A Night in Qiuyuan Town

After gaining a glimpse of Sosuke's terrifying talent, Shimura Kazumi stopped deliberately picking on him.

As the Shimura Clan's rising genius, Shimura Kazumi had been the focus of attention from a young age.

She was not yet twenty, yet already possessed the strength of an elite jōnin!

The entire Konoha had barely a hundred jōnin at the time!

To possess such strength before the age of twenty was proof enough of just how astonishing Shimura Kazumi's talent was.

Shimura Kazumi had grown up in the Shimura Clan. You could say she was something of a young noblewoman, and that made her revere her uncle, Shimura Danzō, immensely!

In her eyes, her uncle had practically upheld the glory of the Shimura Clan all by himself! He had once fought alongside the Third Hokage, and had been only one step away from becoming Hokage himself!

How could Shimura Kazumi not admire a man like Shimura Danzō!

Growing up in such a clan, and under Shimura Danzō's subtle influence, had left Shimura Kazumi proud and aloof.

Even the legendary Uchiha Clan, in her eyes, was nothing but a bunch of vulgar people who relied on their bloodline powers.

In Konoha, thanks to Danzō, the Shimura Clan's influence was no weaker than that of the bloodline clans.

The forces within Konoha were exceedingly complex. In fact, the same could be said of the other villages; the factions within every village were complicated.

In Konoha, there were the bloodline clans led by the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans; the Forbidden Technique clans, made up of the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka Clans and several mid-sized clans; the faction aligned with the Hokage; and Root.

Though Shimura Kazumi was still young, she had been exposed to all this from an early age and knew that the village's various factions were currently maintaining a balance. With the war at a standstill and peace prevailing, no faction would want to upset that brief equilibrium.

But the child her uncle had discovered might change all that.

Thinking of the child's terrifying talent, Shimura Kazumi couldn't help glancing toward Sosuke.

Sensing her gaze, Sosuke turned his head slightly. His mask hid his expression.

But Shimura Kazumi knew that brat was definitely smiling beneath it! What an irritating little brat! Couldn't he try a different expression for once?!

Though she looked annoyed, she said nothing and turned her head away. Yet she couldn't help thinking to herself.

What astonishing perception. If that so-called Flash Step really is a Taijutsu technique—or even Nintaijutsu—that he developed himself, then his talent truly is without equal!

When she thought of how her uncle had taken a child with such outrageous talent as his disciple, Shimura Kazumi no longer felt any resentment.

After getting to know Sosuke a little, she had also noticed what made him different.

Is he really only nine?! How can he have such strong nerves?!

The thought surfaced in Shimura Kazumi's mind. And it was true: ever since meeting Sosuke, she had hardly seen any change in his emotions. He had always been so easygoing and gentle.

Even when he had witnessed the existence of Root, hidden within the village, his expression had seemed unchanged.

Thinking of that, she took another long look at Sosuke.

I hope he'll bring this village something interesting, now that my uncle has chosen him as his disciple.

The two of them entered Qiuyuan Town.

Qiuyuan Town was a peaceful place. Its economy was mainly driven by trade in crops, and its residents lived relatively comfortable lives. Even during the First Shinobi World War, the town had remained a safe place untouched by the fighting.

Konoha had an outpost here as well.

The town was fairly prosperous, and it had regular contact with the outside world, so it was an area that Konoha kept a close eye on.

They arrived at a hidden outpost, where Shimura Kazumi gave the password and was let inside.

Sosuke followed closely behind her, watching everything through the holes in his mask and committing it to memory.

From the moment he left the Ninja Academy, he had been a ninja. He had to learn how to be a proper one if he wanted to survive on the battlefield in the future.

It was a secluded, discreet establishment that served as both a tavern and an inn.

Few people ever came by, and that day Sosuke and Shimura Kazumi were assigned rooms there to rest.

They had been traveling all day. If they didn't recover properly, they would be at a disadvantage facing an unknown band of bandits that included ninjas from other countries. Even with her jōnin strength, Shimura Kazumi couldn't afford to be careless.

After washing up, Sosuke and Shimura Kazumi each went to a separate room to rest.

Just before entering his room,

Sosuke turned to Shimura Kazumi and said softly,

"Captain Hannya, from what you said earlier, you had other teammates, didn't you? Could you tell me what happened to them?"

Shimura Kazumi's body stiffened slightly at Sosuke's question.

She looked deeply at Sosuke. Through those dark eyes, she seemed to glimpse a few lingering traces of sorrow, like stars that made her gaze seem desolate.

"They all died in battle."

Her voice fell softly. She was no longer as aloof as before.

But then, as if she had collected herself, she banished every trace of sorrow from her eyes and became the same cold Shimura Kazumi again.

"Whoosh!"

She moved sharply, without the slightest hesitation, and slid open the wooden door!

She strode inside!

"Bang!"

Then she slammed the door shut!

Inside, Shimura Kazumi angrily pulled off her mask and threw it onto the bed, fuming.

That brat keeps asking such annoying questions! Why do I always embarrass myself in front of him? He's just a talented kid, that's all!

Why did I answer his question?! Argh!!

She buried her head in the bedding and shook it hard, not caring that her purple hair was getting crushed, as if that could drive away Sosuke's gentle voice.

Out in the hallway,

Sosuke watched the scene. His warm expression turned helpless, and he thought to himself,

Looks like I've gone and annoyed this young lady Hannya again.

But once his exasperation passed, Sosuke's gaze grew cool as he considered the situation.

If people have died on missions led by Hannya, then Danzō wasn't lying to me. The main reason he had Hannya take me along was probably so I'd have to rely on myself to survive.

If he meant for me to survive on my own during the missions ahead, then this first mission is probably just an appetizer to kick off my ninja career.

At that thought, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile.

Bandits, huh?... Not a bad whetstone...

The quiet night slipped away without a sound.

Outside, the moonlight was bleak.

Inside, Shimura Kazumi and Sosuke were each lost in their own thoughts.

Far away, in a camp, a horde of cruel, jeering bandits still had no idea that disaster was about to strike.