Seeing Shion's anxious face, Kusuo reached out and gently tapped her on the nose. Shion immediately threw her arms around him in a hug.
"Let's hurry back," Kusuo urged, looking at Shion. Shion knew he was worried about Hinata. After all, the journey back would take about two days.
"Let's go." Kusuo waved to Ibiki Morino, and the Demon Slayer Corps immediately began to withdraw to their nearest rendezvous point.
"Kusuo, what exactly happened with Big Sister Hinata this time?" Shion asked, still confused. That day, the moment she had touched the stone Kusuo gave her, her entire body had undergone a change.
"A seed was planted in your body long ago. Now, the people of the Star Village have begun to make their move. This is likely the first step."
When the two of them returned to the Sand Village, things had calmed down considerably. The heightened state of alert from before they left was gone. There weren't even that many guards on the streets.
"Why is it like this? They've only had a few days of peace," Shion said, looking at the scene with a sense of unease.
"It's fine, don't worry. Hinata will be okay," Kusuo said, gently pulling Shion into his arms. Shion's face turned slightly red. "By the way, when did you two get along so well?"
Hearing this, Shion immediately put her hands on her hips. "What kind of question is that? Our relationship has always been very good!" After saying this, she playfully stuck her tongue out at him. Seeing her adorable expression, Kusuo reached out and stroked her head. "Then let's hurry." The two of them immediately picked up their pace.
Knock, knock, knock.
Shion knocked on the door. After a few moments, a familiar face peeked out.
"Shion! Where have you two been? I haven't seen you in so long, I missed you! I wonder where that Hatake Kusuo guy ran off to, not even coming to see me."
When Hinata saw Kusuo standing behind Shion, her face instantly flushed bright red. Kusuo had intended to go in and give her a proper hug after being apart for so long, but the door was slammed shut in his face with a bang.
"Hey... Hinata..."
After a long while, Hinata finally opened the door again. "Kusuo-kun..." She kept her head down, but even so, Kusuo could see her crimson cheeks.
"I forgot to ask you something important. How has your body been these past few days? Has it returned to normal?"
Hearing this, Hinata blinked and looked down at her body. "I haven't really noticed any major changes. Where did you all go? Why didn't anyone tell me?" Hinata grew more agitated as she spoke.
Shion finally stepped forward and gently patted her shoulder. "Big Sister Hinata, there's a reason we didn't tell you. A few days ago, Kusuo discovered that your body has a strong connection to the Star from the Hidden Star Village. So, we spent the last few days personally resolving that issue."
Hinata's large eyes widened as she looked at Kusuo. "Kusuo-kun..."
Kusuo reached out and gently pinched her cheek. "As long as you're okay, that's all that matters. By the way, do you still have that green gem I gave you?" Hinata took the green gem out of her pocket. "Keep this on you. If you ever run into trouble, it can protect you."
Hinata immediately tucked the stone into her weapon pouch. "Don't worry, I will absolutely not lose this."
Seeing her adorable expression, Kusuo smiled gently. To have his family gathered like this was truly a rare and precious thing. He was always busy with one thing or another, and most of the time, it was just Shion and Hinata together. His family was a very warm one.
But, in a place far from this warmth...
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path...
Obito Uchiha stared at the statue. "It seems we need to speed up the search for Tailed Beast chakra." With Kusuo's help, the Demonic Statue had absorbed the Four-Tails' chakra. Although it wasn't the complete amount, they had still succeeded in capturing the Tailed Beast.
"I declare the Tailed Beast Capture Plan... resumed!" Obito announced, looking at the assembled members. No one directly objected, but Nagato was unsure how to participate. The loss of his Six Paths of Pain last time had been too devastating. He had even lost his Rinnegan to Kusuo.
"We're starting the plan again with our current strength?" Nagato glared at Obito, but Obito's face remained arrogant.
"Summoning the Demonic Statue is our top priority."
After Obito spoke, the other Akatsuki members remained silent. "Last time, it was Hatake Kusuo who gave me the Four-Tails' chakra."
"Hatake Kusuo?" Itachi Uchiha asked in a low voice.
"He personally delivered the Four-Tails to me," Obito's voice carried a hint of confidence.
"Don't forget, someone like him is not so easily deceived."
"It would be better if we had him on our side."
"With Kusuo's strength, it's hard to say who he would help."
Nagato's pale eyes stared intently at Obito. Just as Nagato was about to speak, Konan quickly pulled him back. "Let the past be the past. I believe we will definitely get your eyes back." After saying this, Konan also shot a fierce glare at Obito. Ever since Nagato lost his eyes, Obito hadn't come to see him even once, instead constantly assigning them all sorts of missions.
"Now, to announce the next primary targets."
"The Eight-Tails, the Nine-Tails..."
Watching the others leave, Nagato's fists clenched tightly. "Cough, cough." He coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Nagato, it's okay," Konan gently tugged on his sleeve. "We'll have another chance. That guy Obito..."
-------
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