That night, all the teams had fallen fast asleep. Only Zeyu, Neji, and Gaara were still awake, keeping watch.
The forest was quiet at night, and the bright moonlight spilled through the window onto the floor.
The three groups were seated in three different corners of the room.
Neji sat in a chair with his hands crossed over his chest, leaning against the wall. Looking a little bored, he glanced toward the other two corners.
Though it was the middle of the night, the moonlight kept their vision from being affected too much.
Gaara was staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Zeyu was meditating and training, as usual.
What's he doing? Neji wondered.
He activated his Byakugan and carefully observed Zeyu.
He would have been better off not looking. The moment he did, Neji was stunned.
Under Neji's Byakugan, two fist-sized balls of chakra inside Zeyu's body moved rapidly in irregular patterns, darting all around.
This meant Zeyu could manipulate the chakra in his body freely and with pinpoint precision.
The chakra balls also looked incredibly pure. They had clearly been compressed; if he released them, he could perform some powerful jutsu.
As Neji realized this, cold sweat broke out across his skin. He couldn't help thinking:
Th-this can't be possible! Is this guy a genius? If he can do this, maybe he can perform two different jutsu at once!
Just as Neji was thinking this,
Zeyu guided the two chakra balls to his abdomen, where they began rotating around his dantian.
Hm? What's he trying to do? Neji wondered. He leaned forward to observe more closely, his brow furrowing.
The veins on Zeyu's forehead bulged as the two chakra balls spun faster and faster. In Neji's eyes, they were moving so quickly that afterimages appeared.
Before long, a third, smaller chakra ball formed at Zeyu's dantian. It continued to grow, though it wasn't as pure as the other two.
Th-this guy isn't even human! Neji's eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't help swallowing.
Zeyu slowed the other two chakra balls and tried to control the new one, guiding it into their rotation.
Neji, watching closely, was stunned once again. He couldn't believe his eyes. He touched his temple, feeling the raised veins there, and confirmed that he really had activated his Byakugan.
Heh... I must be dreaming, Neji thought.
By now, Zeyu was drenched in sweat. Gritting his teeth, he controlled all three chakra balls at once, making them circle one another as they moved slowly through his body. The veins on his forehead bulged even more.
H-He's incredible, Neji thought.
On the other side of the room, Gaara suddenly stood and slowly walked toward Zeyu.
Neji noticed Gaara getting up. Frowning, he glanced at Zeyu, who was still training, then immediately rose and followed.
When Gaara reached the middle of the room, Neji stepped in front of him and blocked his way.
"What are you doing?" Neji asked quietly, his gaze cold.
Gaara glanced at Neji and replied in a low voice,
"It's none of your business. I have something to discuss with Zeyu."
"Hmph. Bad luck for you, then. I don't want you going over there right now," Neji said.
"You..." Gaara frowned and looked past Neji at Zeyu, who was not far behind him.
Gaara had been too far away to tell what Zeyu was doing and had assumed it was ordinary training. Now that he was closer, he could see that Zeyu was drenched in sweat and looked as if he was struggling.
"So, what are you going to do about it?" Neji asked with a faint smile.
"..."
"Then I'll wait and go over later," Gaara said. He turned and sat down directly on a nearby bench.
That's it? Neji wondered, unable to believe that someone who looked so intimidating had given in so easily.
With nothing else to do, Neji followed him and sat on another bench nearby.
After some time,
Zeyu finally couldn't hold out any longer. He lay down, panting heavily.
This is bad. My head hurts, Zeyu thought. Feeling the backlash from training at full intensity, he quickly began massaging his temples.
After rubbing them for a little while, he noticed Gaara and Neji watching him from nearby.
Zeyu got up and walked over to them. "Neji, what's going on? What are you two doing up in the middle of the night?"
Gaara was the first to stand. "Zeyu, I have something to tell you."
"That's what this is about," Neji said. "I'm curious what the two of you could possibly have to discuss."
Huh? I want to know too. What could Gaara and I possibly have to talk about? Zeyu wondered.
He glanced at Gaara and saw him staring at him expectantly, as if silently begging him to agree.
"Uh... all right. What is it?" Zeyu asked, looking helpless.
"This isn't the right place to talk. Come with me," Gaara said, turning toward the door.
