"It failed!"
When the Yamanaka Jonin said those words, even his own voice carried a sense of incredulous absurdity.
Tsunade stared at him for two seconds, confirmed that he was not talking nonsense, then turned her head, her gaze settling on Naraku.
Naraku remained utterly motionless.
An indescribable silence spread.
The Sealing Squad's ninja stood where they were, also talking in low voices.
The probing formula had yielded no results, Formula Unraveling: Clear Sight had yielded no results, and they could not find even a trace of a seal.
That meant they had no way to address the problem.
Tsunade drew a deep breath.
"Yamanaka."
Only after a long while did her voice become steady again. "Come here."
The Yamanaka Jonin walked up to her, his head slightly bowed.
But Tsunade did not look at him. Her gaze remained on Naraku.
"Since we can't undo the seal for now..."
She spoke as she thought. "Let's consider something else first."
The Yamanaka Jonin raised his head.
"Taking Naraku back to Konoha."
Tsunade said, "There's no point staying here. The Sealing Squad needs better conditions, a more complete set of tools, and more time. There's nothing in this alternate space."
"Once we're back in the village, we can at least ensure his safety, and it'll be easier for you to keep looking for a solution."
The Yamanaka Jonin remained silent, his brows slowly knitting.
"What's wrong?" Tsunade turned her head.
The Yamanaka Jonin hesitated.
"Lady Tsunade.
"As for taking Lord Hokage back to Konoha... I'm not entirely certain."
"Not entirely certain about what?"
"Not entirely certain... whether doing so might cause the seal to change."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes.
The Yamanaka Jonin spoke faster, as though afraid of being interrupted. "Lord Hokage's current condition is very strange. His chakra is completely still,