In Konoha Hospital's special isolation ward, the air was filled with the mixed scent of disinfectant and medicinal herbs.
Hyuga Xiao stood beside the bed, his hands hovering above Mitaraishi Anko. Pale blue chakra gathered in his palms, its glow so pure it was nearly transparent, like two clusters of floating cold fire in the dim ward.
"Stabilize your chakra output by another thirty percent."
Tsunade's voice came from behind him. Her fingertips were drawing sealing formulas around the Curse Mark on Anko's neck, golden strands of chakra burrowing deep into her skin like living creatures.
Fine beads of sweat formed on Xiao's forehead.
It was not from exhaustion—given his current chakra reserves, he could maintain this level of output for an entire day. What truly kept him tense was control. The "thirty percent more stability" Tsunade demanded sounded simple, but putting it into practice was like suddenly slowing down in the middle of a sprint while keeping every step exactly the same length.
He closed his eyes.
The Byakugan silently activated beneath his skin, and everything in his vision became a world made of black-and-white lines. Anko's chakra pathway system was clearly visible. The Curse Mark's black corruption coiled around her main meridians like a spiderweb, while Tsunade's golden chakra seeped through the gaps in that web, trying to temporarily isolate the Curse Mark from Anko's own chakra system.
Xiao's chakra needed to create a second layer of buffering around the golden sealing formula.
Like a flood spillway outside a dam.
"Very good."
There was a trace of barely concealed surprise in Tsunade's voice. "Your chakra control precision has already surpassed that of most Chunin in the Medical Division."
Xiao did not respond. Every ounce of his focus was fixed on his hands.
He could feel every trace of