Master and Disciple

Kou smiled as he handed the basket in his hand to Karin.

The basket was woven from bamboo strips, and the handle was still damp with water droplets condensed from the mist brought back from the market.

Karin took the basket, her large, dark eyes curving into crescent moons.

Though she said, "Master just replenished our supplies not long ago, there was no need to buy more," her small hands clutched the basket tightly, as if afraid someone might snatch it away.

Her smile was impossible to suppress, and her small face was filled with joy.

Kou watched Karin before him, the smile at the corners of his mouth deepening.

He reached out and ruffled the top of her head:

"Have you been training properly while I was away?"

Karin looked at Kou with a helpless expression and couldn't help but retort:

"Master's Shadow Clones have been at home supervising my training the whole time, so why ask such an obvious question?"

Kou coughed in slight embarrassment, though his face quickly shifted into a very serious expression.

He straightened his back, cleared his throat, and announced in a tone reserved for major news:

"Well... to celebrate your training progress, we are having a feast tonight!!"

"Yay!!"

Karin's eyes lit up instantly, and she jumped up while hugging the basket, her red hair tracing a joyful arc in the air:

"I'll go wash the vegetables!"

Before the words had even faded, she was already bounding toward the kitchen like a little red rabbit.

Watching Karin's skipping figure, Kou couldn't help but reveal a relaxed smile.

Over these past four years, he hadn't just been staying in the Mist Village to develop his strength in secret.

About three years ago, Obito—whether because he had gained full trust in him or because he had more important matters to attend to—stopped visiting him so frequently.

The feeling of being watched, which used to make his spine chill, had also gradually vanished.

Taking advantage of that hard-won freedom, he left his Shadow Clones to hold down the fort in the Mist Village while his true body departed, intending to try his luck at Mount Sumeru.

He wanted to see if he could find Hiruko, who had defected from Konoha during the Third Ninja World War.

After all, the Chimera Technique was indeed a formidable secret art, and it held great temptation for him at the time, as he was desperate to become stronger to ensure his own survival.

However, when he arrived at Mount Sumeru and searched every peak, he found no trace of Hiruko.

Concluding that "Hiruko might not have established his base at Mount Sumeru yet," and mindful that Obito could return to the Mist Village at any moment, Kou had no choice but to give up for the time being.

But having come all this way, he was truly unwilling to return empty-handed.

After careful consideration, he recalled that Mount Sumeru was located on the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Grass. Linking this to the current timeline, he thought of Karin and her mother, who were likely in Kusagakure at that moment.

Thus, he set off for Kusagakure.

When he arrived, it was just as Karin's mother had passed away.

Those Kusagakure ninja, who had cruelly exploited the mother and daughter, were just about to lay their wicked hands on the little girl who was wailing over her mother's corpse.

He killed every one of those Kusagakure ninja.

It was partly because of their sickening behavior, and partly to vent the emotions he had kept bottled up for so long.

In the end, he saved Karin, who had been sobbing while clutching her mother's body.

Considering Karin's Uzumaki Clan lineage and her unique abilities, Kou did not place her in the public eye like Kimimaro, Haku, or Hozuki Suigetsu. Instead, he took her as his disciple and let her live in his base, right up until now...

Kou watched the departing Karin and couldn't help but sigh with emotion:

"Time flies so fast..."

That little girl who had once curled up in a pool of blood, wailing in despair, had now grown into a young girl who would laugh as she threw herself into his arms and help him wash vegetables and cook.

Without realizing it, he had come to view Karin as a younger sister.

Only in front of this child, who was as pure as a blank sheet of paper, could he drop all his defenses and show his most authentic self...

"Master! Help me get the stool! I can't reach the cutting board!"

Karin's voice came from the direction of the kitchen, laced with a hint of urgency.

Kou's consciousness was pulled back to reality. He walked toward the kitchen, saying:

"Alright, alright, you go play; leave the cooking to me."

"No way!"

Karin poked her head out from the kitchen doorway, her large eyes wide, her tone full of defiance:

"I want to be with Master!!"

"Yare yare..."

Kou sighed helplessly, though his sigh was filled with nothing but doting affection.

In the tiny kitchen, two figures—one large, one small—squeezed together, their occasional bickering mingling with the steam from the pot, permeating the rock-encased cavern.

"Master, do I need to peel these potatoes?"

"What do you think?"

"Then I'll peel them!"

"...That's ginger."

"Huh?"

