Star Chasing Girl Juri

On the night of the full moon.

Tobirama sat atop the Face Rock of First Senju Hashirama, resting his arm on his raised knee as he looked down over the village asleep below.

He wore a haori bearing the Senju crest. Beneath it, the collar of his casual purple kimono hung slightly open, revealing his well-trained chest.

In his scarred, rugged hand, he held an old Forehead Protector.

--

The campaign against Kinkaku, waged alongside the Chunin Selection Exam.

This mission, which had placed the lives of Genin at stake, ended in success for Konoha thanks to the valiant efforts of Tobirama and the other ninja.

But a report came from Ōnoki of Both Scales of Iwagakure: they had failed to wipe out all of the elite members of Kinkaku's Unit.

Tobirama learned of the report some time after the campaign had ended.

As soon as he received it, he ignored his attending physician's protests, slipped out of the hospital, and rushed into the Hokage's office.

Tobirama went straight to the Third Hokage and pleaded with him to sever ties with Iwagakure.

Based on the suspicion that Iwagakure Ninja had deliberately let Kinkaku's men escape, Tobirama argued that Iwagakure was plotting to make Konoha and Sunagakure fight one another.

Tobirama believed Iwagakure had sacrificed a little of its reputation to cleverly probe Konoha's circumstances and turn Sunagakure's hostility toward Konoha.

The Third Hokage took no action in response to Tobirama's words.

Konoha had already received an apology personally delivered by the Second Tsuchikage Mu of Iwagakure, leaving them in no position to raise the matter further.

If the newly appointed Third Hokage slighted the personal apology of the Second Tsuchikage, who bore the weight of his village, not only the other villages but also the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire would question his judgment.

But Tobirama's displeasure wasn't simply because it was now difficult to hold Iwagakure accountable.

It was because the Third Hokage stubbornly insisted on maintaining friendly relations with Iwagakure.

Tobirama had argued that it would be better to sever ties with Iwagakure.

But the Third Hokage refused to agree, saying Tobirama's argument was no more than speculation. Instead, he ordered Tobirama to rest for the time being.

That was tantamount to an announcement that Tobirama would no longer be involved in diplomacy with Iwagakure.

"Pops, old man... What should I do?"

In the moonlight, Tobirama lowered his eyes.

He didn't believe the Third Hokage was wrong.

But he didn't think he was wrong, either.

The night remained silent.

The First was dead, and the Second was dead, too.

Time passed, and generations turned.

Even if he spoke to the Face Rock at his feet, no one would answer him again.

Tobirama tightened his grip on the Forehead Protector.

If you don't stay wary, they'll bite your throat out.

That wariness stemmed from the distrust of other nations he'd developed after witnessing the Second's final moments.

At the same time, it was also the philosophy of Uchiha Izuna, who had lived in an age of betrayal and conspiracy, one that had ultimately led to the rupture between the Uchiha and Senju.

It was because he recognized this that Tobirama chose to obey the Third Hokage's orders.

On the surface, his decision had been treated as a vacation after the end of a long mission.

And it was true that Iwagakure was more likely to sincerely want friendly relations with Konoha.

In that case, the Second Tsuchikage's personal apology was more than enough to demonstrate goodwill toward Konoha.

Given Iwagakure's ambiguous stance, there was little Konoha could do in the end.

"You don't seem like yourself when you're this down."

"...Sakumo?"

A voice came from behind Tobirama.

Sensing someone's presence, the newcomer sat down beside him.

Without turning his head, Tobirama guessed the name.

He turned his neck slightly and looked at the man—Hatake Sakumo.

In the moonlight, his kind eyes narrowed, and his silvery hair gleamed faintly.

"I heard you had a disagreement with the Third Hokage."

"It wasn't a disagreement. It's just—"

"...Just what?"

Tobirama fell silent.

A wry smile appeared on Sakumo's face.

"..."

With a soft clink, a ceramic sake bottle and a small wine cup were held out to Tobirama.

Tobirama silently watched as the liquid was poured into the cup before him.

"You're wondering what the Predecessors would have done, aren't you?"

Tobirama didn't answer Sakumo.

Sakumo took the silence itself as an answer, and the corners of his mouth relaxed slightly.

"I understand."

"We've always been friends."

Tobirama wasn't the only one who had changed over the past year.

Sakumo had also, before he knew it, become someone who could stand on his own.

