At the edge of Leaf Village stood a secluded courtyard shrouded by a barrier.
Hyuga Xiao gently placed Kurenai Yuhi on the bed, pale blue chakra gathering at his fingertips as he slowly examined her chakra pathways. Moonlight filtered through the paper window, spreading a patch of silver across the floor.
Hong's breathing was shallow, and fine beads of sweat covered her forehead.
"Mm..."
Her eyelashes trembled as she slowly opened her eyes. Her once-clear crimson eyes were now veiled in a faint gray mist, with golden patterns faintly shifting deep within her pupils.
"Xiao..." Hong's voice was slightly hoarse. "How long was I asleep?"
"Three days." Xiao withdrew his hand and brought over a cup of warm water. "Ever since the Land of Demons, the Seed inside you had been slowly awakening. The Urashiki Clone's attack accelerated the process."
Hong propped herself up and accepted the cup, taking a sip. Her movements were steady, but Xiao noticed that the fingers holding the cup were trembling slightly.
"I saw it." Hong set down the cup and stared directly into Xiao's eyes. "While I was unconscious, those scenes... they were like fragments of someone else's memories. The starry sky, an enormous Tenseigan, and... countless Byakugan burning."
Her tone was terrifyingly calm.
Xiao fell silent for a moment before sitting down beside the bed. The moonlight carved cold, hard lines across his profile.
"Those were fragments of Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's memories," Xiao said. "The Seed in your body is essentially the prototype of an Observer's 'vessel.' It is connected to the main altar on the moon, and to Urashiki's consciousness network."
"So I'm a ticking time bomb now." Hong smiled, and there was a strange sense of relief in that smile. "I could be remotely controlled at any time, or have my life