Morning sunlight streamed through the ramen stand's window, casting warm patches of light on the wooden floor.
Lin Shuo stood behind the counter, holding a small porcelain bottle containing a specially made ointment that gave off a faint herbal fragrance.
Yuzuha sat on a high stool at the counter and rolled up her left sleeve, exposing her wrist.
On her fair skin was a pale black mark-the Flying Thunder God Formula: Simplified Version, shaped like three tomoe surrounding a whirlpool.
"Will it hurt?" Yuzuha asked, blinking her green eyes.
"No." Lin Shuo dipped a cotton swab into the ointment and gently applied it to the mark.
"It'll just feel a little cool."
The instant the ointment touched her skin, the mark glowed faintly, then... vanished.
It had not truly vanished; it had sunk beneath her skin, becoming invisible to the naked eye.
But Lin Shuo could feel it-through the Flying Thunder God Formula, he could clearly sense Yuzuha's location, her condition, and even... her heartbeat.
"That's all it takes?"
Yuzuha curiously touched her wrist. Her skin was as smooth as ever, with nothing unusual about it.
"Yes." Lin Shuo nodded. "If you're in danger, I'll know immediately."
"Then what if... I just trip and fall? Does that count as danger?" Yuzuha tilted her head and deliberately asked.
Lin Shuo looked at her, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. "Yes."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because you'd be hurt."
Yuzuha blushed slightly and averted her eyes. "Lin Shuo... saying something like that out of nowhere..."
"It's the truth."
Lin Shuo put away the ointment and turned to prepare breakfast.
Sitting on the high stool, Yuzuha swung her legs and watched his back, unable to stop the corners of her lips from rising.
Just then, the little door at the back of the ramen stand opened.
Lin You came out holding Lin Yue's hand, with two Bangboo following at their feet.
Shukaku-the metal Bangboo with a sandy-yellow tail-yawned, the eyes on his screen still looking sleepy.
Matatabi-the pale blue, translucent crystal Bangboo-moved gracefully, her two mechanical tails swaying gently behind her.
"Good morning, Daddy~ Good morning, Mommy~"
Lin You greeted them sweetly, then her eyes lit up. "Wow! Mommy, you look so good today!"
"Really~?" Yuzuha happily touched her face. "Maybe it's because I slept well~"
Lin Yue said quietly, "Auntie Yuzuha... there seems to be something on your wrist..."
Yuzuha froze.
Lin Shuo turned around too.
The two exchanged a glance.
Lin Yue had the Three-Tomoe Sharingan and could see through concealment formulas.
"You can see it, Xiao Yue?" Yuzuha asked.
"Yes..." Lin Yue nodded.
"Faint black lines... like... a formula?"
Lin Shuo fell silent for two seconds before admitting, "It's a protective formula."
He did not explain Flying Thunder God in detail, only calling it "a defense mechanism that automatically activates when you encounter danger."
Lin Yue nodded with only a partial understanding and asked no more questions.
Breakfast was simple congee and fried eggs.
Yuzuha sat beside Lin Shuo, browsing the Inter-Knot as she ate.
"The thing with Matatabi... it seems no one's bringing it up anymore."
She spoke quietly.
Lin Shuo nodded.
Everything had been cleaned up thoroughly last night. Ether corruption had consumed the Hollow raiders' bodies, leaving nothing at the scene.
TOPS personnel had searched Havarie Hollow again that morning but found nothing, so they could only classify the "blue-flame cat demon" as "escaped or hidden."
The bounty was still up, but the buzz had died down somewhat.
"But..." Yuzuha turned the screen toward Lin Shuo.
"There are more and more sighting reports of Three-Tails and Four-Tails."
Indeed.
Posts about the "moving undersea island in Perseus" and the "giant lava turtle in Solov Volcano" had already flooded the Inter-Knot.
Someone had taken clearer photos-though still blurry, they showed the outline of Isobu's enormous shell and Four-Tails Son Goku's scarlet figure flickering in and out of view in the lava.
The TOPS bounties had already risen to twenty billion each.
The comments section was as wild as a carnival.
"Forming a turtle-catching team! Anyone with deep-sea gear, come join!"
"Volcano team needs an Ether shield specialist!"
"Catch one and we're set for life, brothers!"
Lin Shuo frowned slightly as he read the posts.
