Fireworks Festival

Shinji hadn't expected to run into Shion again like this, and his heart leaped into his throat.

Shion tilted her head. "Huh? I feel like I've seen you before. Why can't I remember?"

Shinji shook his head. "We've never met!"

"Is that so?"

Shion frowned and began to think back seriously.

Shinji kept his expression unchanged, but inwardly, he was starting to panic.

Ultimately, he wasn't entirely sure how effective his genjutsu had been.

Seeing Shion stare fixedly at Shinji, Haku beside them curiously looked the two of them over as well.

"Your Highness, where are you?"

Just then, the guards' shouts came from nearby.

"Kid, move aside!"

Seeing the guards were about to catch up, Shion had no time to worry about anything else. She hurriedly shoved Shinji aside and dashed away in a puff of smoke.

Shinji's mouth twitched as he grumbled inwardly, She called me "big brother" before, and now she's calling me "kid." This girl!

Before long.

Several Land of Demons guards carrying armfuls of bags came running over, drenched in sweat.

After asking Shinji and Haku which way Shion had gone, they apologized as they called out for her and continued their pursuit.

Watching the guards disappear into the distance, Haku chuckled. "So that was the Miko of the Land of Demons. She's really mischievous."

Shinji, meanwhile, secretly let out a sigh of relief.

Although the little incident had caught him off guard, it also proved that the psychological suggestion he'd implanted in Shion with his Mangekyō Sharingan was still working!

That meant Shion had most likely come to Konoha merely to seek refuge.

After all, when the Miko was attacked in the original timeline, the Land of Demons had immediately requested Konoha's support as well.

This time, Hand Demon had invaded and slaughtered over a hundred Land of Demons guards in a single night. It was only natural for the Land of Demons to send the young Miko to Konoha for safety.

[The plane has been invaded.]

[Countdown: 3]

Suddenly, the familiar voice rang in Shinji's ears without warning.

He instinctively looked at Haku beside him and found that Haku couldn't hear it at all.

Seeing Shinji look at him, Haku asked, "Are we continuing our training?"

"No, let's head back."

Shinji shook his head.

After returning to the apartment and shutting the door, his expression quickly darkened.

The countdown for this invasion was only three days!

A sense of unease spread through his heart.

The next day.

As teams from other villages gathered in Konoha for the Chunin Exams, the village became increasingly lively.

Though he was on break, Shinji didn't slack off. He continued training Taijutsu with Haku at the practice field.

During a break, Haku said with a smile, "The granny at the dango shop downstairs told me that the Miko we saw yesterday slipped away from her guards again early this morning. She sneaked out of the Land of Demons delegation's residence by herself and has been wandering around the village."

"Oh."

Shinji answered casually.

But inwardly, he made up his mind to avoid Shion for the time being and make sure they didn't run into each other again.

Haku added, "I heard there might be a Fireworks Festival tonight!"

"A Fireworks Festival?"

"It seems to be to welcome the ninja from the other villages participating in the Chunin Exams." After a pause, Haku asked, "The classmates are organizing a barbecue and fireworks viewing tonight. Shinji, are you going?"

"I'll pass."

Shinji answered offhandedly.

"Then I won't go either."

That night.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Leaning against the window, Shinji watched the dazzling fireworks blossom one after another in the night sky, his face expressionless.

If one looked closer, they would find his eyes unfocused. He clearly wasn't really admiring the fireworks, but was lost in thought.

Next door.

Haku was also staring at the night sky, but his expression was unusually solemn, as though he wasn't watching the fireworks at all.

Suddenly, his gaze locked onto an inconspicuous firework in the sky, and his expression instantly turned grave.

Then he sighed helplessly, walked to the wardrobe, and changed clothes.

In the village.

Sasuke sat alone by the small lake near his apartment, hugging his knees. Rather than looking up at the night sky, he stared at the brilliant fireworks reflected on the lake's surface.

Yet his mood was the complete opposite of the dazzling fireworks mirrored in the water.

This liveliness disgusted him!

At that moment, the reflected fireworks in his vision suddenly warped, as if turning into the face he hated most.

"I'll kill you!"

Without a second thought, he pulled out a kunai and plunged into the lake with a splash, shattering its still surface.

Inside the apartment.

"Breaking in directly is still too risky!"

Shinji shook his head and drove the thought from his mind.

No matter how desperately he wanted Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan, he couldn't risk forcibly breaking into the ANBU building.

That would be irrational!

Still, figuring out how to deal with this invasion was indeed a huge problem.

"Could it be that I have to use Susanoo every time? And why is this countdown so short?"

Shinji agonized inwardly.

Click.

Suddenly, a faint sound of a door closing came from next door.

If it hadn't happened to fall in the gap between exploding fireworks, he might not have noticed it at all.

"Haku is going out this late?"

Shinji was a little puzzled, though he didn't think much of it. The streets were so lively outside that it was perfectly normal for Haku to want to take a walk.

But very soon, he frowned.

After the faint sound of the door closing, there were no ordinary footsteps.

Shinji concealed his presence and slowly approached the door. He pressed his ear against it for a while before barely hearing Haku's faint footsteps going downstairs.

"Being so sneaky... what is he up to?"

After thinking it over, Shinji decided to follow him and take a look.

But he had clearly overestimated his tracking skills. Within moments, he lost sight of Haku, only catching a distant glimpse of him vanishing into the bustling street.

"He must be meeting someone. He's being this careful, so the other person's identity is probably very sensitive."

Shinji wandered the streets while thinking about Haku.

Haku's appearance in Konoha, along with the curiosity he'd subtly displayed toward Shinji and the Uchiha Clan, had already struck Shinji as suspicious.

Combined with what had just happened, Shinji was almost certain that there was something wrong with Haku.

He simply couldn't determine who Haku was working for—some important figure within the village, or a spy carefully planted in Konoha by another village.

As he passed a small stall, Shinji suddenly stopped.

Seeing the dazzling array of masks hanging from the stall, he recalled how Shion had accidentally seen his face during his first encounter with an invasion. He stepped forward and bought a fox mask similar to those worn by ANBU.

A lesson learned the hard way.

The next time he faced an invasion, he would conceal his identity properly.

After tying the mask to his waist, he continued wandering.

Before he knew it, he arrived at the secluded practice field in the small grove where he and Haku always sparred.

Boom.

Dazzling fireworks still burst from time to time in the night sky overhead.

"Ah, the village is particularly noisy tonight!"

Since he was already here, Shinji decided to enjoy some peace and quiet by practicing Water Breathing at the field for a while.

Whoosh, whoosh.

Suddenly, two successive whooshing sounds came from nearby.

Startled, Shinji slipped sideways into the bushes.

Immediately afterward, two figures—one fleeing and one pursuing—landed in the practice field.

Although he wore a mask, Shinji recognized the one fleeing in front as Haku, who had sneakily vanished into the night earlier. The one chasing him was actually an ANBU ninja from the village.

The ANBU ninja stared at the masked Haku. "Hmph! I was only supposed to monitor the kid next door to you, but I never expected to catch a big fish like you. Surrender now! You can't escape!"

During the new release period, please support the novel with recommendation votes and monthly votes!