In the Whirlpool Country, outside a town, there's a small mountain village.
The sun shines on the dilapidated wooden house, the furnace in the yard radiates heat. A man with his upper body exposed to the air sweats under the heat, his strong physique gleaming oddly in the sunlight.
Leaning against the door is a tall girl, who is 1.74 meters tall, currently showing a shy smile as she looks at the man in the yard. She has green eyes and auburn curly hair that covers her right eye, and pink lips.
Her beauty is evident, and in this seemingly cozy scene, after exchanging glances, both smile. But both are harboring hidden intentions.
"Ming, it's hot here, stay back."
"I've cooked some hot porridge, take a break."
It's a warm scene, as if both are affectionate toward each other. But the moment they turn around, Terumi Mei shows a dangerous smile.
Kobe Yoru! Haha, Uchiha Yoru, you didn't expect to fall into my hands. I won't let you go for almost stabbing me to death last time.
Clearly, Terumi Mei thinks that Yoru didn't recognize her when she wore a mask last time. She doesn't know that he had already identified her pretending to be naive.
As Uchiha Yoru bends down to pour the refined iron into a container, he also reveals a slight smile, thinking that he has become the prey while considering himself the fisherman.
The mantis catches the cicada, but the oriole is behind.
For the past two weeks, Kobe Yoru pretended to be unfamiliar with the area and used Terumi Mei's knowledge to secretly buy some ore from various villages.
To 'Ming', townspeople also sell refined iron, but it's a bit expensive, so it's better to collect it from different villages and resell it in town.
So for half a month, both thought they were hiding their true identities well.
The door wide open, in front of a simple square table, Terumi Mei awkwardly tucks her hair behind her ears, revealing the uneasy expression of an ordinary woman.
"I'm clumsy, so the meal is simple."
Now, Terumi Mei is posing as an attacked merchant whose entire family died in battle, leaving her alone. That's her current identity.
And to Terumi Mei, Kobe Yoru, or Uchiha Yoru, is posing as a spy here to buy refined iron, secretly collecting information.
The two seem to turn into ordinary people, and only the sound of them chewing slowly can be heard at the table. After finishing the meal, Terumi Mei shows a gentle smile.
"Yoru, I'll wash the dishes."
"Wait a moment."
In half a month's time, both sides have become almost familiar with each other, but only under their disguised identities.
Suddenly, Uchiha Yoru hesitated and said, "Wait a moment." Terumi Mei showed a hint of curiosity without changing her expression, but she was already on guard in her heart. She wondered if she had given herself away.
Uchiha Yoru's face revealed a touch of hesitation, and he finally said, almost unable to look her in the eye, "It's a bit unsafe here recently. You might want to leave."
This sudden statement seemed abrupt, and Terumi Mei was taken aback. However, upon seeing his anxious and worried eyes, her heart skipped a beat.
Could it be? Could it be this kid? Although they were the same age, Terumi Mei felt more mature both mentally and physically. Her eyes widened, and then she pinched herself secretly, pretending to blush.
"Yoru, where am I supposed to go alone?"
The awkward atmosphere turned a bit chilly. After a long pause, Terumi Mei began to clean up the tableware. With her head lowered, her ears were flushed.
A smirk of triumph appeared in her heart. Last time you almost stabbed me twice, this time you might be in for a surprise. I can't wait to see your expression when you find out the truth.
Just as Terumi Mei reached out to clear Uchiha Yoru's bowl and chopsticks, his hand suddenly shot out and grabbed her wrist, pulling back as if shocked.
Taking advantage of me! Terumi Mei lowered her head and showed a hint of anger, but what happened next left her somewhat at a loss.
"Ming, there are some things I can't tell you because it would put you in danger. It's not very safe here; in a few days, I'll arrange for you to leave."
His tone was full of difficulty, and the latter part left no room for refusal. He had made the decision for her.
Uchiha Yoru pretended to be in a dilemma, giving off a vibe of "there are things I can't tell you, but it's for your own good."
