"Oh, Ryosuke is here? Stay for dinner! No need to help, just sit down."
"Thank you, Grandma!"
Ryosuke's tactical maneuver succeeded. He grinned, waddling back into the living room.
Aokawa rolled his Byakugan. "How many times have you used that move?"
"Hey, we're practically family. Don't be stingy."
Ryosuke knelt at the low table, pouring himself a cup of water.
Aokawa watched him relax, then dropped the bomb.
"Lend me 30,000 Ryo."
"Pfft!"
The fatty sprayed water all over the table. Aokawa dodged effortlessly.
"Hey! I just came for a free meal, and you're robbing me?" Ryosuke wiped his mouth, indignant.
"I'm injured. Medical bills." Aokawa said calmly.
"What kind of injury costs 30,000? You're doing D-ranks! Did you trip on a kunai?"
"Something like that..."
Aokawa tossed the bill onto the table. "Total was 80,000."
"80,000?!" Ryosuke's eyes popped. He grabbed the paper.
"Did you fight a Tailed Beast? Look at this itemized list! 'Reconstructive Chakra Therapy'? Did you get your kidneys stolen?"
"Cut the crap. Are you lending it or not?"
Ryosuke stared at him for a long moment, then sighed deeply.
He pulled out a frog wallet, his face pained.
"It's not easy saving money, you know."
He counted out the bills slowly. 30,000 Ryo. It looked like he was parting with his own children.
He handed them over, but as Aokawa reached for them, Ryosuke snatched them back.
"I'm going to eat extra portions tonight."
"Fine."
"And you have to pay me back. I'm saving for a wife."
Aokawa snatched the cash. "How much does a wife cost in this economy?"
"Hey, hey! That's too far!" Ryosuke pointed an accusing finger. "You have girls throwing themselves at you because of that face. I have to rely on financial stability! Swear you'll pay me back."
"I swear. After the next mission."
"With the way you lose money on missions, I'll be single forever."
Aokawa raised a hand. "Finding a wife is easy. If I can't pay you back, I'll introduce you to someone."
"Deal." Ryosuke's mood flipped instantly.
He watched Aokawa pocket the money, then his expression turned serious.
"What really happened?"
"A 'small accident'."
Aokawa leaned in, repeating the sanitized story he gave Shinku Yuhi.
He didn't mention the Quincy powers. Not because he didn't trust Ryosuke, but because secrets in Konoha had a way of leaking. Danzo had ears everywhere. If rumors of a "long-range chakra sniper" got out, Aokawa would vanish into Root by sunrise.
"Someone putting a bounty on the Branch House..." Ryosuke's face darkened.
"That explains why my last team felt like we were being tracked. Luckily, we had a Jonin leader."
Ryosuke shivered.
"They can't touch the Main House, so they're targeting us to crack the Caged Bird Seal," Aokawa said quietly. "Be careful on your missions."
"I will."
"Dinner's ready! Little Aokawa, Little Ryosuke, come help set the table!"
"Coming, Grandma!"
The night passed.
Early the next morning, Aokawa sat cross-legged on his bed.
The debt was paid. The lies were told. Now, it was time for power.
Project: Sage Mode.
High concentrations of Nature Energy caused petrification. If he tried to absorb it into his whole body at once, he risked turning into a garden gnome.
He needed a quarantine zone.
He looked at his left hand.
"Byakugan."
Veins bulged around his temples. The world shifted into monochrome x-ray vision.
He focused on his left wrist.
Using the Gentle Fist principle, he identified the chakra points (tenketsu) that connected the hand to the forearm.
Strike.
He used his right hand to tap the pressure points, sealing them shut one by one.
He created a chakra tourniquet. His left hand was now energetically isolated from the rest of his body.
Even if the Nature Energy ran wild, the worst that would happen is he'd lose a hand. A steep price, but better than dying.
Phase 1: Induction.
He raised his left hand.
Using Reishi Collection, he opened a single tenketsu on his palm, inviting the outside world in.
Through the Byakugan, he watched the ambient Nature Energy—wild, chaotic, heavy—swirl toward him. It entered his palm, mixing with the small amount of chakra trapped in his hand.
It felt cool at first. Like dipping his hand in a mountain stream.
But then, the energy turned turbulent.
It wasn't passive like chakra. It was alive. It thrashed against his meridians, heavy and abrasive.
Stabilize it.
Aokawa gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead. He used his Quincy control to clamp down on the chaotic energy, forcing it to blend with his own.
1 part Physical. 1 part Spiritual. 1 part Nature.
He watched the mixture swirl in his palm. It was turning a muddy gray color.
Too much Nature Energy.
He quickly injected more of his own chakra to dilute it.
The color shifted to a pale, glowing blue.
Balance achieved?
Suddenly, his skin began to itch. Not on the surface, but under it.
He looked down.
Small, rock-like scales were beginning to form on his fingertips.
Petrification.