And the same was true of Konohagakure.

After the Second's death, many ninja born in the Warring States Period decided to retire.

The loss of the Senju Brothers, the village's main pillars, left a clear imprint of changing times on the hearts of those from the Old Era.

Konoha was now trying to turn toward a new generation.

Toward the young generation born after the end of the Warring States Period, entrusted with peace under the Third Hokage.

Sakumo set down the bottle, picked up the two cups filled with liquid, and handed one to Tobirama.

Tobirama took it and gazed at the liquid as it swayed.

The sharp smell made it clear that this was no water.

As Tobirama studied his reflection in the cup, Sakumo turned his gaze away and looked up at the moon.

"—Tobirama. You're still young. Sometimes you'll suffer because you can't find an answer. Sometimes you'll think you've found one, only to make a mistake. Keep the village in your heart. Whatever happens from now on, you stand with the Will of Fire."

"What was that?"

"My teacher—Sasuke Sarutobi's words."

"The Third Hokage's father?"

"Yeah. Hey, Tobirama, do you remember what First Hashirama said?"

"Grandfather's words...? Why are you asking all of a sudden?"

"Never mind that. Remember, when we were still at the Nurturing Facility, the First Lord and the Second came as Special Lecturers?"

"Ah, that was when. I remember."

At Sakumo's words, Tobirama recalled his childhood.

"'I think of everyone in the village... of all of you, as my family. Every one of you is my child.' That was it, wasn't it?"

That day, before Tobirama stopped him, Hashirama had stayed with the children the entire time.

The innocent children quickly took to the kindhearted Hashirama. They didn't even know what a Hokage was, yet they played and fooled around with him as if he were their playmate.

Tobirama remembered how Hashirama's reckless behavior had left the teacher in charge sweating, but Hashirama had always laughed it off.

Afterward, Tobirama had sulked when the other children monopolized his grandfather. He'd gone to his grandfather for comfort and received his affection.

Even that embarrassing memory remained vivid in Tobirama's mind.

"Lately, I've started thinking about the Ancestors' will—about what a village really is. Teacher Sarutobi said to keep the village in our hearts. The First Lord said that everyone who lived in the village was family. It's true that Konohagakure is full of warmth now, with children laughing. Our generation grew up that way, too. But... I've been thinking. Konoha wasn't always like this. The Warring States Period ended, the village was founded, and peace came—that's what the children are taught in their textbooks. A neatly tidied-up history. But the village's true beginnings can't have been so bright and clean. The village is a collection of people who once killed and hated one another. Between those divisions, there must have been hardships beyond imagining."

Sakumo spoke to Tobirama with deep feeling.

In his words, in the unimaginable hardships the Predecessors had overcome, lay the answer Tobirama was searching for.

The Will of Fire, slumbering deep within, flickered with hope that he would realize it.

"Sakumo... Are you saying...?"

Tobirama sensed the deeper meaning in Sakumo's words, but grew frustrated that he couldn't immediately find the answer and furrowed his brow.

It was true that the village could now be called a symbol of peace.

But through the records of his Previous Life, Tobirama knew how deeply the Various Clans had once hated one another.

Back then, everyone must have thought they could never coexist, that peace was impossible.

And yet, people who had once hated one another joined hands, and Konohagakure was built.

The young generation didn't know how those born in the Warring States Period had overcome the cycle of hatred and made it this far.

Neither did Tobirama.

He knew hatred.

He knew sorrow, too.

But he didn't know how to overcome them and keep moving forward.

Sakumo watched Tobirama furrow his brow and sink into thought.

He hoped Tobirama would realize it.

The village First had dreamed of wasn't meant to defend a tiny corner of the world and preserve a fleeting peace.

First Hashirama's dream was to create a nation where children wouldn't have to die.

But that dream reached even further into the future.

It was an unrealized dream of all ninja joining hands.

The village was the crystallization of a dream.

And yet, it was only a stepping stone toward that unfulfilled dream.

Dreams wore down with each passing generation.

The great ambition First Hashirama had proclaimed would also fade with time.

To keep from losing it, they had to understand.

The Predecessors' "hearts."

If the Third Hokage had inherited this properly, then it made sense that he would try to remove factors that could lead to war, Sakumo thought.

But he didn't believe Tobirama's argument was wrong, either.

He even thought it was good that Tobirama had recognized the possibility and stayed alert.

