In the early morning, gentle sunlight spilled across Natsuhi's smooth face. Her red hair lay scattered around her, and she showed no sign of waking.
A smile rested on the girl's lips, as though she was having a wonderful dream, her body gradually relaxing.
After a while, Natsuhi woke up and said with a flushed face, "You're awful..."
Su Zheng smiled. "All right, get up!"
The girl lay in his arms, pounding him wildly to vent the embarrassment in her heart.
"All right, all right, get up and eat, lazy cat!" Su Zheng said, pinching her delicate nose.
After tidying herself up, Natsuhi sat at the dining table. Though she looked at the delicious food, she showed no reaction.
"What, doesn't it taste good?" Su Zheng asked.
"Hmph! I'm not hungry!" She glared at him. She wasn't hungry.
"Heh heh!" Su Zheng was in an excellent mood and devoured all the breakfast he had prepared.
Natsuhi lifted her chin and watched him wolf down his food, sweetness filling her heart.
At the training ground, it was Star Hidden Village's jōnin assessment today. Only Fire Fly and Natsuhi had the best chances of advancing this time.
Within the arena, one could advance only by successfully challenging five opponents.
"Mysterious Peacock Method: Beast!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Natsuhi's purple Chakra was the purest and strongest. Not only did it eliminate the negative effect of being unable to move while casting ninjutsu, it also swallowed ten opponents in a single strike.
"Natsuhi is really strong. I misjudged her before; I always thought Fire Fly was the strongest!" a jōnin beside them commented.
"Yeah, I bet even Lord Star Shadow couldn't beat her!" another ninja said with utter seriousness.
"You..."
"It doesn't matter!" Lord Star Shadow Yamaguchi waved his hand and sincerely praised her. "Natsuhi truly is strong. She will be the future of our Star Hidden Village!"
A jōnin beside the arena watched Natsuhi's outstanding performance with a dark gaze.
This assessment lasted the entire morning. Though Natsuhi and Fire Fly had displayed tremendous strength, there were still many unexpected incidents!
Many practitioners had forced themselves to attend this assessment just to prove themselves. Yet the moment they began fighting, they suffered a backlash from their enhanced Chakra and died on the spot!
Akahoshi's proposal to restore the "large-scale cultivation" program was also rejected by Lord Star Shadow.
Walking down a small path, Akahoshi's expression grew increasingly sinister. "Since you won't allow it, I'll kill you and become the Star Shadow myself!"
Akahoshi was an extremely ambitious man. Especially after hearing of Su Zheng's exploits, he pursued power like a madman, dreaming of gaining enough strength under his leadership to contend with the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Akahoshi's home.
"I intend to kill the Star Shadow and take his place. What do you two think?" Akahoshi said, staring intensely at the two men.
None of the three were innocent. The Mysterious Peacock Method had one particularly special trait: it could devour others' power to strengthen its user!
Akahoshi had devoured the power of companions from his own generation, ultimately causing their miserable deaths.
Yagami and Shizang had originally been poorly gifted. By chance, they witnessed Akahoshi devouring his teammates. Under Akahoshi's coercion, the two boarded his criminal ship as well, joining him on a road of no return.
Yagami and Shizang exchanged glances. Having seen his terror, how could they dare voice any other opinion? Preserving themselves was what mattered most!
"We agree with your plan. Tell us what we need to do."
Seeing that the two knew their place, Akahoshi relaxed. "I plan to steal the 'Star,' kill the Star Shadow, and frame someone else for it..."
"Who do you think would be best to frame?"
This guy is truly sinister! The two silently mocked him before beginning to think.
Shizang said, "How about framing Fire Fly? He's always been so helpful!"
After thinking it over, Akahoshi agreed. Once they had discussed the details and set a time, they left to prepare.
At dusk, the three arrived at the training ground according to their plan. They broke the seal and took the "Star." One went to summon Fire Fly, while the other two killed the Star Shadow and arranged the scene.
When Fire Fly arrived, he saw several people fighting. He rushed into the room, only to discover that the Third Hoshikage was dead on the spot!
