The night air was cool as Raven's Shadow Clone stood before the gates of the Senju compound, her cloak shifting softly in the wind. A pale glow lingered in her Rinnegan, the ripples expanding and contracting with each measured breath. Yumi padded at her side, her single visible tail flicking lazily. Raven scanned the area, the glow in her eyes piercing the silence.
"I can't believe how sharp these eyes are," she said telepathically, her voice calm but edged with awe. "Even through a clone, I can sense anyone watching or following me."
Yumi's golden gaze narrowed with quiet weight. "Don't be surprised. The Rinnegan is the axis of life and death. Its reach has no equal."
Raven gave a small nod, reassured, and stepped closer to the gates. The compound stood silent, its stone walls cracked, weeds pushing up between cobblestones. Once, it had been home to one of Konoha's great clans. Now, it lay abandoned, a ghost of its legacy.
"What do you hope to find here?" Yumi asked, her tone curious but probing.
"Tsunade raised me in my past life," Raven answered firmly. "She left her research here — the Yin Seal, the Strength of a Hundred, The Healing Palm technique. And more importantly… Hashirama Senju's notes on his own cells. With that, I may replicate his Wood Release."
Yumi's ears twitched, surprise flickering across her face. "You intend to master Wood Release?"
"Of course," Raven said with quiet certainty. "With my natural chakra affinity, it should be possible. The Rinnegan channels nature chakra more perfectly than any Sage Mode. If Hashirama drew from life itself, then I will surpass him."
Yumi's tails stilled, her voice turning low and serious, almost like a lecture. "Wood Release is not a simple element. It binds life itself, rooted in the balance of natural energy. Those who attempt it without Hashirama's blood are consumed. Bodies calcify into stone. Their Souls fractured."
Her eyes met Raven's glowing gaze. "But you… you are different. Your Rinnegan is the ultimate Sage lens. Where others crumble to stone, you will flourish. If you succeed, you won't just rival Hashirama—you'll eclipse him."
Raven's tone was calm, but calculation burned beneath the words. "Good. I'll combine Wood Release with my adamantine sealing chains. That way, I'll be ready for enemies I know will come in the future."
Yumi inclined her head, her expression solemn. "That makes sense."
The two crossed the grounds. Weeds clawed through broken tiles, and birds startled from the rafters, scattering into the night. Ahead, a small building stood half-hidden by shadow — Tsunade's private home. Its walls were worn, its roof sagging, but Raven moved with purpose, her steps guided by memory. She knelt by the side wall and knocked in a deliberate four-beat rhythm.
The ground trembled faintly. With a muted rumble, the wall slid inward, revealing a hidden passage cut into the earth. The air that drifted out was stale, untouched for years.
Yumi tilted her head, her voice tinged with amusement. "You know the secret passageways of the Senju compound."
A faint smile pressed beneath Raven's mask, unseen but present in her tone. "I know more than that. I know the ones in the Uchiha compound as well. Mikoto is my best friend, after all."
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