At least for now...

But whether to say it aloud was another matter.

From an objective point of view, Tobirama cared so deeply about the village that he had become too emotional.

Tobirama was naturally a man who was devoted to others and easily invested his feelings.

Over the past year, he had literally risked his life to protect the village. Konoha had surely come to mean more to him than merely the treasure his grandfather loved...

It wasn't hard to understand why he was emotional.

But now, with relations between Konoha and Iwagakure on good terms, failing to rein in Tobirama for voicing dissent could lead to unnecessary disputes.

In Sakumo's eyes, the Third Hokage had made a sound judgment in ordering Tobirama to act with caution.

The question was whether the Third Hokage truly trusted Iwagakure.

The generation of the Third Hokage, who had inherited the mantle from the First and Second.

The role their generation bore was probably to form alliances with as many villages as possible.

But there was more to it than that.

From the moment someone was entrusted with the mantle, they also took on a duty.

That duty was to ensure that what the Predecessors had entrusted to them never died out.

And to nurture it.

To nurture the one who would come after.

That successor was... the Fourth Hokage.

If the Third Hokage played his role well, then the role of the generation that would become the Fourth Hokage would probably be to transcend the villages and connect hearts.

Just as First Hashirama had once transcended his clan and built a bond of "family."

Joining hands across the barriers between the Various Clans had surely involved hardships beyond imagining.

But joining hands across the vast system of villages would probably bring difficulties just as great, if not greater.

It was a path strewn with far more thorns than those they had faced in uniting a clan.

It was because he had realized this that First Hashirama had entrusted his will to the next generation at the cost of his life, and Second Tobirama had set aside his personal feelings to strengthen the village system within his own lifetime.

The dream the Predecessors had staked everything on.

The responsibility entrusted to Tobirama and his generation—or the next—could never be half-hearted.

If the Third Hokage had realized this, then there must have been some purpose behind pushing Tobirama to act with caution.

Why had the Third Hokage deliberately made Senju Tobirama, Konoha's public face, act with caution? His intention was—

Sakumo hadn't figured out the answer on his own.

Before his death, Sasuke Sarutobi had entrusted him with some insight for the sake of the next generation.

As someone who upheld the Will of Fire, Sasuke Sarutobi had entrusted the future to Sakumo's consideration for his comrades.

But to walk ahead of everyone else, he would have to find that answer on his own.

No one knew what awaited them in the future.

But Sakumo hoped that someday he and Tobirama would see the same view.

"Tobirama, unlike me, you come from a distinguished family. The source of your pain can probably only be understood by a Mind Synchronizer or someone who carries the same burden. I can only wait for you to find the answer and accept it... There's so little I can do for you. So—"

As he spoke, Sakumo gently raised his wine cup.

"—Let's have a drink tonight. I want to dedicate this sake to my friend, who's fought so hard all year."

"Sakumo, you..."

"Maybe it's a little weird to say this myself, but this really is good sake."

After hearing Sakumo's words, Diejian's lips trembled with emotion.

As if trying to calm himself, he let out a deep sigh, his shoulders relaxing.

"I don't know what to do with you. It seems I'm always being looked after by someone."

"Cheers."

Their voices rang out together.

The two raised their wine cups toward the moon hanging high in the sky and drained them in one go.

The night had only just begun.

"Oh, isn't that Juri?"

"Hm...? Diejian!!"

In Diejian's wavering view as he ambled down the street, he spotted a black-haired girl with a ponytail looking at a fruit shop.

Diejian called out instinctively. Juri looked bewildered at first, but the instant she recognized Diejian's voice, her expression turned furious.

Juri sprang from in front of the fruit shop and landed before Diejian in an instant, thrusting her face so close that she could practically spit in his face.

Her expression was positively demonic, and her Sharingan was almost showing. Her ferocious aura even made Diejian break out in a cold sweat.

"You dare show your face in front of me like that!! Talk about running into your worst enemy!! I'll kill you!!"

"That's a pretty old-fashioned expression... Hey, you're serious?!"

At Juri's tirade, Diejian's eyes widened. He hastily raised his arm to block the fist she suddenly swung at him.

He wasn't entirely clueless about why she was so angry—but he hadn't expected her rage to have built up to this extent.

"Hey, hey!"

The area around Diejian and Juri was already deserted.

People watched from a distance with troubled expressions, as if thinking, "Those two again," while also looking like they were enjoying the show.

