Newgate's Miserable Plight-That Brat Natsu!

The laughter stopped abruptly.

Newgate's eyes widened, and he nearly choked on his drink. In a moment of panic, he blurted out, "Pfft—you bastard! You have no sportsmanship!"

Marco practically Luffy here.

Natsu Yin's Night Owl Guard had even returned to Guardian Hill Island, he had already heard from the patrol team that his Pops had sneaked off to Origin Island again.

He knew his Pops too well; there were only two things he needed to do on Origin Island: either cooperate with the lab to have his blood drawn, or freeload off some drinks.

I just had my blood drawn a few days ago, so do you even need to guess why I went out today?

Natsu sat in the living room, holding a teacup, watching Marco sweep into the yard like a blue whirlwind, the flames of the Phoenix leaping on his shoulders. His face, which always carried a hint of laziness, was now filled with the helpless expression of "I knew this would happen."

Marco didn't even bother to greet Natsu. He went straight to Newgate as soon as he entered, grabbed the bottle of Binks' Sake on the table that he had only taken two sips from, put it a little further away, and then started nagging.

From "Pops, your health data only stabilized last month" to "Did you forget what Dr. Vallen told you last time?", and then to "It's one thing for you to sneak out to drink, but you even dare to come to Natsu's place to drink. Aren't you setting a bad example for the kids?"

Natsu paused slightly in her teacup. She wanted to say that she wasn't a child, but seeing Newgate's frustrated expression, she decided not to interrupt.

Newgate sat in his chair, neither convincing nor assertive, and could only occasionally cast pleading glances at Natsu.

Natsu ignored them all and continued to drink her tea slowly and deliberately.

Newgate was furious—how could he have raised such a son?

She's as talkative as an old woman, nagging all the way from Guardian Hill Island to Origin Island without ever stopping.

You're a real man, Marco!

But he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

He knew Marco was doing it for his own good.

From the Summit War until now, if Marco hadn't been watching over his diet, medication, and daily routine day after day, his old bones would have fallen apart long ago.

So he could only keep quiet whenever he was nagged.

You'll get used to it if you keep holding it in.

Finally, Marco finished his tirade, turned to Natsu, and changed the subject. "Natsu, I heard that Pops asked you about Fish-Man Island? You agreed?"

Natsu put down her teacup and nodded slightly.

Marco was silent for a moment, then nodded solemnly to him. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me, I just want to go out for a walk myself." Natsu stood up, picked up her teacup, and walked towards the door.

As he passed Newgate, he paused, glancing down at the old man's aggrieved expression. A faint, slightly mischievous smile played on his lips. "By the way, old man, next time you come to steal wine, remember to bribe me beforehand. Otherwise, you know the consequences."

Before Newgate could even yell at him, Marco's nagging came up from behind again. "Next time? There's going to be a next time, Pops!"

A sigh of utter despair echoed through the courtyard.

When Natsu came out of the living room, Marco's nagging was still echoing behind him. He didn't turn around, but simply waved his hand behind him as a farewell to Newgate —the old man was busy dealing with his son's interrogation and probably didn't have time to pay attention to him.

Passing through the corridors of the Naka Shrine, bypassing the Training Ground, and walking north along the stone path behind the Clan Academy, you will reach the Uchiha Clan's research institute.

The area is more heavily guarded than other places, with Night Owl Guard sentries scattered all around, and unauthorized outsiders cannot even pass through the outer Sensory Barrier.

Quan has been living almost entirely in the underground training room during this period.

When Natsu arrived at the door of the training room, the door was ajar. It was quiet inside, without the explosive sounds of Chakra colliding or the deep hum that was characteristic of Susanoo's skeleton unfolding.

He leaned against the doorframe and glanced inside. Quan was sitting cross-legged in the innermost corner of the cultivation room, his eyes closed and fine beads of sweat beading on his forehead.

She had put away her Mangekyo Sharingan, and a faint dark ring remained around her eyes—a mark left by several days of sleep deprivation.

Her Susanoo in a semi-activated state, with a very thin Chakra Cloak clinging to her body, flickering like a candle flame that could be blown out by the wind at any moment.

She was trying to get Susanoo to "breathe" on its own, but the Natural Energy lingered around Susanoo countless times, refusing to come closer.

Natsu didn't make a sound to disturb them, but simply watched quietly.

She's more persistent, or rather, more stubborn, than she was a few months ago.

The girl who used to get first place in every subject at the Clan Academy, but would always secretly slip an extra roasted Dango into his lunchbox after school, has now poured all that competitive spirit into her cultivation.

Her Mangekyo Sharingan was opened for him; her bottom line was to stand shoulder to shoulder with him on the battlefield, not to be protected by him.

A moment later, Quan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and opened his eyes.

Seeing Natsu leaning against the door frame, she paused for a moment, then quickly wiped the sweat from her forehead, trying to hide the fatigue on her face, but the fine beads of sweat had already dripped down her chin and onto her collar, impossible to conceal.

"Why are you here?" Her voice was slightly hoarse.

Natsu did not answer, but walked up to her, took out a clean handkerchief from her sleeve, and handed it to her.

"That's enough for today." Quan took the handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his face, looking up at him with some confusion.

Natsu looked down into her eyes, her tone still unhurried. "Pack your things, I'll take you out tomorrow."

"Go out?" Quan blinked, his hands stopping their movements. "Where to?"

Fish-Man Island.

Natsu crossed her arms and leaned against the wall of the training room. "The old man with the Whitebeard came personally to ask for reinforcements, saying that Fish-Man Island has been quite unsettled lately. I haven't been out for a while anyway, so I thought I'd take you with me."

He paused, then said, "Cultivation can't be rushed. You've already touched the threshold of Sage Mode. What you lack now isn't effort, but the right mindset. Instead of suffocating yourself in the cultivation room, you might as well go out for some fresh air."

He straightened up, reached out and gently patted the top of her head, his tone unusually gentle.

"We're leaving early tomorrow morning, so get a good night's sleep tonight. Don't fall asleep while wandering Ryugu Palace; I don't want to carry you back."

Quan clutched the sweat-soaked handkerchief in his hand, looked up at Natsu's retreating figure as she turned and walked towards the door, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

She glanced down at the Susanoo Chakra Cloak still faintly shimmering on her wrist and murmured, "I won't train tomorrow."

Then he quickly followed Natsu's footsteps, and as he walked out of the cultivation room, he turned off the light that had been on for more than half a month.