"Where are you going to send me?"
Terumi Mei, with her head lowered, feigned a depressed demeanor while clearing the tableware and asked.
"Land of Fire. You'll be safer there."
Land of Fire!
Upon hearing this place, Terumi Mei felt a bit confused. Looking at him, who was silent and seemed to be hiding something, she felt even more unsettled.
Good guy! You're an elite ninja, you're not serious, are you?
As ninjas carry out covert missions, it's inevitable that they will interact with locals. They use their disguises to communicate with the locals and gather information. Likewise, ninjas always keep in mind that all of this is fake.
As it turns out now, it seems like the other party is taking it seriously! And they don't want to let her get stuck in a confusing situation.
"Ming!"
Uchiha Yoru lifted his head, showing a solemn expression. At this moment, he seemed to have figured something out, and his determined expression made Terumi Mei somewhat confused.
"If you want to go home, I'll hire someone to escort you back. If you're willing to return to the Fire Country and wait for me, I'll tell you everything when the time comes."
Good guy, looking at Uchiha Yoru's disguised face, his handsome appearance is still undeniable. And at this moment, she suddenly realized that although he is a very powerful ninja, he is also a young man who is about the same age as her.
He joined the Third War right after graduation, then went to the front lines after the Nine-Tails chaos ended. Then under the Orochimaru incident, he became a genius ninja in charge of one side at a very young age.
But actually thinking about it, Uchiha Yoru, who is about her age, has almost always lived in wars and has never enjoyed the warmth of home.
Terumi Mei has all his information in her mind, and she is also secretly shocked. It can't be that her disguised decency and gentleness have moved him, can it?
It seems not impossible, after all, ninjas are human too. Many cold-blooded and ruthless ninjas have changed upon meeting some people. They might just be ordinary villagers on a mission, yet it's so unreasonable.
The distorted ninja world makes ninjas powerful but also gives them an extremely sensitive heart. The stronger they are, the lonelier their hearts. If anyone touches their soft spots, then something extremely abnormal will happen.
"Uh, haha, Ming, I just wanted to ask you, don't mind."
It seems that after not getting a reply for a long time, Uchiha Yoru directly scratched his head and showed a casual smile. The wave of his hand that dismissed everything as trivial was tinged with the concealed loss in his eyes. Moreover, a beautifully prepared gift box that was in his pocket was quietly put back.
"I'll wait for you."
Terumi Mei lowered her head and left these words before turning around with her bowl and chopsticks to wash up. Meanwhile, Uchiha Yoru showed an excited expression.
"Ming, after you've cleaned up, I'll take you to the city today."
Light laughter echoed, but as soon as the two turned their backs, the corners of their mouths curled up, revealing a confident smile.
Today is rare; he has closed up the furnace. The two slowly head towards the town in a horse-drawn carriage.
Town.
Following behind, Terumi Mei has been disguising herself. After the two entered the town, Uchiha Yoru was shopping for travel necessities like an ordinary person.
Changes of clothes, dry food, and some daily necessities. Seeing all this, although Terumi Mei felt somewhat complicated, her ninja instincts still made her calm down and not waver.
All of this is because the other party doesn't know her identity. If they knew, she'd probably get another cut.
By sunset, the town had already become lively. Everywhere were playful children following their parents. Although the city is chaotic, it also has local residents.
"Ming, I'll take you to play with something fun."
Uchiha Yoru looked up at the sky and couldn't help but smile. Turning his head, he even casually grabbed the other person's hand.
The moment their palms touched, he pretended to avoid looking at her. When no refusal came, a smile appeared on his face.
And Terumi Mei, following behind, took a deep breath. Steady! Steady! I'm still injured, wait until I recover, find an opportunity, and then take revenge.
"Boss, two horses."
"Sorry, we only have one horse left this round. Why don't you two young people sit together."
In front of the brilliantly lit carousel, Terumi Mei was stunned. She hadn't expected him to bring her here; it was indeed a bit unexpected.
