Ambush

On the night before the new year arrived, Mizuki's family waited together in cheerful harmony for the moment when the old year gave way to the new.

Little Miyuki seemed to sense that today was unusual as well. She stubbornly fought off sleep, wanting to wait until midnight.

But children simply did not have that kind of stamina. Before long, she fell asleep in Mizuki's arms.

After settling Miyuki down, Tsubaki adjusted the kotatsu to a more comfortable temperature and brewed a pot of tea.

Mizuki was neither particularly familiar with nor fond of this traditional tea ceremony, but Tsubaki enjoyed this kind of calming pastime in her spare time.

Besides her love of flowers, having a few hobbies that helped her settle her mind was quite nice.

A ninja's life was not all about fighting and killing, nor was it solely about training ninjutsu.

For ninjas who had started families and built careers, everyday life was also an important part of their lives.

"It feels like the village has been getting more and more tense lately."

It was not just combat ninjas. During the last large-scale mission, even medical ninjas had suffered casualties.

Although the Five Kage Summit had yet to take place, and the Shinobi Allied Forces were still nowhere in sight, that did not stop the major hidden villages from quietly preparing for war.

As someone who had been in the Security Department for quite some time, the experienced Tsubaki had noticed certain changes. Being proficient in sealing techniques, she had already received many related mission requests.

After information about Impure World Reincarnation fell into the hands of the village leadership, Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi's repeated use of that formidable power forced Konoha to begin preparing ways to counter the reanimated bodies. Forming powerful sealing squads had