Fushimi Village Demon

Fushimi Village Demon

Early the next morning, at Konoha's Village Entrance.

"Today really is a good day for a journey."

With his pack on his back, Uchiha Asuka turned to look at the villagers seeing the group off and could not help but sigh inwardly.

No matter how much time had passed, the villagers were still this warm and enthusiastic.

Unfortunately, they were not here to see him off. After all, he was currently part of Sunagakure's delegation, and the village still held a grudge against Sunagakure.

After glancing at another group of ninja rushing toward the battlefield, Asuka's gaze lingered on Uchiha Itachi for a long while. At the same time, he could feel several gazes resting on him as well.

Uzuki Yugao squeezed through the crowd of people seeing them off and came to the front. She jumped up, waved at Asuka, and shouted.

"Master, have a safe trip!"

After waving back at her with a smile, Asuka saw his other two students squeeze out of the crowd as well.

When his gaze landed on Iruka, he looked at the footprints across the man's chest and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Had this unlucky guy been stepped on a few times by the crowd? "Sensei, come back soon!"

Hyuga Hanahana glanced at Yu Yan, who was wildly waving beside her. She wanted to jump up and bid her teacher farewell like that too, but—

"What are you thinking about?"

Uzuki Yugao squeezed over at that moment. Looking at the somewhat awkward Hanahana, she grabbed one of the girl's arms and raised it into the air, waving it as she shouted.

"Sensei is leaving today, so don't make such a sad face."

"Mm!"

Seeing his three students waving their arms to see him off under someone else's encouragement, Asuka's lips curled into a smile as he waved back at them.

Just as he was about to leave with the Sunagakure delegation, his gaze unconsciously swept across the farewell crowd. By coincidence, Uchiha Mikoto looked over at that moment as well.

Their eyes met in midair. He blinked, then saw the dark circles beneath Uchiha Mikoto's eyes and her moving lips, leaving him utterly speechless.

With the Sharingan's exceptional vision, he could fully understand what she was saying.

Pakura glanced at Asuka, who was standing there in a daze, then walked over. Following his line of sight, she saw a black-haired pregnant woman among Konoha's farewell crowd looking in their direction—more precisely, looking at Asuka.

After watching the woman's moving lips for a moment, Pakura turned to Asuka and asked in surprise.

"You're married?"

Asuka shook his head and answered with certainty.

"No, I'm still single."

Hearing that, Pakura looked at Uchiha Mikoto in confusion and asked.

"Then why does that pregnant woman keep staring at you? It looks like she's muttering something too. Could she be hoping you'll come back soon?"

Heh! She hopes I never come back! Asuka sighed inwardly. He looked at Uchiha Mikoto's smiling face, then at Pakura standing beside him, and said wistfully.

"The first time I saw her appear before me with a pregnant belly, I even wanted her to miscarry. But as time passed, the tension, unease, and disappointment in my heart eased quite a bit.

"Although that child's appearance shattered my beautiful fantasies of the future and disrupted many of my plans, I eventually came to terms with it. I just treated it as one more member of the clan, gave a little money each month, and did my duty.

"Now she's pregnant with her second child. Other than some complicated feelings, I don't have any particular thoughts about it.

"Oh, right. She's here to see her husband off.

"If her husband weren't heading to the battlefield today, that woman probably wouldn't have shown up at all."

Whenever Asuka thought of how the money he handed over to the clan each month from his missions might be spent on Uchiha Itachi, his heart ached faintly.

It would be more worthwhile to donate it to Konoha Orphanage.

At least the orphanage could give him a good-person card. Uchiha Itachi would most likely stab him in the kidney.

Smack! Seeing the complicated look on Asuka's face, Pakura slammed her right fist into her left palm, realization appearing on her face.

Combining it with the hottest novel in the ninja world lately, she quickly pictured countless scenes in her mind.

A scumbag had gotten a woman pregnant, then failed in his plan to make her miscarry.

Because of that suddenly arrived child, the scumbag might have realized that he would need to take responsibility for the child in the future, and that responsibility came with heavy demands.

Not only had it interrupted his future plans, it had also shattered his beautiful fantasies of continuing to pursue others.

In the end, the woman had insisted on giving birth, while the scumbag had casually settled things by throwing her some money.

