The dizziness from the spatial jump had yet to fully fade when Hyuga Xiao appeared in the designated safehouse with Samui and the cultivation tank.
This was a stronghold deep within an abandoned mine at the border of the Land of Fire, more than three hundred kilometers in a straight line from Leaf Village. Cool droplets seeped from the cave walls, and the air was thick with the scent of damp earth and faint mildew. Xiao had set up sealing techniques here in advance to isolate chakra fluctuations, along with enough food and medical supplies to last a week.
He gently set the cultivation tank on the waterproof sheet spread across the floor, then turned to look at Samui.
The Hidden Cloud kunoichi was in terrible condition.
Her once form-fitting combat suit was torn in several places, and the exposed skin was covered in needle marks and burns left by the experiments. The worst injury ran from her left shoulder to her chest, where her skin had turned an unnatural purple-black, like an erosive wound left by several chakra natures clashing inside her body. Her breathing was shallow, each inhale carrying a faint tremor, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
"Lie down."
Xiao's voice was calm, betraying no emotion.
Samui gritted her teeth and tried to prop herself up, but her arm went limp as soon as she exerted force. Xiao reached out and pressed down on her shoulder. His strength was not great, yet it carried an unmistakable refusal to be defied. She was forced onto the prepared sleeping bag, her ice-blue eyes fixed on Xiao, filled with reluctance and a complicated wariness.
"You don't need to—"
"Shut up."
Xiao cut her off, his hands already forming seals. A deep blue glow from the Tenseigan gathered in his palms—not