Outside, in the reception hall of the Senju Ancestral Home.
Nangō Kumoi, seated cross-legged, gave a slight tremor. His tightly shut eyelids fluttered a few times before slowly opening.
The sharp gleam deep in his pupils and the fatigue from the fierce clash and mental strain had not fully faded, but his gaze had already regained its usual clarity and composure.
He let out a long breath, as if expelling the oppression and turmoil from within the sealing space along with it.
Mito Uzumaki had been maintaining the passage with unwavering focus, sensing the fluctuations within. Almost the instant he opened his eyes, she withdrew the technique as well, and the faint glow at her abdomen vanished.
She looked over at him with concern. Though she said nothing, the question in her eyes was unmistakable.
Shui Yuan, the clan head standing guard beside them, immediately stepped half a pace forward. He watched Kumoi tensely, afraid that the Hokage who had just returned from "speaking" with the legendary strongest Tailed Beast might have suffered some mishap.
"Kumoi, how do you feel?"
Mito spoke first, her voice gentle with an elder's concern, though it also carried a trace of barely perceptible scrutiny.
She could sense that after Kumoi withdrew, the Nine-Tails' chakra within her had gradually settled from violent turbulence into a deeper, almost "quiet" state than usual. That alone was a thought-provoking sign.
Kumoi took a moment to regulate his breathing, suppressing the lingering roar of his confrontation with the Nine-Tails and the oppressive sensation of its immense malice. Then he gave Mito and Shui Yuan a somewhat weary but still composed smile.
"My consciousness is unharmed. Thank you for maintaining the passage, Aunt Mito. You must be exhausted."
He accepted the warm water Shui Yuan handed over at just the