Little Tricks

The full moon hung high.

The moonlight was bright and clear.

Every now and then, a nightingale called out in the forest, its song crisp, melodious, and sweet.

Beneath the tree branch.

A woman's snow-white legs dangled in midair, her clean bare feet gently swaying, teasing the air as though stirring the surface of water.

At her mature age, she should not have been making such girlish movements, but there was no one nearby.

Through her round spectacles.

That group gradually moved away.

They had not been particularly intent on finding her, either.

Only then did she relax.

Those people had left in a hurry, as though fleeing for their lives. After leaving, they probably would not return.

"This is the first time I've been interrupted while bathing and had to flee so pathetically.

Sigh, sorry.

I have a mission to complete, so I can't waste too much Chakra helping others."

A gentle smile appeared on her lovely face. The conflict in her heart vanished completely as she slowly stood and reached out to untie her bath towel.

The moonlight was clear as snow.

Her skin was like smooth white jade.

The white bath towel fell to the ground, covering the brambles.

Her rosy white toes stepped on the branch. Nonō formed hand seals with both hands, unsealed her storage scroll, took out her clothes, dressed skillfully, and then left using the Body Flicker Technique.

Buzz—

The branch trembled faintly. Wearing a shrine maiden robe that could barely restrain her ample figure, she leaped toward the mountain stronghold.

Back at the wooden house.

The door stood wide open.

Nonō pushed back her white hood, revealing a fair and handsome face beneath her long golden hair.

Looking at the empty hall.

Nonō's pale blue eyes quivered, revealing confusion and astonishment.

"Hm? Where did my bath barrel go?"

Her delicate brows rose slightly. Barefoot, she backed outside and looked around, but found no trace of anyone pouring out water. A huge question mark immediately appeared in her mind.

She had bought that new bath barrel with money yesterday when she went to Kikyo Castle to submit her mission for killing rogue ninja!

Someone might have been able to seal the bath barrel in a sealing scroll, but how could they seal it together with the water inside?

Those people could not find her.

So they took her bath barrel to vent their frustration?

"How could there be people like this? They wouldn't even spare bathwater. How hateful!"

Nonō put aside her confusion. Even though she was usually gentle and kind, a trace of anger still surfaced on her pretty face as she clenched her jade-like fingers.

She glanced down the slope.

Beside the rugged mountain path.

Jaeger and Doctor Nakku were still chatting.

"Doctor Nakku, it's so late. Why don't you stay at my house tonight?"

Jaeger invited him warmly.

Nakku shook his head and declined.

"No. The bill at Kabukicho still hasn't been settled. What bad luck. I was called over in the middle of the night to treat someone, and your friends did not even pay the medical fees!"

"I'll pay it!"

Jaeger said with an honest smile.

Nakku glanced at him. Seeing how sincere the hunter was, he waved a hand and said.

"Your family of three depends on you to survive. Besides, how much money can a refugee hunter like you have? Forget it, forget it. I'll go to your house for a cup of hot tea, then leave after I finish it!"

Jaeger's smile did not fade as he hurriedly led Doctor Nakku back to his home. The moment they entered, both froze where they stood.

The candlelight in the wooden house flickered.

Nonō sat upright in the seat of honor, narrowing her eyes with a gentle smile on her face. Like a graceful and charming mistress of the house, she watched the two men outside.

"Hiss... blond hair, round glasses, not bad-looking, dressed as a shrine maiden!!"

Doctor Nakku's eyes widened. He sucked in a breath and turned to leave.

Jaeger immediately seized the doctor's arm tightly. His entire body tensed as he swallowed hard, stared blankly at Nonō, and said softly.

"Doctor, don't go. I'm scared!"

"I'm scared too!"

Doctor Nakku's face twitched as he grumbled both aloud and inwardly, "I never should have been greedy for your cup of tea!"

In the pitch-black night.

Each Uchiha held a torch as they advanced through the darkness. Some team members carried a stretcher, so they were not moving very quickly.

They had encountered no attacks along the way, allowing their taut nerves to relax slightly.