There was too much attention.
If they delayed any longer, TOPS might send in regular troops.
"Lin Shuo." Yuzuha leaned closer and lowered her voice.
"When are we going to find Three-Tails?"
"After you get out of school."
"Huh? We're going today?"
"Yes." Lin Shuo nodded. "The sooner, the better."
Yuzuha's eyes lit up. "Great! Then I'll come back early today!"
She quickly finished breakfast and shouldered her schoolbag. "I'm off to school, then~ Wait for me, Lin Shuo!"
"All right."
Yuzuha reached the door, then turned back. "Oh, right! Be good, Matatabi~ I'll bring you something tasty when I come back!"
The Bangboo Matatabi nodded gracefully. "Be careful on the way, Yuzuha."
Yuzuha waved happily and ran out.
The ramen stand grew quiet.
Lin Shuo cleared the dishes while Lin You and Lin Yue helped wipe the tables.
The two Bangboo crouched beside the counter, staring at each other.
"What are you looking at?!"
Shukaku spoke first, the expression on his screen looking very displeased.
"Is there something on my face?"
Matatabi tilted her head, her crystal shell giving off a faint glow in the sunlight.
"I was just curious-Shukaku, have you... been happy in this world?"
Shukaku froze.
He had not expected Matatabi to ask that.
"...What's it to you?!"
"So you are happy."
Matatabi chuckled, her voice gentle. "Otherwise, with that temper of yours, you'd have raised hell long ago."
"I-I have not!"
Shukaku turned his face away, but his tail honestly swayed gently.
Matatabi watched him, a hint of softness flickering in her emerald eyes-now pixel patterns on an electronic screen.
"Actually... I'm a little envious of you."
"Envious of me? Of what? Turning into a rabbit?!"
"Envious that you have a family," Matatabi said softly.
"People who care about you, and people you care about."
She paused, then added, "I've lived for over a thousand years, and spent most of that time sealed away. The Jinchūriki I occasionally encountered... only treated me as a tool."
Shukaku fell silent.
After a long while, he muttered quietly, "...Then just stay here. That guy Lin Shuo might be a blockhead, but he's pretty reliable. That girl Yuzuha likes teasing people, but she's not bad at heart. And those two brats..."
He looked toward Lin You and Lin Yue, who were helping wipe the tables.
"...They're pretty cute too."
Matatabi followed his gaze.
Lin You was standing on tiptoe to wipe a corner of the counter, while Lin Yue helped pass her a cloth.
Sunlight fell over the two children, the scene as heartwarming as a painting.
"They are." Matatabi nodded.
"They're very cute."
"So..."
Shukaku turned back, the expression on his screen unusually serious.
"Now that you're here, just stay. Stop thinking about all that other stuff."
Matatabi looked at him, then smiled.
"All right."
"What are you smiling at?! I just... just don't want to see you looking so pitiful!"
"Yes, yes~"
Lin Shuo heard every word of the two Bangboo's conversation.
The corners of his lips lifted slightly, but he did not interrupt.
This was good.
It was a good thing for the Tailed Beasts to understand and accept one another.
Business went smoothly that morning.
The regulars were curious about the two unusual Bangboo, but in a place like Lumina Square, everyone had seen enough strange things to take them in stride.
"Boss Lin, where did you buy these Bangboo? I want one too!"
"Found them."
"You found them again?! Boss Lin, you're way too lucky!"
"Mm."
Lin Shuo brushed it off without a change in expression.
At midday, Yuzuha came back early.
She rushed into the ramen stand with her schoolbag on her back, her red ponytail coming loose from all the running.
"Lin Shuo! I'm back! Can we leave now?!"
Lin Shuo checked the time-one in the afternoon.
"We'll go after lunch."
"Okay~"
Yuzuha put down her schoolbag and leaned toward the two Bangboo.
"Matatabi~ Did you miss me at school today~?"
The Bangboo Matatabi nodded gracefully. "I did-Yuzuha, you seemed to fall asleep three times during math class?"
Yuzuha flushed. "How did you know?!"
"I sensed it." Matatabi chuckled. "Your Ether fluctuations become very steady when you doze off."
"Ugh... how utterly embarrassing..."
Shukaku gloated beside her. "Serves you right! That's what you get for not paying attention in class!"
"Little Shukaku! Shut up!"
