The Western Army Corps, the forest to the south.
The girl's eyes were faintly red, and she had none of her usual fiery energy.
"I'm leaving." Mito was downcast; even the two red buns atop her head seemed to droop.
Looking down at her toes, she felt a deep reluctance to leave.
All this time, as the princess of the Land of Whirlpools, she had spent every day studying or practicing Sealing Techniques.
As her father put it, she would have to protect their country in the future and give its people a peaceful, prosperous land.
Mito had obeyed, putting extra effort into learning Sealing Techniques, but she was still just a girl who yearned for a carefree, worry-free life.
Her mission to the Land of Fire, where she unexpectedly met the boy Sosuke, had brought a little variety to her dull, monotonous days.
Though she would never admit it, Mito loved life here. She could do whatever she wanted each day, without anyone imposing rigid rules and restrictions on her.
If she weren't the princess of the Land of Whirlpools, she might really have chosen to stay. But that was something she could only dream about.
The reality was that she had to leave, with no idea when she might meet the boy again.
She even worried that one day the Land of Whirlpools might enter the battlefields of the Land of Fire and help the Senju fight the Uchiha.
When that happened, the two sides would face each other on the battlefield.
Watching the princess lower her head and fiddle with the hem of her clothes, Sosuke smiled gently. "Go on. Don't make your family and father worry."
"If anyone dares bully you, I'll come beat them up, no matter how far away I am."
They were both