Before long, through the collaboration of master and apprentice, dinner was quickly prepared.

The dishes were spread across the small wooden table.

Braised fish, stir-fried vegetables, Stewed Pork Ribs with Potatoes, Miso Soup, and the Tofu Skin Sushi and Three-Color Dumplings that Karin had been longing for.

"Wow!!"

Karin gazed at the spread on the table, her eyes shining like stars.

Her small face was filled with wonder, her mouth forming a tiny "O":

"Master, you're amazing!"

Kou lifted his chin with a hint of pride, the corners of his mouth curling into a feigned humble arc:

"It's nothing, just a bit of micro-management, just micro-management."

"Alright, alright, eat up. If the food gets cold, it won't taste good anymore."

"Mm!"

Karin nodded vigorously and began to eat heartily, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

She used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of fish and stuffed it into her mouth, her cheeks bulging like a little hamster.

Her eyes squinted into slits, her face brimming with satisfaction.

Watching her, Kou couldn't help but recall the days of his childhood, going to Kakashi's house to mooch meals with Obito and Rin.

Konoha, the living room of Kakashi's home.

He and Obito sat at the dining table, their plates piled high with food Kakashi had prepared.

Obito was wolfing his food down, his mouth stuffed full, and he himself was no better, his chopsticks moving at lightning speed.

Kakashi sat opposite them with a dark expression, a rare look of helplessness appearing on his usually indifferent face.

Rin stood silently to the side, covering her mouth and giggling as she watched them.

Those days would never return...

"Master, you should eat too!"

Karin's voice pulled him back from his memories.

Kou smiled, though the smile carried a hint of imperceptible bitterness.

"Right."

He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat with her.

But he moved his chopsticks very little, only occasionally picking up a few greens to chew on slowly.

Most of the time, he simply watched Karin eat, watching her look of satisfaction and her eyes sparkling under the lamplight.

After the meal, the two sat in the living room and chatted.

As they talked, Kou saw that it was getting late, so he stood up and patted Karin on the head:

"Alright, it's time for bed. Go back to your room."

Karin stood up reluctantly, clutching a cushion as she walked toward her room.

Reaching the doorway, she paused and turned around, her large eyes fixed on Kou:

"Master, tell me more of the story you didn't finish earlier... the one about your time in Konoha."

Her voice carried a hint of coquetry and anticipation.

Kou walked over to her and tapped her forehead lightly with two fingers:

"It's too late today. We'll save it for next time. Now, be a good girl and go to sleep."

Karin nodded with a touch of regret, a flicker of disappointment crossing her large eyes, though it was quickly replaced by understanding.

"Okay..."

She opened her bedroom door, climbed into bed, and pulled the covers up, leaving only her eyes visible.

"Goodnight, Master."

"Goodnight."

Kou responded softly, and after watching Karin close her eyes, he turned and left her room.

The door clicked shut gently behind him.

In the darkness, Karin opened her eyes.

She stared at the ceiling, the innocence and excitement that had filled her dark eyes just moments ago now replaced by a quiet worry that felt far too mature for her age.

She turned over, pulled the quilt up to her chin, and murmured softly:

"Master's mood today... didn't seem very good. He barely touched his food."

She paused, a flicker of contemplation crossing her eyes:

"What on earth... could have happened?"

Karin worried for her master in silence, then slowly closed her eyes.

After closing the door, the smile on Kou's face gradually faded.

His expression became remarkably calm, so calm it bordered on indifference.

It was a form of inward restraint, a suppression of all emotions deep within his heart.

He walked toward the end of the corridor in silence.

There was a hidden door there, disguised as an ordinary rock wall.

He reached out, pressed his hand against the stone, and let his chakra flow slightly.

The jutsu formula on the wall activated, and the runes carved into the stone began to glow with a faint blue light.

A moment later, the hidden door slid open without a sound.

Kou stepped inside.

This was an underground secret chamber, its four walls lined with wooden shelves filled with scrolls and various ninja tools.

Any one of these items would be considered a rare treasure in the ninja world.

But he ignored them all.

He walked slowly across the chamber to the innermost corner.

There, a small tombstone stood.

It was just an ordinary stone, simply polished and set against the corner of the wall.

In front of the stone sat a small incense burner, still containing the remnants of unburnt ash.

A few characters were carved onto it.

The handwriting was not particularly neat, as if the person who carved it had shaky hands, or perhaps their emotions had been unstable at the time.

Uchiha... Shisui.