The second *chance encounter

"So who exactly are you?" Enma only realized what was happening after being dragged to the street corner. He shook off Izuna and took a few steps back with a hint of wariness in his voice.

Izuna then realized what was happening, smiled, and introduced himself, "Excuse me for being rude. I am from the Konoha Special Administrative Region of the Land of Fire, and my name is Uchiha Izuna. I have come here to discuss matters with your Land of Whirlpools."

Enma's eyes widened. "You're the idiot who insulted Lord Quhai and Elder Hang?"

Izuna exclaimed incredulously, "Wow! That's what you call the person who just helped you unravel the mystery?"

"What riddle? What are you talking about?"

"Haven't you realized yet? The Land of Whirlpools has been set up. They don't care what you did; they just want you dead."

Enma's expression froze. He subconsciously retorted, "What? Why? We didn't do anything."

"No reason is needed." Izuna looked at him. "You are Ninjas, that's enough."

"What do you mean? So what if we're Ninjas? We've always been peaceful and unassuming, why..." Enma's voice gradually rose, but Izuna grabbed his shoulder and remembered that they were on the street, so he forcefully lowered his voice.

"Let me give you a brief recap," Izuna said, withdrawing his hand. "The nobles discovered that the Ninjas were too powerful, so they needed to make an example of them, and your Land of Whirlpools was that chicken. It's that simple."

Enma looked at Izuna helplessly.

Izuna looked him up and down. "It seems your friend was right when he said you didn't know about this."

"He's still just a child." Izuna couldn't help but think as he looked at Enma's young face. What Luotai said earlier was very clear. Most people would have realized what he was worried about, but this child still thought it was just a list from the Land of Lightning that was blocking him.

Izuna never imagined that he possessed more information and more advanced ideas.

Having been influenced by modern TV dramas and politics, his thinking and logic were much more flexible than those of the nobles here. In addition, since the incident took place in Konoha, he was able to deduce and draw conclusions in no time.

However, from Enma's perspective, it was this person who dragged him away and made him overhear some unsettling conversations, and now he's even saying that something bad is going to happen to his family.

This is a curse! Who could accept something like this all at once? But even though he was completely confused, he still vaguely understood that the accident at home was real.

He recalled his father's hesitant expression when he asked him to take more Sealing Scrolls with him before he left, and the longer hug his mother gave him when she saw him off at the dock.

Everything he took for granted in his daily life suddenly took on a new meaning at this moment.

That was a farewell to him.

Even so, he still refused to believe it.

His hometown, that peaceful island nation that has been nourished by the sea breeze for thousands of years, the fishermen who collect shells at the tide line, and the clansmen who draw sealing Runes in the Shrine day after day.

How could such a country possibly perish?

How could they be wiped out just because he was a Ninja?

It must be fake.

The Land of Lightning only intercepted merchant ships; they merely stopped them, they didn't harm any of the people from the Land of Whirlpools, did they?

Yes, it must be fake.

"I don't believe what you're saying." Enma raised her eyes, her tone several degrees firmer than before. "What evidence do you have that the Land of Lightning intends to destroy my Land of Whirlpools?"

He mentally prepared himself to refute the man's words.

But Izuna didn't refute him or offer any explanation. He simply stated, "It's not just the Land of Lightning; other countries, yes, including the Land of Fire where I am, probably have similar ideas."

The words Enma wanted to say in rebuttal got stuck in her throat.

"Well, if what your friend said is true, then you probably can't go back to your hometown now." Izuna looked up. "But I happen to have some business to attend to in the Land of Whirlpools. Do you want to come with me?"

Enma didn't know why the topic had jumped to this point, but he really wanted to go back, however, "I don't trust you."

"I don't need your trust, I just need you to be able to see him." Izuna raised his hand and pointed to the street corner not far behind Enma.

Enma turned his head and looked in the direction Izuna was pointing.

At first, he didn't think anything was wrong; it was just an ordinary corner on Hot Spring Street.

But a vague sense of unease and Izuna's matter-of-fact expression reminded him that something was there.

He stared at the empty corner of the wall, his eyes began to sting, his vision blurred for a moment, and when he refocused, he saw a child.

The child was dressed in a green Kariginu, his face was covered with a piece of paper with red eyes drawn with red lines, and he was eating a steamed bun.

