Takeda Seigen opened the door and passed by Hyuga Yuto's room next door. He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided not to knock and say goodbye.
My departure is considered "defection." It's best not to involve unrelated people, he thought, walking straight away.
However, he had only taken a dozen steps when a paper crane, folded from white paper, landed on his shoulder.
Within the paper crane, there was a chakra fluctuation that Takeda Seigen was very familiar with. He understood what it meant.
The man tossed the paper crane into the air. It fluttered under the control of chakra from afar, and Takeda Seigen followed.
The origami bird finally stopped in front of a door. Takeda Seigen knocked and only entered after receiving a response.
"Leader Yahiko, Lady Konan, Lord Nagato."
Takeda Seigen bowed respectfully, just as he always had.
"Seigen," Yahiko began, his handsome face expressionless. "Are you leaving?"
"Yes, Leader."
"Where to?"
"A very, very distant place, a peaceful haven far from the center of the world."
"Ah... you really dare to say that." Yahiko shook his head. "As the fourth-in-command, taking the organization's secrets and Konoha's kunoichi with you, leaving the Land of Rain just like that... Takeda Seigen, have you truly thought this through?"
"I apologize, Leader." Takeda Seigen lowered his head, subconsciously gripping the two sharp chakra short swords, "Flying Wings."
The small, secret room suddenly became as silent as a tomb.
"It seems that, as a ninja, you have chosen and accepted your fate." Yahiko closed his eyes and said calmly, "Konan."
The icy beauty with short purple hair silently walked towards Takeda Seigen.
Takeda Seigen felt his heartbeat quicken, his grip on the "Flying Wings" tightening.
However, he remained rooted to the spot, head bowed, neither fleeing nor resisting.
Konan reached out and patted Takeda Seigen's shoulder.
The man's hand felt a sudden weight, something heavy, almost causing him to buckle.
"Seigen," Konan's lips curled into a smile, as if an iceberg had melted and spring had arrived. "You can't let a girl suffer when you elope with her."
Takeda Seigen looked down at the large bundle that had appeared in his hands. It contained precious metals, intricate machinery, and rare medicines – valuable items that could be exchanged for a large amount of local currency anywhere.
"Lady Konan..."
Takeda Seigen's nose suddenly felt sour. The man in his thirties almost burst into tears on the spot.
"You've worked tirelessly for the organization all these years, covered in scars, nearly dying in battle several times. The three of us have seen it all, and we haven't forgotten a single moment."
Konan, who was in charge of Akatsuki's intelligence, finances, and logistics, was usually stingy, but when it came to crucial moments, she was incredibly generous.
"You said you were going to a remote place far from the center of the world... I can guess where. In a place lacking or even devoid of chakra, sending money is always the most practical. Take it. I know that you and Asano Kaoru usually don't have any savings, one buying swords and the other buying seeds, ha... You two are truly a match made in heaven."
Takeda Seigen looked up and saw the encouraging gaze of Yahiko and the chuckle of Nagato, who had his arms crossed.
These are the leaders I've served for the past few years. I've never regretted serving the organization...
The man gritted his teeth, bowed deeply, and slowly backed out of the room, clutching the bundle.
Just before closing the door, Takeda Seigen took a deep breath and suddenly shouted, "Leader! Your wish will come true! One day, peace will descend upon the world through Akatsuki's efforts... Even far away, I will wait for that day to come!"
The laughter of the three young leaders came from inside the room, continuing until the door was completely closed.
Entering with integrity and leaving with dignity, Takeda Seigen's years in Akatsuki had come to a perfect end.
The man wiped his face, turned, and walked away, heading straight for Exit Six of the base.
He could now, without any psychological burden, run towards happiness.
...
Asano Kaoru didn't use an umbrella, letting the rain soak her face.
She was already twenty-five years old, not a little girl anymore. Yet, tonight, as she walked along the street in the rain, she skipped and hopped, even stopping to pet the occasional cat or dog.
The kunoichi, like a child, fully observed and appreciated the world. Everything seemed different, everything more beautiful and meaningful.
She soon arrived at the red signpost.
The signpost was crimson, tall, and visible from afar. It was a small landmark in Amegakure. Any native, upon hearing "that red signpost near such-and-such place," would immediately know the location.
Asano Kaoru stood beneath the red signpost, looking left and right, unable to stop the corners of her mouth from turning upwards.
She needed to wait because she had arrived too early.
The agreed-upon time with Takeda Seigen was "midnight." It was only ten o'clock now, still two hours away.
Thinking of this, the kunoichi's cheeks flushed slightly. She touched them, and indeed, they were hot.
"Oh dear... I came so early... Two whole hours... If Seigen sees me, won't he make fun of me? Hmph... It's not like I'm eager to elope with you... I... I just..."
Asano Kaoru, standing beneath the signpost, giggled softly.
I just wanted to see you sooner.
Suddenly, her fingertips brushed against her pocket.
Huh?
Asano Kaoru frowned and searched carefully, but found nothing.
The bottle of "sword oil," which she had spent two whole months preparing, had been left behind at her residence outside the base.
The kunoichi bit her lip. Takeda Seigen was a man who loved his swords. In the Land of the Sea, where there was no chakra, the only things that could remind him of his past would be his two sharp "Flying Wings."
"The Land of the Sea probably doesn't have such high-quality Black Palm flowers..."
She thought, calculating the time.
It would take at most half an hour to return to her residence outside the base and back.
If she went back to get the sword oil and then returned to the signpost, there would still be a very ample hour and a half left before the appointed time.
Perhaps Takeda Seigen wouldn't even have arrived by then.
"Hmph... That annoying guy, making me go back for something."
Asano Kaoru stroked the seashell Takeda Seigen had given her, turned into an alley, and started walking back.
Without a trace of unhappiness.
...
"Ah... Did I arrive too early?"
Takeda Seigen emerged from Exit Six of the base and looked up. The red signpost was empty.
"Indeed, too early. It's still two hours until the agreed-upon midnight."
The man sighed softly, walked slowly over, leaned against the signpost, and looked up at the sky.
He was still carrying the heavy bundle in his hand.
"I'll take out some of the money and buy a large courtyard by the beach in the Land of the Sea first," the man thought, his heart filled with an unprecedented sense of fulfillment. "I'll buy Kaoru lots of flowers and plants, oh, and seeds too..."
...
The fate of a ninja is... a broken scale.
Effort and reward, happiness and disaster, are never equal.
For a man and a woman from two opposing forces to fall in love, it takes three whole years, over a thousand days and nights together, one hundred and fifteen battles fought side by side, thirty-four late-night conversations with hands clasped, sixteen joyful embraces after surviving near-death experiences... and one confession of love on a rainy night.
However, beneath the crimson signpost, a near miss that could have been avoided, a forever separation for two lovers, only required a mere... six seconds.