The Look of Wanting to Kill Can't Be Hidden

Hoshino Maki shuddered, the toothpick in his mouth falling to the floor as his crossed leg snapped back like a spring.

Halfway through retracting it, he froze.

Wait—no one here could dock his pay, no boss was checking up on him, because he was the boss.

Pakura caught sight of this awkward pose as she entered, her amber, crystalline eyes narrowing into slits. She crossed her arms and said sarcastically, "Lord Hoshino, is there a mouse in the office?"

"There wasn't one before. There is now."

"Hmph."

Pakura tilted her head slightly, refusing to trade barbs with him.

"Out with it. What do you want?"

Hoshino Maki pulled his leg back and leaned fully into the wide chair.

"I'm going to Amegakure too."

Seeing Hoshino Maki frown, Pakura explained:

"With Rasa guarding the village, I'm useless here. My body's practically rusting. Might as well go see the Fourth Raikage."

"What are you saying? Trying to pull a Jing Ke or something?!"

Was this woman a violence addict? Couldn't she stand a single day without war?

Pakura didn't know what "Jing Ke" meant, but she could sense the resistance in his tone.

She was silent for a long moment, then lowered her gaze and spoke in an unusually subdued voice: "I never knew the village had so many problems before. I thought winning wars would let the villagers live well. But the village hasn't gotten better. People are still struggling for a full meal. I walked through the whole village today, and it felt like only the gravestones in the cemetery were increasing. I recognized so many of the names on them."

Pakura took a deep breath and gave a self-deprecating smile: "I don't know if what you're doing is right, but I think my old way of thinking was wrong. Right now, the village needs these prisoners to trade for resources. Your safety is important—understand?"

At some point, Hoshino Maki had straightened his back, elbows on the table, fingers interlaced, eyes fixed on her: "What do you know?"

Pakura shook her head and said nothing.

The atmosphere grew heavy. After a long pause, Hoshino Maki let out a word: "Fine. I'll let you know when we leave."

Pakura nodded, turned without another word, and left.

Hoshino Maki tapped his finger lightly on the table, staring ahead, his mind wandering somewhere far off.

Over the next few days, Sunagakure entered a rare period of calm. Everything seemed to be moving in a good direction, and soon the day of departure arrived.

The entrance to Sunagakure was a long canyon; only by passing through it could one see the full view of the village.

This terrain, easy to defend and hard to attack, protected Sunagakure's safety but also limited the village's commercial development.

The blazing sunlight streamed through the narrow passage, falling onto the departing team.

"Is everyone here?"

"All here."

Hoshino Maki swept his gaze over the group. There were five people in total: Kojima, Pakura, one representative each from Chiyo and Chōjūrō, and Hoshino Maki himself.

Of course, that was on the surface. In the shadows, the Anbu would also provide protection.

After all, idiots like Danzo who traveled in groups of three were rare.

But with this combination, it would be a miracle if the team's atmosphere was good.

Hoshino Maki chatted and laughed with Chiyo's representative. Kojima and Pakura stayed silent unless spoken to, like two bodyguards. Chōjūrō's representative wore a cold expression, triangular eyes turned upward, radiating an "approach and die" aura.

All of them were extremely powerful ninja. Though they weren't moving at full speed, their pace was still fast. By the time the sky dimmed, they reached the border outpost between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain.

"Lord Hoshino."

The ninja at the outpost greeted Hoshino Maki warmly. If not for the presence of the other lords behind him, they might have been even more familiar.

After dinner, Hoshino Maki sat before the campfire, mulling over the negotiations with Kumogakure.

Sunagakure's predicament was all over the village—spies would know about it. If Kumogakure didn't take the chance to drive down the price, they'd be amateurs.

Hoshino Maki had no power of foresight. He could only imagine as many scenarios as possible to prepare for contingencies.

"Lord."

A young ninja with a few freckles on his face approached Hoshino Maki.

Hoshino Maki looked up and smiled when he saw who it was: "Yi, long time no see."

The ninja named Yi scratched the back of his head sheepishly: "I didn't expect you to still remember my name, Lord."

"Of course. You're an excellent ninja."

"You flatter me, Lord. I'm just an ordinary genin with no real skills."

Hoshino Maki stood up, pressed his hand on the boy's head, and ruffled his messy hair: "Is that so? But I think you're plenty skilled. You're the most diligent with outpost watch duties. You polish your tools every day. Every ninja here speaks highly of you. With you on guard, the village can rest easy. If your brother were still here, he'd be proud of you."

Yi's body stiffened in place, trembling slightly, as if using all his strength to suppress the burning emotions inside.

He stood there, fists clenching and unclenching, lips moving before he whispered:

"Yeah... he'd definitely be proud of me. Definitely."

After he spoke, the hesitation in his eyes hardened by a few degrees.

"Someone bullying you?"

Hoshino Maki frowned, watching his unusual demeanor.

Yi shook his head. "No, sir. Could I..."

His gaze swept the surroundings, a look of reluctance to speak on his face.

Hoshino Maki followed his line of sight and saw the patrolling ninjas at the outpost occasionally glancing their way. After a moment's thought, he nodded. "Come with me."

Hoshino Maki led Yi toward a sand dune not far from the outpost.

"Sir, are you going out this late? It's not safe around here at night—Giant Scorpion Ants often show up."

As they reached the outpost entrance, the vigilant ninja on guard saw Hoshino Maki approaching and quickly stood up, speaking with respectful caution.

"It's fine. I'm just taking Yi for a walk nearby. We'll be back soon."

Hoshino Maki insisted, and no one else could stop him.

The two walked one after the other toward the top of the dune.

Yi's gaze fixed on the back of the man ahead of him. His hand slipped into his sleeve, then out again, repeating the motion several times. Finally, he took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and steeled his resolve. The cold gleam of a kunai flashed between his fingers.

"Made up your mind?"

The man ahead didn't turn around, his tone flat.

"Wh-what?"

Yi shoved the kunai back into his sleeve, forcing calm into his voice.

"Yi, you know, you actually have another good quality—you're terrible at lying."

As he spoke, Hoshino Maki climbed to the top of the dune first, taking in the desert scenery beneath the boundless dome.

The fierce wind whipped at the hems of their clothes, but Yi was drenched in sweat.

"Sir, when did you figure it out?"

His voice was as dry as parched soil, hoarse and desperate.

"From the very first moment our eyes met. After all, the look of wanting to kill someone can't be hidden, Yi."

Hoshino Maki turned back, his tone calm. "Now it's my turn to ask you. Who sent you to kill me?"