Chapter 90: If a Stranger Knocks, Pretend You’re Not Home

Beneath the boulder, meters down, a stone sarcophagus hung in darkness, covered in dense, tadpole-like script. Faintly glowing arcane patterns seemed to defy time, waiting silently to be unearthed.

"…Dig, dig, dig, plant a tiny seed, bloom a tiny flower…"

A figure, isolated in the sarcophagus for years, slowly raised her head. Long deaf to any sound, she now faintly heard a song from above.

"Awful…" The cramped space prevented her from covering her ears. Closing her crimson eyes, she tried to block the grating tune, muttering venomously, "If I find out who's singing, I'll rip their tongue out."

"In a really big garden, dig, dig, dig, dig a giant seed, bloom a giant… huh, something hard?" Uchiha Gin, mid-song, felt his golden shovel hit resistance.

Found it? Activating his pseudo-Byakugan, he scanned the obstruction, but a spatial distortion blocked his view.

No way. Unconvinced, Gin cranked his Byakugan to max, pouring chakra into it. His eyes strained, vision piercing the distortion, faintly revealing a stone sarcophagus.

Still blurry. Strongest x-ray vision, my ass. Stubborn, Gin funneled more chakra, eyes burning, nearly bursting. Suddenly, bolstered by his inner powers, his Byakugan broke through. A blue flash erased the strain.

If Gin could see his eyes, he'd notice a change: once pure white, now with black sclera and pale blue pupils.

"Seeing color now?" Blinking, he marveled at his restored, vibrant 360° vision, no longer x-ray monochrome. "Heard Byakugan can evolve, but this isn't Tenseigan, is it?"

Checking a mirror, he studied his mutated eyes, sensing their power—strong, but not like Toneri's Tenseigan in the manga.

Later. Business first. Stowing the mirror, he re-examined the obstruction. His enhanced eyes pierced the spatial barrier, clearly revealing a seal-covered sarcophagus with a girl inside, head bowed, face hidden.

"Tch, unremarkable, but so pale… whoa, whoa!" Unaccustomed to his upgraded "color ultrasound" vision, Gin saw too much. Shutting off Byakugan, he muttered, Ignorance is innocence.

Confirmed as Koharu's seal, Gin spat into his palms, gripped the shovel, and dug furiously to free her.

Thud… thud… thud…

"Annoying! Who's banging up there?" The girl, relieved when the singing stopped, now fumed at the thumping, fists clenched, itching to unleash a Tsukuyomi on the culprit.

Knock, knock, knock. "Anyone home? Community warmth delivery!" Gin, having unearthed the sarcophagus, wiped imaginary sweat, knocking politely on its door.

Is this guy an idiot? The girl rolled her eyes. Sealed for years, had the outside world devolved this far?

"His voice… familiar?" The nagging voice stirred memories, but the tone lacked the vigor she recalled.

"…I know you're in there! Open the door, don't hide!" Gin continued.

"No way I know him," she insisted, shaking her head, denying any connection.

"Gin, you found it?" Tajima's voice called. Gin looked up from his pit, stowing the shovel, leaping out, and dusting off. "Uncle, you're late. I dug up the seal."

Tajima, face grave, peered at the rune-covered sarcophagus, frowning. "A Sarutobi clan seal. Tricky."

Well-versed, Tajima recognized the Sarutobi emblem and their unique runes.

"Hard to crack?" Gin asked, noting Tajima's concern. If it stumped his uncle, the Sarutobi were no pushovers.

"Hmph, child's play," Tajima scoffed, activating Sharingan to scan for weaknesses.

"Heh, found it." Smirking, Tajima leapt into the pit, gesturing for Gin to follow.

"Here's the flaw!" Tajima traced chakra flow, pointing to a small, humanoid pattern. "This Sarutobi emblem is the key."

He placed his hand on it, channeling chakra. After a moment, he withdrew, expression complex. "A spatial seal. No wonder it froze the sarcophagus's time."

"Spatial seal?" Gin, hearing the term for the first time, looked curious, awaiting explanation.

"The Sarutobi used a time anchor, locking the sarcophagus outside time's flow, in a separate space," Tajima said, adding, "First I've seen," to deflect blame.

Gin, confused, likened it to storage scrolls, except scrolls couldn't hold living beings, while this seal could.

"So, her state now?" What was Koharu enduring, exiled beyond time?

"She's as she was when sealed, consciousness likely…" Tajima stopped, recalling Gin's restored memories.

"She's been awake, trapped in that dark coffin for over a decade?" Gin fell silent. Before, he'd been detached, but his memory "TV marathon" had stirred empathy for Koharu. He had to save her.

"Step aside, old man. Watch my trump card!"

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