At Sakiya's home, the atmosphere was as lively and warm as always.
Nanako had already started attending the Ninja Academy—at just five years old. Most of her time now was spent at school, and from what Sakiya heard, she was already incredibly popular among her classmates.
Apparently, she had made lots of friends.
Oddly enough, everyone who grew close to Nanako seemed to... change. There was something different about their presence—like a quiet strength that rubbed off on them.
Sakiya had only laughed and given Nanako a proud thumbs-up when she noticed.
But now, hearing that her sister was about to leave on another journey, Nanako clung to her with a pout.
"Sis~ can't you stay this time?"
Sakiya gently ruffled her soft hair.
"This mission's a little different, Nanako. It's better if you don't come along. Don't worry, I'll be back before you even realize I'm gone."
She crouched to meet her little sister's eyes.
"Besides, you're soaking up all that human knowledge faster than I ever imagined! That's power too, you know—maybe even more important than training with me right now."
"…Mmm, okay."
Nanako nodded reluctantly, though her face still showed disappointment. She knew she couldn't follow this time, no matter how much she wanted to.
She looked up, trying to be strong.
"Then come back quick, okay?"
Sakiya smiled and nodded, tossing a few kunai—decorated with little ribbons—into her bag.
"Of course. I'm the Eye of Death, remember? This is nothing but a walk in the park for me."
She stood up and turned toward the next room, calling out cheerfully.
"Mom! Dad! I'm heading out!"
Kihana Sakinoko and Kitahara Kira waved from the doorway, both smiling warmly.
"Take care and come back early, dear~"
"Yeah~ Don't overdo it."
Sakiya grinned and gave a confident nod before stepping out the door without hesitation.
Nanako stood by the window, watching her sister disappear down the road. She felt a little sad, but deep down, she understood—Sakiya would be back soon.
Meanwhile, their parents, Kihana and Kira, weren't nearly as worried. After all, they knew exactly what kind of daughter they'd raised.
A genius, a fighter—and now, one of the most powerful shinobi in the entire world.
They had every reason to feel proud... and at peace.
Sakiya traveled light, wearing a relaxed outfit that made her look like just another carefree traveler on the road.
But beneath her easygoing appearance, she had her worries—especially about the destination: the Dragon Vein.
After all, the Dragon Vein wasn't just some power source. It had ties to space and time itself. If she ended up slipping into the past by accident—and couldn't get back—now that would be a nightmare.
Even someone like Sakiya, with the Eye of Death, couldn't afford to be careless this time.
She walked calmly, step by step, until she reached the edge of Konoha.
Stopping just outside the village, Sakiya looked up at the wide blue sky. A bright smile bloomed on her face.
"Heh, finally—my first solo mission."
It really was her first one alone. The thought made her a little giddy.
With a little stomp, a soft gust rippled from her feet, swirling around her as she pushed off the ground.
In the next breath, she was soaring through the sky.
Sakiya spread her arms wide, eyes closed, floating several hundred meters in the air before gently opening them.
The view was breathtaking—endless sky above, lush green forests below. Her smile widened.
"This must be what it feels like to be a bird... incredible."
She glanced forward, full of excitement.
"Let's pick up the pace!"
And then—
BOOM!
A sharp burst of wind exploded behind her, a circular shockwave rippling through the sky.
Like an arrow loosed from a bow, Sakiya shot forward, a long trail of compressed air following in her wake.
Her black hair whipped behind her, slicked back by the rushing wind. She laughed, exhilarated.
"Wooo! The Eye of Death is unstoppable!!"
Her voice echoed down to the forest below, startling a rabbit mid-snack and waking a sleeping tiger from its nap.
But Sakiya didn't slow down.
If anything, she pushed harder.
BOOM!
This time, a soft energy shield flared up around her body, glowing faintly.
At that speed, the air itself threatened to tear her clothes apart. The shield would keep her safe from the friction of the atmosphere.
After all, even gods didn't fly naked.
Sakiya soared through the sky, following the path toward her destination.
High above the clouds, her presence didn't go unnoticed.
"Look, Mom! Someone's flying!"
"Flying? Quit daydreaming and get back to work!"
...
Thanks to her incredible speed, it didn't take long for Sakiya to reach the desert region ahead.
From her high vantage point, she could see it clearly—a massive pillar of purple energy shooting straight into the sky, blazing like a beacon.
"Whoa... that's some serious power," she murmured, eyes wide. "Even the Nine-Tails couldn't put out chakra like this... not nonstop like that."
She didn't waste any time, kicking her speed up another notch as she raced toward the glowing pillar.
The mission details had been vague—only that a huge chakra surge had been detected. The scouts hadn't found any enemies, just this anomaly. Unable to handle it alone, they'd reported it to the Ninja League.
In the sky, Sakiya looked like a streak of white light—a sonic boom trailing behind her as she shot toward the source.
BOOM!
She landed hard near the base of the energy beam, the ground cracking beneath her feet as sand and smoke burst into the air.
Standing upright, brushing dust from her shoulders, Sakiya looked up at the glowing veins pulsing with power in front of her.
"So this is it... the Dragon Vein."
She couldn't hide her excitement.
"What is the true nature of the Dragon Vein?"
Without hesitation, her eyes changed.
The red glow of her right eye lit up—her most powerful tool.
She now had a name for it: the Eye of Origin.
It had taken time to understand. At first, she'd believed her right eye was just a support ability—something secondary to the Eye of Death. But that was wrong.
The Eye of Origin was far more than that.
It allowed her to see through everything, break things down, understand their essence, and even rewrite their reality. Matter, energy, existence itself—nothing could escape its analysis.
And once fully understood, her Eye of Death could finish the job—assigning the very concept of death to anything, even things that shouldn't be able to die.
The Eye of Origin gave her understanding.
The Eye of Death gave her power over endings.
Together, they weren't two separate tools.
They were one—the true Eye of Death.
She had always believed that, and now she was sure of it.
With a small grin, Sakiya focused her Eye of Origin on the Dragon Vein, watching data and metaphysical patterns unravel in her mind's eye.
As the truth revealed itself, her smile widened.
"So that's what you are... the Dragon Vein."
"I see. This time travel should go pretty smoothly."