Shiri Three Years Later

Ever since she had taken Qiancao and Wuming as her disciples, Uzumaki Ayako had fallen completely into a state of having nothing to do.

Qiancao handled outside communications and the completion of tricky missions, while Wuming had volunteered to take responsibility for guarding the seals.

Aside from staying at the Sealing Tower to prevent accidents, Uzumaki Ayako had only one task left: teaching her two Uchiha disciples ninjutsu.

As it happened, both of Ayako's Uchiha disciples were astonishingly gifted geniuses. With the added boost of the Sharingan's copying ability, they learned at an incredible speed.

After just half a year, Ayako had nothing left to do at all and began wandering around the tower all day.

The wars among the daimyo on the mainland had grown increasingly fierce. Senju Arashi had originally made time to visit the three of them in the Land of Whirlpools every three months.

Now, she had gone eight months without seeing any of them, and could only occasionally send a letter with her regards after finishing a mission.

The dignified and beautiful Uzumaki Ayako from their first meeting had completely vanished, replaced by a shut-in who spent her days drinking and sleeping in the Sealing Tower.

Qiancao sorely missed the imposing, beautiful master he had first met. Seeing her like this pained him deeply.

But although Ayako was usually rather undisciplined, she was still quite dependable when something important came up, so Qiancao silently took on all kinds of work for her.

Qiancao filled a copper basin with cold water in the corner of the room, then held one hand beneath it and released chakra into his palm.

A ball of flame appeared out of nowhere in his hand, warming the water in the basin slightly.

He had developed this technique on a whim one time, while cosplaying as Kusanagi X from Fist X. It wasn't much use against enemies, but it was excellent for showing off—and it could also heat cold water outdoors.

This wasn't the first time Qiancao had helped his master get up. Once he had warmed the water to Ayako's favorite temperature, he wet a towel and wiped her face.

Feeling the warmth of the towel in her sleep, Ayako knew without opening her eyes that her beloved disciple had returned. She lifted her little face naturally and comfortably accepted his attentions.

Only after Qiancao had finished wiping her face did Ayako manage to yawn her way into opening her eyes. Still groggy, she said, "Haaah... My beloved disciple is back... How did the mission go this time? Haaah... Was it smooth?"

Qiancao said, exasperated, "With your disciple on the job, of course it was a piece of cake. But why have you been drinking again?"

Ayako lifted her robe and rubbed her numb thigh. In the dim bedroom, her long, beautiful leg gleamed faintly like white jade, so lovely it was hard to look away.

Qiancao was already used to the sight. After glancing briefly, he pulled his master's robe back down, sat beside her, and began massaging her leg.

Ayako let out a few comfortable sighs and finally came around a little. Pointing at her forehead, she said, "Isn't this because I'm researching that Yin Seal you told me about? I have to stay still and gather chakra throughout my body."

As he massaged her leg, Qiancao grumbled, "What does staying still have to do with drinking?"

Ayako moved her left leg aside and rested her right leg on Qiancao's knee, signaling him to massage the other one. Then she said, "I get bored sitting around, and it's hard to focus."

"If I drink a little more and pass out, I don't have to think about any of it."

Compared to the Ayako of three years ago, a purple diamond-shaped mark had appeared on her once-smooth forehead.

By chance, Qiancao had told his master about Tsunade's Yin Seal technique from his previous life, and Ayako had taken a keen interest in this sealing technique that could preserve one's youth forever.

As distant relatives of the Senju Clan, the Uzumaki Clan had equally powerful physiques. As one of the Uzumaki Clan's finest, Ayako also possessed chakra and physical abilities on par with Tsunade's.

After two years of research, she had finally managed to seal away a small amount of chakra. Though it was still difficult to use against an enemy, she could already use it to slow the aging process.

She treasured this initial breakthrough and used her research into the Yin Seal as an excuse to hide upstairs and do nothing all day.

Wuming was also extremely interested in a sealing technique that could slow aging, which was why she had volunteered to take over Ayako's usual work.

Qiancao stopped pressing her about the drinking and asked instead, "Wuming said you wanted to see me about something, Master?"

Ayako drew her leg back, sat up straight, and said seriously, "A few days ago, after you left, I received a letter from Arashi."

"The Uchiha sent an envoy to the Land of Water. We don't know what they're plotting."

Qiancao's heart stirred. Over the past three years, the Senju Clan had gained the upper hand in its rivalry with the Uchiha. Daimyo across the various countries had been assigning missions first to the Senju and their allies, and the Uchiha's reputation as the strongest clan was gradually fading.

But Senju Arashi was worried about Qiancao's safety, so she had kept a close eye on the Uchiha's movements.

After considering the news, Qiancao said, "Could the Land of Water be planning to attack the Land of Fire and asking Uchiha ninja to act as their inside agents?"

"We can't rule that out," Ayako said gravely. "But what we can be sure of is that if the Land of Water and the Land of Fire go to war, our trade routes will be severely affected."

Qiancao continued, "Does Sister Arashi have any other information?"

"Arashi said in her letter that she would investigate further." After speaking, Ayako glanced at Qiancao again and continued:

"There's one more thing Arashi wanted me to tell you. Someone you and Wuming know is among the Uchiha envoy sent to the Land of Water: Uchiha Hiri."

Qiancao's heart jolted when he heard Hiri's name. Thinking of her gentle smile, he couldn't help feeling a wave of nostalgia.

After Uchiha Eiki's failure to retrieve Qiancao three years ago, it was Uchiha Hiri who suffered instead.

Uchiha Gaku couldn't do anything to Uchiha Naoto, so he blamed Hiri, who had been responsible for Wuming's development.

Hiri, who hadn't needed to go to the front lines, was sent to the front line of the war against the Senju.

If Senju Arashi hadn't secretly held back against Hiri, she would have died on the battlefield long ago.

But the Uchiha clan members had also noticed that the Senju Clan was deliberately going easy on Hiri, so they gradually distanced themselves from her, and rumors spread throughout the clan.

Hiri, who had once enjoyed a high status among the Uchiha, gradually became an outcast.

Hiri experienced firsthand the pain Wuming had suffered when her own clansmen treated her as a weapon. She grew more and more taciturn.

Uchiha Naoto deeply regretted that Hiri, a surgical genius, could no longer work for him. He told her several times that she was welcome to return to the research whenever she wanted.

But Hiri still politely declined his invitation. No longer having to turn her scalpel against her own clansmen brought her some comfort.

Standing at the side of the passenger ship and gazing toward the Land of Whirlpools, Hiri couldn't help thinking of Qiancao and Wuming.

Ever since they had gone to the Land of Whirlpools, Hiri had never seen them again. She had only heard from Senju Arashi that they were both doing well, along with greetings passed on by Qiancao.

She wondered if she might see them again on this trip to the Land of Water.