Head West!

"Damn it..."

He cursed under his breath, his fingernails digging deep into his palms.

Aikawa Yumi followed behind him, her gaze fixed on Naoki's slightly tensed back.

For over a month now, she had grown accustomed to Naoki's silence, accustomed to the detachment and wariness that always lingered in his eyes, but the silence of late was different...

"Anu." She spoke suddenly, her voice sounding somewhat ethereal in the night wind. "That thing in your mind—is it growing larger?"

Naoki's footsteps faltered, but he did not turn around, nor did he answer.

Aikawa Yumi quickened her pace, walking to Naoki's side and looking up at him.

"Anu." She called out again, her voice softer than before, yet carrying a rare, earnest weight. "Answer me."

Naoki finally stopped walking.

He stood in place, silent for a long time—so long that Aikawa Yumi thought he would once again use silence to brush her off.

"Correct." His voice was hoarse. "It has already passed the halfway mark."

Aikawa Yumi's smile froze on her face.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, only to find she could not utter a word.

Passed the halfway mark.

She knew better than anyone what that meant.

"How could it be so fast..." she murmured, reaching out to grab Naoki's arm, but he dodged her by shifting his body.

Naoki did not look at her, his gaze fixed on the darkness in the distance.

"Isn't this the result you wanted?"

Aikawa Yumi clenched her fingers.

No, this was not it.

She certainly hadn't had good intentions at the start, thinking there was profit to be made from Naoki.

She had indeed set Naoki on a path of no return, but if she hadn't, how could Naoki have survived until now? He would have died on the beach long ago, pecked at by fish and birds, leaving nothing but a pile of dry bones.

She had indeed wanted him to become her Anu, to accompany her for a lifetime, but she had never imagined it would happen so quickly—so fast that she wasn't prepared, so fast that she had begun to fear losing him before she had even truly gained him.

Suppressing her rising emotions, Aikawa Yumi stepped forward to wrap her arms around Naoki's waist, pressing her face firmly against his back.

"I'm sorry."

Aikawa Yumi's voice was muffled against Naoki's back, sounding as if it came from very far away.

Naoki stood where he was, letting her hold him.

The night wind blew past, carrying the scent of the distant mountains and forests, as well as the faint fragrance of her body. He could feel her fingers tightening around his waist, the warmth of her cheek pressed against his back, and the slight trembling of her body.

"What good is an apology?"

Naoki's voice was unnervingly calm, as if he were discussing someone else's affairs.

Aikawa Yumi did not speak, only held him tighter.

A long time passed, so long that Naoki thought she would not speak again, before she whispered, "I will find a way."

"What way?"

"I don't know." Her voice was even softer. "But I will find a way."

Naoki was silent.

He did not know if he should trust this woman.

From the first day they met, she had been lying to him, using him, manipulating him. She had planted that damned thing inside him, making him live in the terror of nightmares every day, driving him step by step toward the abyss.

But she had also saved him.

Without her, he would have died on that beach long ago.

For over a month, she had tended to his wounds, stayed by his side, and provided him with a place to shelter when he was at his most desperate.

Toward this woman, Naoki had always held a very complicated set of feelings...

"Anu." Aikawa Yumi called out again, her voice tinged with a cautious, probing tone. "Do you hate me?"

Naoki did not answer.

Did he hate her?

He should.

Yet, when he saw those bloodstains in the tavern, when she had gone missing, the first thought that flashed through his mind was to go and find her...

He did not know when he had started to care about this woman. Perhaps it was in that lazy smile she wore when she brought him food every day, perhaps it was when she broke into his room in the middle of the night rambling nonsense, perhaps it was the moment he charged into the castle after she was abducted, or perhaps, it was even earlier...

"I don't know." He finally spoke, his voice still hoarse.

Aikawa Yumi buried her face in his back and let out a muffled laugh.

"Not knowing means... not hating, right?"

Uchiha Naoki did not speak.

The night wind continued to blow, and the cries of night birds drifted from afar.

Aikawa Yumi finally let go, walked around to face him, and tilted her head to look up at him.

"We aren't going north anymore; we're heading west!"

"West?"

"Yes, west!"

Uchiha Naoki's brows furrowed slightly.

He had some understanding of the terrain in the Land of Hot Water. The country was long and narrow from north to south, with a massive mountain range running through the middle. If they headed west, they would undoubtedly be entering the mountains.

Thinking of this, he began to understand why Aikawa Yumi had suddenly changed her mind...

It was common knowledge that the Land of Hot Water was a beautiful country, but cults were rampant. While this wasn't much of an issue in the coastal plains, the mountain range that spanned the country was home to many mountain folk who practiced these cults.

Looking at Aikawa Yumi's breathtaking face under the moonlight, Uchiha Naoki thought to himself, Is the mystery of that Eerie Buddha Statue finally about to be unveiled?

In Konoha, inside a tavern.

Uchiha Inabi lit a cigarette, took two puffs, then took a sip of his drink with a satisfied sound before popping a few peanuts into his mouth.

This leisurely life had continued for quite some time, and the reason for it lay in the series of events that had occurred since the end of the Third Shinobi World War.

From the Uchiha clan's active participation in the war, to their support of Namikaze Minato's rise to power, to their wise decisions on the night of the Nine-Tails Incident, and finally to Uchiha Naoki's long-distance raid on the Southern Border Battlefield—where he successfully destroyed a strategically significant enemy supply convoy, allowing the Konoha army to sweep through the south—these events made everyone in Konoha realize that the Uchiha clan was not only meritorious but also possessed a spirit of sacrifice for the village. After all, five Uchiha members carrying out a difficult mission deep behind enemy lines and succeeding was no easy feat...

Coupled with Sarutobi Hiruzen's active promotion and his efforts to publicize the deeds of Uchiha Naoki, who had been presumed dead, the Uchiha clan's reputation in Konoha had soared to the point where they were seen as the pillars of the village and loyal subjects.

Under these circumstances, let alone the rest of the Uchiha clan, even a core member like Uchiha Inabi had begun to grow complacent.

Uchiha Inabi was not a man of vice, but he was deeply worried about the future of the clan.

The Uchiha clan appeared to be flourishing, but in his view, that was not the case at all.

He didn't understand political maneuvering, but he understood one thing... no matter how great the clan's reputation was in the village, it was useless if they could not secure a seat among the high-ranking officials.

As he drank alone, several Uchiha members wearing the armbands of the Military Police Force filed into the tavern.