"Wait, think about the trouble you're causing everyone else!!"

"You've got a lot of nerve saying that!!"

Diejian caught Juri's next knee strike with a spinning block.

With the situation on the verge of turning into a full-blown fight, his voice took on a reproachful tone.

But that only made things worse with Juri. Even the people watching from afar felt inclined to side with her, given Diejian's past behavior.

Juri drew back her arm and threw a second punch as fast as an arrow loosed from a bow.

Diejian finally realized he couldn't go on like this. He began thinking clearly and rapidly considered how to stop Juri.

"Ice cream and sakuramochi!!"

Just before her fist struck Diejian in the face, Juri's punch came to an abrupt halt.

The force of it ruffled Diejian's hair.

"And tea."

"Sure."

Diejian meekly accepted Juri's additional demand, and the fist in front of him withdrew.

Juri spun around and jerked her head for him to follow.

Diejian felt exhausted, but he still followed her and let her lead him to the sweets shop they often visited.

As he sat down at a table they'd picked at random and watched Juri order whatever she pleased, Diejian thought about how much money he had left in his wallet.

He'd come out to buy ninja tools, but it looked like that wasn't going to happen today.

"So, Diejian. Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Don't fight in the street."

"That's not what I mean!!"

Juri's face flushed red with anger, and she leapt to her feet.

"Don't shout in the shop."

"I'll kill you."

Juri impatiently tapped her fingertips against the table and glared at Diejian with her Sharingan.

"Your eyes are beautiful."

"Stop joking around!!"

Juri's Sharingan had a remarkably fine color.

As someone who had once been among the Uchiha Clan's strongest fighters and still possessed the Sharingan, Diejian could tell after examining Juri's eyes that their color was truly exceptional.

He meant the compliment.

To be honest, he'd said it to change the subject.

He'd thought Juri would get embarrassed and yell at him.

But Juri's anger was real. She had merely scolded Diejian, then let it go.

Surprised by this uncharacteristic response, Diejian blinked and sucked in a breath.

"...Explain yourself."

"Explain what?"

"Enough already, Senju... I mean the first exam."

So that was it, Diejian thought.

But he could clearly explain why he'd designed the exam that way, so he didn't think there was a problem.

Leaving out the part about the campaign against Kinkaku, Diejian carefully explained the purpose of the first exam to Juri.

As a Genin, Juri had raised an objection, and as an examiner, he couldn't accept it.

Even the Third Hokage had approved the plan. Arguing with the examiner was tantamount to defying the Third Hokage's decision.

"...That's how it was. That was the point of the exam. I know it was harsh, but I don't think it was wrong."

"Idiot."

Just as Diejian thought he'd explained himself and let his guard down a little, Juri's insult brought his thoughts to a halt.

Diejian furrowed his brow as if exasperated, about to criticize Juri's attitude—

"I don't care about your lousy exam's purpose or whatever. Ina told me about that. If so many candidates were eliminated, it just means the Jonin in charge failed to train their Genin properly. Their ability to teach their students was lacking. That's not what I mean."

Unexpectedly, Juri's words weren't a criticism of Diejian's exam.

Diejian looked confused by her unexpected response.

Juri gave an unhappy snort. Her fingertips, which had been tapping the table impatiently, stopped with a thud.

"Why did you pretend to be Uchiha Izuna?"

This time, Diejian was the one who sucked in a breath.

Juri snorted at Diejian, who seemed to have finally realized what she was angry about, and continued.

"Uchiha Izuna was the greatest hero our Uchiha Clan could ever be proud of. Unlike the traitor Madara, Izuna cared for his clan until his dying breath, and even after his death, his Sharingan remained to protect us. You're saying he'd oppose the village—the Konohagakure that the Uchiha Clan belongs to...? I'll never allow you to make a mockery of his will!"

As he listened to Juri's rapid-fire words, Diejian's expression grew serious.

Juri's expression was just as earnest.

She was angry because someone besides herself had been insulted.

Because Izuna's soul resided within him, Diejian had been careless about Uchiha Izuna.

He'd chosen Izuna for the exam because he knew him so well, and had used him as one possible scenario.

But struck by Juri's genuine anger, Diejian finally understood that even that had been thoughtless.

Even if he himself looked down on something or didn't care about its existence, there were people who cherished it.

If so, then Diejian's actions really did deserve criticism.

