In the shadows of the shrine, Hyuga Xiao pressed one hand against Ko Hyuga's forehead.
The Tenseigan's azure chakra seeped from his fingertips into Ko's chakra network like fine threads, wrapping and compressing the rampaging energy of the Watcher Seed layer by layer until it condensed into a black crystal the size of a fingernail over Ko's chest.
"It's sealed for now." Xiao withdrew his hand, an icy chill lingering in his palm.
Samui stood guard at the shrine entrance, her silver hair gleaming coldly beneath the moonlight. "His life force is draining rapidly. Once the Watcher Seed was forcibly activated, it became bound to its host's life—you can't save him."
"I know." Xiao's voice was calm. "But before he dies, there are still some things I need to clarify."
He took three kunai from his robes and drove them into Ko's forehead, chest, and abdomen. Complex sealing formulas were carved into the kunai. This was the Three Talents Soul-Sealing Art he had learned in Orochimaru's Laboratory, capable of temporarily freezing a dying person's fading life and buying twelve hours of consciousness.
The price was that after twelve hours, the host would instantly turn to ash.
Ko's eyelids trembled before slowly opening. Deep within his once-clear Byakugan, tiny black motes flickered like shattered stars.
"Lord Xiao...?" His voice was as hoarse as a broken bellows.
"When did the Watcher Seed enter your body?" Xiao asked directly.
Ko's breathing quickened as fragments of memory surged through his mind. "Three years ago... during the Main House's guard selection... Lord Hiashi personally planted it in us... said it was a 'Mark of Protection'..."
"How many people were planted with it?"
"All guard members... thirty-seven..." Ko's pupils abruptly constricted. "Big Brother Qingkong... has he already..."
Xiao did not answer. He continued asking, "What changed