Night Talk

"Asura, it's just a trial, don't take it to heart."

Upon hearing Uchiha Yue's words, the Shadow remained indifferent, casually preparing to let bygones be bygones regarding the previous mistake.

However, not long after Shadow finished speaking, just as he was about to continue his journey with Uchiha Yue unexpectedly blocked Shadow's way!

Crimson pupils, with three black Tomoe swirling within them...

Uchiha Yue used his Sharingan without hesitation in front of the Shadow!

Furthermore, Uchiha Yue gripped the Fubuki Tachi, pointing its blade directly at the Shadow before him, his eyes narrowed as he said, "Shadow, you won't get away with this today. You must give me an explanation! Lord Orochimaru did instruct me to obey your orders during missions. However, Lord Orochimaru did not instruct me to be toyed with by you during a mission!"

"The reason, or war!"

"Choose one, Shadow!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a murderous aura suddenly erupted from Uchiha Yue, accompanied by the oppressive power of spiritual energy.

After absorbing the power of the Monster Ido, Uchiha Yue unleashed his spiritual energy for the first time, causing even the Shadow, who possessed the strength of an elite Jonin, to show a solemn expression in his eyes. Moreover, at the same time, the Shadow sensed Uchiha Yue's determination; he believed that if he didn't give Uchiha Yue an answer, Uchiha Yue would fight him right there.

So, just as Uchiha Yue arrived, the Shadow took a deep breath and said, "Asura, what I just said was already the answer."

The Shadow paused slightly, then continued, "As per Lord Orochimaru's instructions, I need to give you as much experience as possible during this mission. Asura, Lord Orochimaru intends to cultivate you, so he specifically instructed me to hone your skills. When we fought those Sunagakure ninjas earlier, I was already trying to train you. I just didn't expect your reaction to be so strong. Didn't you see through my intentions?"

"Is it really just a training exercise?"

Clearly, even after the Shadow explained his reasons, Uchiha Yue still harbored some doubts about the Shadow's motives.

After all, if Uchiha Yue had truly failed, he would have died at the hands of those Sunagakure ninjas.

The Shadow clearly noticed the suspicion in Uchiha Yue's eyes, then shrugged helplessly and asked, "Asura, Shikaku Nara, you know him, right?"

"Mr. Shikaku, of course I know him."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Yue nodded, then asked, "Shadow, could it be...?"

"That's right!"

Before Uchiha Yue could ask any questions, Shadow took a deep breath and slowly explained, "Shikaku Nara is my cousin. Shadow is just my code name in the Anbu. You just saw me use the Uchiha Yue Nara Clan's secret technique, didn't you? My real name is Nara Luyang, and I've been in the Anbu for five years. Asura, if you don't believe me, you can ask Shikaku Nara when you return to the village whether I'm really his cousin."

Is it necessary?

As soon as Shadow finished speaking, Uchiha Yue raised his eyebrows slightly and retorted, "So what if you're Shikaku- san's cousin? Your intentions to harm me just now have already made me lose trust. Shadow, unless you tell me the details of the mission, don't even think about gaining my trust. I imagine you don't want to lose my trust either, right? After all, we're comrades now, and if we don't trust each other, it will be very difficult to complete the mission Lord Orochimaru assigned us."

"Using the content of the task to exchange for my trust, isn't that a good deal?"

"Ha, I knew you meant this!"

Hearing Uchiha Yue's words, Shadow showed no surprise, only staring intently at him, and said, "Asura, you really don't need to threaten me. Lord Orochimaru Uchiha Yue instructed that in dire circumstances, it's permissible to abandon a mission. So, even if I can't gain your trust, I can easily abandon the mission; your threats will have no effect whatsoever. However, since you're Shikaku's friend, I can tell you the mission details. But I hope you won't threaten me again; I don't like being threatened."

The Shadow hesitated for a moment before continuing to speak to Uchiha Yue, "However, even I don't know the details of our mission. I only know that Lord Orochimaru ordered us to rescue a group of people. Those people aren't in the Land of Land of Wind, but in the Land of Land of Earth. So, Asura, our destination now is the Land of Earth. Only when we reach the Land of Earth will we know the true nature of our mission. I hope you understand."

"Alright, you can't travel at night in the Land of Wind."

"Let's find a secluded spot first, and then we can have a proper talk!"

"Um!"

When the Shadow arrived, Uchiha Yue nodded without hesitation and then disappeared into the desert with the Shadow.

Just as the Shadow said, the nights in the Land of Wind are terrifying. Even those with the strength of a Land of Wind -level ninja should not wander around recklessly at night. This is because when Uchiha Yue accompanied Orochimaru and the others first infiltrated the Land of Wind, he witnessed firsthand the horror of Land of Wind nights. That night, three Uchiha Yue Anbu perished in the desert. Therefore, before nightfall, Uchiha Yue and the Shadow must find a hiding place.

Fortunately, night had not truly fallen when Uchiha Yue and the Shadow finished their battle.

Then, as darkness fell, Uchiha Yue and his Shadow had already found a hidden cave where they concealed their tracks.

While Uchiha Yue and the Shadow were hiding in the cave, Uchiha Yue repeatedly hesitated, as if he wanted to ask the Shadow something.

Shadow, however, looked at Uchiha Yue's expression with a hint of a smile in his eyes and said, "Asura, you're asking me why I serve Lord Orochimaru, aren't you?"

Yes, that's a question I'm having.

Seeing that Shadow had asked without hesitation, Uchiha Yue could no longer hide his confusion and asked directly, "Shadow, isn't the Nara Clan a direct descendant of the Hokage? It seems that there have never been members of the Nara, Yamanaka Clan, or Akimichi Clan in the Anbu. Why would you, as a member of the Nara Clan, join the Anbu and serve Lord Orochimaru? Is it the Third Hokage's intention?"

"Asura, that's a really sharp question!"

At this moment, the Shadow looked at Uchiha Yue with a rather complicated expression, as if it had some unspeakable secret that it was inconvenient to tell Uchiha Yue directly.

However, after Shadow for a few seconds, Shadow suddenly let out a long sigh and said, "But since you want to know, I'll tell you the whole story."

"But, Asura, please, you must not tell anyone about this!"

"Otherwise, we might be in trouble!"