"I'm sorry for dismissing your anger and acting so carelessly. You're right—I did something I deserved to be reprimanded for."

Diejian understood Juri's anger, recognized his own mistake, and immediately bowed his head in apology.

He felt he wouldn't have been out of line to rub his head against the table.

—Just imagine if someone had mocked the will Senju Hashirama had left behind at the cost of his life. Diejian would chase that person to the ends of the earth and kill him.

He couldn't imagine managing to restrain his anger the way Juri had.

If the Uchiha Clan revered Uchiha Izuna so deeply, it wouldn't have been surprising if they cut ties with him.

But—

"I forgive you."

At Juri's calm tone, Diejian cautiously raised his head.

There was still a trace of displeasure on her face, but her anger had indeed faded.

"You're Senju. It's only natural that you don't know the Uchiha's internal affairs. There's no point in blaming someone for not knowing. Just be more careful next time."

Juri's astonishingly generous words left Diejian dumbfounded.

He felt a shiver run down his spine at her emotional and personal growth.

For the first time, he felt respect for the friend in front of him.

Just as he was moved by how magnanimous she was, thinking he'd call her "Miss Juri" from now on—

"Speaking of which... Uchiha Izuna was a truly amazing man. Since you turned into Uchiha Izuna, you must know about him from a Senju's perspective, right?"

The mood changed.

Juri's straightforward yet bashful expression was quite unlike her.

Diejian felt another kind of chill run down his spine.

He couldn't help thinking, Who is this woman?

"Uchiha Izuna was a rival and friend to the Second—"

The heroic image of Uchiha Izuna Juri painted with her words...

—This girl was a fangirl.

Diejian felt another kind of chill run down his spine and wondered, Who even is this?

"You could say the clan is what it is today thanks to him. Or maybe, without him, even the village might have—"

Diejian thought—I never imagined people saw me that way.

This whole thing was an unfortunate accident. Wasn't there no reason for Juri to be so angry at him?

Besides, Izuna was me.

No matter what I do with myself, isn't it strange for an outsider to angrily lecture me like this?

As Diejian listened to Juri, he felt increasingly aggrieved.

The emotion he'd felt moments ago had long since vanished.

But since he'd already apologized, bringing it up again would be unmanly.

So Diejian swore to himself that next time, he'd make her suffer even more.

—But.

Diejian didn't notice that as he listened to Juri, a part of his face had relaxed with relief and happiness.

"The final round of the Chunin Selection Exam is about to begin. The event is a team battle. Facing off are the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen's team and the team led by Ōnoki, nicknamed the Two Scales, the right-hand man of Iwagakure's Second Tsuchikage Mu. Two members of Sarutobi Hiruzen's team were eliminated in the first exam, leaving only Uchiha Shuri. In contrast, all three Genin on Ōnoki's team survived, and Konoha is expected to face a difficult battle."

The amplified voice echoed through the venue.

Uchiha Shuri stood at the center of the enormous Training Ground where the first Chunin Exams' final battle had once been held.

Facing three Iwagakure Genin alone, Shuri showed no trace of hesitation.

Shuri's beautiful composure despite being at a disadvantage won her the audience's support.

"Miss Juri isn't on Sarutobi Squad, is she?"

"Tsunade and Orochimaru both got eliminated. It couldn't be helped."

"Weren't you the one who got us eliminated, big brother?!"

In one corner of the stands, Diejian was eating rice crackers when Tsunade rebuked him. He frowned in annoyance.

Seeing his shameless attitude, Tsunade's cheeks flushed with anger.

"But even if it was only for a short time, we fought together. Miss Uchiha Shuri is one of our worthy comrades too, isn't she?"

Orochimaru, seated beside Tsunade, interjected as if trying to mediate the argument between the siblings.

Tsunade pursed her lips and suppressed her anger, somewhat reluctantly. Only then did she realize she'd stood up without noticing, so she sat back down.

Tsunade snatched the paper bowl of rice crackers Diejian held out to her and shoved the crackers into her mouth with reckless abandon.

Diejian hurriedly tried to take it back, but Tsunade hid it behind her body, protecting the crackers from him.

Ina, seated beside Diejian, watched the siblings bicker with interest while chewing on her own roasted snacks.

"You guys are completely treating this like a show. Can't you show a little more enthusiasm, like cheering her on?"

