways, but Wuming caught him.
Seeing that her friend was unwell, Senju Arashi—who had been smiling all along—wiped every trace of emotion from her face and barked, "Enough!"
A terrifying aura burst from Senju Arashi, leaving the Senju shinobi in front of her speechless.
Even Qiancao and Wuming, standing behind her, felt the pressure she radiated.
"I'll say it again: these two are my friends." The words hadn't changed, but her altered tone silenced everyone.
"My father sent you to follow me to protect my safety, not to stop me from making friends!"
After she finished speaking, Senju Arashi swept her gaze over the crowd once more, then helped the weakened Qiancao outside for some air, with Wuming supporting him on the other side.
The Senju shinobi watched their young lady leaning against a Uchiha man, their hearts aching. But they had seen Senju Arashi angry before, so they could only keep their mouths shut and trudge back to lie down.
The three of them made their way to the other side of the flower fields. The Aburame Clan had built tables and chairs here out of wooden posts. Far from the bee swarms, it was a wonderful place to rest, free of the bees' buzzing.
Aburame Kei brought over several bottles of Jade Bee Jelly and set them on the table before the three of them. Senju Arashi picked one up and personally helped Qiancao drink it.
Qiancao felt a cool, sweet liquid slide down his throat. The refreshing sensation spread through his whole body, as pleasant as drinking an ice-cold soda on a summer day.
His vision, which had doubled from straining his eyes, cleared again. The first thing he saw was two lovely faces full of worry.
"Why the long faces?" Qiancao said with a smile. "Wasn't our plan a great success?"
Wuming smiled along with him, then secretly reached a small hand toward his beneath the table, hoping to hold his hand without anyone noticing.
But the moment Wuming's little hand touched Qiancao's, she shyly pulled it back, leaving him with only a soft, fleeting sensation.
Senju Arashi, on his other side, said guiltily, "It's all my fault. There was no need for you to risk your health just to test them. We could have tied them up and taken them back."
As they were on their way here, Qiancao had thought it over and decided to tell them everything he knew about Black Zetsu. He had emphasized that Black Zetsu might already have possessed one of the wounded Senju.
After discussing it, the group had ultimately accepted Qiancao's proposal that he test them. He had a way to identify Black Zetsu's true form.
What Senju Arashi hadn't expected was that Qiancao's method would be to forcefully use the power of his Sharingan through the seal.
Qiancao, however, said optimistically, "It's fine. We did manage to keep half of Black Zetsu's body, didn't we? No matter how strange a creature is, losing half its body will make it hard for it to cause trouble again anytime soon."
Moved by Qiancao's kindness, Senju Arashi liked him even more. But when she saw Wuming beside him, she suppressed her feelings and turned to Aburame Kei.
"When we head back, take Black Zetsu's half-body with you. I've never seen such a strange creature before."
Aburame Kei nodded to show he understood, then turned and left the three of them alone so he could deal with Black Zetsu's corpse.
Once Aburame Kei was gone, Senju Arashi said to Qiancao, "Don't reveal your Sharingan abilities so easily again."
Qiancao had never received ninja training, so he naturally hadn't fully grasped the importance of keeping information secret. He'd overlooked that.
Seeing the expressions on Wuming and Senju Arashi's faces, Qiancao reassured them. "I did it because I trust you. Besides, Black Zetsu put us through so much. When we had a chance to catch him, of course I had to give it my all."
What he didn't tell anyone was that if they really caught Black Zetsu, it would remove a ticking time bomb from the relationship between the Uchiha and Senju. Many fewer people would die in the future.
Senju Arashi said seriously, "Even if we don't tell anyone, what if we encounter a ninja technique that can peer into people's minds? We might reveal your information by accident."
"Wouldn't your trust then put us in a position where we'd betray it?" Wuming nodded in agreement.
Qiancao had no choice but to promise that he would take information security more seriously from then on. Only then did Senju Arashi relax.
Just then, Aburame Kei came running back, panting. "Lady Arashi, the brown war hawk summoned by Miss Shiri has disappeared."
Senju Arashi couldn't help showing delight, but her expression soon shifted to worry for Shiri. She wondered whether Miss Shiri might be exposed to the clan because she had discovered this information during the test.
Only then did Qiancao truly let out a sigh of relief. Ever since he'd crossed over, nothing good had happened to him; he'd been pushed along by one unexpected crisis after another.
If he hadn't happened to meet Wuming, his Sharingan would already have been gouged out, and he'd have been waiting to cross over again.
Thinking of that, Qiancao felt a stronger desire for power than ever before. He couldn't count on Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, who hadn't even been born yet. Who knew when this chaotic era would end?
His yearning for power stirred his Sharingan. Unbeknownst to him, the Seven Generation God had answered his wish, quietly using its ocular power to improve his body.
Since Qiancao had forcibly used his Sharingan, and they didn't know what effects it might have on his body, Senju Arashi decided they should stay and recuperate at the Aburame Clan's base for a few more days.
During that time, Aburame Kei and Aburame Den gave Qiancao and Wuming thorough examinations, conclusively proving that neither of them had any traces of poison left in their bodies.
Qiancao felt as if an invisible shackle had been unlocked. Even walking felt lighter.
Wuming felt the same way. For once, she let herself be more open, wandering around the flower fields at the Aburame base with Qiancao and enjoying their affectionate moments together.
When he wasn't with Wuming, Qiancao followed Aburame Den around to see the entire research base.
Besides Jade Bees, they also kept many rare insect specimens from Mount Hakkoda.
With the thought of gathering hypnotic material for his Mangekyo Sharingan, Qiancao eagerly absorbed all the Aburame Clan's knowledge about insects, moving Aburame Kei deeply.
The Aburame Clan had a strange and frightening reputation because of their research into Kikaichū, and few people were this interested in their work with insects.
Qiancao's earnest attention made Aburame Kei feel he'd found a kindred spirit, and the two grew much closer.
Before you continue