"Ah...!" While he was still dazed, Akahoshi killed him, arranged the scene, and called everyone over.
Before long, the ninjas of Star Hidden Village had all gathered. Seeing the traces of battle on the ground, they were greatly puzzled.
Akahoshi stood at the front and slowly began to speak:
"Ahem! Everyone, listen to me. While patrolling tonight, I discovered Fire Fly preparing to steal the 'Star,' so I killed him. I never expected that before fleeing, he would actually kill Lord Star Shadow..."
"Although the village has suffered such a major upheaval and everyone's hearts are in turmoil, we all the more need a new Shadow to lead us forward..."
Akahoshi's words left everyone stunned. Fire Fly had always behaved well in the village. No one expected such a thing to happen. People truly could not be judged by appearances.
"I propose that, at this perilous time, Lord Akahoshi take the position of Star Shadow!" Shizang spoke up.
"I agree!" Yagami was the first to state his position.
"I agree too..."
Some of the ninjas below echoed their support, and Akahoshi revealed a triumphant smile.
"I disagree!" A voice of opposition exploded through the crowd as Su Zheng stepped to the front.
Shizang frowned. "You're not even a ninja from our village. What right do you have to object?"
"He's my man!" Natsuhi declared her identity as she stepped forward, her face flushed red.
Su Zheng took out a camera. "I can say with certainty that the three of them fabricated everything. This clearly recorded their actions in murdering the Star Shadow!"
Boom! It was like cold water poured into a boiling pan of oil, and the crowd erupted into discussion.
Akahoshi attacked directly. "He's lying!" Yet his actions only further revealed his panic.
"Mysterious Peacock Method: Beast!" Natsuhi stood in front of Su Zheng and knocked back the charging Akahoshi. She shouted, "Akahoshi, don't even think about attacking my man. I believe him!"
Both sides stuck to their claims, neither willing to yield!
They decided to finish watching the recording. The truth would naturally become clear.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As they played the recording, Akahoshi embedded the "Star" into his chest, and a fierce Chakra storm surged forth!
"Since I've already been discovered, then you can all die!" Akahoshi revealed a savage expression. "Mysterious Peacock Method: Dragon!"
Boom! The savage Chakra dragon roared as it tore everyone apart, devouring the Chakra of countless Star ninjas.
"Stop!" Natsuhi also used the Mysterious Peacock Method and fought Akahoshi, but she was ultimately no match for him and was defeated!
"Hahaha! Who can stop me? You can all die!" Akahoshi's face twisted even further.
"Wind Style: Rasengan!"
While Akahoshi was distracted, Su Zheng's right hand broke through his defenses and struck his chest with the ninjutsu.
Rumble! In an instant, a massive explosion erupted, and Akahoshi's body vanished along with the "Star"!
Su Zheng looked at the astonished Natsuhi and said, "See? I told you I could use ninjutsu too!"
After this incident, Star Hidden Village's strength declined sharply. Following a selection, Natsuhi was chosen as its new leader. She did not continue using the title "Shadow," knowing that Star Hidden Village was simply unworthy of it!
Night.
Natsuhi lay in Su Zheng's arms and pressed him, "Who exactly are you?"
"Silly girl, you finally noticed!" Su Zheng raised an eyebrow. "Didn't I tell you? I'm Su Zheng!"
"That's right, he's Su Zheng!" Thinking of how she had acted before, Natsuhi shyly covered her face.
Then, as though recalling something, she teased, "Have you finally remembered your own affairs?"
"Of course!" Su Zheng admitted it outright. He would not be embarrassed about it.
He kneaded Natsuhi's smooth, tender cheeks and asked, "Then do you like the Su Zheng from before, or the Su Zheng now?"
"I like them both! Because they're both you!"
Natsuhi's smile was etched into Su Zheng's heart. No words were needed; only actions could express his feelings.
He pulled Natsuhi into his arms and kissed her. Tonight, Natsuhi's star bloomed!
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