Kaguya Otsutsuki let go of Natsume.
Her pale pink lips glistened with a soft, dewy sheen.
She blinked her snow-white eyes, her lashes fluttering gently as she tilted her head to gaze at him.
With her immense power, she had already sensed Yukie Kazahana's presence.
Yet only one person mattered to her.
The rest of humanity was no different to her than ants.
Natsume met her gaze.
The crisp sunlight of the Land of Snow bathed her snow-white hair and pale face, making her look as if she were the legendary snow spirit, Yuki-onna.
"What's wrong?"
Natsume couldn't help but ask, noticing how still she stood.
Kaguya reached out and gently caressed his face.
That warmth stirred something deep within her.
Just like when Natsume had said, "I will always like you," her heart had momentarily raced.
For her, this was something that had never happened before.
At her level, she could control every reaction in her body.
In other words, a racing heartbeat was unnatural.
She didn't understand it.
So she leaned down and pressed her lips to his.
This time, for longer.
That racing heartbeat came again.
Kaguya's snow-white eyes reflected his handsome face. After a moment, a smile ghosted across her lips.
Though icy, it was mesmerizing.
As Natsume was about to speak, Kaguya turned around and walked toward the Box of Supreme Bliss.
She reached out, touching the box, realization dawning in her eyes.
After a moment of thought, chakra surged from her palm and quickly enveloped the Box of Supreme Bliss.
Perhaps sensing danger,
The box suddenly shook violently, spewing forth countless shadowy figures—souls.
Back in the Six Paths era, Kusagakure used the Box of Supreme Bliss to harvest many lives.
Souls and emotions were bound within, gradually amassing denser Yin Release power over time.
Kaguya glanced at them expressionlessly.
[Byakugan: Overwhelming Pressure!]
All the souls trembled in terror, recoiling instantly and fleeing back into the box.
Crack!
The surface of the Box of Supreme Bliss fractured.
In the original story, this material could withstand Rasengan and Tailed Beast Ball attacks, yet before Kaguya Otsutsuki, it was as delicate as parchment.
The cracks spread, eventually turning into fragments and peeling off piece by piece.
Within moments, the Box of Supreme Bliss no longer existed.
Kaguya slowly raised her left hand. The lingering souls and emotions at the scene quickly coalesced into arrow fletchings.
Completely transparent, faintly tinged with a pale blue hue and an ethereal, mystical aura.
But crafting the bow took far longer.
Natsume watched for a while before turning his head toward Yukie.
She hadn't departed.
"Lord Natsume."
Yukie Kazahana noticed his gaze and quickly averted her eyes, greeting him politely.
She didn't understand what the Box of Supreme Bliss truly was, so she couldn't fully grasp the meaning of Kaguya's actions just now.
Still, she could vaguely sense Kaguya's immense power.
Kaguya Otsutsuki was the one who took initiative in her interactions with Natsume.
"Any reason for stopping by?"
Natsume gave a slight nod, acknowledging her greeting.
"Tomorrow is the annual Kazahana Snow Festival. Will Lord Natsume have time to attend this year?"
Yukie Kazahana hesitated for a moment before responding swiftly.
In truth, she didn't really have anything pressing to say.
She just rarely got to see Natsume and wanted to spend more time with him.
Still, the snow festival wasn't made up.
It had been specially created to mark her reclaiming the homeland.
Of course, in her own eyes, it felt more like a celebration of her meeting with Natsume.
Suddenly, Kaguya Otsutsuki turned her head.
Though she hadn't said anything, Natsume could already roughly guess what she meant.
She probably felt she'd stayed too long and wanted some air.
"Hmm, then I'll attend."
Natsume paused slightly before adding, "But don't go to any trouble—just a brief appearance should be enough."
Yukie Kazahana's radiant smile faltered slightly.
Yet she didn't dare ask for much, so she simply nodded and said, "I understand. I'll go make the arrangements right away."
Kaguya Otsutsuki cast a glance at her.
Without saying a word, she turned around and continued making her bow.
This was the first time she'd taken on such a task.
But since it was a rare request from her servant, she would definitely do it well.
Otherwise, it would damage the reputation of Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Natsume didn't leave but instead watched her work.
The longer he watched, the more thoughtful he became.
Power truly was terrifying.
No techniques were needed—just sheer overwhelming force.
Everything in her hands seemed completely at her mercy.
However, soon he caught sight of the composed, faintly detached smile on Kaguya Otsutsuki's face.
