I stayed working on the One Tail seal. The longer I focused on it, the worse I felt for Gaara. That thing was not just a prison. It was torture. Every single day, every single moment, it forced the hatred, rage, and madness of an ancient tailed beast into the mind of a child. It was not fair. No five-year-old could withstand something like that. The fact that he was still standing, still functioning, was either a miracle or a curse. Probably both.
The problem was that I could not change the seal itself. It was too old, too complex, and far too dangerous to tamper with directly. One wrong move and I might destabilize the entire structure. At best, Gaara would suffer. At worst, Shukaku would break free. So instead of replacing or altering it, I had to work around it. I could only add to it, creating some kind of extension between the faulty layers.
I finally settled on my strategy. I would create a buffer at the layer responsible for filtering. A secondary formation inserted between the unstable sections. It would not block the negative emotions or the tailed beast's chakra. That would only make Shukaku push harder. Instead, it would slow them down and force them to take the long route.
The negative feelings and corrupted chakra would be redirected through a purposely convoluted seal formation. Along that path, small seal nodes would break them down little by little, filtering the instability and weakening the emotional impact. By the time that energy reached Gaara, it would be neutralized enough that he would no longer feel that constant crushing pressure. No more sudden spikes of rage. No more endless whispers digging into his mind.
A smile slowly spread across my face as the idea took shape. I had six days before I met him again. In that time, I needed to design a buffer that could connect to the original seal seamlessly without triggering any defensive reaction from it. The formation had to look natural, as if it had always been part of the system.
The main drawback was obvious. Gaara would experience a slight delay when drawing on the One Tail's chakra. However, the chakra he received would be far more stable and refined. He would learn to use it without losing himself. More importantly, the buffer would prevent the One Tail from speaking to him directly. Gaara could still communicate with the beast if he truly wanted to, but it would require effort and control instead of the current constant harassment. That trade-off was more than fair.
Unfortunately, this solution would not last forever. Since the buffer was not part of the original structure, it would degrade over time. The foreign layers would slowly break down under the pressure of a tailed beast. Still, by then Gaara should be older and strong enough to handle it, and its disappearance would keep my involvement hidden from both Konoha and Suna, who would most definitely consider it a crime if they ever found out.
By the time I finished outlining the concept, the sun was already up. I looked up and found Sena walking into the room with a tray of breakfast. My stomach growled loudly in protest, as if I had a tailed stomach sealed inside me, which honestly was not that far from the truth. For a moment, I wondered if I could create a seal to mute stomach sounds or maybe reduce hunger. A loud snap of fingers in front of my face pulled me out of my useless thoughts. Sena's expression twitched in irritation. "You need to move your body, eat, and drink, or you will end up covered in dust."
I exhaled, exhausted, and stood up with a groan as my stiff muscles protested. "Thank you, Sena," I said, moving toward the tray like a starving beast. I reached for the food, only to have my hand slapped away. In a reprimanding tone, she said, "Go wash your hands. They are full of ink." I grumbled in protest but obeyed, heading to the bathroom to clean up.
When I returned, I attacked the breakfast with full focus. The amount was enough for five people, which was exactly what I needed. With my mouth full, I said, "Sena, you are the best. You know exactly how much I need to eat." She narrowed her eyes in disgust as I spoke while chewing, food fighting for survival between my teeth. She simply shook her head.
After some time, I asked, "Hey, Sena, why didn't sensei come?" Her eyes widened slightly. "He did. Twice. Once last night. He stood at the door and watched you for a while. He said hello, and you waved at him without even looking away from your work. Then he came again this morning. He is the one who asked me to force you to eat." My mouth opened in disbelief. I did not remember seeing Shisui at all. Sena sighed in annoyance and closed my mouth with her hand. "Do not worry. I told him you were working on some new barrier, so you are safe. Though I still do not recommend doing what you are about to do."
I gave her a grateful smile and chuckled. "You know me. I will do what I think is right." She got annoyed again when I continued talking while chewing, so she stood and moved to sit near the window outside my room.
By the time I finished, the entire tray had been destroyed. Not a crumb remained. I might have even bitten a small piece of the wooden plate by mistake. Definitely by mistake.
Then the doorbell rang. I stood up immediately and walked to the door to greet Shisui, trying to act normal so I would not raise his suspicions. Sena was already there. She looked through the glass and said in puzzlement, "What is the Hidden Cloud genin team leader doing here?"
I froze. My foot slipped, and I nearly fell. I knew I would make a sound, but in desperation I coated my legs with a thin layer of chakra, dampening it just in time. It took a surprising amount of control, and I barely managed the correct chakra concentration through what could only be described as a divine act of pure luck. I did not even have time to process what I had done as I rushed to hide behind the door. I tried to move further away, but a strong knock came, and I froze completely. Sena saw my reaction, becoming even more puzzled, before she opened the door in a way that blocked me from view.
Sena was tall, but Raika was slightly taller, likely because she was a few years older. Sena asked calmly, "Hello. Is there something you need?" Raika's eyes moved around the flat like a radar, searching for me. Sena's eyes twitched in annoyance as Raika ignored her completely before biting her lip and asking, "Where is Noa?"
Sena's eyes flashed with understanding. A mischievous smile appeared for a moment before disappearing. "He is training outside."
Raika's voice filled with admiration. "In this heat, the day after his battle. Such dedication. I knew my intuition was right." Sena replied smoothly, "A woman's intuition is always right." Raika nodded, pleased.
A moment later, her expression changed. "Do you live in the same flat as boys? You are still young. You should have boundaries." Sena's anger flared dangerously, but as always, she hid it perfectly. "I needed to make sure he ate breakfast. I did not want him to go to his daily training hungry."
Raika's body tensed. She narrowed her eyes at Sena, and a silent battle unfolded between them. The tension was almost visible, electricity practically forming in the air. In Raika's case, that was not just a figure of speech.
At that moment, footsteps approached. Shisui arrived, supporting a limping and heavily bandaged Kaen. They entered as Raika stepped aside. Sena spoke in a tone that clearly meant go away. "I will make sure to let Noa know you visited when he returns."
Kaen looked confused, glancing between Raika and the spot where I was hiding. He opened his mouth to speak, but Sena subtly stepped on his injured leg. He screamed in pain as Shisui panicked, thinking one of his injuries had reopened, and immediately moved to support him. Sena spoke with fake concern, "We need to take care of our injured teammate. We will see you later, I suppose," as she closed the door.
Raika snarled quietly and turned to leave, clearly frustrated as she retreated from a fierce battle.