A couple of days passed as I kept working on the One Tail seal fix. It was not easy at all. The time limit alone was enough to keep my nerves constantly stretched, and the pressure of not making a mistake only made it worse. Still, Sena made sure I slept and ate, even if it meant dragging me away from the work by force.
Meanwhile, Shisui focused on Kaen, helping him train his eye while he recovered. Once Kaen could move again, they started using a private training room, and I had to be there to check for any hidden surveillance or spy seals before they began. Luckily, there were none.
I decided to stay and watch for a while. My mind had been stuck on seals for too long, and my focus was starting to slip. A break would probably help more than forcing myself to stare at the same problem until I made a stupid mistake.
At the moment, Shisui was doing something that deeply offended my sense of fairness. He was showing Kaen more fire and wind jutsu while calmly explaining the process of copying techniques. I crossed my arms and muttered, "That is so unfair."
Sena, who sat next to me, glanced at me, amused. "That is why the Uchiha are feared. Their eyes are the perfect weapon. The fact that Kaen unlocked his third tomoe this young means he will have years to master more jutsu. He will become very powerful very quickly."
I watched Kaen copy a simple wind technique almost perfectly after only a few attempts. Shisui looked at him with open pride, correcting small mistakes and guiding him step by step. I shrugged. "Still. Doesn't mean I have to like it. Even with my lightning affinity, I can't master jutsu that fast."
Sena's lips twitched. "It is ironic that you of all people are complaining about unfair advantages."
I coughed and looked away, attempting a weak whistle. She ignored me, her gaze returning to the training.
After a moment, she spoke more quietly. "It must be nice to have someone be proud of you like that."
The words were soft, but they carried weight. I looked at her properly this time. For Sena, excellence was normal. Overachieving was expected. She got no warmth or praise from it. It was actually the opposite. If she ever showed that she expected something in return for her impeccable performance, she would be taught that pride was a weapon that could be used against her. I understood that kind of pressure. I knew how dangerous it could be.
"Well," I said simply, "I am proud of you."
She froze. The reaction was small, but I saw it. Her shoulders stiffened, and a faint color touched her face before she turned slightly away, hiding it. I did not push. Instead, I lay back on the floor and stared at the ceiling.
"Thank you for believing in me as a team leader," she said after a moment.
I snorted. "I believe in you as a person. A friend. And a very useful shield against overly aggressive pursuers of my amazing self."
She laughed at that, the sound light and genuine. But when the laughter faded, the silence returned.
I followed her gaze. Kaen was smiling more now, growing confident with each success. Every time he copied something correctly, he would glance toward Sena and wave, as if making sure she saw. And every time, she smiled back.
Eventually, I asked, "Sena, you know Kaen likes you, right?"
She nodded.
"So do you like him back?"
She stayed silent for a long time. The air felt heavier the longer it stretched. Finally, she stood.
"It doesn't matter what I like," she said quietly before walking toward Shisui and Kaen without another word, leaving me behind. I watched her go, a strange tightness settling in my chest.
After some time we returned home. Kaen kept looking at me as if he could barely hold himself back. I sighed and said, "Do not worry. We will get to fight soon enough, so calm down for now." Shisui laughed, clearly amused by our interaction, while Sena kept repeating the details of our departure from the Hidden Sand once the Chunin Exams ended in two days. It was the fifth time she had gone over the plan. Shisui appreciated it, and Kaen, for obvious reasons, paid attention, although he never did so at the Academy. I did not. It felt like a subtle dig at how bad my attention span had become lately.
Once we reached our flat, I went straight to my room and opened a scroll. The chakra ink was already prepared at my side. Buying it had been difficult. The merchant had refused to lower the price by much, and I only managed to cut a third off after nearly an hour of haggling. Holding my brush, I took a deep breath, rolled my shoulders to loosen the stiffness, and began drawing the buffer, which was easily the most difficult seal I had ever attempted.
It took me almost twelve hours to complete the formation. My hand trembled slightly as I finally put the brush down and looked at the incredibly complex seal covering the scroll. A grin spread across my face before I sealed it inside a storage seal. When I stood up, pain shot through my body because I had not moved anything except my hands and mind for such a long time. After a shower and a quick meal, I told Shisui that I was going out for some fresh air before the finale tomorrow. He simply nodded while keeping his eyes on Kaen, correcting flaws in his chakra control. Kaen was still having difficulty perfectly coordinating his chakra control with his new, powerful eyes.
It was almost night when I finally reached my destination, the same place where I had met Gaara for the first time. It was close enough to his home to be convenient, but also genius, because the people watching him would not expect it. They would assume he would run far away like he usually did.
In the distance, a massive sand arm suddenly rose, threatening to crush a house. I narrowed my eyes as I saw a Hidden Sand shinobi running across rooftops toward the Kazekage building, likely to warn him of another One Tail outburst. However, the arm soon disappeared, and not long after, Gaara appeared on the wall, breathing heavily from the run.
"Smart kid," I chuckled quietly as he approached. I gestured for him to come quickly and placed a seal scroll on the ground. The moment he stepped inside, I activated it with a burst of chakra. It was a modified barrier designed to hide chakra signatures, greatly reduce detection, and prevent anyone from seeing what was happening inside. I had also altered the outer layer to bend and scatter light, breaking it into a faint spectrum that shimmered across the surface. From the outside, it looked like nothing more than a subtle distortion in the air that could easily be mistaken for a mirage, but from within, the sunset fractured into soft bands of color, painting everything in shifting shades of gold and red. The wall was empty at this hour since most people were resting early to attend the Chunin Exams finale.
Gaara looked around in amazement as the golden sunset shone through the barrier. It turned the village into a sea of warm colors that made everything look almost magical. I had thought it would help him relax, and luckily it seemed to work.
"Hi, Gaara," I said with a grin as his eyes finally focused on me.
"Hi," he replied with a small smile.
I glanced into the distance and noticed the Kazekage leaving his building and scanning the village. I could not see his face, but I was certain he was confused as he moved through the streets searching for his son.
"Very smart plan, you rascal," I said. Gaara laughed, clearly proud of himself, though I could still see the sadness in his eyes. People constantly running away from him had slowly worn down his sense of self-worth.
"Well, we are about to leave soon," I said gently. His expression darkened immediately, his eyes shining slightly, but I continued before the moment could settle. "However, I have a small gift for you." He still looked sad, watching me as if he wished I would not leave, but he knew it was inevitable.
I reached out carefully. The sand moved at once, rising between us. I felt it inch closer to my arm, but Gaara sensed that I meant no harm. In the end, the sand rotated harmlessly around my arm as I patted his shoulder.
"This gift will stay with you for a long time," I said softly, "and with it, you will remember me." Gaara wiped his eyes and asked with quiet curiosity, "What is it?" I replied with a genuine smile, "Peace."