As though a child had just found their favorite toy.
He paused briefly.
Thinking carefully, wasn't Kaguya Otsutsuki basically like a child?
Despite having never truly experienced one herself.
Not long after, a black bow was completed.
Kaguya Otsutsuki pointed her finger, and the previous feathers flew into the bow.
With a casual pull, a faint arrow formed upon the string.
Kaguya Otsutsuki glanced at Natsume, then aimed upward and released.
The arrow disappeared in the blink of an eye.
To Natsume's senses, within a single second, it shot dozens of kilometers skyward.
This range was enough to rival [Mind's Eye of the Kagura].
Huh...
And it dwarfed the range of [Byakugan] by more than ten times.
It perfectly exemplified what was known as a saturation strike.
With a loud boom,
The arrow exploded.
In the sky, it seemed like a magnificent fireworks display, visible even to the entire metropolitan area of the Land of Snow.
"Did you like it?"
Kaguya Otsutsuki tilted her head gently and asked, "Books say humans enjoy fireworks."
Natsume froze.
Now that, he thought, was effortless teasing.
Natsume walked toward her, revealing a naturally warm smile as he said, "I really like it."
"Take me to the Snow Festival tomorrow."
Kaguya Otsutsuki shoved the bow into his hands.
"All right."
Natsume gripped the bow, instantly feeling a wave of coldness surge through his palm.
"Then be gone."
Kaguya Otsutsuki issued a quiet dismissal.
"Ah?"
Natsume was a bit taken aback.
"Aren't you supposed to be busy with something else?"
Kaguya Otsutsuki blinked her eyes innocently. "The book said that when you like someone, you should give them enough time and space instead of always monopolizing their time."
"..."
Natsume felt his heart pound violently for a few beats.
God, how are you even allowed to be this cute?
"Oh."
A flash of realization lit up Kaguya's pale eyes. She stepped forward, hugged him, kissed his forehead, and asked, "Now should I go?"
Like this, how can I leave even more easily?!
Natsume swallowed hard, finally giving a response for the first time today.
He sank his teeth into the slippery jelly and ravished it thoroughly.
Kaguya looked genuinely confused.
Truthfully, she didn't quite understand what this meant.
After all, books only described the most basic kissing.
Cough cough.
Mostly because a book like *Make Out Paradise* would never be found in a study in the Land of Snow.
"See you tomorrow."
Natsume glanced at Kaguya, whose lips were now connected by a thread of jelly, and quickly made his escape.
One more glance and he'd lose it completely.
He returned once more to the Land of Grass. Satori had already been fully sealed.
"Hokage-sama, the mission is complete!"
Sagara Tomo looked excited, his eyes gleamed with devotion.
"Good job."
Natsume quickly glanced at the members of the sealing team and said, "What happened today must not be told to anyone."
"Yes!"
The group responded immediately.
Natsume nodded and sent them back to Konoha Village first.
"Sasuke, you're awake?"
Naruto Uzumaki, sitting on the grass, instantly jumped up and moved closer, looking quite happy.
"Sasuke, how are you feeling? Any discomfort?"
Mikoto Uchiha reached out a hand to help him up, asking with concern.
Sasuke Uchiha's eyes revealed a sense of confusion.
He looked at Naruto Uzumaki and Mikoto Uchiha, instinctively scratching his head.
Worry flickered across Sasuke Uchiha's face as he glanced sideways at Natsume.
"Don't worry, the procedure—no, the sealing—went well."
Natsume smiled slightly, offering reassurance. "He just woke up and hasn't fully shaken off the effects yet."
"Ah."
Sasuke Uchiha let out a soft sound, pressing a hand to his forehead.
Memories flooded back to him.
Then his body tensed up.
He actually hit Mom?
"I'm sorry, I—"
Sasuke Uchiha hurriedly apologized.
"It's okay."
Seeing him return to normal, Mikoto Uchiha relaxed a little and said, "Your actions before weren't under your own will, so naturally I won't blame you."
Even so, Sasuke Uchiha still felt deeply guilty.
Even the matter of his Mangekyo Sharingan was temporarily forgotten.
"Let's continue this back in Konoha."
Seeing that the two seemed unlikely to finish anytime soon, Natsume interrupted their conversation.
"Okay."
Mikoto Uchiha snapped back to reality, gently stroking Sasuke Uchiha's head and said, "Sasuke, you've worked hard today. Go home and rest."
