Has Neji's youth withered?

Two days later, within the Land of Fire, in the closest town to Konoha.

Mo Chen settled Karin and Kana there, renting them a courtyard house and buying enough daily necessities.

"For the time being, you two will stay here,"

Mo Chen handed over the remaining tens of thousands of ryo he had to Kana, saying, "I originally wanted to buy this courtyard outright, but I didn't have enough money. We'll do it in a while. When I get the chance, I'll bring you to Konoha."

"This is already very good!" Kana said, deeply moved.

Gaining freedom was already her greatest desire; the quality of life was secondary.

Karin tugged at Mo Chen with some reluctance, "Are you leaving already?"

After these two days together, Mo Chen's approachable demeanor had opened up the hearts of Karin and her mother. Now, Mo Chen was the person closest to them in this world.

"If nothing unexpected happens, I'll come pick you up soon," Mo Chen patted Karin's head.

This poor girl had a bit of a silly, dorky, and cute personality, which Mo Chen quite liked. He already saw her as a sister.

Mo Chen was also conflicted about whether to bring Karin and her mother to Konoha quickly. However, their Uzumaki Clan identity, coupled with Karin's special physique, might cause unforeseen problems once they went to Konoha.

It was hard to say what the Third Hokage was thinking, but outwardly, he was a good old man.

This persona couldn't be broken, or it would ruin his reputation in his later years.

But then there was the cunning Danzou lurking in the shadows. If Karin went to Konoha, she might be walking into a tiger's den, and Mo Chen couldn't guard her 24/7.

However, all these issues could be resolved by fabricating the future. Mo Chen just needed time to think.

"Lord Mo Chen, thank you for your trouble!"

Kana said earnestly, "Being able to leave Kusagakure and live a normal life is already the greatest pursuit of my life."

"Although I really want to stay by Lord Mo Chen's side, I can't help you much, but at least I can take care of your daily life and repay some of your great kindness."

"However, please don't do anything that would put you in a difficult position for our sake."

A hint of helplessness flashed across Mo Chen's face. He had corrected Kana several times, but she still insisted on calling him "Lord."

"You don't need to worry about my affairs. I have special privileges in Konoha. It's just that I'm still a newcomer, and my influence isn't strong, which is why I haven't been able to make arrangements for you."

Mo Chen waved his hand and then said, "Aunt Kana, while I'm away, you must hide your identities. If you go out, wear the hats I bought for you."

"Although not many people know that the Uzumaki Clan has red hair, there are still some. It would be bad if you happened to run into them. Also, have Karin learn some Uzumaki clan secret techniques when she has time. They will definitely be useful soon."

"Yes!" Kana completely obeyed Mo Chen's orders as if she were a subordinate.

"Alright, alright, don't be sad. We'll see each other again soon!" Mo Chen patted Karin's head again and then quickly disappeared.

At this moment, Might Guy's Team had also arrived in this town.

They had left Kusagakure a step behind Mo Chen. Since they were already not far from Konoha, Guy had intended to return in one go.

However, Tenten, because Karin was here, proposed buying something in this town.

She had wanted to let the others go back first, but Guy, well, sometimes his thought process was difficult for normal people to understand.

Eager to return to the village, yet unwilling to leave Tenten alone, he decided to stay behind but kept urging her from behind.

Tenten's face was full of dark lines, and she felt helpless.

"I need to find a way to get rid of them!"

Tenten felt exhausted having such a teacher and a teammate like Rock Lee, who seemed to be molded from the same mold.

Life is hard, Tenten sighed.

Soon, passing by a cold drink shop, Tenten had an idea.

She said to Guy and the others, "We've been busy rushing on the road these past few days. I'll treat you all to drinks. You guys rest in the shop for a while, and I'll go buy my things. I'll meet you here when I'm done."

"How can that be!" Rock Lee immediately objected, "We are a team, and we share life and death! How can we rest while you go off alone? I'll go with you; at least I can help carry things!"

"Rock Lee is right!" Guy slammed Tenten's shoulder with great force, making her stagger.

While she had a dark expression, Guy gave a thumbs-up, flashed a mouthful of sparkling white teeth, and grinned, "Youth cannot be slack! If you need any help from your teacher, don't hesitate to ask!"

Tenten's mouth twitched. The greatest help you could give me is to stay in the drink shop.

But these two stubborn mules were unyielding once they made up their minds.

Helplessly, Tenten had to turn her pleading gaze to Neji, the only relatively normal person on the team.

Neji looked somewhat suspicious, not understanding why Tenten was so insistent on leaving them behind.

However, Neji was among the smartest of the twelve genin, and he quickly found a plausible reason for Tenten's behavior.

The items Tenten needed to buy were women's products, right? That's why she was finding it hard to say.

It was indeed inconvenient for the three of us guys to follow.

"Alright, Teacher Guy, Rock Lee!" Neji, on either side, forcefully dragged Guy and Rock Lee towards the drink shop, saying, "Since Tenten said so, she must have her reasons."

"The intention to help a comrade is good, but being too enthusiastic can sometimes cause trouble for others. We're not far from Konoha, so there won't be any danger. We can just wait here with peace of mind!"

After speaking, he gave Tenten a reassuring look.

"What! Neji means we're causing Tenten trouble?" Rock Lee exclaimed in disbelief, "How is that possible? I clearly wanted to help!"

"OH NO!" Guy wailed, clutching his head. "Neji, how could you say something so cold-blooded? Concern for your comrades must be passionate, only with passion, passion, and more passion can we live up to our blooming youth!"

"Has Neji's youth already withered?" Rock Lee howled in agreement. "I absolutely won't allow such a thing! No, you're not the Neji I know!"

Guy continued to shout, "So that's how it is! Neji, who followed us all this way, was swapped out? I didn't even notice! No wonder you wanted to separate us from Tenten; it's a diversionary tactic!"

"As expected of Guy-sensei, you saw through Neji's impersonation at a glance!" Rock Lee's eyes blazed with fiery passion as he roared, "Where is the real Neji? Tell me! Taste my Konoha Whirlwind!"

"Konoha Great Whirlwind!" Guy shouted along.

Chaos erupted in the drink shop, with sounds of a frantic scramble, punctuated by Neji's exasperated voice.

"I am Neji... Byakugan... Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms... Rotation..."

Outside the shop, Tenten's mouth twitched uncontrollably as she pressed her forehead, sighing.

When they were on missions, these people were incredibly reliable teammates.

But once they relaxed, they all turned into clowns, and even the usually serious Neji was no exception.

"Forget it, I'll leave them be. I should go see Karin first!"

Having finally escaped the two 'watermelons', Tenten didn't dare to linger and quickly darted off towards Karin's location.