"I'll say whatever I want!"
The two Bangboo started bickering again.
Yuzuha went to complain to Lin Shuo, her cheeks puffed out. "Lin Shuo! Look at them!"
Lin Shuo was cooking noodles and did not turn around. "You brought it on yourself."
"Huh?! Lin Shuo, you're taking their side!"
"It's the truth."
Yuzuha grew even more annoyed, but soon laughed again.
Daily life like this was noisy, but... very warm.
Over lunch, Lin Shuo explained the afternoon's plan.
"Perseus Hollow is out at sea. We need a boat."
"A boat?" Yuzuha blinked.
"Where will we get one?"
"Lao Mo has connections."
Lin Shuo put down his chopsticks. "He knows a smuggling captain who specializes in routes through Hollow waters."
"A smuggling boat..." The corner of Yuzuha's mouth twitched.
"That sounds really unreliable."
"But it's useful."
"All right... then when do we leave?"
"Three," Lin Shuo said. "That's the best time for the tide."
Yuzuha nodded firmly. "Okay!"
She quickly finished her meal, then began preparing her equipment-a multifunction umbrella, Ether grenades, and the special protective suit Lin Shuo had given her earlier.
Lin Shuo checked his own equipment too.
God Cutter, Shuriken, ointment, and... the newly redeemed "Shadow Clone Technique: Optimized Version."
He decided to leave a clone at the ramen stall to look after Lin You and Lin Yue.
That would keep them safe while keeping the business running as usual.
"Lin Shuo."
Yuzuha suddenly spoke, her voice a little hesitant.
"This time... it won't be like yesterday, will it?"
Lin Shuo knew what she meant-yesterday in Havarie Hollow, he had used the Mangekyō and killed someone.
"I'll try not to use it."
Lin Shuo said.
"But if the Three-Tails won't cooperate, or we run into trouble..."
He didn't finish, but Yuzuha understood.
She bit her lip, then nodded firmly. "I understand. But you have to promise me, Lin Shuo-if you're going to use those eyes, you have to tell me."
"...All right."
At two thirty that afternoon, at the Lumina Square docks.
The smuggling boat Lao Mo had recommended was an old fishing boat that looked ready to fall apart at any moment.
Its captain, Lao Chen, was a middle-aged man with a full beard. With a pipe between his lips, he narrowed his eyes as he sized up Lin Shuo and Yuzuha.
"Lao Mo sent you?"
"Yes." Lin Shuo nodded.
"How much to take us to the outskirts of Perseus Hollow?"
Lao Chen exhaled a puff of smoke. "Depends how long you're staying-hourly rate, fifty thousand Denny an hour. Past three hours, it's an extra twenty thousand per hour."
Yuzuha sucked in a breath. "That's so expensive!"
"Little lady, this is life-threatening work."
Lao Chen snorted.
"Perseus hasn't been peaceful lately. That 'giant turtle' on the seabed has been raising hell, and Ether storms hit every few days-every trip my boat makes in there is a gamble with my life."
Lin Shuo didn't haggle. He simply took a stack of Denny from his bag.
"Three hours. If we go over, I'll pay more."
Lao Chen took the money, counted it, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Straightforward-get aboard. One reminder: once we're there, you go down yourselves, and I wait on the surface. When three hours are up, I'm leaving, whether you're back or not-those are the rules."
"Understood."
The boat set off.
The old diesel engine roared harshly as the fishing boat slowly left the dock and headed out to sea.
Yuzuha stood at the bow, the sea breeze lifting her red hair.
Bangboo Matatabi crouched on her shoulder, her two mechanical tails swaying gently to keep her balanced.
"Matatabi, can you sense the Three-Tails?"
"Yes." Matatabi nodded.
"Very clearly-he's sleeping, but the Ether fluctuations are strong."
"Sleeping?"
"Yes. That guy Isobu... has always been lazy. He sleeps whenever he can."
Matatabi paused, then added, "His temper isn't bad-but if he's woken up, he gets very angry."
Yuzuha swallowed nervously.
Lin Shuo walked over to her with a small Ether detector in his hand.
The readings on its screen fluctuated-the closer they got to Perseus Hollow, the higher the Ether concentration became.
"Lin Shuo," Yuzuha asked quietly.
"If the Three-Tails won't cooperate... what do we do?"