Looking at the situation now, this woman must have seen the scumbag's true colors and left him.

Mm!!

Pakura nodded. When she looked at Asuka again, her eyes were filled with anger and contempt.

Scumbag.

Then, she used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside Mikoto. Before the woman could react, Pakura slung an arm around her shoulders, pointed at Asuka, and whispered.

"Do you want that man to never come back? I can help you."

Following Pakura's finger, Uchiha Mikoto looked at Asuka, who was greeting someone else, and lightly nodded. Then she shook her head, her expression calm as she said.

"Whether for the village, the clan, or myself, I still hope everyone can return safely."

Seeing that she did not seem to be faking it, admiration appeared on Pakura's face. Gritting her teeth, she said.

"You're far too gentle.

"If I were you, I would have roasted that scumbag who only wanted to sleep with you and not take responsibility into a mummy long ago."

That single sentence left Uchiha Mikoto speechless.

She studied the indignant Pakura, organized her words for a moment, then forced a smile and said.

"Lady Pakura, I feel like you may have misunderstood something."

Misunderstood?

Pakura looked at Uchiha Mikoto for a long while, then slowly patted her shoulder and comforted her.

"Misunderstanding or not, it doesn't matter.

"Although I'm from Sunagakure, as a woman, I still hope you can be happy."

"But—"

Before Mikoto could say anything, Pakura stuffed some money into her hands, then used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside Asuka, glaring at him with killing intent.

By reading Pakura's lips, Mikoto's face instantly darkened after understanding what she had said.

When was I ever abandoned after being used??

"Money!"

Asuka followed the Sunagakure group, strolling leisurely along the road to Sunagakure.

Looking at Pakura's dark expression, he curled his lips and said.

"You imagined all that on your own, then stuffed money into our Clan Head's Wife's hands without even blinking. I thought you were giving her money for baby formula. Turns out you misunderstood what I meant."

Pakura's face darkened further. She glanced at Ebizo and the others walking at the front and said irritably.

"When a clansman sees his Clan Head's Wife pregnant, shouldn't he be excited, happy, and thrilled?

"Why would you feel uneasy? Weren't you clearly leading people to think in the wrong direction?"

"Sigh!"

Asuka sighed. He turned to look in Konoha's direction and said helplessly.

"You don't understand. From the moment the Clan Head's Wife became pregnant with her first child, the gears of fate for our Uchiha Clan began to turn. And they turned faster and faster, gradually showing signs of breaking down.

"That's why I feel so bad."

"If you won't give it, then forget it. Don't make so many excuses."

Rubbing her flat wallet, Pakura extended her pale arm before Asuka's chest and said naturally.

"Sunagakure is very poor. Once you, Konoha's exchange representative, arrive in the village, your lodging conditions will probably be terrible, and even food safety may be a problem.

"But if you're willing to pay, I can arrange a fairly decent room for you."

"This is how you treat Konoha's representative?"

"Heh~"

Pakura sneered, then clasped her hands behind her back, a hint of threat in her voice.

"Most representatives sent to Sunagakure by the other countries have died in various accidents.

"In a place like the desert, the nights are extremely cold. If the houses are a little run-down, it's not strange for people to occasionally freeze to dea—"

Before she could finish, Pakura felt a thick stack of banknotes appear in her hand. After giving Asuka a surprised look, she pinched the stack to gauge its thickness, then put it away in her wallet.

The village had paid too much in reparations recently, and it was said that the daimyo had cut back on a great deal of funding as well. Even a jonin like her had to start budgeting carefully.

The extra money she saved could be handed over to the village to raise those orphans.

She secretly watched Asuka for a while, her expression becoming subtle.

After spending the past few days with him, Pakura discovered that once she stopped looking at Uchiha Asuka through tinted glasses, some of her opinions of him had changed.

Just now, she had actually wanted to squeeze him dry to support the village.

When had she become so familiar with him? She clearly remembered that when they first met, she had treated him as an enemy.

When had it started... Oh... perhaps when she learned that the daimyo had reduced the village's funding, and she had desperately wanted to find a source of income for the village.

Who could blame her when the village behind her was so poor?

Who could blame her for being Pakura, Sunagakure's "hero"?

Thinking that, Pakura calmly tucked her wallet into her Ninja Tool pouch.