Seeing the comrade ahead suddenly come to a stop, the Sand Ninja behind quickly asked, "Hey, what's wrong? Why did you stop?"
The stopped Sand Ninja dumbly pointed toward the sky. "Look! What is that golden light?"
Everyone turned their gaze. In the distant sky, a radiant golden light shimmered with brilliance not much dimmer than the sun itself.
"Is that... golden light?"
"But the sun is right above us, isn't it?"
"A mirage maybe?"
The Sand Ninjas began discussing it.
One of them seemed to recall something. "That direction... isn't that where Daura and Nosuke were stationed?"
Another ninja's expression darkened. "Daura and Nosuke couldn't have created something that intense."
The Sand Village had launched a major operation this time, not just to pursue the caravan of the Roran survivors, but to capture the mysterious figure who had stolen the Dragon Vein.
The Dragon Vein had been sealed by the Fourth Hokage using an extremely powerful seal. The fact that the mysterious person not only broke the seal but also stole the Dragon Vein in a short time was enough to show how formidable they were.
This strange spectacle in the distance made the Sand Ninjas present realize something was seriously wrong. Such a display wasn't something any ordinary ninja could produce.
If anyone could, it had to be the mysterious figure who stole the Dragon Vein.
Without hesitation, the Sand Ninjas dashed toward the radiant golden light.
Meanwhile, Hyuga Kagami was gritting his teeth.
"Damn it, I didn't expect the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion to consume so much!"
That one strike with the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion had almost completely drained Hyuga Kagami of his Tenseigan Chakra. Now, even maintaining Tenseigan Chakra Mode was becoming difficult.
But once he exited Tenseigan Chakra Mode, he would have no way of dealing with Nosuke, who was buried more than ten meters beneath the sand.
At that depth, neither taijutsu, ninja tools, nor explosive tags would have any effect.
With no choice, Hyuga Kagami bit down and forcibly drew on the Dragon Vein's chakra without first converting it, initiating another Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion. He swung down hard at the faint chakra signature beneath the sand dunes.
No matter what, anyone who had witnessed his Tenseigan Chakra Mode had to be eliminated. Otherwise, his identity and powers would be exposed with catastrophic consequences.
Swoosh...
The second Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion cleaved through the sand dunes with ease, utterly eradicating the hidden Sand Jonin, Nosuke.
"Whew..."
Confirming the target's death, Hyuga Kagami exhaled slowly.
But just then, he noticed something shocking—the golden blade in his right hand disintegrated on its own.
Not only that, but starting from his fingertips, his right arm began to revert from the glowing Tenseigan state back to normal... then it slowly turned gray... and finally, began to petrify.
"What the!?"
In a panic, Hyuga Kagami landed on the ground and tried to rally what little Tenseigan Chakra he had left to resist the petrification spreading from his fingers.
However, he had already used up most of his chakra mastering the Truth-Seeking Orbs earlier. Then he had used the Golden Wheel technique twice, which left him with barely any reserves. Now, no matter how hard he tried to squeeze more chakra out, it was minimal.
As a result, the petrification spread from his fingers to his wrist, and then slowly up to his elbow.
"Damn, it's natural energy corruption!"
After the initial panic, Hyuga Kagami quickly realized the problem.
If a person hasn't mastered Senjutsu and absorbs too much natural energy, the body begins to revert to nature itself, resulting in petrification—eventually turning into stone.
At this moment, his body was experiencing that exact phenomenon because the chakra from the Dragon Vein contained an abnormally high concentration of natural energy.
If he had converted it into Tenseigan Chakra beforehand, it would have been safe. But after his chakra reserves were depleted, he was desperate to eliminate the Sand Jonin and thus used raw Dragon Vein chakra.
He thought using it just once wouldn't be an issue, but the chakra consumption of Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion was so immense that it pulled in far too much raw Dragon Vein chakra, flooding his body with natural energy. Without Senjutsu training, his body began to petrify.
When the petrification reached his shoulder, Hyuga Kagami made a decisive move.
He activated a forbidden regeneration technique, sacrificing his lifespan to forcibly generate a new burst of Tenseigan Chakra.
Immediately, the sky-blue chakra clashed against the petrification at his shoulder, holding it back in a tense tug-of-war.
After a long struggle, the Tenseigan Chakra slowly neutralized the invading natural energy, halting the petrification's spread.
Finally, Hyuga Kagami let out a deep breath and muttered in relief, "Thank goodness I tested this on a few mid-level Sand Ninjas first... If I had gone straight into battle against a high-level opponent..."
If natural energy corruption happened mid-fight, not only would his combat effectiveness vanish, but even resisting the petrification would be nearly impossible. It would be a death sentence.
Both the Truth-Seeking Orbs and the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion were unfamiliar techniques to him. He couldn't accurately estimate their chakra demands.
This made live combat extremely risky, as unexpected issues could arise at any moment.
He was incredibly relieved that he had chosen relatively weak Sand Ninja opponents for his first field test. Even when things went sideways, he could still handle the situation.
If he had confidently gone up against a powerful enemy from the start, all his hidden flaws would have been exposed in the heat of battle, and the consequences could have been disastrous.
After all, hidden weaknesses will inevitably surface one day. It's better they emerge in a relatively safe scenario, so one can prepare for the future.
After scanning the battlefield to ensure no survivors remained, Hyuga Kagami gathered his thoughts and quickly left the scene...