"Great!" Izuna clapped his hands, extremely pleased, and said, "We've got our second Exchange Student!"

Mokushō sighed helplessly, "Izuna, you really need to change this habit of talking to yourself. I think this child looks extremely terrified."

"Huh? Terrified? What are you saying...?" Izuna turned to look at Enma.

Enma stared straight at Mokushō, his face pale, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something but couldn't make a sound.

A person appeared out of nowhere on the Hot Spring Street, his face covered with Talisman Paper. No one noticed his presence before he passed by. People would automatically make way for him when they got close, and no one would even glance at him.

This is too bizarre.

This image is more convincing than anything Izuna had just said.

This scene told him that there were things in this world that he had absolutely no idea about.

Seeing his worldview crumble, Izuna looked at Mokushō with some concern. "Um... is it too late for me to make him forget about this?"

Hashirama and Madara leaped side by side across a dry riverbed, the pebbles they kicked up before they even hit the ground, and they had already covered more than ten meters.

The Sulfur in the Hot Spring Street was long gone; low bushes rustled in the dry wind, and a few short bird calls occasionally drifted from afar.

"Madara, tell me the truth." Hashirama's voice drifted away in the rushing wind, "What exactly is Izuna's situation right now? Although his personality doesn't seem to have changed, everything else is just too out of place."

"Didn't I tell you about Izuna's changes? Why are you still so surprised?" Madara's tone was calm.

"But what does that mean?" Hashirama a protruding rock ridge, saying with some worry, "I hate to say this, but Madara, if Izuna is in this state, it might affect Konoha."

Ban suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He turned around, his dark eyes staring straight at Hashirama.

"You only care about Konoha?"

Hashirama suddenly realized he had said the wrong thing, "No..."

Madara frowned, knowing that his friend probably thought he wanted to send Izuna back to Konoha if he wasn't feeling well, while the three of them went to the Land of Whirlpools to investigate. However, he was still dissatisfied with Hashirama's words, "He always called you Hashirama- nii."

Hashirama stopped, somewhat at a loss for words, and explained, "I know, well, how should I explain this to you..."

"Your feeling is correct." Madara skipped over the topic, "Izuna's behavior has indeed changed."

Hashirama looked up at him, somewhat surprised. "You think so too?"

Madara shifted his gaze, looked towards the Hot Spring Street, and remained silent for a moment.

"Actually, I felt something was wrong when Izuna first woke up."

"I even feel like he's been possessed by that golden-eyed being from before, because he's behaving a bit like... like, my Izuna."

The moment those words were uttered, it was as if all sound had been sucked out of the forest.

After that great battle, Madara never mentioned "his Izuna" to Hashirama, the younger brother who was actually Madara's blood brother and had died in this world.

Hashirama could guess it, because he didn't want to become enemies, nor did he want his brother's death to create a rift between them.

He always hid this loss deep inside, beneath that mask of feigned calm, but now he brought it up himself, his tone almost cruelly calm.

"Calm, gentle, and polite in speech. The fidgeting has disappeared, and he's no longer clumsy at finding topics to talk about like before. Even when his suspicions are raised, he handles it with remarkable ease. It's as if..."

The image of Izuna silently watching him from the bottom of the cliff flashed before Madara's eyes.

It was so calm, and... distant.

"Just like my Izuna, except I'm not his family, but someone he has to deal with."

"After I got home, I tried to suppress him. At the time, I wanted to force him into the illusion to find out why he had changed."

Hashirama's brow twitched slightly. "But?"

"But he quickly reverted to the way I knew him. He complained, telling me to be gentle, asking what was wrong, and even saying he wanted to finish his meal before getting beaten up," Ban said with a hint of helplessness. "I asked him if he knew what he had done unconsciously, and he had no idea what had changed about him. He didn't seem to have gained any new memories; he was still completely unaware of his own world."

Hashirama stroked his chin. "Wow... you actually went and attacked Izuna. It seems the situation was indeed quite serious back then."

Madara ignored him and continued, "But his muscle memory has definitely changed. He'll unconsciously spread his wings and fly; you saw his movement while traveling, which isn't like Ninja's. Also, he seems more free-spirited than before."

"Doing whatever one pleases refers to..." Hashirama immediately connected the Hashirama, "Hyuga Clan?"

"The result was good, though," Madara couldn't help but add.