"Beat him awake."
"...B-beat him awake?"
"Yes," Lin Shuo said calmly.
"Between Tailed Beasts, sometimes fists work better than reason."
Yuzuha imagined the scene-Lin Shuo fighting a turtle as big as a mountain...
She suddenly felt that this world was insane.
After the fishing boat had sailed for forty minutes, a strange stretch of sea appeared ahead.
The seawater was dark purple, the sky was distorted, and Ether particles visible to the naked eye floated in the air.
They had arrived at Perseus Hollow.
"This is as far as I go!" Lao Chen shouted from the wheelhouse.
"My boat can't take it any farther! Find your own way in!"
Lin Shuo nodded and looked at Yuzuha.
"Ready?"
Yuzuha took a deep breath and nodded firmly. "Yes!"
The two put on their diving equipment-specially made Ether protective suits that allowed normal breathing in environments with high Ether concentrations.
Bangboo Matatabi didn't need one. Her crystal shell was perfect protection in itself.
"Three hours!" Lao Chen reminded them again. "In three hours, I'll wait here for ten minutes-miss that, and I'm gone!"
"Got it."
Holding Yuzuha's hand, Lin Shuo leaped into the sea.
Freezing seawater instantly enveloped their bodies.
But the protective suits quickly adjusted the temperature, and the Ether filters started working, supplying ample oxygen.
The two descended.
The scenery on the seabed was stranger than they had imagined.
The coral reefs and schools of fish had all been twisted by Ether Corruption-the coral looked like bleached bones, while the fish resembled ghosts as they swam slowly through the dark purple seawater.
The farther down they went, the darker it became.
But the glow of the Ether particles provided a faint source of light.
Matatabi led the way, her crystal shell giving off a faint blue glow in the darkness like a guiding lantern.
"Just ahead," Matatabi's voice rang out in their minds.
"I can feel it... Isobu is sleeping down below."
They continued descending.
Ten minutes later, the terrain on the seabed began to change.
The flat sand gave way to rolling mountains-no, they weren't mountains.
It was a turtle shell.
An enormous turtle shell covered in moss and seaweed stretched across the seabed like a real underwater mountain.
Isobu, the Three-Tails.
Even lying asleep, his size was astonishing-at least fifty meters from head to tail, with a shell more than thirty meters wide.
Snores came from beneath the shell, as deep as rumblings from the seabed.
Each snore made the surrounding seawater ripple faintly.
Yuzuha's eyes widened.
Although she had prepared herself, seeing such an enormous creature in person still left her too stunned to speak.
Lin Shuo, however, remained calm.
He swam up to the shell and raised his hand to knock on it.
"Thump, thump, thump."
The sound traveled slowly across the seabed, but it was clear enough.
The snoring stopped.
The enormous shell trembled slightly.
Then a head larger than a truck slowly rose from beneath it.
Isobu opened his eyes.
His eyes were as large as millstones, with vertical pupils like a reptile's.
He looked at the two tiny humans before him, and that... strange Bangboo.
Silence.
The silence beneath the sea was heavier than on land.
After a long while, Isobu's voice rang out in their minds-deep, slow, and displeased at being woken.
"Matatabi?"
"It's me."
"You... how did you end up like this?"
"To adapt to this world."
Matatabi said.
"This is Lin Shuo, and this is Yuzuha-they can help you."
Isobu turned his eyes toward Lin Shuo and Yuzuha.
His gaze was heavy, like tangible pressure.
Lin Shuo could feel the surrounding Ether stirring-the Three-Tails' emotions were affecting the environment.
"Humans..." Isobu began slowly.
"You... woke me."
Lin Shuo said, "We need to talk."
"About what?"
"Your future."
Lin Shuo looked straight into that enormous eye. "This world is rejecting you. If you stay like this, you'll disappear-or turn into an Ethereal."
Isobu remained silent for a long time.
So long that Yuzuha thought he had fallen asleep again.
Then he said, "I know."
His voice carried weariness.
"I can feel it... the Ether is corroding my shell. Very slowly, but constantly."
He paused. "That's why I chose to sleep-it takes less out of me when I'm asleep."
"But that only treats the symptoms, not the cause," Matatabi said.
"Become a Bangboo, like me-you may look a little strange, but at least you'll survive."
