Stocking Up for Winter

The Warring States Period's winters were even more mercilessly cold than one might imagine.

In just a few days, the steady autumn rain turned into a howling blizzard. The bone-chilling wind was like a flurry of sharp carving knives, mercilessly sweeping through this primeval forest rife with slaughter and bloodshed, freezing every trace of life.

Inside the hidden tree hollow and cave, a thick layer of ice had already formed along the edges of the underground river that had once flowed gently.

"Brrr... damn this weather."

Yue Uchiha rubbed his stiff hands and tossed the last two reasonably dry logs into the fire, which was nearly out.

The feeble flames struggled and flickered a few times, barely driving back some of the biting cold.

He turned to look at Uchiha Hikari, huddled in a corner of the cave.

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

She didn't say she was cold or complain. She only bit down hard on her bloodless lips and stared blankly at the faint flames.

Back when she had been a "weapon," no matter how harsh the weather was, she had to lie in wait in the snow and ice unless the higher-ups ordered her to rest.

To her, the current conditions—having a fire to warm herself by, not having to kill anyone, and even having a coat that still held someone else's body heat—were already an exceedingly "luxurious" privilege.

But Yue knew all too well that they faced a problem deadlier than the cold.

They were running out of food.

In the Warring States winter, the forest offered almost no wild fruit or mushrooms to stave off hunger. The fat fish they had once been able to catch in the underground river had plunged into its deepest reaches as the water temperature plummeted, making them nearly impossible to find.

They had stayed hidden before because they were afraid of giving away their location. Now, several months had passed. Surely even the most suspicious people outside had let their doubts fade.

"We can't keep cooped up here doing nothing."

Yue took a deep breath. The icy air filled his lungs, instantly clearing his mind, which had grown hazy from his long study of Yin Release.

He stood and strapped the straight sword, mixed with Chakra-Conductive Metal, back to his waist. A resolute glint shone in his only remaining right eye.

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

At the sound of his voice, Hikari immediately stood straight as if on reflex. Her legs trembled faintly from the cold, but she still deftly 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 ruffled her messy hair without ceremony. "If you don't eat something hot soon, you'll freeze to death in this cave, you little bean sprout. Stay close to me. Follow my orders if anything happens, and absolutely do not use your Mangekyo without permission. Understand?"

Hikari froze for a moment. Then a barely perceptible warmth flickered in her clear black-and-white eyes, and she nodded gently. "Mm."

Iron Forest.

It was a gray area where the territories of the Uchiha, the Senju, and several other small clans overlapped.

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

Wandering samurai, bounty hunters, and even missing-nin from the major shinobi clans all mingled there.

As long as you had strong fists or valuable goods, this place was paradise.

To avoid drawing attention, Yue carefully smeared a special grass juice that blocked sensory perception over his and Hikari's faces. It not only concealed their original skin tones but also slightly altered their features.

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

As they entered the trading post, the clamor of voices and a wave of heat tinged with the odors of sweat, alcohol, and roasted meat hit them in the face.

Yue led Hikari confidently through the muddy streets to a shop with a sign that read "Honest Man's General Store."

The name was ironic, but during the Warring States Period, anyone bold enough to call himself honest usually had a powerful background—or was genuinely exceptional.

"Boss, do you buy pelts?"

Yue lowered the brim of his hat and slammed an enormous snow bear pelt onto the counter.

The shopkeeper was a slightly plump, middle-aged man with a walrus mustache and a kind, benevolent face. He reached out to feel the quality of the fur, and his eyes immediately lit up.

"Now that's a fine pelt! Not a single tear in this brown bear's fur. You're a skilled hunter!"

"I'll give you two sacks of polished rice, ten catties of cured meat, and three hundred taels in loose silver. How does that sound?"

That was an exceptionally fair price on the black market, even ten percent higher than Yue had expected.

Who would've thought this merchant-looking shopkeeper was actually an honest man?

"Deal." Yue nodded.

As the shopkeeper turned to fetch the supplies, Yue's gaze fell on a thick red cotton coat hanging on the shop wall.

It was sewn from fine cotton cloth, with a ring of soft white rabbit fur around the collar. Its vivid color was like a ball of fire in winter, standing out sharply in the gloomy Warring States marketplace.

"Um, wrap that one up too." Yue pointed to the red coat.

The shopkeeper followed Yue's gaze, then glanced at Hikari, who stood behind him, shivering slightly. A knowing smile appeared on his face.

"Good eye, sir. This is new stock, made for the New Year. If you want to buy it, you won't have a single bit of those three hundred taels left."

The more Yue considered the price, the more he felt the shopkeeper was an honest man.

"I'll buy it. I have more pelts, too."

With that, he used the Summoning Technique to call forth a pile of pelts, leaving the shopkeeper gaping in astonishment.

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

When Uchiha Hikari emerged in the red cotton coat, looking a little awkward, Uchiha Yue was leaning against the counter, counting silver.

At the sound, he looked up, and a hint of admiration flashed in his only remaining right eye.

The Hikari who had worn an oversized combat uniform and looked like a lifeless little kid was gone.

In her place stood a delicate, exquisitely pretty girl next door, with a hint of coolness about her.

The red coat brought a little color to her pale face, while the white rabbit fur around the collar softened the sharpness in her eyes.

"Now that's more like it."

Yue walked over, fastened the buttons at her collar, and looked her over with satisfaction. "Don't dress like you're going to a funeral every day. A young girl should look like one."

Hikari looked down at the bright red coat and nervously touched its soft sleeve.

"This... isn't suitable for lying in wait," she muttered. But her hand gripped the hem tightly, making it clear she liked it.

"Lying in wait? We're just out shopping today."

Just as the two finished gathering their supplies and the shopkeeper was cheerfully seeing them out, a piercing explosion suddenly rang out in the street!

"Boom!"