"All right."
Upon hearing those words, Sasuke Uchiha suddenly felt drained.
He had been controlled by Satori and forced into battle.
His pupil power and chakra had both been drained.
Although he'd taken a nap, the short rest wasn't enough to fully recover.
Sasuke Uchiha stood up, his expression shifting slightly.
Why does it feel like there's something foreign in my stomach?
Natsume noticed Sasuke's odd expression and couldn't help but smile.
But he didn't say anything.
Mikoto Uchiha would explain everything to Sasuke anyway.
[Flying Thunder God Technique] was activated.
Several figures materialized at the Uchiha clan's residence.
"Sasuke, see you tomorrow."
Naruto Uzumaki waved his hand.
Despite having just fought an intense battle, he was still full of energy.
You've gotta admit — the Uzumaki clan's stamina is ridiculous.
But Naruto Uzumaki clearly stands out even more.
Possibly due to Asura's and Kurama's chakra.
After bidding farewell to Naruto, Natsume headed straight toward the Hyuga clan's compound.
Originally, this mission was supposed to include Hinata.
But now, it had already ended without her even knowing.
Fortunately, Natsume had prepared an apology gift.
"Hokage-sama."
Hiashi Hyuga, as clan leader, rarely went on missions, so he was always home.
After receiving the notice, he hurriedly came out to greet them.
"Uncle Hiashi."
Natsume greeted him first before asking, "Where's Hinata?"
"She's training in the courtyard."
Hiashi wasn't surprised. "Please come in."
"Big brother!"
This chapter isn't finished yet!!!
"Brother!"
The first voice came from Hinata Hyuga.
The second from Hanabi Hyuga.
The two sisters had very different personalities, so they addressed him differently.
One shy, one passionate.
"Here, Hanabi."
Natsume pulled out a pile of snacks first.
"Thank you, big brother!"
Hanabi's smile became even brighter.
She practically sprinted over and clutched the snacks to her chest.
As for Hinata, she stayed back, her eyes betraying a hint of envy.
If only she had Hanabi's boldness, she could throw herself into his arms right now.
Thinking that, her face turned faintly red.
"Hanabi."
Knowing better than anyone else, Hiashi spoke up. "Come with me."
"Oh."
Hanabi hesitated but couldn't defy her father.
After all, the Hyuga clan had strict rules.
She dared not disobey them.
"Hinata."
Natsume pulled out a small bow.
"This is for you."
"Me?"
Hinata accepted it dazedly, looking at him somewhat confused.
The Hyuga clan uses Gentle Fist techniques — all close-range fighting styles.
Giving her a bow… did that make any sense?
But since it was a gift from Natsume, after a moment of confusion, she smiled happily.
Aren't you gonna ask why?
He reached out and playfully ruffled her hair.
"Whatever Big Brother gives me, I like."
Hinata murmured shyly.
A faint blush spread across her fair, delicate face. After speaking, she even gently bit her lip.
Natsume couldn't help but pinch her soft cheeks a few times.
Hinata Hyuga immediately felt a bit flustered, feeling her face grow warm as her gaze dropped to the floor, as if something on it had caught her eye.
"Do you remember me telling you earlier to consider the possibility of long-range attacks?"
Natsume stopped teasing her and turned serious.
"Um."
Hinata tried hard to recall, finally managing to clear her hazy mind and nearly fainting but managing to stay conscious.
"This bow is for you to use in combination with your Byakugan."
Natsume took out another scroll—a Ninjutsu scroll modified by Kaguya Otsutsuki called [Vacuum Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Strikes], and said, "And this one too."
"Thank you, Natsume-niisan."
After thanking him, Hinata instinctively opened the Ninjutsu scroll, but immediately froze.
She could recognize hints of a familiar technique, though its effects were completely different.
Had Natsume created this Jutsu specifically for her?
Hinata felt her cheeks burning, and her heart pounded wildly.
"Natsume-niisan...you're really too kind to me..."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
She couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze.
"That's only natural."
Natsume smiled and said, "Familiarize yourself with the bow and the technique. I'll take you out later to test its effectiveness."
Hinata quickly lifted her head, eyes sparkling with excitement clearly visible on her face.
"I'll leave you to it, then."
Natsume pinched her cheek lightly before vanishing from the spot.
It took Hinata a long moment to steady herself.
She touched her face, as if still able to feel his warm, large hand.