"Haha, that's true..." Hashirama chuckled dryly. It did have a good ending, but it exhausted us half to death back then.

But he quickly wiped the smile off his face and said seriously, "However, Madara, if it's really as you say, you should be with Izuna right now! He went out alone, what if... no, what if something happens to him..."

"Not likely. It's only his first day here. What could he possibly do in such a peaceful place as the Land of Hot Water?" Madara said matter-of-factly. "Given his playful nature, he's probably having a great time somewhere right now."

Enma squatted in the corner, holding a cup of Umeshu that someone had given him, staring blankly at Uchiha Izuna in the center of the banquet, who was arm in arm with the birthday celebrant and singing a birthday song.

Why did things develop to this point?

Half an hour ago.

At that time, Izuna had just scared him half to death with the Mokushō, and then very naturally patted him on the shoulder and said that he should take a stroll on this street before going to the Land of Whirlpools.

Enma since he had nowhere else to go, and he wouldn't see Luotai again for the time being, and the matter of the sea merchants was also making him very anxious, he decided that instead of thinking wildly by himself, he might as well follow this guy who called himself Uchiha Izuna for a while, and maybe he could get some useful information out of him.

Then this guy muttered something like, "While no one's watching me, I'm going to have a little drink, hehe~" and turned around and went into the bar.

It was already dusk when Izuna led Enma Izakaya).

The lanterns had just been lit, and there weren't many customers in the shop yet. Only a few regulars were sitting in a corner, chatting quietly. The air was filled with the aroma of charcoal grilling and a faint smell of soy sauce.

Enma pulled him to sit by the window. Looking at Izuna 'Izuna young and innocent face, he assumed that the other person was just young and came to the Tavern to imitate adults drinking. He guessed that after one drink, he would be choked by the strong liquor and frown, then awkwardly put down the glass and never touch it again.

But he didn't know that Izuna was a heavy drinker who could drink endlessly.

Once upon a time, Izuna, like all young people who had just come of age, longed for the adult world where he could drink.

The warnings about the dangers of alcohol did not deter him; on the contrary, he was completely captivated by the dazzling world of alcohol in literary works.

The amber sheen of Whisky, the legs of Wine swirling in the glass, and the elegant, seamless pouring of the bartender as he mixes the various base spirits and juices.

So, as soon as he came of age, he stepped into it and became hopelessly addicted to alcohol.

Although he may have had such good liver function that he was never truly drunk, the feeling of slight dizziness, the automatic opening of the floodgates of conversation, and the world becoming soft and blurry still captivated him.

Even the cheapest canned beer and the strongest liquor couldn't stop him from exploring.

Then he met the love of his life.

Izuna flipped through the menu but couldn't find what he wanted, so he looked up and asked the bartender, "Do you have Cocktails?"

Seeing his excited expression, the clerk gave a professional smile, "I'm sorry, sir, I really don't understand what kind of wine you're referring to."

Izuna lowered his head in disappointment. "Sigh, then just bring me a pot of sake."

Enma rested her arm on the table and leaned forward slightly. "What's Cocktail?"

Oh, so such a thing doesn't exist in this world. Izuna thought to herself.

"Cocktails are made by mixing various alcoholic beverages and soft drinks. They use a base spirit, such as Gin, Rum, or Vodka, and add fruit juice, syrup, and soda water. They're shaken well in a shaker, poured into a glass, and garnished with a lemon or mint leaf. The layers of color make them both visually appealing and delicious."

Enma was stunned. "But why is it called Cocktail?"

"Who knows, as long as it tastes good." Izuna shrugged. At that moment, the waiter came over with a pot of sake and two small sake cups. Izuna skillfully picked up the pot and poured a cup for each of them. His movements were smooth and practiced, showing that he was a pro.

Looking at his posture, Enma Zhen's doubts deepened.

Is this person really here to drink?

Izuna picked up his glass, took a sip, squinted his eyes to savor it for a moment, and said somewhat listlessly, "Hmm... not bad. Although it doesn't have a strong aroma, this pure taste has its advantages."

"Oh? Even Sakura Drunk can't move you?"

The unexpected approach to her left Izuna puzzled, and she looked at the man sitting at the opposite table.

This man was tall and strong, but dressed very well. His face was strikingly handsome, and he leaned back in his chair with an upright and relaxed posture, exuding a composed demeanor.

That's exactly what he said.