Sakumo narrowed his eyes helplessly and leaned around Ina.

Despite saying that, Sakumo was holding the novel he'd recently bought, glancing at it now and then as if eager to find out what happened next.

"Y-you people... Poor Miss Shuri..."

Jiraiya, who had temporarily returned from Mount Myōboku, looked at Shuri's friends with pity and gazed toward her small figure in the distance.

Jiraiya was the only one left out.

When he'd returned from Mount Myōboku and learned that everyone in his squad except him had taken the Chunin Exams, he'd been deeply upset and shut himself away. But before long, his naturally optimistic nature helped him recover.

"Who do you think will win?"

Ina asked.

"Obviously Juri. She's already way beyond Genin level."

"But it's three against one, isn't it?"

After hearing Diejian's words, Tsunade tilted her head with concern.

Diejian called over a nearby sweets vendor, bought another snack, and popped it into his mouth.

"Juri isn't going to lose to Genin, no matter what."

"No, I think that's a pretty impressive team. They have the makings of Iwagakure's secret weapon."

Sakumo cut in at Diejian's remark.

The first exam had a hidden agenda, but it had also served as a trial for the Genin. The second exam would be no easy feat, either.

The fact that all three of them had made it through without losing a single member couldn't be explained by good luck alone.

"But it should be fine, right? Look—look at the referee."

At Diejian's words, everyone turned their gaze toward the black-clad ninja standing in the center of the arena.

The man with the Uchiha Clan Crest on his back—

"Teacher Kagami?"

"That's right. She won't make too much of a mess in front of her favorite older brother."

Diejian answered Ina.

Sakumo narrowed his eyes helplessly at Diejian's remark.

"If Juri heard you say that, she'd be quick to argue."

"Juri's the only one who thinks she's managed to keep it a secret. Since she acts that way around other people, even Teacher Kagami seems to get hurt sometimes."

"These people are way too self-absorbed..."

Jiraiya muttered, glancing at his teammates, who were busy eating snacks beside him.

"You didn't have to bring me along, but did you really all have to take the exam? You guys have no team spirit."

"You already apologized for that. It was practically an order from Teacher Sarutobi. We couldn't exactly refuse."

"But it still feels..."

"What? You came back talking in that weird way, and you've got the nerve to complain?"

"What!?"

Everyone who lived on Mount Myōboku was a frog.

The frogs all had a distinctive way of speaking, and Jiraiya seemed to have picked up their manner of speech, too.

"Tsunade..."

Diejian wore an awkward expression.

He could only step into the place the Elder Group deliberately avoided because he was a companion who stood on the same footing as them.

Watching his younger sister and junior argue, he thought they seemed happy.

Diejian's gaze softened as he felt grateful for the happiness of the moment.

"It's starting."

Kagami, the referee, left the Genin behind—the stage was set.

Juri summoned a giant staff and took up position at the rear.

The three Iwagakure ninja spread out, one in front and two behind, each forming Hand Seals.

The Iwagakure ninja in the rear launched a jutsu. The ground beneath the Genin swelled up and surged toward Juri.

Juri swung her staff to meet it—the battle had begun.

★

"—It was a dream."

Juri shivered slightly, her body cold as she slowly climbed out of bed.

In the dream, she had stood on the stage for the Chunin Selection Exam finals. Her friends had come to watch, but instead of cheering her on, they'd been having a grand old time chatting among themselves.

Diejian seemed to have said something unpleasant, too, but since it had been a dream, the details were hazy.

Juri climbed out of bed and went to the kitchen. She prepared a simple meal and ate it with quiet rustling sounds.

Afterward, she tossed the dishes into the sink and went to the bathroom.

She washed away the sweat from her sleep, stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her, and brushed her teeth.

Then Juri silently finished getting ready, as usual sitting on the step by the front door to check her luggage again.

Just then, she remembered that her stock of ninja medicine was running low. She made a note to buy some when she got back from her mission, then packed her luggage away again.

Juri slid her slender, bandaged legs into her boots, nodded slightly, and shifted her mindset.

The moment she crossed the threshold, Juri's gaze fell on a photograph that had recently been placed on the shoe cabinet.

—Surrounded by many of her companions, including Diejian, Sakumo, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, a black-haired woman in a green flak jacket stood in the center.

"I'm off!!"

The woman in the photograph beamed with joy, and Juri's voice now held the same cheerful lilt.