Several months later, Zou Hyuga was organizing his Experiment Logs at home when an unexpected visitor arrived.
With his Byakugan, he easily identified the person outside. After tidying up, he went downstairs to greet her.
When he opened the door, Zou saw Oto dressed in ninja gear. Her face was visibly pale, and her legs were so unsteady that she fell straight into the entryway.
Zou carried Oto into the living room and hurried to prepare hot water and medicine. Frowning, he asked, "With injuries like these, why didn't you go to the hospital?"
"I had them treated briefly. I feel safer here with you," Oto said, lifting her head.
"Don't talk."
Zou examined her with a furrowed brow. Once he finished, he let out a long sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Oto's injuries were only superficial, and they hadn't left any ugly scars on her skin. All she needed was some time to recover.
After drinking some hot water, Oto's complexion improved considerably, but then a hint of unease crept into her expression.
"If you have something to say, say it," Zou said, noticing her unease and sounding a little impatient.
"Um, Samehada was badly damaged. I feel like it might be dying," Oto admitted timidly.
"Samehada is dying?"
Surprise flashed in Zou's eyes as he gave Oto a doubtful look. This was Samehada, a weapon capable of taking a Tailed Beast Bomb head-on. Could it really die?
Only after summoning Samehada and checking it did Zou realize that it had fallen dormant from a lack of chakra.
More than Samehada's dormancy, Zou was curious about what kind of battle Oto had fought to leave it so drained of chakra.
Under Zou's questioning, Oto slowly explained, "We encountered the Two-Tails' jinchūriki and a large force from Kumogakure in the Land