Gazing at the massive purple clay husk that blocked out the sky, Hyuga Kagami couldn't help but let a small smile appear on his face as it gradually shrank under the bindings of the sealing jutsu patterns.
But before long, the smile froze.
As the purple clay husk shrank, its shape started to change.
No one could have predicted that once the chakra of the Dragon Vein was condensed to a certain point, it would reveal its true form — a dragon!
The issue was that Hyuga Kagami had molded the clay husk into a perfect sphere.
As a result, the internal dragon shape clashed violently with the external spherical mold. The dragon form pressed outward, and the round husk was forcibly reshaped into a stubby, chubby, short-bodied dragon — entirely purple.
It actually looked kind of... cute.
The Queen of Loulan gave Hyuga Kagami a strange look. She hadn't expected someone who looked like a cold, professional assassin to have such a quirky aesthetic.
Seeing her weird gaze, Hyuga Kagami felt slightly embarrassed and coldly muttered, "That was an accident."
The Queen of Loulan turned away, clearly unconvinced by his explanation.
"Seal it!"
Not bothering to explain further, Hyuga Kagami hastily sealed the artificial tailed beast into his own body.
This was only a temporary seal — he couldn't yet draw on the tailed beast's chakra. Only after completing the proper Jinchuriki fusion seal would he be able to do that.
But time was short. Suna-nin could arrive at any moment, so the fusion seal would have to wait until after they escaped.
After scanning the surroundings with his Tenseigan one last time to ensure no traces were left behind, Hyuga Kagami departed the ruins of Loulan with the Queen.
Several hours later, as dawn lightened the horizon, they arrived near the Manto Oasis.
Seeing the oasis close by, the Queen of Loulan snapped, "You promised to spare my people!"
Hyuga Kagami blinked, confused. "I never said I was going to kill them."
Her tense expression softened, and after a moment of silence, she looked in the direction of the oasis and nervously said, "Then... do it."
Hyuga Kagami folded his arms, puzzled. "Do what?"
The Queen hesitated. "Aren't you going to silence me?"
Now Hyuga Kagami was genuinely confused. "When did I ever say I'd do that?"
It finally dawned on him — she had never believed his story about buying the Dragon Vein. She'd terrified herself with imaginary consequences.
Realizing he had no intention to harm her, she relaxed slightly but still asked, "But I know your secret. Aren't you afraid I'll tell someone?"
"Do you even know who I am?"
She shook her head.
"Exactly. You don't even know my name. So even if you did talk, what could it change?" He paused, then added coldly, "Besides, you should know that if you say the wrong thing, it won't just be you — your people will suffer too."
"I won't say a word," she quickly assured.
Hyuga Kagami pondered a moment. "Sunagakure won't let this go. You can't stay in the Land of Wind."
"What!?" The Queen was startled, but after recalling Suna's obsession with the Dragon Vein, she realized he was right. "Then where can we go?"
Hyuga Kagami stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Konoha was safe, sure, but the identities of the Loulan survivors were too sensitive. If they hid in the Leaf Village, the Third Hokage would likely launch an investigation.
After all, it had been the Fourth Hokage who sealed the Dragon Vein. Now it was unsealed and stolen — no way would Hiruzen ignore that.
Eliminating Konoha as an option, Hyuga Kagami searched for alternatives... and then it hit him: the Land of Rain!
As the base of the Akatsuki, it might be dangerous for ninja, but for ordinary people, it was one of the few peaceful places in the world.
Thanks to Pain's iron rule, rogue ninja rarely stirred trouble there. His isolationist policies also made infiltration by foreign shinobi difficult. If the Loulan survivors could reach the inner cities of the Rain Country, they'd be nearly unreachable.
Even the legendary Jiraiya had failed to penetrate it in the original timeline.
And most importantly — Pain, focused solely on collecting the tailed beasts, wouldn't care about the Dragon Vein at all.
Hyuga Kagami shared his plan with the Queen, assuring her he'd still pay her the agreed amount for the Dragon Vein.
The Queen, long accustomed to poverty, swallowed hard and asked, "How much will you pay?"
Hyuga Kagami thought for a moment, then held up five fingers.
Five million ryo — his entire fortune. Three million he had saved over time, and the remaining two million came from the bounty on two rogue ninja who tried to assassinate him.
Originally it had been three million, but one million was spent hiring some Grass ninja.
Staring at his five fingers, the Queen guessed aloud, "Fifty thousand ryo? That's... not too bad."
Hyuga Kagami sighed.
"Wait... fifty *thousand* ryo?" she asked again.
He teased, "You really don't seem to value the Dragon Vein much."
The Queen's eyes widened as realization hit. "Five... five *million* ryo!?"
He nodded. "It's not much, but it should be enough to improve the lives of you and your people. More money would only bring danger."
In Hyuga Kagami's eyes, five million wasn't a huge sum, but it was enough to help hundreds of Loulan refugees start anew. The Queen could also finally afford a proper doctor to treat her illness. She was still young — with timely treatment, there was hope for a full recovery...