Shikadai gave a wry smile, looking unusually helpless as he spread his hands.
"What can I do? My father once warned me that when the gap in strength is overwhelming, every scheme and strategy is just a supplement. None of them can turn things around."
"All we can do is take things one step at a time and use every scrap of information, every advantage our surroundings give us, and..." He glanced toward the inner room.
"Miss Hikari, whom we rescued. Hopefully, once her strength returns, she'll become our greatest asset."
The mood in the room grew heavy again. The food and hot water had brought a brief sense of ease, but it was gone.
A soft knock came from outside the door.
"Come in." Boruto tried to compose his expression.
The door slid open, and the two young Hyuga women from earlier came in supporting Uchiha Hikari, who looked completely different.
Hikari clearly had not regained consciousness, but she had been thoroughly washed.
She wore clean, plain underclothes. Her long hair had been carefully dried and combed, then spread across the pillow. Her pale face looked much softer now that it was clean, with no trace of the dirt and disarray from before.
One of the young women raised a delicate wooden box above her head with both hands. "Master Boruto, Lord Ken ordered me to bring this to you."
"It contains the Spirit-Nourishing Herb, a secret treasure of our clan. It is remarkably effective for mental exhaustion and prolonged unconsciousness caused by excessive use of ocular powers."
"Lord Ken hopes it will help your friend."
Shikadai's eyes flickered. He immediately understood: after accepting Boruto as a "young master of the Main Family," Hyuga Ken was making another investment, another show of goodwill.
Without letting anything show, he gave