Purchasing Winter Supplies

The bitter winter of the Warring States period arrived with more cold and ruthlessness than one could imagine.

In just a few short days, the lingering autumn rain transformed into a howling blizzard. The bone-chilling wind, like sharp, deboning knives, swept mercilessly across this primeval forest filled with slaughter and blood, freezing all signs of life solid.

Inside a hidden tree hollow and cave, the once-babbling underground stream had already formed a thick layer of ice along its edges.

"Hiss... this damn weather."

Yue Uchiha rubbed his stiff hands together and tossed the last two pieces of relatively dry firewood into the fire, which was on the verge of extinguishing.

The weak flames struggled and flickered a few times, barely managing to drive away a bit of the oppressive chill.

He turned his head to look at Uchiha Hikari, who was huddled in the corner of the cave.

The little girl was wrapped in Yue's oversized black robe, curled up into a tiny ball.

She didn't cry about the cold, nor did she complain; she simply bit her bloodless lips tightly, staring blankly at the weak glow of the fire.

In her days as a "weapon," no matter how harsh the weather was, she had to lie in wait in the ice and snow as long as the higher-ups didn't issue an order to rest.

To her, the current environment—having a fire to warm herself, not having to kill anyone, and even possessing a coat that carried another person's body heat—was already an extremely "luxurious" treatment.

But Yue knew clearly in his heart that they were facing a problem even more fatal than the cold.

Their food was running out.

In the winter of the Warring States, one could find almost no wild fruits or mushrooms in the forest to stave off hunger, and the fat fish that could once be caught in the underground stream had dived into the deepest parts of the water due to the sharp drop in temperature, making them impossible to track.

Previously, they had remained hidden for fear of exposing their tracks, but now that several months had passed, surely even the most suspicious people outside had dispelled their doubts.

"We can't just waste away like this."

Yue took a deep breath, the icy air filling his lungs and instantly clearing his brain, which had grown sluggish from long-term study of the Yin Release.

He stood up and strapped the straight blade, forged with chakra-conductive metal, back onto his waist, a look of determination flashing in his only remaining right eye.

"Hikari, get up and stretch your limbs. We need to go out."

Hearing his voice, Hikari stood straight as if by reflex. Although her legs trembled slightly from the cold, she still skillfully gripped her short blade in a reverse hold: "Is there a mission?"

"Not a mission, we need to find something to eat."

Yue walked over and unceremoniously reached out to ruffle her messy hair. "If you don't eat something hot, you little bean sprout are really going to freeze to death in this cave. Stay close to me, listen to my commands if we encounter trouble, and absolutely do not use the Mangekyo without permission, understand?"

Hikari was stunned for a moment, then a trace of imperceptible warmth flashed in her clear, black-and-white eyes as she nodded gently: "Mm."

Iron Forest.

This was a gray zone located in the overlapping territory of the Uchiha, Senju, and several other small family factions.

Here, there was no such thing as family honor, nor was there absolute law.

Wandering samurai, bounty hunters, and even rogue ninjas from major clans mingled here.

As long as your fists were hard enough, or your goods were good enough, this place was paradise.

To avoid attracting attention, Yue Uchiha specifically used a special herbal juice that could block sensory perception to smear his and Hikari's faces, not only masking their original skin tone but even slightly altering the contours of their features.

The two wore wide bamboo hats and tattered straw capes, looking like a pair of down-and-out wandering samurai siblings.

Walking into the trading point, the noisy human voices and heatwaves mixed with the smell of sweat, alcohol, and roasted meat rushed toward them.

Yue led Hikari through the muddy streets with practiced ease, arriving in front of a shop with a sign that read "Honest Man's General Store."

The name was ironic, but in the Warring States period, those who dared to call themselves "honest men" usually had significant backgrounds or truly possessed extraordinary skills.

"Boss, are you buying pelts?"

Yue lowered the brim of his hat and threw the giant snow bear pelt onto the counter with a "thud."

The boss behind the counter was a slightly plump middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache, looking kind and benevolent. He reached out to touch the quality of the bear pelt, and his eyes lit up instantly.

"Good stuff! This brown bear's fur isn't damaged at all; you're an expert!"

"Two bags of polished rice, ten catties of cured meat, plus three hundred taels of loose silver. How about it?"

This price was definitely generous in the black market, even ten percent higher than what Yue had expected.

He really hadn't expected this profiteer-looking boss to actually be an honest man.

"Deal." Yue nodded.

Just as the boss turned to fetch the supplies, Yue's gaze fell on a thick red cotton-padded jacket hanging on the shop wall.

It was sewn from fine, high-quality cotton cloth, with a circle of soft, snow-white rabbit fur around the collar. The color was as vibrant as a fire in the winter, looking particularly striking in this gloomy Warring States market.

"That one, wrap that up too." Yue pointed at the red cotton jacket.

The boss followed Yue's gaze, then looked at Hikari, who was shivering slightly behind Yue, and a knowing smile appeared on his face.

"Customer has a good eye. This is new stock prepared for the New Year. If you want to buy it, those three hundred taels of loose silver won't be enough."

Estimating the price, Yue felt even more that the boss was an honest man.

"I'll buy it. I have other pelts."

After saying this, he used the Summoning Jutsu to directly conjure a pile of furs, leaving the shopkeeper dumbfounded.

Half an hour later, in the back room of the general store.

As Uchiha Hikari stepped out, feeling somewhat awkward in the red cotton-padded jacket, Uchiha Yue was leaning against the counter counting silver.

Hearing the commotion, he looked up, a flash of astonishment crossing his only remaining right eye.

The Hikari who had been wearing oversized combat gear, looking like a lifeless brat, was gone.

In her place stood a girl who looked like a delicately carved jade doll, yet possessed a certain cold, aloof temperament.

The red jacket brought a touch of rosiness to her otherwise pale complexion, and the white rabbit fur at the collar softened the sharpness in her eyes.

"Now that's more like it."

Yue walked over, helped her fasten the buttons at the collar, and surveyed her with satisfaction. "Don't go around dressed like you're attending a funeral all the time; a young girl should look like a young girl."

Hikari looked down at the vibrant red on her body, touching the soft cuffs in a state of bewilderment.

"This... isn't suitable for stealth," she muttered softly, though her hands gripped the hem of the jacket tightly, clearly quite fond of it.

"Stealth? We're here to go shopping today."

Just as the two had finished packing their supplies and the shopkeeper was smilingly seeing them out, a piercing explosion suddenly erupted on the street!

"BOOM!"