"Her?"
Temari looked at Uchiha Hikari, who had suddenly closed her Sharingan and softened her expression considerably, and then looked at Bai Mo in confusion.
Although a lot of time had passed in the Tsukuyomi Space, it was only an instant in the outside world.
So, in the eyes of the observing Temari and Gaara, Hikari had suddenly glared at Bai Mo, fiercely activated her Mangekyō, and then just as suddenly deactivated it with a look of relief.
It was as if she had a split personality.
"Mm, we settled things in the Tsukuyomi genjutsu. She's our companion now.
We're committed to building a world where neither she nor Gaara will ever again have to be emotionless weapons, sacrificing their names and feelings."
Bai Mo nodded.
"That's great..."
Gaara smiled with relief.
Besides Naruto, he now had another companion... well, perhaps not a companion yet, but at least an ally.
"And also, let's beat up those overly intimate men and teach them not to corrupt the Shinobi World's atmosphere."
Bai Mo added.
"..."
Gaara's smile froze.
He wondered if his relationship with Naruto wasn't what Bai Mo meant by "overly intimate"?
They were just best friends, although Naruto was his only best friend... but he wasn't Naruto's only best friend!
Thinking of this, Gaara felt a little sad.
"What's with that expression? Could it be that you... you're also a three-person squad, two men and one woman?"
Uchiha Hikari stopped halfway through her sentence, choosing a more subtle way to phrase it.
"Huh? Yes."
Gaara snapped out of his thoughts, wondering why she suddenly brought up three-person squads.
"Ew, disgusting."
Uchiha Hikari took two steps back in disgust, moving closer to Bai Mo.
"?"
Gaara was bewildered.
Did his new friend, who shared a similar plight, really dislike him that much?
If this were in the past, he would have already started to lash out.
"Gaara's three-person squad consists of his older brother Kankurō, and his older sister Temari, who is this one right here."
Bai Mo explained, also introducing Temari to Hikari.
"Oh."
Hikari nodded, feeling a little embarrassed.
She had misunderstood Gaara.
"However, you didn't misunderstand him completely. He does have a deep bond with a Konoha shinobi, and that Konoha shinobi can, in a sense, be considered the reincarnation of Senju Hashirama."
"..."
Hikari was about to apologize to Gaara, but hearing those words, she immediately swallowed her apology.
"?"
Gaara was even more confused.
He did have a deep bond with Naruto.
But why did the other person react like that upon hearing it?
Did she have a grudge against Naruto?
...Or perhaps against Konoha?
Gaara pondered for a moment before letting it go.
If that was the case, then maintaining a normal social distance would be fine. He would absolutely not abandon his bond with Naruto for a new friend.
Even if he and Naruto were only recent friends.
—
Having brought the former quasi-legendary Pokémon, "Uchiha Hikari," into their fold, Bai Mo and his group resumed their journey.
Their destination: the Dragon Veins of the ancient Lōran ruins.
Along the way.
As the only master currently successful in 'conquering' an Uchiha, Bai Mo knew very well that Uchiha Hikari's seemingly simple agreement of "I can help" actually contained extremely profound emotions.
As a human weapon of the Uchiha Clan during the Warring States Period, Uchiha Hikari would certainly be aware that the Mangekyō Sharingan's vision would continuously decline with increased usage, eventually leading to permanent blindness.
Even if no one told her, her repeated use of her abilities as a weapon against other clans would naturally lead her to discover this.
This meant that Hikari's seemingly light promise had, in reality, already committed the light of both her eyes.
It was still the same saying.
For an Uchiha, don't listen to what she says; look at her eyes.
For Bai Mo, this was not a problem.
Bai Mo simply addressed it directly.
"You, you know about this?"
"Of course, I know. Uchiha Madara, from that ill-fated couple I just told you about, he transplanted his brother's eyes, which greatly increased his ocular power and granted him eternal light."
"I don't have any siblings..."
"I know."
Bai Mo's lips curved into a slight smile. "Actually, there's a very simple way right now for you to freely use your Mangekyō abilities without worrying about blindness.
—Transplant Senju Hashirama's cells."
"No!!!"
Uchiha Hikari was listening intently, but upon hearing this method, she shrieked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Bai Mo looked back; Uchiha Hikari had her fists clenched, hissing at him: "I'd rather go blind than touch anything from those two guys!"
The most hated Senju Clan, plus the most hated dead 'blue' (referring to homosexuals)! To make her transplant that guy's cells, she'd rather die!
"Alright, alright, then don't act on your own and waste your ocular power, just leave the minor issues to us..."
Bai Mo said, his gaze shifting to Temari.
Temari was secretly glancing his way, especially after Uchiha Hikari's "No!" She had thought Bai Mo had done something strange.
"When you used your Mangekyō ability on me earlier, it granted me a new ability. If we encounter enemies later, it would be a good chance to try it out."
"Huh?"
Hikari tilted her head.
She merely assumed Bai Mo possessed some special bloodline.
The group walked for a while longer.
The location of the Dragon Veins, buried by yellow sand, was already relatively hidden.
However, with a general direction and Bai Mo's perception, the four still reached their destination.
But surprisingly, a large crowd had gathered at the ruins of Lōran.
"That's the Daimyō! And his Guardian Ninja, the rest must be hired rogue ninja and servants... Why are there so many people?"
Temari immediately recognized the person sitting in an open palanquin on the outskirts, with two shinobi holding a parasol beside him.
"Oh, no wonder the Land of Wind's Daimyō arbitrarily cut your funding; he has quite a few people himself."
Unlike Temari, Bai Mo immediately recognized the person bowing obsequiously before the Daimyō.
Wasn't that the villain boss from the Lost Tower, the puppeteer Sasori?
Instead of activating the Dragon Veins to travel through time, he had called the Daimyō over. What was he planning?
"See that person? I'm guessing he wants to use the Dragon Veins' immense chakra to enhance military capabilities, get the Daimyō's support, and completely replace your Sunagakure."
Bai Mo offered a theory.
As for why Sasori hadn't activated the Dragon Veins for time travel, it was highly likely that time travel was no longer possible.
"Oh no, they've spotted us!"
Temari suddenly saw shinobi in the distance looking their way.
There were no obstructions in the desert, so if they could see the others, the others could see them too.
"I'll handle it."
Gaara stepped forward, sand beginning to rise and swirl around him.
"Have you made your decision? To be the Kazekage, to govern the Land of Wind, and to eliminate the Daimyō."
Bai Mo's words caused Gaara's sand to pause.