Rumble—!
After the blinding lightning illuminated the entire dense forest and hunter's cabin, rolling thunder circled above the roof. The rain beat like drums, each drop striking the hearts of those beneath the eaves.
"Creak..."
Then, beneath those eaves, came the careful sound of a door closing.
"Snow Eagle, do we really have no choice but to do this? Either become a rogue ninja organization or a mercenary camp, or attach ourselves to Kusagakure."
Watching the rain stream down from the eaves in thin lines, Yu Ze frowned. There seemed to be a faint sadness in his eyes as he softly asked.
"Do you think Chiba would harm you?"
Hyuga Yukyō, who had just shut the door, turned around and sat beside Yu Ze, a slight smile appearing at the corner of his lips as he spoke.
"Of course Chiba wouldn't. He saved all of us. If he wanted to harm us, we would have died long ago. Besides, there would be no reason for him to go through all that trouble to save us, only to kill us afterward."
At this, Yu Ze shook his head almost instinctively.
"Then that settles it. You know these are all viable options, and options with very high chances of success."
Hyuga Yukyō raised his head and looked at the dark sky, where flashes of lightning occasionally tore through the night, as he spoke.
Then came a stretch of silence.
Hearing Hyuga Yukyō's words, Yu Ze pressed his lips together, but in the end said nothing. He knew that the plans Chiba had proposed were all relatively safe, highly feasible options with excellent odds of succeeding.
After the arrogance inflated by their three successful attacks had been shattered, Yu Ze had begun to consider matters rationally. Drawing on his still-limited understanding of the