Chapter 922

Almost no one could discern the difference from this contrast, and now Kaguya wished to disguise herself even more as Lin Cheng.

She must "integrate" into Lin Cheng's original personality before others' definitions of her solidify.

She had always excelled at this; at least since she was nearly abandoned and "thrown" into the Ninja Academy by Hyūga Hiashi, none of these people truly understood her "true face."

Kaguya's gaze did not linger on Inuzuka Kiba; she immediately withdrew her attention and refocused on Naruto and Sasune, and she no longer blocked the classroom door—if a few more people came and each one disturbed her again, the scene would become unpleasant.

"Lin Cheng?" Hearing the commotion at the door, Naruto—who had been hanging all over Sasune—automatically turned her head. When she finally realized she was being watched, she instantly recoiled from Sasune as if shocked, pretending nothing had just happened.

"Ah, hahaha! Everyone's arrived without noticing! Master Iruka will be here soon—everyone, return to your seats!" Naruto laughed nervously, trying to cover the fact that she had just been speechless.

Everyone who heard this expressed deep contempt. Never mind why Naruto, the king of tardiness, arrived earlier than anyone today—no one believed such a line, fit only for a class monitor, could come from Naruto's mouth. Her distraction technique was terrible!

"Hey."

Kaguya suddenly felt deeply ashamed—her ancestor Ōtsutsuki Hagaromo had produced such a creature, and she had only just realized it.

At this moment, she blamed not just Uzumaki Naruto, but also Uchiha Sasune, who stood beside her with a cold, aloof expression.

Another boring school day. Kaguya, showing no abnormality, resumed her old role as an invisible presence in class. After school, she returned to her clan and locked herself in her room, tending to the snake Orochimaru had given her; the two maintained constant contact this way.

Even if Orochimaru was unwell, his excessive closeness to a certain clan as director of Konoha's Research Center still made some people uncomfortable.

"So Jiraiya recently took Young Yuanzi and left the village without so much as a word?" That period coincided with Kaguya's bloodline fusion; her Byakugan had not fully covered Konoha, and by sheer coincidence, she missed the chance to find a way to keep Young Yuanzi by her side.

"Given his nature, he's certainly headed to some dangerous place. He may seem unreliable on the surface, but how could that be? He's the most stable of our 'Three Sannin.'"

Orochimaru had grown accustomed to Jiraiya's sudden departures.

"I don't know where he took Young Yuanzi, but I'm certain that if he dared do this, he made complete preparations."

"You know what I truly care about." Kaguya didn't care what Jiraiya would do—she cared only for Young Yuanzi. Even though Young Yuanzi's strength was not weak, she still believed the girl was safest beside her.

Just stay quietly by my side until everything settles.

Land of Wind, en route to Land of Labyrinth.

"What I didn't know was that you couldn't summon the Azure Dragon!" Jiraiya still couldn't believe the news he'd received from Young Yuanzi. If she could summon the Dragon Clan, they could have simply used Summoning Technique to reach Labyrinth when leaving Konoha—there'd be no need to trek there on foot like this!

Young Yuanzi stared straight ahead, her inner urgency pressing upon her.

The approach is not just Xixi—but the original body itself—needs me!

Jiraiya might talk, but he would never abandon his duty—he had promised to care for Young Yuanzi. Now that she showed unprecedented seriousness, he would fully support her.

In the underground chamber of the Labyrinth, the entire ceiling was covered by the thriving vines of the Divine Tree; streams of light flickered within. Beside the array's core, the pale green Summoning Array emitted blinding radiance—and the next instant, Xixi appeared, her scattered green Senjutsu chakra sharply contrasting with the surrounding pale purple energy.

"Cough, Qiong—are you there?" Having just returned from her "Moon Journey," Xixi was exhausted, but time allowed no rest. Thinking of the unconscious weight and suppressed bestiality she had sensed within the seal, she had to activate the coordinates immediately—there was no time left for Yuanzi to train in other realms!

"Of course, Sister Xixi. We remain united with the Dragon Veins and the Divine Tree—everything here operates normally."

The two little ones, having fused with the Dragon Veins, had long lost their physical forms and existed only as spiritual projections; even by the Azure Dragon Clan's rapid growth rate, they showed no signs of maturing at all.