Seeing Kusuo turn, the four of them knelt on one knee. "What is it?" Kusuo was clearly impatient.
"It's like this. Lady Hokage has requested your presence."
Kusuo looked at the four of them, his expression complex. He didn't want to get too involved in Konoha's affairs, especially not with the one who was always calling him a "brat."
"I have some things to attend to today. I'll go another time." Kusuo made up a casual excuse and dismissed them. The four Jonin looked at each other, said nothing, and simply nodded before leaving.
"Can you really just not go to see Lady Hokage?" Hinata asked, looking up at him.
Kusuo gently stroked her forehead. It was slightly warm. "It's fine."
As he spoke, Hinata reached up and rubbed her eyes again. Only then did Kusuo notice that her eyes were slightly red.
"Big Sister Hinata has been rubbing her eyes the whole time," Shion said.
Hearing this, Kusuo took a closer look at Hinata's eyes. Using his Transparent World, he discovered a trace of black energy within them. "Hmm?" The aura felt very familiar. It was Nagato's! "Nagato..." Kusuo's hands clenched into fists, but he suppressed all emotion on his face.
"Pfft." Nagato spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Nagato. Are you okay?" Konan quickly helped him to a hidden cave to sit down.
"I'm fine." Nagato was weak with pain, propping himself up with one hand. This was the first time he had experienced the pain of his body's recovery. It was far more agonizing than he had imagined. "The Rinnegan has only recovered a little." He coughed again, spitting up more blood.
"Y-your body." Konan noticed that while Nagato's body looked better, it was starting to show problems again.
Nagato realized that while his body was mostly healed, if he overused the Rinnegan, it would revert to its previous state.
"Don't overuse the Rinnegan anymore," Konan said, having seen the problem clearly.
"Don't worry about it. I'm fine. I... I must create a new world. I must eliminate Hatake Kusuo!"
Konan stood by, looking at the current Nagato, not knowing what to do. "But your eyes." She knew that if Nagato recklessly used the Rinnegan's power, his body might end up even more damaged than before.
"Don't worry. I have a plan." After saying this, Nagato coughed twice, then leaned against the cave wall and slowly fell asleep. Konan watched over him silently.
The next day, Nagato slowly opened his eyes. His Rinnegan was noticeably weaker than the day before. "If I don't restore my eyes soon, they might revert to the Byakugan from before." Nagato didn't know where that Byakugan had come from, but it was different from a normal one.
"Hmm?" Hearing Nagato's voice, Konan sat up. When she saw the faintness in his eyes, she was shocked. "What happened to your eyes?"
Nagato's hands clenched. "The Stone of Gelel can only restore a portion of my strength. To fully recover, I either need to use it for a long time or find a Gelel vein with a higher concentration."
Konan looked at him helplessly. Gelel veins were not easy to find; they were rarer than a hidden village.
"I have already planted a jutsu in Hinata's eyes. As long as she is there, my Rinnegan will recover before long." In his desperation to restore his eyes, Nagato had cast aside all other considerations.
"If Hatake Kusuo finds out, he will likely come for you." Thinking of this, Konan immediately began to hide exploding tags around the area. Kusuo could use his own methods to track the mark Nagato had left. Only by preparing in advance could they hope to deal with him.
"I'll recover here for now. You stand guard for me." Hearing Nagato's words, Konan began to secure the area. She didn't want anyone else to notice them here now.
The next morning.
Hinata slowly opened her eyes. Bright sunlight streamed into the room, warming everyone inside. Kusuo rubbed his eyes, and seeing Shion still asleep on the bed, he quietly walked over to Hinata's side.
"What's wrong?" The moment Hinata turned her head, Kusuo's eyes widened. "Your eyes..."
Hinata's normally white eyes now had traces of black in them, and the white had begun to turn a milky color.
"Kusuo-kun?" Hinata reached out, fumbling around the room. Seeing her reaction, Kusuo rushed to her side. "What's going on?"
Hearing the noise, Shion also sat up. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the two of them. "It's nothing. You go back to sleep," Kusuo said to Shion before lifting Hinata into his arms.
Seeing this, Shion let out a dejected "oh" and burrowed back under the covers. "Those two are probably off to have a sweet moment somewhere."
A few minutes later, at the Hokage's office. Kusuo set Hinata down with one hand and knocked heavily on the door with the other. Knock, knock, knock...
Hearing the frantic sound, Sakura rushed over to open the door. "Coming, coming..." Since the Hyuga clan was still in Konoha, Kusuo didn't want to make things too difficult for Tsunade, so he was being relatively gentle.
"Hmm?" The moment Sakura opened the door, her eyes turned into hearts. "Lord Kusuo."
Kusuo completely ignored her and strode into the office. "Where is the old hag Tsunade?"
"M-Master? Master, she... she had something to do today, so she went out."
Ever since entering the room, Kusuo had kept a protective arm around Hinata. Only then did Sakura notice that something was wrong with Hinata's eyes. "What happened to her eyes?"
Kusuo frowned. "It's all Nagato's fault. I don't know what kind of jutsu he left on her, but this is the result."
Sakura quickly helped Hinata to a seat. "How did your eyes get like this?" She held out her hand, and green chakra gathered near Hinata's eyes. But after a long moment, there was still no change. "How can this be?"
-------
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