บท 26: The Awakening Tenseigan
"No!" Temari's anxious shout echoed from a distance. She had witnessed Kaguya's technique earlier, and if this jutsu hit Gaara...
But Kaguya didn't attack Gaara with the All-Killing Ash Bones as Temari had imagined. Instead, she retracted the bone spike in her palm, and a blue sphere of light appeared in her hand. She struck Gaara's body with it.
Gaara's eyes instantly lost focus, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
This was the Tenseigan's ability to control a person's will and actions by inserting the light sphere into their body. Kaguya wasn't controlling Gaara but Shukaku inside him, sealing the tailed beast to prevent Gaara from going berserk.
However, Kaguya had expended too much chakra earlier, and now she barely had enough to control the tailed beast. She wasn't sure how long the seal would hold.
"Gaara!" Temari hurried over, cradling Gaara in her arms. She turned to Kaguya and shouted, "What did you do to him?"
"Nothing much," Kaguya shrugged with a smile. "I just helped stabilize his mind. He should wake up in a few hours. Don't worry."
Kankuro approached as well, pulling out two scrolls from his pouch—one Heaven Scroll and one Earth Scroll. "We aren't your match," he said, handing the scrolls to Kaguya. "Please, let us go."
Since Gaara couldn't defeat Kaguya, it was futile for them to try. Surrendering was the smarter choice.
Kaguya accepted the Earth Scroll from Kankuro and handed back the Heaven Scroll, smiling softly. "I'll take this, but I already have a Heaven Scroll, so you can keep yours."
"Thank you," Kankuro said, as he and Temari supported Gaara and prepared to leave. "We'll be going now." They turned and left.
Kaguya let out a breath of relief. The battle had taken a significant toll on her chakra, and she felt utterly drained. The All-Killing Ash Bones required an enormous amount of chakra, and with her current capacity, she could use it a maximum of three times. Controlling someone else's will consumed a lot of mental energy, leaving her feeling slightly disoriented.
"Sister," Hinata ran over, looking worriedly at Kaguya, "Are you hurt?"
"Of course not," Kaguya hugged the petite Hinata, smiling.
"We're saved," Kiba said, walking over and exhaling heavily. "Thank goodness you were here."
"Yes," Shino said, quietly agreeing.
"You're welcome," Kaguya waved her hand with a slight smile.
"Gaara is so strong," Kiba said in amazement. "I can't believe you managed to defeat that monster."
"It was just luck," Kaguya smiled, not wanting to dwell on the topic. "By the way, have you gathered your scrolls?"
"These, right?" Shino pulled out two scrolls from his coat.
"Since you have your scrolls, I'm relieved," Kaguya smiled, "I'll head off now. Be careful on your way."
"Wait," Kiba Inuzuka asked, "Why don't we go together? It would be good to have each other's support."
"Yes, sister," Hinata tugged at Kaguya's sleeve.
"Sorry," Kaguya patted Hinata's head, "I have some personal matters to attend to, so I can't join you. Apologies."
"Alright then," Shino Aburame pushed up his sunglasses.
"Then I'll be going. Goodbye," Kaguya waved and turned to leave.
There was a reason Kaguya preferred to travel alone. Her eyes were causing her intermittent pain. Initially, she thought it was due to overuse, but a look in the mirror revealed otherwise.
She discovered her eyes were glowing faintly blue, and the edges of her pupils had a nebula-like pattern. This reminded her of the Naruto movie, where Toneri had a similar condition, which he called "fetal movement," a sign of the Tenseigan's growth.
Kaguya didn't want anyone to know about her condition.
On her way to the central tower, she didn't encounter any other teams or engage in any battles, allowing her to rest and recover most of her strength.
When Kaguya arrived at the central tower, she realized she was the first to arrive. The tower was empty, save for a few chairs. She decided to lie down, feeling mentally exhausted from the continuous battles despite her physical recovery.
When she awoke, the surroundings were filled with people who had passed the second exam.
Kaguya sat up, yawned, and looked around. Most of the twelve rookie genin had passed, except for Naruto's team.
However, Kaguya wasn't worried. She knew they wouldn't be disqualified. Regardless of their abilities, Orochimaru wouldn't allow them to fail since he had an interest in Sasuke as a vessel and wanted to continue observing him.
Unlike the original, the Heaven and Earth Scrolls were not opened together to summon a teacher to explain the words on the wall. Instead, a Chunin led the way to the third exam arena. This might be a special arrangement for Naruto's team.
Since the participants returned at different times, the exam was scheduled for the day after the second test concluded.
Meanwhile, Kaguya was assigned to a rest room. The room was well-equipped with daily necessities and furniture such as tables, chairs, and lamps.
The bed was neatly made, and Kaguya sniffed the sheets, which smelled fresh, indicating they had been newly changed. This reassured her.
She didn't want to sleep in a bed used by others.
In the following days, unlike other participants who either trained or went out to relax, Kaguya spent her time sleeping. Apart from eating and using the restroom, she stayed in her room.
Kaguya felt extremely tired, especially mentally exhausted, and was constantly sleepy. She wasn't sure why, but it might be related to the awakening of the Tenseigan.
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