The Messenger

Naoki slowly shook his head and said nothing more.

The two returned to the tavern. After tidying up inside and out, they each went back to their rooms.

Night had fallen, and the tavern was completely quiet.

Naoki returned to his room and closed the door, but he didn't lie down. Instead, he went to the window and opened it, letting the night breeze sweep in and dispel the stuffiness.

Moonlight spilled across the room, stretching his shadow long.

He lowered his gaze to his hands.

His fingers were long and strong, their knuckles clearly defined. They had been stained with the blood of many people: enemies on the battlefield, the thugs from earlier, and Todo Ichiro.

He was used to killing by now.

What he truly couldn't ignore was something else: the blood-red haze deep in his consciousness. It was thicker than before.

"Is it because I wanted to kill?" he murmured to himself.

"Maybe not. But what is it, then...?"

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Aikawa Yumi stood in the doorway.

She had changed into a simple nightgown, her long hair loose over her shoulders. She seemed less alluring than usual and gentler instead.

"Can't sleep?"

Naoki looked at the woman standing in the doorway. Moonlight streamed in behind her, outlining her slender figure.

Aikawa Yumi didn't answer. She walked into the room and sat on his bed, crossing her legs. The hem of her nightgown slipped up, revealing a broad expanse of pale skin.

"Anu." She patted the spot beside her. "Come sit."

Naoki remained where he was.

Aikawa Yumi didn't take offense. She simply propped her chin on her hand and looked at him, her gaze lingering over his face as if admiring a fine work of art.

"You know," she began suddenly, her voice much softer than usual, "when I was in that bastard's room earlier, I thought I was going to die."

"You already said that."

"Then do you know what I was thinking at the time?"

Naoki fell silent.

Aikawa Yumi stood and walked over to him, tilting her head up to look at the man who was a head taller than her.

Moonlight poured through the window, merging their shadows.

"I was thinking, if I died just like that, what would happen to my Anu?" She lifted a hand to his cheek, her fingertips cool. "He's so foolish. Without me watching over him, he'd get taken advantage of, wouldn't he?"

Naoki lowered his eyes but didn't pull away from her hand.

"I'm not an idiot."

"You are." Aikawa Yumi smiled, her fingers lightly stroking his cheek. "You hate me so much, yet when I'm in danger, you still come to save me."

"Anu, tell me. Aren't you an idiot?"

Naoki said nothing.

He didn't know how to answer.

Rationally, he should hate this woman. She was the one who had planted that damned thing in him, forcing him to live each day in fear of his dreams consuming him. It made him afraid to sleep, afraid to close his eyes, afraid to think about the nightmare that might come true.

But when he'd seen the bloodstains in the tavern, when she'd disappeared, the first thought that flashed through his mind had been...

Naoki closed his eyes, pushing the thought away.

"Anu." Aikawa Yumi's voice softened further. She rose onto her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Look at me."

Naoki opened his eyes and met her gaze.

In the moonlight, the eyes that were usually filled with laughter looked utterly serious. His reflection shone in them, as if he were the only person left in the world.

"Will you always stay by my side?" she asked again, the same question she'd asked in the woods.

Naoki was silent for a long time.

So long that Aikawa Yumi thought he wouldn't answer. Then he finally spoke.

"I don't know."

Aikawa Yumi froze for a moment, then smiled, her eyes curving with delight.

"Not knowing means you will." She buried her face against his chest, her voice muffled. "My Anu is so adorable."

Naoki stood stiffly, letting her hold him.

He could feel the warmth of her body, smell the faint fragrance in her hair, and hear her quiet heartbeat.

After a long while, Aikawa Yumi finally let go and stepped back.

"Okay." She turned toward the door. "Get some sleep. We have to open for business tomorrow."

At the door, she suddenly stopped and glanced back at him.

"Anu."

"Hmm?"

"That loser you killed tonight seems to have been the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Water's illegitimate son."

Moonlight streamed in through the window, casting shifting shadows across her face.

"How many people do you think that daimyo will send to capture us when he learns someone cut off the head of his favorite son?"

Naoki suddenly remembered something... In Todo Ichiro's castle, he had seen quite a few Kirigakure Ninja.

Why were there so many Kirigakure Ninja in the Land of Hot Water?

Could it be that after the Southern Border had been swept by the army, the remaining Kirigakure Ninja hadn't returned to their homeland but had fled to the Land of Hot Water instead?

He thought it was possible.

If so... things might get a little troublesome.

There were probably quite a few Kirigakure Ninja still in the Land of Fire. Even if Konoha's army had done a thorough job, a sizable number would have escaped. If the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Water intended to recruit them...

Naoki said slowly, "This isn't good."

Aikawa Yumi looked at him with a playful smile.

"Is my Anu scared?"

Naoki didn't answer. He simply turned and walked back to the window, gazing at the moon outside.

Scared?

He wasn't.

He had faced life and death on the battlefield, and he'd even dared to fight a powerful man like Karatachi Yagura head-on. A mere daimyo of the Land of Hot Water wasn't enough to frighten him.

The problem was, he wasn't alone now.

Aikawa Yumi was behind him.

She had no chakra and was just an ordinary woman. If a large force attacked, could he protect her?

"Anu." Aikawa Yumi had somehow come up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and pressed her cheek to his back. "What are you thinking about?"

Naoki didn't struggle or respond.

"Thinking about how to protect me?" Aikawa Yumi's voice was muffled, amused. "Don't worry. Your big sister isn't so easy to kill."

The sun rose as usual the next day, and the tavern opened as usual, as if nothing had happened the night before.

Naoki still stood behind the bar, wiping glasses, while Aikawa Yumi still lounged on the counter.

Compared to before, business at the tavern was slow today. A few regulars came in for a drink now and then, quietly discussed the commotion in town the previous night, then hurried off.

Aikawa Yumi didn't seem to care. More than ten days passed like this.

Then, in the afternoon, a messenger pushed open the tavern door.

The messenger was a well-dressed middle-aged man with a deferential manner, clearly someone accustomed to working for powerful people.

He stood at the tavern entrance, holding out a letter sealed with wax in both hands. In a humble tone, he asked, "May I ask if you are Lord Uchiha Naoki?"