I Will Never Leave the Land of Hot Water!

Naoki stopped wiping the glass and looked up at him.

That gaze sent a chill down the messenger's spine, his smile stiffening for a moment before he quickly recovered, maintaining a respectful posture. "I am an envoy from the Daimyo Mansion of the Land of Hot Water, here under the orders of my lord to deliver a letter."

"A letter?"

"Yes." The messenger presented the letter with both hands. "My lord says he has investigated the events of the past few days. That rebellious son, Todo Ichiro, acted recklessly and deserved his fate. My lord feels deeply ashamed and has commanded me to deliver this letter of apology, hoping that Lord Naoki will not take it to heart."

Naoki took the letter and unfolded it to read carefully.

The letter was quite long and phrased with extreme courtesy. It began by expressing regret, claiming that his own lack of discipline had allowed that rebellious son to run wild, then thanked Naoki for cleaning up the mess, and finally invited Naoki to visit the Daimyo Mansion at his convenience so he could personally host a banquet to offer his apologies.

Between the lines, it was filled with admiration and an intent to win Naoki over.

After reading, Naoki folded the letter and placed it on the bar.

"Understood."

The messenger waited for a moment, and seeing that Naoki had nothing else to say, he did not show annoyance, instead bowing respectfully. "Then I shall take my leave."

Naoki stood behind the bar, his gaze falling upon the letter as his brows furrowed slightly.

Aikawa Yumi came down from upstairs at some point and walked to his side.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I'm wondering if this letter is sincere or just a facade."

"My Anu is so naive." Aikawa Yumi reached out and pinched Naoki's cheek. "You can believe this? Even if you don't know what kind of person the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Water is, just look at Todo Ichiro and it's clear. If he weren't favored, there wouldn't be any ninja in that castle..."

Naoki nodded slowly.

Although there weren't many Kirigakure ninja in that castle, most of them were Chunin, which was not something an ordinary noble could afford to keep.

Seeing Naoki nod, Aikawa Yumi asked again, "Then what are you going to do next?"

"How about we just storm the capital and slaughter that old man?"

Naoki glanced at the woman who had just uttered such an astonishing statement and shook his head.

Killing a Daimyo was not difficult for him, but the problem was his identity. As a Konoha ninja and a member of the Uchiha, it was one thing to go missing for days without reporting back to Konoha, but to stir up trouble outside... the resulting trouble would likely not be his alone.

"We should leave here and go to Konoha..."

Before Naoki could finish, Aikawa Yumi's smile faded slightly.

"No, I will never leave the Land of Hot Water!"

Naoki opened his mouth, looked at the firm expression in Aikawa Yumi's eyes, and fell silent.

He didn't speak, and Aikawa Yumi didn't either; the two of them stood there as if in a cold war.

After a long silence, Naoki finally spoke.

"Then what do you want to do?"

Aikawa Yumi felt a sense of relief and said, "I have other places I can go..."

If they were going to leave, they had to do it early; this was a truth that not only Naoki understood, but Aikawa Yumi as well.

The two packed their belongings and set off once night fell over Kannazuki Town.

The night was as dark as ink, with the moon hidden and the stars obscured.

Two figures moved rapidly through the wilderness; Naoki carried a pack, and Aikawa Yumi, dressed in tight-fitting gear, was shielded at his side.

"Anu, why are you walking so fast? Big sister can barely keep up." Aikawa Yumi complained, though her pace did not slow down in the slightest.

Naoki did not look back, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan glowing with a faint red light in the darkness, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

Seeing that Naoki remained silent, Aikawa Yumi pouted but stopped pestering him.

They had been away from Kannazuki Town for two hours. According to Naoki's calculations, if they crossed the hills ahead, they would enter the mountainous region in the north of the Land of Hot Water, where they could use the terrain to maneuver even if pursuers caught up.

However, at that moment, Naoki suddenly stopped.

Aikawa Yumi nearly collided with his back. She was about to speak, but he covered her mouth and pulled her behind him.

"Don't make a sound."

Aikawa Yumi blinked and followed his gaze.

In the hilly terrain ahead, under the moonlight, more than a dozen black shadows could be vaguely seen rapidly encircling their position. Those shadows occasionally vanished into the darkness and flickered past in the moonlight.

"I really guessed right." Aikawa Yumi lowered her voice, a hint of excitement in her tone. "That old man really didn't have good intentions."

Naoki ignored her teasing, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan focused intently on capturing the movements of those shadows.

Among these dozen or so figures, most were low-level ninja, but there seemed to be one or two Jonin as well...

The situation was not overly dangerous, so Naoki reached out and gave Aikawa Yumi a push.

"Stay back a bit."

Aikawa Yumi was stunned for a moment by the push, then she smiled, her eyes curving into crescents; even in the darkness, one could see those bright, sparkling eyes.

"My Anu finally knows how to care about his big sister."

As the words fell, those dark shadows flashed into view.

Under the moonlight, over a dozen ninja fanned out, their movements swift and orderly.

The leader was a man around forty with a stern face, his triangular eyes glinting with a cold, sinister light in the darkness.

"Uchiha Naoki?" the man with triangular eyes spoke, his voice as raspy as sandpaper on stone. "You killed so many of my comrades; I never expected to run into you here!"

Naoki ignored him, instead turning slightly to cast a glance at the woman behind him.

Aikawa Yumi had already retreated behind a rock, with only her eyes visible; she was watching the scene with great interest, showing not a shred of fear, but rather the excitement of someone watching a show.

What a crazy woman...

Naoki withdrew his gaze and looked back at the enemies before him.

"So, you've thrown your lot in with the daimyo of the Land of Hot Water?" Naoki asked. "Selling your lives for that guy?"

"Enough talk!" the man with triangular eyes waved his hand. "Attack!"

Fifteen figures surged forward simultaneously, kunai and shuriken raining down like a storm.

Naoki sneered.

He hadn't slacked off on his training during this time, and having awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, his strength was no longer what it once was.

Naoki's figure flickered, vanishing from his spot.

In the next instant, he appeared before the three Kirigakure ninja charging at the front, his long blade sweeping horizontally.

The blade's light cut through the night like a bolt of silk; the three ninja didn't even have time to react before their vision blurred, followed by a chill at their necks and a spray of blood.

"What!"

The man with triangular eyes saw his pupils constrict, but before he could utter another word, Naoki was already upon him.

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan glowed with an eerie red light under the moon, those eyes terrifyingly calm, as if the man standing before him wasn't a jonin, but a lamb waiting for the slaughter.

The blade swept past; the man with triangular eyes blocked it hastily with his kunai, but the immense force left his hand numb, sending him flying backward.

"All together now!"

The remaining Kirigakure ninja swarmed forward, kunai and shuriken striking from every direction.