The bone-piercing cold wind of the Land of Iron gradually lost its blade-like edge as the two continued racing south. The thick snow beneath their feet, which crunched with every step, slowly turned into slushy meltwater before finally giving way to dark brown, damp earth.
Hyuga Xiao and Kurenai Yuhi moved through the dense canopy. Hong's right eye—that deep silver-gray Eye of Time—was deciphering the world before her in a way ordinary people could never understand.
At the edge of her retina, she could see the translucent afterimage of a fallen leaf sinking into the mud before it had even left its branch. Before the wind even began to blow, she had already caught the trajectory of the swaying branches.
"Your breathing is half a beat slower." Hyuga Xiao's voice came from ahead, drowning out the rustle of rubbing leaves.
Hong immediately adjusted the flow of chakra within her body, and the rise and fall of her chest found its rhythm again. "I'm still adapting. Seeing half a second into the future makes my body in the present feel slightly out of sync. It's like walking across a bridge that hasn't been fully built yet."
"Close your left eye. Use only your right eye until your brain fully accepts that time difference." Xiao instructed without looking back.
Hong obediently closed her left eye. The world instantly lost its depth, but in exchange, she gained a chilling clarity of prediction. A bird swept past from the side, and before it flapped its wings, Hong had already seen through its flight path. A sharp, dangerous curve lifted at the corner of her mouth. "It feels good. Like crushing an enemy's throat before he even draws his blade."
The two stopped beside a half-frozen stream near the border. The air was filled with