Yamato stared wide-eyed at Kaito, mumbling,
"...Sensei?"
Kaito landed back on the ground with Yamato still in his arms. She showed no intention of letting go, curling herself even tighter against him.
Zephyr walked up, resting his hands on his hips.
"You finally came back. This disciple of yours has been going on and on about her sensei all day long—I thought my ears would fall off from hearing it."
Kaito gave a helpless smile and looked down at Yamato. Normally so bold and carefree, she was now uncharacteristically shy, her neck shrinking in embarrassment as she hid her face in his chest like an ostrich.
Though she was clearly a head taller than Kaito, right now she looked like a two-meter-six child.
Kaito didn't pay that much mind for now. He turned toward Zephyr and smiled.
"Zephyr-sensei, it's been a long time. You still look strong—your punch just now had quite the power!"
Zephyr snorted.
"Don't give me that. Against you now, my punch hardly counts for anything."
Then he eyed Kaito curiously, focusing on his golden eyes.
"What's with your eyes? Those aren't Rinnegan, are they?"
Yamato also lifted her head to look. She had noticed the change earlier, but since she had finally gotten to cling to Kaito, she just wanted to stay quiet a little longer.
Kaito gave a brief explanation.
"These are Tenseigan. You could say they're one of the things I gained during my journey."
"Tenseigan, huh? Another pair of powerful eyes. Mind showing me what they can do?"
Kaito nodded slightly, turned his gaze toward the distant sea—then golden light burst from both eyes.
In an instant, the ocean split cleanly down the middle. Steam rose from the evaporating water, leaving a deep rift that refused to close.
"Hiss..."
Zephyr and Yamato both sucked in a sharp breath. Zephyr couldn't resist taking a jab at Kizaru.
"Same kind of light, huh? But this is way beyond Borsalino's. Compared to this, that guy's light could only serve as party decorations!"
...
In a certain office—
"Achoo!"
Kizaru rubbed his nose, glancing at his freshly trimmed nails.
"Is Zephyr-sensei badmouthing me again? Tch... stubborn old man."
...
Back at the training field, Yamato looked at Kaito with pure admiration.
"As expected of my amazing sensei! You're incredible!"
Her admiration for Kaito had long surpassed what she once felt for Oden. She clung to him tightly, gripping the front of his clothes.
Kaito tried several times to shake off the human barnacle, but every attempt was deftly dodged.
Just as he was considering using a small-scale Almighty Push, Yamato suddenly released him on her own. She stood in front of him, eyes welling with mist.
That threw Kaito off. He quickly scanned her body with his Tenseigan, then reached out and touched her forehead—only then confirming she was fine.
Being examined like that made Yamato feel oddly flustered, though she didn't think too much about it. After a pause, she spoke softly.
"Sensei... where exactly did you go? You didn't even tell me. It was Kalifa-san who told me afterwards..."
At that, Yamato's voice trembled with grievance. She never thought she was any worse than Kalifa or the others, and Kaito disappearing without a word had truly hurt her.
Zephyr couldn't help but interject.
"Even I, his teacher, had no idea. Don't take it too personally."
"What do you know, Zephyr-sensei! My bond with Sensei isn't the same as yours!"
"Eh... cough, cough!"
Zephyr choked on his words, coughing twice before pressing her further.
"What's different? It's still just a teacher-disciple relationship, isn't it?"
"It's different! I don't want to be just a disciple, I—mmph!"
Yamato clamped her hand over her mouth, glaring at Zephyr without another word.
Kaito gently patted her head and, in a rare show of tenderness, said softly,
"Yamato, it was my fault for not telling you before I left. The truth is... I went to another world."
"Another world?"
Yamato blinked in confusion, then suddenly gasped in horror.
"Wait—Sensei! You mean... you died!?"
Bonk!
Kaito couldn't help himself—he flicked her on the forehead. His tone immediately lost its softness.
"Who said I died!? I meant another dimension. Do you even know what that means?"
Yamato tilted her head, half-understanding, half-confused.
"So... when can I go see another world with you, Sensei?"
Kaito snapped his fingers. A black dimensional portal shimmered open beside them.
"You can go anytime. I'll take you to look around soon. That sound good?"
"Perfect!"
Yamato's mood flipped as quickly as ever—just like Shalria, really. Of course, in terms of intelligence, those two could easily pass as a matched set of fools.
She ran behind Kaito and hugged him from the back, pressing her face against his back.
"Sensei, you're the best. You know... if you hadn't come back soon, I might've gone home."
"You mean Onigashima, right? I've already been there. Your father's been enjoying himself as king quite a bit. If you went back, you'd be a princess—no, wait, a prince."
Yamato pouted.
"I'm a girl, why would I be a prince? And I don't want to be a princess either! As for my father—he used to rant about how much he hated kings and power, and now look at him! Men really are fickle!"
"Huh!?"
That last line startled Kaito more than anything.
He hadn't expected words like that to come from Yamato of all people.
"Who taught you to say that?" he asked.
Yamato proudly raised her chin.
"Shalria! She said it's a pearl of wisdom she gained from reading lots of books!"
"She can actually sit still long enough to read? What kind of books is she reading?"
Kaito rubbed his forehead helplessly.
"From now on, don't take her nonsense seriously. Honestly, her IQ might even be lower than yours."
"Wait—what's that supposed to mean, Sensei? Are you saying we're both dumb!?"
"What else would I mean?"
"...Fine! I admit I'm a little slow! But I'll definitely get smarter! You'll see, Sensei!"
Zephyr stood by, listening to their back-and-forth, smiling without saying a word.