"Hinata?"
The voice of Hiashi Hyuga brought her back to reality.
"Father."
Hinata returned to her usual self and bowed slightly.
"Is that what Natsume gave you?"
Hiashi Hyuga's eyes immediately fell upon the bow in her hands.
"Yes."
Hinata nodded, her tone brightening slightly as she said, "It's a gift from Natsume-niisan."
"That doesn't make sense."
Hiashi rubbed his chin, puzzled, and asked, "Why would he give you a bow? The Hyuga clan has never used bows before."
If he didn't know Natsume's personality, he might suspect he was just bored and messing around with his little girlfriend.
"Natsume-niisan said it can be used together with my Byakugan."
Hinata hurriedly explained, "He must have a reason."
"..."
Hiashi twitched the corner of his mouth.
He must have a reason... Are you saying I don't?
In theory, bows and the Byakugan do go well together.
But in practice, they aren't easy to use effectively.
Normal bows not only have short range, but also slow firing speed.
By the time you fire, your enemy will already be on top of you.
At that point, you'd just end up dropping the bow and using Gentle Fist anyway.
Still, Natsume is the Hokage—if he gave it to her, it probably isn't a bad bow.
"Fire at me with it—I want to see how effective it is."
Hiashi thought for a moment and said, "If it's nothing special, you shouldn't waste your time."
"But… that might not be a good idea."
Hinata hesitated, saying worriedly, "I'm afraid I might hurt Father."
"Hurt me? Hinata, your father is one of the strongest shinobi in Konoha."
Hiashi Hyuga let out a soft chuckle. "If you were able to hurt me, I'd be thrilled to see another genius emerge from our Hyuga clan."
Hinata gazed at him with confidence and instinctively nodded.
True enough—no matter how powerful the bow was, her skills simply couldn't measure up.
Even during their daily sparring matches, she couldn't lay a finger on him—let alone land a solid hit.
To Hinata, Hiashi was undeniably formidable.
"Right here?"
"Right here."
Hiashi waved his hand casually. "Don't worry. Nothing bad will happen."
Seeing this, Hinata felt much more reassured.
She stepped back a few paces when suddenly a question popped into her mind.
Wait… there weren't any arrows in this chapter!
Hinata reached out absently and brushed the bowstring.
A wave of information flooded her mind.
This bow had two functions.
The first ability allowed it to automatically generate arrows.
The second ability absorbed the emotions of anyone struck by its arrows.
If the target died on impact, the bow would also absorb their soul.
In other words, the more it was used, the stronger it became.
Now it made sense.
Realization dawned in Hinata's eyes.
Though she didn't yet understand its full power, those two abilities alone proved the bow was extraordinary.
Warmth spread through her heart before she turned her gaze back toward Hiashi.
She pulled back the bowstring, and a faint blue glow rapidly coalesced into an arrowhead.
Hiashi paused briefly, then activated his Byakugan.
Only then did he notice the barely restrained chakra within the arrow.
How interesting.
It was the first time he'd seen such a bizarre ninja tool.
Proof enough that Natsume had really put some thought into it.
He wondered just how powerful it truly was.
Thinking for a moment, Hiashi assumed a defensive stance.
Hinata aimed at the empty space just beside her father's head and released the arrow.
Her intention was simple—even if her father failed to block it, the arrow wouldn't actually hit him.
But the moment the arrow left the bowstring, Hiashi's hair stood on end. An unprecedented wave of danger crashed over him.
Without hesitation, he unleashed Rotation.
His entire body spun rapidly like a top.
[Rotation]—one of the advanced secret techniques of the Hyuga clan—boasted absolute defense.
By rotating his chakra, it created a protective hemispherical barrier covering his entire body from head to toe, capable of repelling physical attacks.
A thunderous explosion rang out.
But unlike Kaguya Otsutsuki's technique, there were no fireworks.
That kind of flair was reserved exclusively for Your Highness, the Goddess, to wield.
"Father?!"
Concern flashed across Hinata's face as she rushed forward.
"I'm… fine."
Hiashi had indeed blocked the arrow.
But maintaining his dignity as a father came at quite a cost.
Behind his back, out of Hinata's sight, both hands trembled violently. Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.
Actually, Natsume himself hadn't known the bow's true power either.
After all, anything crafted by Kaguya Otsutsuki wouldn't be inferior to the legendary Six Paths ninja tools.
Approximately five thousand characters long.
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