The next morning.
A wave of pressure bore down on him, making it hard for Asuka's heart to beat and leaving him short of breath.
He opened his eyes and slowly lowered his gaze to the Orange Cat sprawled across his chest, letting out a long sigh.
Fei Fei had gotten even fatter after spending so much time with Pakura! He picked it up and set it aside, then got dressed and headed into the living room.
Since Fei Fei had returned, Pakura's letter must have arrived as well.
When he found it, Asuka saw a faint hint of pink through the white envelope.
"Huh?"
Just then, Uzuki Yugao passed by Asuka. She caught sight of the pale pink letter paper inside, and a teasing look instantly appeared on her face.
A girl wrote it.
With that thought, she grabbed the hem of Asuka's clothes and tugged at it as she asked, "Sensei, who wrote this? Don't tell me it's a confession."
Shukaku, with a pot lid on his head, stayed silent. He looked utterly uninterested, yet the corner of his eye kept drifting toward the letter in Asuka's hand.
"Cough, cough."
Asuka lightly cleared his throat.
Of course, he knew who had written the letter.
And its contents definitely had nothing to do with a confession.
He just wondered how Pakura's travels were going.
With that in mind, Asuka opened the envelope, took out the pink letter paper, unfolded it, and skimmed it.
To Asuka
Some time ago, I met a very interesting person in the Grass Country.
She said that the ninja world was filled with conflict. Where there was conflict, there would be war, and war would bring hatred.
Hatred would give rise to new conflicts and battles, linking together in an endless cycle like chains, eventually