The Attack

A gentle breeze brushed past his ears as warm sunlight bathed him from above. Sosuke lay on the lush green grass, a contented smile on his face.

He was enjoying this rare moment of rest, and it made him very happy.

In the blink of an eye, Sosuke had spent nearly a month in the Royal Capital of the Land of Fire.

I wonder how Tsunade and Jiraiya are doing! Knowing those guys, they're probably working hard at something right now...

His thoughts drifted to the beautiful girl with the golden ponytail—the one who had stood before him, full of confidence, and promised she would become a female Hokage.

Suddenly, a slender hand appeared in front of Sosuke's mask and smacked his thoughts away.

Sosuke glanced over.

Kyoka Suigetsu, dressed in a flower-patterned kimono, was frowning at him, her small face wearing an unmistakably displeased expression.

"Sosuke, are you thinking about someone else again!?"

Sosuke couldn't help giving a wry smile.

Since arriving here, he and Kyoka Suigetsu had spent more and more time together. He had also grown increasingly adept at using Kyoka Suigetsu and performing Kido.

"Suigetsu, I was just thinking about a friend. After all, it's been nearly a month since I left the village."

Seeing Suigetsu's unhappy expression, Sosuke could only offer a quiet explanation. In his eyes, she seemed to have been acting stranger and stranger lately.

At his soft explanation, Kyoka Suigetsu's expression eased a little.

The truth was, ever since the Hogyoku had fallen into a deep sleep, she had decided to try a different way of getting along with Sosuke. Instead of always standing behind him as she used to, she wanted to stay by his side.

But for a Zanpakuto, that was very difficult. Even Kyoka Suigetsu could only appear for a short while each day.

Just then—

"Aizen! I did it!"

A girl's excited cry interrupted the two of them.

Shijimi Tamako came over with a happy smile, dragging a giant grass carp more than a meter long.

She stopped in front of them and looked at Sosuke with a proud expression.

Kyoka Suigetsu glanced at her from where she stood. Her delicate face showed no emotion, and she slowly vanished from sight.

Sosuke narrowed his eyes and studied the giant grass carp on the ground.

When he saw that its body bore no wounds at all, surprise flickered in his eyes beneath his mask.

Everyone had their own Slash Path.

It was an instinctive power used to attack. In the world of the Death Gods, the power of the heart took physical form as a Zanpakuto, but the Slash Path didn't necessarily mean cutting with a blade.

Slaughter, madness, deceit, cruelty, fear, restraint, resilience... every emotion within a person represented a different expression of the heart.

Through understanding and training in the Slash Path, these states of mind could be transformed into a unique physical form.

Sosuke's Slash Path took the form of absolute control over a certain area.

Even the faintest presence was something he could sense and touch. Within that area, it was as if all his senses had been magnified several times over!

He could easily anticipate and dodge any conventional physical attack.

He hadn't expected that after teaching the princess how to train in the Slash Path, she would actually manage to grasp its fundamentals!

Looking at the fish before him, which had no slash marks but had already lost its life, Sosuke couldn't help feeling surprised.

He still couldn't be sure what form her Slash Path took, but there was no doubt about it: Shijimi Tamako was a genius! A true genius!

"How was that, Aizen? Have I reached the Slash Path's threshold!?"

Shijimi Tamako looked at Sosuke expectantly, hoping to hear the answer she wanted.

Sosuke put his surprise aside, looked up, and smiled faintly.

"Yes, Tamako. You've already touched the threshold of the Slash Path. That's truly impressive."

At that, Shijimi Tamako broke into a very happy smile and looked at Sosuke smugly.

"Come on, I told you already—this kind of thing is easy as pie for me! But, Aizen, I do have you to thank for teaching me. I'm very grateful."

There was a hint of smug amusement in her words, but her gratitude was completely sincere.

Sosuke glanced at her palms, covered in scars from training day and night, and smiled faintly.

What a dishonest girl. Even though she was a princess, she was still willing to struggle for her own destiny...

But just then—

Tamako's subordinates brought some bad news.

It came in the form of an order from Feudal Lord Shijimi Nobuo.

Apparently, the Feudal Lord had received intelligence that a group of ninja would try to harm Shijimi Tamako in the coming days. He had sent many attendants to protect her.

He had also arranged for them to escort Tamako back to the Daimyo Mansion.

When she saw the order, Shijimi Tamako's bright smile turned cold and distant.

"I understand."

She said coldly.

It was as if she had gone back to being the princess she had been a month ago.

Sosuke simply stood to one side, watching everything unfold like an uninvolved bystander.

With so little information, he couldn't determine what had caused this situation.

"Sorry, Aizen. I need you to escort me back to the Daimyo Mansion."

Miss Tamako spoke listlessly, as if all her earlier energy had vanished.

Sosuke replied softly.

"That's all right. It's my duty."

His deep, magnetic voice was as gentle and courteous as ever.

"A duty, huh..."

Shijimi Tamako murmured to herself, then turned and walked away without looking back.

Watching her, Sosuke's eyes glimmered with an unusual light behind his glasses.

Pupil and Shackle also hurried over when they heard the news.

Together, they escorted Shijimi Tamako toward the Daimyo Mansion.

Outside a residential compound in Konoha.

Might Duy was busily cleaning and polishing a delicate little house, brimming with determination!

"Here!" "Here!" "And here, too!"

"I have to get it all clean before Teacher Kazumi comes back! After all, Teacher Kazumi worked so hard to find this job for me!"

"Youth means tackling every job with confidence and boundless enthusiasm!"

Might Duy dashed around the house. On closer inspection, every movement of his was incredibly precise!

Even with the heavy weights on his wrists, he didn't damage the house's surface at all!

Just then, Shimura Kazumi, her hair a deep purple, returned home.

"Teacher Kazumi! I've finished cleaning the whole house! I didn't miss a single tile!"

Shimura Kazumi was still as beautiful as ever. She only gave Might Duy a perfunctory look and said,

"R-right, I know. Here's your pay for this job. Mm, go home and get some rest. Build up your strength. When Sosuke gets back, we'll be taking on a major operation."

"Yes, Teacher Kazumi!"

With that, he vanished like a gust of wind!

Watching Might Duy come and go like the wind, Shimura Kazumi couldn't help looking exasperated.

"What a terrifying guy..."

Lying on her bed, Shimura Kazumi couldn't help thinking about the events of the past few days. Could that terrifying Might Duy really be a recent graduate of the Ninja Academy!?

Apparently, the Ninja Academy had nearly overlooked someone like him. That was utterly irresponsible!! She ought to bring it up with her uncle!

But with the way he acted... was he really suited to joining Root?

It was all that damn kid's fault. Did one mission really need to take so long? He still hadn't come back.

Lying in bed, Shimura Kazumi soon drifted off to sleep.

In her dream, she seemed to see that annoying guy with his faint, teasing smile...