Shi Xiu quietly felt the softness in his arms, a sensation he had never experienced before.
If he counted carefully, he had spent a long hundred and fifty years alone, starting in his previous life, and had remained single all that time.
When Nara Luling wrapped her arms around his waist, a ripple stirred deep within Shi Xiu.
To be honest, in that moment, he really had felt his heart skip a beat.
However, reality quickly suppressed that feeling. Shi Xiu knew that if he truly fell in love with someone, the thought of what things would be like decades later would leave him in unbearable pain and helplessness.
He would have to watch the person he loved grow old and approach the end of her life, while he could do nothing.
At that moment, a phrase surfaced in Shi Xiu's mind: "Immortality isn't a reward, but a punishment." He had never given those words much thought before, but now he deeply understood the endless sorrow and helplessness they held.
Even so, Shi Xiu didn't let himself get lost in his emotions.
Shi Xiu lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling on Nara Luling, who was still holding him tightly.
"Flying Thunder God!"
In an instant, Shi Xiu and the others vanished from where they stood, like ghosts.
All that remained were Heimu Wu and the others, standing there in a daze with bewildered expressions, staring at the spot where the group had just been.
In the blink of an eye, Shi Xiu and his group returned to their own courtyard in Konoha.
As soon as they landed, Shi Xiu casually released his hold and unceremoniously dropped Samui onto the ground.
Samui clearly hadn't expected to be treated so abruptly. She hit the ground hard and let out a muffled groan.
At the same time, Nara Luling seemed to come to her senses and hurriedly let go of Shi Xiu's waist.
A faint blush still lingered on her cheeks, like clouds lit by the evening sun, making her look charmingly bashful.
Shi Xiu pointed at Samui, who was sprawled on the ground, then turned to Kakashi and said calmly,
"Take them all to the interrogation department. I'll leave things here to you. I have some important matters to attend to."
Kakashi showed little reaction to Shi Xiu's instructions and simply nodded in silence.
Then he pulled the signature cat-faced mask from his waist and put it on.
He crouched down and effortlessly hauled Samui to her feet.
Samui's face was as pale as a sheet, devoid of color.
Samui silently cursed her bad luck. She had never been to Konoha's interrogation department, but she had heard plenty about it.
They said its methods were extremely brutal, and few people ever came out unscathed.
At the thought, Samui felt a wave of despair. She knew she was probably doomed to suffer a severe beating and all manner of torture.
Holding Samui, Kakashi headed for the door alongside another Kumogakure shinobi who had also been captured.
Meanwhile, Nara Luling escorted a captured Kumogakure shinobi close behind them.
But when the two of them were nearly at the doorway, they stopped in unison and turned to look at Shi Xiu, who was still inside.
Kakashi stared directly at Shi Xiu, curiosity and scrutiny glinting in his deep eyes, as if he wanted to see through Shi Xiu's calm exterior.
Nara Luling's gaze, on the other hand, was complicated. It held the bashfulness of a young woman, along with a hint of something hard to describe... reluctance to leave.
Shi Xiu keenly caught the unusual emotion in Nara Luling's eyes and paused in surprise.
Just as he was about to ask her about it, Nara Luling seemed to suddenly realize something.
She hurriedly lowered her head, quickly put on her mask, then turned and left with Kakashi.
Shi Xiu quietly watched Kakashi and Nara Luling walk away, his eyes filled with complicated emotions he couldn't quite put into words.
Shi Xiu pressed his lips together and let out an almost imperceptible sigh.
That sigh seemed to carry endless worry and helplessness, but it soon faded into the air.
"Flying Thunder God!"
With a low cry, Shi Xiu's figure flashed like lightning and vanished from the courtyard in the blink of an eye.
Shi Xiu planned to meet up with Minato. In fact, back when Minato and the others had set out, Shi Xiu had already placed a Flying Thunder God Mark on him.
Meanwhile, in the distant Land of Water, a suffocating mist hung over the mysterious Kirigakure.
Minato carefully led Kushina and Rin into the village, moving as silently as ghosts.
Kirigakure was then in the dark era known as the "Bloody Mist Village," and the entire village lay under a heavy shroud of gloom.
The streets were full of horrifying sights. Ragged, gaunt beggars huddled in corners, shivering, while corpses lay scattered along the roads, filling the air with a pungent stench of decay.
The gruesome scene made Rin, hidden nearby, tense up. She swallowed nervously.
Just moments ago, she had seen two vicious Kirigakure shinobi beating a poor little girl. Their reason was simply that the girl possessed the rare Kekkei Genkai, Ice Release.
Seeing such a cruel scene, Minato and Kushina burned with anger. If they hadn't feared exposing their identities and attracting unnecessary trouble, they would have stepped in to stop the abuse.
As Minato, Kushina, and Rin marveled at the chaos in Kirigakure, a shadow suddenly appeared beside Minato without warning, like a ghost.
The sudden change startled even the usually sharp Minato, making him flinch.
Reacting on instinct, he drew a razor-sharp kunai from his waist without the slightest hesitation and stabbed hard behind him with lightning speed.
"Minato! It's me!"
Quick to react, Shi Xiu reached out and firmly grabbed Minato's wrist.
In an instant, the kunai in Minato's hand stopped just a few centimeters from Shi Xiu's neck. Its gleaming blade looked as if it might slice through his throat at any moment.
When Minato saw that it was Shi Xiu, the tension finally left his body, and he let out a long breath.
Shi Xiu released Minato's wrist, and Minato awkwardly scratched his head, an apologetic smile on his face.
"Sorry, Lord Shi Xiu! It was pure instinct!" Minato hurriedly explained.
Shi Xiu nodded slightly to show that he understood. His clear eyes were calm as water, and he showed no sign of blaming Minato.
Then he began to carefully survey their surroundings, taking in the terrain and the situation.
After a while, Shi Xiu spoke. "All right, Minato! I know you left a Flying Thunder God Mark on that mysterious person. We shouldn't waste time. Let's go there together now!"
Minato nodded without hesitation.
He quickly reached out with both hands, placing one on Shi Xiu's shoulder and the other on Kushina's.
Just then, Rin hurried forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Minato's waist, exactly as expected.
Minato didn't say anything about Rin's actions, but the corner of his mouth twitched. He felt like explaining would be awkward, but not explaining would be awkward too.
With no other choice, Minato pretended not to notice. The next instant, his figure flashed, turning into a streak of light as he whisked them all away.
Almost at the same moment, the Mysterious Masked Man, who was nearby, suddenly sensed a powerful disturbance in space behind him.
His heart lurched. Cursing inwardly, he quickly used his intangibility to evade a possible attack and rapidly put some distance between himself and whoever was behind him.
Then he went for a grab... Sorry, wrong channel.
After Obito widened the distance, he turned around. His eyes were full of disbelief.
Rin stared at the Mysterious Masked Man before her. For some reason, a familiar feeling suddenly welled up inside her.
Rin spoke hesitantly. "Obito... is that you?"