Isobu looked at Matatabi's Bangboo form, and a trace of... distaste flashed through his eyes?
"A rabbit?"
"A Bangboo."
Matatabi corrected him.
"But you look like a rabbit."
"The point is function, not appearance!"
The two Tailed Beasts-though one was still in his original form and the other was already a Bangboo-began their familiar bickering.
Lin Shuo and Yuzuha watched from the side, at a loss for words for a moment.
In the end, Isobu gave in first.
"All right... a rabbit it is."
He sighed, his voice even more weary. "Better than disappearing."
He looked at Lin Shuo. "Human, what do you need me to do?"
"Become a Bangboo, then come with us."
Lin Shuo said.
"We'll protect you from being captured by TOPS or anyone else."
"TOPS?"
"An organization that wants to capture you for research."
Yuzuha added, "They're offering ten billion for your capture."
Isobu narrowed his eyes.
"...I'm only worth that much?"
Yuzuha: "???"
Was that really the point?!
The corners of Lin Shuo's mouth lifted slightly. "If you agree, we can begin the transformation now."
Isobu thought for a few seconds-or rather, spaced out for a few seconds.
Then he nodded.
"All right."
[System notification: Three-Tails Isobu has agreed to the Bangboo transformation] [Execute immediately?]
Lin Shuo silently answered in his mind, Yes.
A soft white light shone again.
This time, it was on a larger scale-after all, Isobu was much bigger than Matatabi.
The enormous turtle shell began to shrink and change shape...
The transformation lasted a full three minutes.
When the white light faded, a... turtle Bangboo appeared on the seabed.
His dark green outer shell had the mellow luster of jade.
He had a round body, short limbs, and a complete turtle shell on his back-only scaled down to Bangboo size.
The most unusual part was his head-arranged in a triangle.
"This feels... so strange."
Isobu's voice rang out, still in that same deep, slow cadence, but now an electronic Bangboo voice.
He lowered his head to look at his "hands"-now tiny little hands.
"I turned into... a turtle Bangboo?"
"Better than a rabbit Bangboo."
Shukaku-who had also seen this through Matatabi's senses-snarked from afar.
"Shut up, tanuki!"
"Who are you calling a tanuki?! I'm a Tailed Beast! A Tailed Beast!"
"Now you're a rabbit."
"...Isobu! I challenge you to a duel!"
"Bring it on. I'm not afraid of you."
The two Bangboo-one at a ramen stall and the other on the seabed-began bickering from afar.
Yuzuha couldn't help laughing.
Lin Shuo laughed too.
He reached out and picked up Isobu Bangboo.
"Welcome aboard, Isobu."
Isobu's electronic eyes blinked, and then he said quietly, "...Thank you."
He paused, then added, "But I still hate being woken up."
"Got it." Lin Shuo nodded.
"From now on, you can sleep until you wake up on your own."
"That's more like it."
The transformation was complete, and it was almost time.
Lin Shuo and Yuzuha began ascending with Isobu Bangboo.
When they reached the surface, Lao Chen's boat was still waiting-there were ten minutes left before the three-hour mark.
"All done?"
Lao Chen raised an eyebrow at the extra Bangboo.
"Yeah." Lin Shuo nodded.
"Let's head back."
The fishing boat headed back.
Yuzuha sat at the bow with Isobu Bangboo in her arms and Matatabi perched on her shoulder.
The sea breeze blew, and the sun sank in the west.
Everything had gone unbelievably smoothly.
But Lin Shuo knew this was only the beginning.
Four-Tails Son Goku was still waiting at Solov Volcano.
And... TOPS wouldn't let this go.
He looked toward the distant horizon, his gaze deep.
[System notification: Successfully recruited Three-Tails Isobu. Reward: Ōtsutsuki Fragment ×1] [Currently held: Ōtsutsuki Fragment ×1] [Bangboo Commander (passive) has automatically activated-current number of Bangboo available to command: 3] [Note: As the number of recruited Tailed Beasts increases, the resonance between the host and the Tailed Beasts will gradually strengthen, unlocking more joint abilities]
Lin Shuo closed the interface and looked at Yuzuha.
The sunset's afterglow fell across her face, her red hair like burning flames.
She was smiling as she talked to the two Bangboo, her green eyes curving into crescents.
A smile like that was worth protecting with everything he had.
The fishing boat sailed toward the dock.