The abrupt voice yanked Ishiki Kujo from his Ripple research.
He glanced at the Stand draw prompt, then gave a flat response: No.
He didn't recognize the name "Midnight Blue Moon," and anything that vague probably wasn't worth the slot — certainly not better than Highway Star.
He'd worried this month's draw might be tough to refuse, but clearly, he'd been overthinking it.
His thoughts turned elsewhere —
Next month, if all went well, he'd be back in Konoha for a month.
There would be work, sure, but anything beat the battlefield.
And it had been too long since he'd seen Renge.
There were also things about the Kujō Clan he needed to ask her.
But Konoha wasn't necessarily safer than the frontlines —
Here, the threats were obvious and frontal.
Back in the village?
Danger lurked in shadows.
The kind that stabbed your spine while smiling to your face.
Ishiki could protect himself.
Renge, though — she needed shielding.
His Stand, Highway Star, had been feeding him well, but since his shadow clone had reached its location, Ishiki had learned more.
The Stand's existence was no longer a secret in the Land of Frost.
That had led to two things:
First — fewer targets.
Ninjas avoided that inviting little house that lured the curious with phantom warmth.
Second — resistance.
More ninja squads were sending shadow clones in first.
Some were even actively probing its limits.
Highway Star's mechanism was airtight:
Even if a clone entered, it would still drain the original.
That slowed down the tests —
But there were now reports of houses being destroyed outright.
Whenever that happened, Highway Star would flee and either find a new house or generate a new illusion.
But repeated escapes came with risk —
Its footprints, faint though they were, could still be tracked.
Luckily, Ishiki's Byakugan-equipped clone had kept Highway Star's trail hidden.
But even that wasn't foolproof.
He was starting to think it was time to call the Stand back.
The drain on his chakra — even with periodic "nutrient" deliveries — was mounting.
Stands didn't run on nothing.
Too bad this month's draw had been junk. Otherwise, he'd have switched.
The next day passed normally.
Ishiki, busy with treatment and tasks, had no idea that far away in the Land of Frost —
Yugito Nii had arrived at the house.
She carried the full intelligence dossier.
In summary:
Enter the house, and you're cursed to die.
Destroy the house, and another one spawns.
Her only real option was to go in.
Yugito adjusted her breathing.
Her team — three ninjas — stood behind her.
Just because she was the Two-Tails Jinchūriki didn't mean she worked alone.
"Relax," she said with a catlike grin. "You know cats have nine lives."
Her squad smiled back.
The trust and respect were mutual.
As Yugito stepped toward the cottage, her teammates moved to secure the area.
On the far side of the house, a gaze pierced the terrain like a lance.
The Byakugan.
Ishiki's shadow clone had seen them the moment they approached.
He didn't withdraw Highway Star.
This was a chance —
A bijū versus Stand test.
What happened when Highway Star latched onto a Jinchūriki?
The decision wasn't without risk.
There was a sensor-type among Yugito's team.
Fortunately, the clone had stayed just outside the sensory radius.
If he pulled Highway Star now, Yugito might not be touched at all —
And worse, the Stand might be tracked and exposed.
Letting it strike now was the smarter play.
Test the limits. Then escape.
That was the plan.
Even so, the clone began making contingency arrangements.
"Either Highway Star gets recalled… or I'll need to hike across the entire damn country to send in another clone," it muttered.
Meanwhile —
Yugito stepped into the house.
She saw him immediately.
A childhood friend. Smiling. Calm.
No rank. No village hierarchy. Just warm familiarity.
"If only it were real…" she whispered.
Her fingers twitched, already primed for combat.
That's when Highway Star touched her shoulder.
Chakra began draining the instant contact was made —
But it barely registered.
Because inside Yugito, the Two-Tails had awakened.
A blast of searing blue chakra surged through her.
She didn't even need to strike —
The Stand recoiled immediately, breaking contact and dematerializing backward.
The fire it had touched vanished with it, but more flame followed —
A torrent of ghostly blue inferno erupted skyward.
In a flash, it shattered the illusionary house,
And a giant spectral cat, cloaked in blazing blue,
emerged from the ruins and stood tall above the road —
a monstrous beast awakened in full view of the world.