I have to say, Sumaru's cooking was quite good. The dishes were colorful, fragrant, and delicious, leaving a lingering taste that could rival that of a restaurant chef.
"Not sure if it suits your taste," Sumaru said, scratching his head.
"It's nice, very good," Kaguya replied, holding a cup with both hands and taking a sip of tea.
"That's good," Sumaru said, smiling with his eyes squinting in joy.
At that moment, the noise outside grew louder, a commotion that disturbed the peace.
Kaguya and Sumaru went outside and found a large crowd gathered at the door, holding torches and surrounding them.
"Sumaru, come with us," a burly man with a beard said grimly.
"What do you want with me?" Sumaru asked in surprise.
"Someone saw you attacking others and stealing the 'Star,'" another man with a headband said.
"That's impossible," Sumaru said, shocked. "I didn't steal anything, and I was with Kaguya the whole time. How could I have stolen the 'Star'?"
"Of course, you wouldn't steal it while you were with Kaguya. But if you had stolen it before meeting her and then used her as an alibi, that's a different story," the bearded man said.
"I didn't steal it. How could I steal the 'Star'?" Sumaru said angrily.
At that moment, Akahoshi walked out from the crowd and said to Sumaru, "Sumaru, I believe you."
Sumaru looked touched.
"However," Akahoshi continued, "please come with us to investigate. It will help clear your name."
Sumaru bit his lip and said resolutely, "Okay, I'll go. I definitely didn't steal the 'Star.'"
Akahoshi smiled and then turned to Kaguya, saying, "I apologize for the misunderstanding earlier and for any inconvenience this has caused."
Kaguya remained expressionless.
Sumaru said earnestly, "I will prove my innocence."
Akahoshi and the others took Sumaru away, and Kaguya watched their departing figures thoughtfully. This matter seemed suspicious and far from simple.
The next day, Kaguya arrived at the place where Sumaru was being held.
It was a remote location, surrounded by dense forest with lush trees blocking the sky. The gentle breeze rustled the leaves, creating a soothing sound.
"I want to see Sumaru," Kaguya said to the two guards at the gate.
"Sorry, the Akahoshi said no one is allowed without his permission..."
The guards' eyes grew vacant, and they fell to the ground before finishing their sentence.
This was Kaguya's power of manipulating consciousness with the Tenseigan. However, since her Tenseigan had not fully awakened, she could only control those who were relatively weak.
Kaguya opened the door and went inside, finding Sumaru there. Seeing her, his eyes lit up, and he quickly stood up and ran over.
"Why are you here?" Sumaru asked excitedly.
"I came to see you," Kaguya said. "How are you doing?"
"They just questioned me and then locked me up," Sumaru said, feeling a bit down. "But I really didn't steal the 'Star.'"
"I believe you," Kaguya said softly.
"Really? Do you really believe me?" Sumaru said excitedly.
Suddenly, Kaguya sensed something and leaped backward, evading an attack from behind.
In front of her stood a person wearing a gas mask, with chakra transforming into a peacock's tail behind him.
"Mysterious Peacock Method," Sumaru shouted, "It's you, you're the one who stole the 'Star,' aren't you?"
The masked person did not answer. The chakra behind him transformed into four tentacles, sweeping towards Kaguya.
Kaguya shifted her feet, leaning her body to the side, stepping on the wall to dodge the attacking chakra tentacles. The wall behind her was shattered.
She stepped on the wall and used the rebound force to charge towards the masked person.
The masked person made hand seals, and the chakra tentacles transformed into a bear, roaring as it lunged at Kaguya.
Just as the bear was about to bite Kaguya, she suddenly disappeared in front of him.
"What?"
When he realized what had happened, it was too late. Kaguya had used the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind him, raising her arm and placing her palm on his back. Repulsion force burst forth.
"Boom."
The masked person was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground. Fortunately, he had chakra protecting him; otherwise, this blow would have killed him.
"You finally showed up."
At this moment, Akahoshi emerged from behind the house, smiling. He said, "Thanks to the Konoha ninja, we were able to catch her."
"You can't get the 'Star' even if you catch me," the masked person said in a muffled voice.
"Really? Do you not care about your son's life?" Akahoshi walked over and removed the gas mask, revealing Natsuhi.
"What?" Sumaru was shocked and asked in disbelief, "This is my mother? My mother is supposed to be dead."
Akahoshi grabbed Sumaru and held a kunai to his throat, sneering, "Hand over the 'Star,' or he dies."
Natsuhi glared at the captured Sumaru, biting her lip and clenching her fists. She said, "Despicable man, you harmed the Third Hoshikage, and now you're doing this?"
"Despicable means are justified as long as they achieve the goal," Akahoshi mocked, "and it's for the sake of the entire village."
"The side effects of practicing with the 'Star' have killed many people. How many more do you want to die?" Natsuhi said angrily. "I took the 'Star' to prevent it from harming the villagers any further."
"As long as we have power, any number of deaths is worth it," Akahoshi said coldly. "Hand over the 'Star' now, or I'll kill him." As he spoke, he lightly cut Sumaru's neck, drawing a line of blood.
Natsuhi's expression turned grim, hesitating.
"It seems you don't care about your son. Then let him die." Akahoshi raised his kunai, aiming to stab Sumaru's heart.
"Stop!" Natsuhi gritted her teeth, stood up, and took out the meteorite from her pocket, throwing it to Akahoshi.
"Good," Akahoshi caught the meteorite with his hand and sneered, "Now that I have what I want, this boy is useless. Die!"
Akahoshi then thrust the kunai towards Sumaru's heart.
"No!" Natsuhi screamed desperately.
Before the kunai could strike, it stopped midway. A silver-haired girl had appeared in front of Akahoshi without him noticing—it was Kaguya from earlier.