"When I was a kid, I always wanted to play, but unfortunately, my family! My family was quite strict."
Almost letting the cat out of the bag, Uchiha Yoru quickly corrected himself with a smile. Terumi Mei, hearing this, also smiled. The other party's words probably mean that the family clan is strict. Considering the Uchiha clan's proud character, it's indeed possible.
"Together?"
Uchiha Yoru seemed afraid of rejection, jokingly speaking. Terumi Mei listened and gently smiled, nodding her head lightly. At this moment, her heart felt somewhat complicated.
Hatred nearly turned fatal by two slashes, and the other party was also a Leaf Ninja. Her own situation was not good either, clearly becoming a rogue Mist Ninja.
No, this person might be the breakthrough point. She had to find evidence to prove her innocence.
Upon a white horse, after Terumi Mei got on, a strange aura emanated from behind her. It was obvious that both were somewhat tense in their movements.
As the music started, the dazzling lights flickered in their line of sight, but neither of them was focused on it at that moment.
Amid the joyful music, it took less than five minutes for the merry-go-round to stop. Uchiha Yoru softly said, "Wait for me here. I'll go buy something and be right back."
Amidst the cheerful laughter of children, the merry-go-round began to sway again slowly. She saw him hand a banknote to the vendor, then he smiled, waved at her, and ran off towards another street.
"What kind of person are you, really?"
Holding the metallic handrail of the merry-go-round, with childish music and surrounding laughter, Terumi Mei saw many smiling faces, innocent smiles filling the faces of naive children.
These smiles made her somewhat entranced. The Mist Village system was full of repression. In the village, she hardly ever saw smiling faces, even five- or six-year-olds would go out with cautious, subdued expressions.
Under its teachings, Mist Village was a village completely suppressed by killing.
"Maybe both of us are involuntary."
Thinking of her own childhood and what Uchiha Yoru had just said, Terumi Mei couldn't help but sigh. There was no childhood to speak of in Mist Village. As a prodigy, she had joined the Anbu at an early age, often walking in the dark and mostly carrying out assassination missions.
Amidst joyful laughter and innocent smiles, the heavy pressure that had been weighing on Terumi Mei's heart began to ease, and her emerald eyes gradually became hazy.
A rogue ninja, her current situation—she seemed to relax at this moment, immersed in the most childlike laughter.
On the other side, when Uchiha Yoru entered a store as a cover, his figure immediately disappeared, reappearing in a dark corner.
Two figures met, one disguised as Sesshomaru, and the other was his Kobe Yoru.
When the two people exchanged glances, they cautiously looked around and made hand seals. Sesshomaru gradually began to turn into wood.
Wood Release: Wood Clone Jutsu
Wood Clone is similar to Shadow Clone in abilities, but the Wood Clone is extremely realistic, and most people can't see through it. It is mainly used for reconnaissance.
After making contact with this clone technique, like the Shadow Clone, the original body can gain all the memories and insights during that time.
Having been in control for such a long time, and having recruited many talented or mission-critical ninja from Konoha, his "Luck Coins" finally broke through to six.
Moreover, after Tsunade drugged him a while ago, he gritted his teeth and decided to redeem this forbidden technique that was in the plans early.
[Forbidden Jutsu: Modified Chimera Technique, redeem five Luck Coins]
Assisting Orochimaru's research lab, he had secretly obtained the Wood Release cells of the First Hokage long ago.
Recently, he awakened the Wood Release bloodline through absorbing Wood Release cells using a forbidden technique. However, his current Wood Release bloodline could probably only be compared to Yamato who focuses on afforestation.
The Chimera Technique, a forbidden jutsu, allows the ninja or summoning beast to merge with their own body, inheriting their abilities, and even merging bloodline limits.
Originating from the movie 'Naruto Shippūden the Movie: The Will of Fire', he has even captured four bloodlines using this forbidden technique, lacking just one more for perfection.
~~~
Powerstone!!!!