To be honest, you really lived up to my expectations.

Hotaru stared blankly at the master beside her, unable to speak for a moment.

She could not tell which side was his true face.

Was it the absolute calm he displayed toward all things, or the composed way he proclaimed cruel declarations beneath that serene exterior?

Still, whether it was the Asura of Blood or the bloody purge launched against his former homeland, those events seemed more fitting for the latter personality.

Countless thoughts churned through the girl's mind. Though she stood right in front of him, though he was roughly her age, Hotaru could not see through his true nature at all.

What could you possibly have gone through to become like this?

After all, the news that the Uchiha Clan had launched an assault on their homeland also contained a secret: the clan's extermination seven years ago had been connected to the current Hokage's faction.

And at that time, her master had only been eight or nine years old!

As his thoughts spread, what flowed most clearly through Yu Zhi's emerald-green eyes was not resistance or fear, but an ever-deepening desire to investigate.

"Ha!"

"So it's finally exposed, huh?"

"Your true nature!"

However, Amaru's thoughts were completely different from Hotaru's.

Living in this remote place, she knew nothing of the Uchiha Clan's past and had no interest in matters between ninjas.

Amaru's tiny world had contained only this stone village in the rainforest and Doctor Shinnō, who had suddenly entered her life. That was all!

But now, Teacher Shinnō had been attacked and killed because of these outsiders. Such a massive upheaval was no different from having most of her world shattered apart!

Especially after hearing such cold-blooded words from that seemingly human ninja in her sight, it felt as though a blazing fire were burning, erupting, and