Now, they could only pray that they would find a Medical Ninja for Tamao within the next three or four days.

Izumi stayed close beside Ingetsu and asked curiously.

"Captain Ingetsu, why didn't that shrine maiden-dressed ninja kill Mr. Jaeger and the others for impersonating rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist Village?"

Ingetsu thought for a moment, then Responded, "For a ninja, what is the most important thing before taking action?"

Izumi immediately smiled. "Intelligence!"

Ingetsu nodded slightly.

"I understand!"

Izumi instantly realized.

Before acting, that female ninja must have investigated the rogue ninja in this region.

She knew that the mountain stronghold where Jaeger lived did not belong to real rogue ninja, which was why she had gone there to stay and had even kindly helped the family.

Still, Izumi felt that pretending to be rogue ninja was an extremely unwise move!

Ingetsu landed on a tree branch and looked up at the night sky. The stars shone like diamonds, while the bright moon hung overhead, pale and pure.

This night was just like the night Danzo had been killed.

It was breathtakingly beautiful.

The corner of Ingetsu's mouth suddenly lifted. He stopped, looked back at the team, and calmly said, "Return the way we came!"

"Huh?"

The Uchihas were suddenly dumbfounded.

The simple wooden house.

Nonō frowned as she looked at Jaeger, who gritted his teeth and refused to speak. Then she turned to Doctor Nakku.

"You tell me. Who were those people just now, and what were they doing on Kikyo Mountain?"

At that moment, Jaeger and Nakku were tied back-to-back to two chairs, unable to move.

Both men looked livid.

As for Jaeger's wife, she stood behind Nonō, staring at the back of Nonō's neck with a grave expression while holding the sleeping baby.

Doctor Nakku sighed. "I really don't know that group well. I don't even know their names."

Thud—

Nonō deliberately drove a Kunai into the tabletop. Ge Ye'er stared at the sharp Kunai, her eyes going wide.

Nonō pretended to be cold. "I'll give you one last chance!"

Naturally, she would not harm Ge Ye'er or Nakku. She merely wanted to threaten them and try to gather intelligence about that group.

This was not something she absolutely had to do.

But when traveling outside.

As an outstanding intelligence agent of the Root Organization, gathering intelligence was an ability etched into Nonō's bones.

For the sake of successfully completing her mission.

Nonō felt it was necessary to investigate this information. If that group had nothing to do with her mission, then she would let it go.

If she truly wanted to force information out of them.

She should have used the woman and child behind her to threaten Ge Ye'er. That would have been easier.

Before Ge Ye'er could make up any lies to cover things up, Nonō's brows lifted slightly. A premonition rose within her as she looked toward the tightly shut wooden door.

Bang—

The wooden door was kicked open violently from outside, and a great deal of wood dust fell from the roof.

A strong stench of blood rushed at them.

Jaeger's eyes widened. He only felt that this smell of blood was even more pungent and unpleasant than the one on Nonō two days ago.

Nonō remained calm. Raising a hand to adjust her glasses, she looked through the clear lenses and saw four figures slowly entering the wooden house.

Jaeger's wife and the baby in her arms were startled, and the latter began wailing again.

The baby's cries opened the curtain on the chaos.

Doctor Nakku's pupils constricted sharply as he looked sideways, grumbling inwardly once again, I really should not have been greedy for that sip of tea!

The four wore Leaf Village ninja uniforms and Leaf Headbands, their clothes stained with blood that had not yet dried.

One was a fat ninja with short hair and the character "Food" printed on his armor. In his huge hand, he gripped several Hidden Mist Village rogue ninja headbands, one of which had a corner missing.

Then.

A white-furred ninja hound slipped in through the door, its nose twitching as it lowered its head to sniff the lingering scents in the wooden house.

"Woof!"

Suddenly, it caught a familiar scent and yelped in fright, desperately trying to run outside, only for one of the ninja to hold it tightly on a leash.

Jaeger's gaze went blank as he stared fixedly at the Hidden Mist Village rogue ninja headband with the missing corner in the fat ninja's hand.