Zeyu watched him leave, bewildered.
"I won't intrude, then. I'm off," Neji said. Seeing that Gaara didn't want him to know, he got up and left.
"Thanks, Neji," Zeyu called after him.
He thanked Neji, first, for not pressing him about what was going on between him and Gaara, and, second, because he'd realized Neji had been protecting him while he trained at full intensity.
"Mm. Be careful," Neji said, stopping briefly before continuing on his way.
Zeyu followed Gaara out of the room and into the nearest corridor. There were no windows, and it was pitch-black.
Walking behind Gaara, Zeyu kept his hands in his pockets as he observed his surroundings.
"What did you want to talk about, Gaara?" Zeyu asked.
Gaara turned around, a blade of sand already formed in his hand.
Zeyu was startled. He immediately pulled his hands from his pockets, drew the short knife from behind his waist, and took a fighting stance.
"You really can't be trusted, can you?" Zeyu said coldly.
Seeing that Zeyu had already prepared to fight, Gaara hurriedly waved his hand to explain.
"No, no, that's not what I meant. I just wanted to ask you for advice."
"Huh?" Zeyu looked bewildered.
"I can see you're good at training. I wanted to ask for advice on how I could control my sand better." Gaara held out the sand in both hands to show him.
Zeyu narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to study Gaara's expression.
At the same time, he gripped the knife tightly. If Gaara made even the slightest move to hurt him, he would spring forward and stab him.
They were about two or three meters apart, but it was so dark that Zeyu had no choice but to move closer to Gaara.
"Don't move... I still can't trust you," Zeyu said coldly.
"Ah... yes," Gaara replied quietly, standing still.
In the pitch-black corridor, as Zeyu slowly approached with the short knife in his hand giving off a faint chill, Gaara couldn't help swallowing nervously.
When they were only a meter apart, Zeyu could finally see Gaara's eyes. He sensed no sign of anything amiss or even a trace of killing intent. Gaara was still holding out the sand in his hands.
Zeyu sighed and put away his knife, crossing his arms over his chest.
Gaara relaxed when he saw Zeyu sheath the knife.
"Is that all you wanted to ask me?" Zeyu asked.
Gaara lowered his head and fell silent for a while before finally speaking.
"There's also... my mother. I thought there'd be more people around here later, so I wanted to talk to you about it tonight."
"Oh, is that so?" Zeyu said.
Oh? Should I ask about Karura? Maybe I should make up some excuse instead. I can't exactly say I've read the script, can I? Zeyu thought.
As he spoke, Zeyu plopped down on the ground.
"Why don't we... sit down and talk?" he said, sounding a little uneasy.
Gaara sat down too.
"So, Zeyu, how did you find out about my mother?" Gaara asked seriously.
Cold sweat had already trickled down Zeyu's forehead as he racked his brain for an excuse.
He still hadn't recovered from the backlash of training at full intensity. Now that he was trying to think, his head hurt again, and he quickly pressed his temples.
Gaara looked a little confused by Zeyu's condition. But thinking Zeyu might still be feeling unwell after finishing his training, he didn't rush him. He lowered his head and toyed with the sand in his hands.
"Well... when I was about to attack you during the battle, I felt as if the sand was talking," Zeyu suddenly said.
"What did it say?" Gaara turned to look at him and asked.
"The sand seemed to be saying..." Zeyu said, looking at Gaara before pausing.
Gaara stared intently at Zeyu too.
"'Don't hurt my child.' That's what it said," Zeyu replied.
Gaara's eyes widened at his words, his pupils quivering in shock. Tears slowly welled in his eyes.
"I see..." Gaara said, lowering his head to look at the sand in his hands again. He felt its fine grains against his skin as tears welled up in his eyes, then finally fell onto the sand and the back of his hand.
In the cold, pitch-black corridor, Gaara wept silently. The sand in his hands was struck again and again by his tears, slowly forming clumps. Zeyu sat quietly beside him, his feelings complicated.
Even if I lied to him, that motherly love was real... Sigh, I miss my mom too... Zeyu thought. Before he knew it, his eyes had grown moist as well.
Huh? Are these two... crying? Neji wondered, sitting cross-legged on a bench with his Byakugan activated.
"Tch, boring." With that, Neji deactivated his Byakugan and closed his eyes to rest.